Shiprock Pop-up

Navajo Frybread Tacos
At Garage on Passyunk
March 17th 2014

After the success of last year's frybread pop-up at 12 Steps Down, the proprietors of Shiprock and famous Philadelphian & food illustrator Hawk Krall (see hoagie drawing at right) brought it all back to Garage for a second run.

Shiprock is made up of two masterminds (seen below): Marcos Espinoza and Lucio Palazzo. Marcos is a blogger over at Fidel Gastro and Lucio is the chef at Taqueria Feliz in Manayunk (formerly of La Calaca Feliz on Fairmount). And that's pretty much all I know.

Well, that and that Hawk is pretty much the coolest illustrator I know.

Garage has a little cart inside that can be used by food industry folks, by request, to sell their munchables to nearby drunks, like myself. This is the first time I'd seen it in use.

This night they were offering a twist on the traditional fry bread taco by throwing some chili dog action in the mix. No doubt this was influenced by Mr. Krall. The other recommendation came from all three of the purveyors and it was to try the goat birra. This was a no brainer, so I put the order in.

Hot and fresh from the fryer. (the bread is all Marcos)

The tacos are made with love, each one assembled carefully at the hand of Lucio.

The goat meat looked mouthwateringly delicious and I couldn't wait to dig in.

They hooked me up with a little extra jus, so there was no way to pick this one up with my hands. This slopfest called for a knife and fork. The goat meat was tender and juicy, with a mild spice and more of a beefy flavor. It didn't really taste like goat or lamb. It could have been some beef short rib for all I knew. Whatever it was, it was the most delicious component I had that evening.

There was a lot going on with the toppings, a bit too much at once and it was hard to discern one ingredient from another. The fry bread got soggy from all that delicious jus, which was fine with me. It just didn't have much flavor of its own.

Next up was the hot dog. This was more easily handled as a taco, I could pick it up without fear of it falling apart.

Here again, lots of ingredients, but little in the flavor department. A pretty big meh on the hot dog all around.

All in all, I love the idea of the Navajo fry bread taco, but I also love the idea of a more flavorful vessel. Think funnel cake without the sweet and with little salt to steer it the other direction. Here's to hoping the next Shiprock pop-up packs a flavor punch to match their colorful and attention-grabbing illustrations.

Underdogs

1205 S. 9th Street
Philadelphia, PA
(215) 551.8080
Website

So, you have been drinking, it's late, and your friends from out of town want to hit the two most overrated cheesesteak shops. You can make a bad decision or a good one. Though I am no stranger to bad decisions, I would recommend walking a bit further north up 9th street and hitting Underdogs. (Also applicable if you are in Center City, if you are near their 17th street location.)

I went with the Chicago dog, chili cheese dog, and some fries.

One thing I really like is that they don't use a giant hoagie roll that completely dwarfs the encased meat, but rather a hybrid hoagie/hotdog roll that allows the fillings to really shine.

The Chicago Style was not quite authentic, but it was more of an interpretation. No neon green relish, no poppy seed bun, no Chicago dog. Nevertheless, it was a delicious substution. The thick dog with its snappy casing did wonders for this offering.

The Michigan style dog came with beef chili, cheddar, chopped onions, and spicy mustard. Again, this was a nice frankfurter, with tried and true toppings.

The fries were the surprise hit of the meal. These fresh cut, crispy fried spuds had just the right amount of salt and grease. A wide variety of dipping sauces were available, the fry sauce being my personal favorite.

If you don't feel like supporting the pretension for a cheesesteak around the corner, some fries and a dog is a safe bet at Underdogs. And they are open till 3am on the weekend. Perfect.

Guest Post: Wienermobile Food Truck

On a hot (dog) day in Philadelphia...

Today, the new-ish Wienermobile Food Truck made an appearance at Centre Square (15th & Market) as part of the original Wienermobile's 75th anniversary celebration. We're one of only 12 cities on their trail for the summer debut of their "Selects" line - all natural ingredients, including preservatives (nitrates) only sourced from celery juice. They're making a cross-country trip to promote the dogs, where Tyler Florence first introduced them to New Yorkers back in May.

But more importantly (and more relevantly) - chef, writer and artist extraordinaire, Hawk Krall, was there to serve up the free eats.

Each of 1,000 lucky contestants (or peoples bold enough to wait in the searing hot sun) were able to choose from a menu of 5 hot dog styles, created by Hawk Krall himself, including: Pennsylvania Pepper Hash Dog: Oscar Mayer hot dog split and grilled on a potato roll with German mustard, fresh diced onions (small dice, Hawk specifies), pickled green tomatoes from Reading Terminal Market, and pepper hash (shredded cabbage, green peppers, grated carrots, sugar, salt, and vinegar); Seattle Style Cream Cheese Dog: Oscar Mayer hot dog split and grilled with Coca-Cola onions (sliced white onions sauteed on the flat top and finished with Coca-Cola for carmelization), Whipped Philadelphia Cream Cheese, roasted long hots (an optional Philly twist but Hawk says, trust him and go for it!); Kosher Tommy: Oscar Mayer hot dog split and grilled, topped with grilled Oscar Mayer bologna and ooey-gooey cheese sauce; Perro Colombiano: Bacon-wrapped dog with pineapple salsa, crushed potato chips, avocado, pink sauce (basically Russian dressing), chimichurri mayo, and yellow mustard; AND FINALLY the Jersey Special: Grilled dog with Jersey hot relish (cabbage, carrots, spicy red pepper, mustard powder, turmeric, yellow mustard), and diced onions.

I mean, what's NOT to love?

Check back for a FREE giveaway of Wienermobile goodies!

The Sausage Superstore

Hot Doug’s
The Sausage Superstore and
Encased Meat Emporium
3324 North California, Chicago, IL 60618
(773) 279-9550
Website
You had me at “Encased Meat Emporium”

So, I was recently in Chicago on a quick trip and I decided to devote it solely to eating. In that, I had two places I would go on my three day adventure where I would eat, no matter the line. The first was Hot Doug’s.

Hot Doug’s is a small building in a commercial/industrial area of north-western Chicago, just north of Bucktown. Being from Philly, I obviously had to see how the sandwiches stacked up, and did they ever. After my first night there (and after consuming copious amounts of alcoholic beverages) I woke up with the incriminating evidence of a 4am torta on my foul smelling hands, and a hankering for some meat. People warned the night before to get there right when they open or right when they close, else the line will be wrapped around the building. “Ha,” I thought. “I am sure people have more important things to do on Friday afternoon than sit around waiting for an over-glorified Hot Do(u)g.”

As usual, I was wrong. At 11:45 the line was literally wrapped around the corner of the building and down the block. We left to get coffee, thinking at least if we are standing in line we might as well be awake, and that the line couldn’t possibly get any longer. Wrong again (well, about the line getting longer, at least).

Upon our return, the line now stretched even further down the block, but I thought to myself, “it should move quickly, I mean, they are just sausages.” Can you guess??? I was WRONG AGAIN! As I had already been made aware through my due diligence, each Friday and Saturday you have the option of French Fries cooked in duck fat. There was no way I was turning around. So we sat, and waited. At least there was plenty to look at while in line, guessing what the hell these people do in life that affords them the ability to sit there, waiting, for so long on a Friday afternoon. Not to mention eavesdropping, reading The Onion and local city paper they provide at the entrance, and briefing myself on the specials of the day through their website on my iPhone. I wanted to be ready; yet I was hardly prepared.

After what seemed like an eternity (in reality, a mere TWO HOURS), we got inside the door and were greeted by non other than Hot Doug himself - working the counter and taking orders. Awesome. He is a super nice guy. I immediately told him how happy I was to be there and that I was from Philly. He was quick to ask if I had brought his “Tony Luke’s chicken cutlet with Sharp Provolone and broccoli rabe?” HA. I loved the attitude, but had failed him this one. He said he was going to be visiting Philadelphia in the fall and I immediately informed him that he needed to forget Tony Luke’s and try the best sandwich in Philly at Pasesano’s. My partner-in-crime made him write it down and we gave him the address. He said we were “now back in his good graces.” Why do you think that line takes two hours? Because when you get to the counter, you are it. There is no rush, you get to shoot the breeze and the service is supreme. You order, take a seat, and they bring your order out to you. The line moves so slowly; you don’t need to fight for a seat when you get in there. You have a choice of seats. Amazing. Doug then hooked us up with some free drinks for our insider information. So what did we order?

The Chicago dog (which is available steamed, fried, or steamed then grilled) with all the trimmings - this was an easy one - and at $1.75, you can’t beat it with a stick. The Duck fat fries($3.50) - well, I wasn’t leaving there without an order - but what to pick for the sausage? It was a VERY tough call, as they have about a dozen “specials of the week.” After much deliberation, mulling about and second guessing, we decided to go for the “game of the week” which was Spicy Smoked Alligator Sausage with Cajun Remoulade and St. Pete's Blue Cheese ($8.50), and the Merguez Lamb Sausage with Spicy Harissa and Goat Cheese ($6.50). Oh brother. It was as though I was eating an encased slice of coronary bliss. The flavor combinations and the generous helpings of ingredients were absolutely incredible. This was the best sausage and fries I have ever eaten in my life. The alligator was the true star, spicy and smoky, with a cooling rich blue cheese top that skated across my taste buds as though I were attending the cholesterol ice-capades. I was in greasy foodie heaven. The fries, while not far from regular fresh-cut expertly-cooked fries, had something about them that made me keep coming back with a ravenous appetite. The lamb sausage was also tantalizing, with the creamy goat cheese conquering the spicy harissa like it was meant to do. But my word, that alligator!

I am afraid I will be unable to eat sausage in the near future (that is highly unlikely to be true), for fear that Hot Doug’s has ruined me for life. When you exit the door (leaving all that succulent beauty behind) and see all those people still standing in line, you get a (false) feeling of superiority. “Look at these suckers,” you think, “waiting in line for hours” as you wipe the duck/alligator/lamb/pork grease off of your chin; but there is a tinge of regret, where you would gladly trade places, just to be able to experience sausage supremacy once more. A lady asked, as we were making our exit,

“Was it really worth this line?”

I looked at her in all sincerity and responded, “Absolutely.”