Gallo's Burger Bar

8101 Roosevelt Blvd
Philadelphia, PA 19152
(215) 333-0484

I found myself in the Great Northeast looking for something to eat while running an errand. Wasn't expecting much, no offense to the folks up that way, but it isn't exactly the epicenter of the Philadelphia food scene. This burger bar was attached to a much bigger seafood restaurant, which I deduced must be a popular venue up in that hood. The inside was sleek, like a knockoff Steven Starr, without the pretentious waitstaff to match.

They mostly serve burgers, which is just fine with me.

The fries are sold a la carte, and were abundant for their meager $3.50 price tag. Thin, shoestring cuts that were crispy and loaded with Parmesan and garlic, it didn't take too long to polish off the entire order.

The barbecue burger was topped with cheddar, thick smoked bacon, and onion "straws." The bottom was smothered with barbecue sauce, and served with a side of coleslaw (from the attached seafood place I am guessing) and a pickle spear. This was my favorite of the two burgers ordered. Of course, crispy fried onions, smokey bacon and barbecue sauce - what's not to love. The burger was ordered medium rare, and it came out...medium rare. I was so happy that I had yet another place that surprised me with a perfect cooking temperature. The burger was really quite good, and a steal at around $7.

My lunch partner ordered what I believe was called the "special burger." It came topped with mushrooms, onions, and Swiss. This one was good also, but it lacked the pop of the barbecue sauce, and the crunch of those crispy fried onions. This burger was also cooked quite well (medium-rare), and with the addition of some complementary chipotle ketchup, was another winner. They also seasoned the meat pretty liberally - but not too over the top, which can be an issue with other burger joints - either one way or the other. If I didn't have to drive so far, I would certainly be eating here more often.

See the nice medium rare going on below? So delicious.

Sandy's Cafe

1026 White St.
Key West, FL 33040
(305) 295-0159

For my final installment of Florida Key's eating, I saved the best for last. I can't stress enough the importance of going to Sandy's Cafe upon any visit to Key West. If you want 24 hour street food, you have come to the right spot. The food here is magical. One of my biggest disappointments of the trip was forgetting the other half of my gigantic Cuban sandwich in my car overnight, thus rendering it inedible for my foggy breakfast the next morning.

When you walk up, you will be greeted with a menu over the ordering window, which advises you to "Think Big." Noted. If you look through said ordering window, you will see that this hidden gem is indeed part of a laundromat, so you know its going to be delicious.

 

I went with the steak tacos, Cuban bread and Cuban sandwich. We grabbed some cans of beer from the grocery store across the street, finagled a seat next to the window where could watch the grill master work, and enjoyed the show. Heaven. By the way, Key West is LAX (and I don't mean the airport) when it comes to open containers, so I am pretty sure you will have no problem brown-bagging it while waiting for your food. No one seemed to bat an eye at us.

The steak tacos were the first victims. They were absolutely incredible. Tender, flavorful steak, chopped with onions on the grill, covered in cheese, and finished with cilantro. Simple perfection. I was blown away at the tender bites of steak, failing to run across even one chewy or gristly piece. I never knew Cuban-made Mexican tacos would be so fulfilling. They do them better than the vast majority of Mexican places at which I have eaten.

The Cuban bread was ordered on a whim, as it was $1, and I wanted to try it against the disappointing offering at Mo's a couple of doors down. Obviously, it was in a league of its own, and cost $2 less than its upscale competitor.

Thin, moist bread covered with a generous amount of garlicy butter, this is what Cuban bread is meant to be.

Last but not least, the long awaited Cubano! This thing was seriously massive, as you can see by the amount of space it fills in the Styrofoam to-go container pictured below. The french fries were delicious, thin, salty, and a real kicker when dipped into their extremely spicy hot sauce (you have to ask for a side).

The sandwich itself, well, it was one of my favorites I have ever eaten. A thicker bread than El Siboney, but more packed with delicious ingredients.

There was an ample portion of roast pork, supplemented with thinly sliced ham, pickles, Swiss, mayo and mustard. Creamy, salty, tangy and delicious. Damn, I am craving one right now.

If you are in the Key West area, move away from Duval and head towards White. You will be glad you did. Did I mention they are open 24 hours??? Cash only, and don't be surprised if there is a line, and you may have to get creative with the seating.

The Stuffed Pig

3520 Overseas Hwy
Marathon, FL 33050
(305) 743-4059
Website

The land of warm weather, crystal clear water and ocean breezes could also be known for something else, mediocre breakfasts, were it not for this diamond in the rough. I was hooked immediately upon seeing the name "The Stuffed Pig." They are located at mile marker 49, right at the turn for Keys Fisheries. And if you are looking for something that will carry you well over until lunch, this is the spot to stop.

With a small inside dining area, and a large tiki-style outdoor eating section, the Pig is a great place to grab some early morning grub before a day of adventure.

I had the pigs breakfast, which consisted of two eggs (over easy for me), two pieces of bacon, two sausage patties, two pieces of toast, home fries, AND biscuits and sausage gravy. Good lord. And I wonder why I never lose weight. The bacon was thick cut, sweet, smokey and salty. Perfection. The sausage patties were even better. I am not sure how you get better than perfection, but they achieved it. Although they weren't as browned as I would usually like, the meat was seasoned perfectly. Sage, pepper, and fairy tears, which we all know is the secret ingredient in well made breakfast sausage. The eggs were cooked perfectly, still quite runny, and the biscuits were up there with my favorites. I loved everything about this breakfast. Although it SOUNDS like a lot of food, it was really a quite manageable portion, given the number of components.

My dining partner order the Lobster Benedict, as it is apparently one of their specialties. They also offer a seafood version, as well as one toting crab. To my dismay, however, it was not topped with the local Florida stone crab, but rather Maryland blue crab. Now why would anyone travel to the Florida keys to eat blue crabs??? So the lobster was ordered. When it arrived, the eggs were perfectly poached (which unfortunately is not always the case), the hollandaise was great, with the requisite notes of citrus, however the lobster was a bit of an issue. It was fishy. Now I know that it comes from the sea, but fresh lobster should not have a distinct taste of fish. It was a bit off-putting, but not so much that the dish was not finished. I suppose my Catholic upbringing has something to do with the guilt I associate with not eating every piece of seafood in front of me. I will have eaten shrimp well into the double digits, and then when someone brings some more over, I will reluctantly eat them past the point of enjoyment, so as not to waste any. Come to think of it, I do this with most kinds of food. Funny how that works.

All in all, I loved this place. The attitude, breakfast meats, and decor were all hits in my book. I would probably order the benedict again, but I would ask if the lobster was fresh.

El Siboney

5800 Overseas Hwy
Marathon, FL 33050
(305) 743-9090
Website

The Key's are obviously known for their seafood. That is without question. But on my recent voyage to the promised land, where the beer flows like water and the fish travel in schools by the million, I had a chance to embrace some delicious Cuban food to go along with the obligatory snapper, spiny lobster and stone crabs I had been feasting on. I hit the Marathon outpost of El Siboney, the original is located in Key West.

The first thing to note about El Siboney is the prices. They are outrageously affordable. Like any good Cuban place, you will get started on some bread. It comes out hot, with a light, fluffy interior, similar to a large Italian roll you would get at the local grocery store up here in Philly. Not the gourmet Sarcone's or similar offerings, but the cheap Shop Rite or Super Fresh style bread that you can also buy pre-buttered. Shutter. However, this bread is flat, fluffy, and delicious. It's the same bread you will see featured in my forth coming Cuban mix sandwich. Before we cross that bridge, however, we need to talk plantains. Fried ones. Mariquitas con Mojo. Fried plantain strips, that are thin and addictively crispy, not to mention incredibly fun to eat, as they twist up when you add them to the hot oil. But the sauce is where its at. A simple mixture of olive oil, lime juice, garlic, and onion transforms into a tart, strikingly flavor-packed accompaniment. Simple perfection. A must try. At $3.25, they are not too hard on the wallet, either.

They had a special of the day, beef stew, that I guess was supposed to only be available at lunch. As it was an early dinner, they graciously offered us a portion, and maintained the whopping $7.25 price tag. Served with some fried sweet plantains, yellow rice and black beans, this was a hell of a deal. The beef stew had a hearty, homey flavor that could have passed for an American version of the same meal, save for a nutmeg or cinnamon type flavor that coaxed my taste buds back to the island. The plantains were delicious, sweet, tender and had the creamy texture I love from these overripe Cuban staples. The rice and beans were okay, but lacked some of the flavors that their comrades (too soon?) boasted.

I also had to order the mixed Cuban sandwich, as I am quite partial to a good sandwich, and it had been a while since I had one that I truly enjoyed (besides when I break out my own sandwich press and go to town). El Siboney did not disappoint. Everything that makes a Cuban great was in there. Tender pork, salty ham, swiss cheese, and pickles. They even used regular old yellow mustard, which I usually hate, but it has its place in limited applications (see Cuban Sandwich). The best part of the whole sandwich? The bread. This is the real deal Cuban bread, buttered and pressed into a thin package that delivered everything a Cuban should. As you can see, I am surely hooked on the bread. Light, crusty and flaky, it held together perfectly, and kept all of the ingredients from sliding out the back.

Away

Sorry for no updates this week, I just got back from a much needed vacation. The Florida Keys are one of my favorite places on Earth. Like being in Mexico, without all of the bad parts about being in Mexico.

Sweet Lucy's Smokehouse

7500 State Road
Philadelphia, PA 19136-3402
(215) 331-3112
Website


I mentioned this place almost a year ago, and finally got back around to that neighborhood known as Holmesburg to eat some barbeque. It had been way too long, but was totally worth the wait. Although there are some other geographically closer "pit barbeque" places, they pale in comparison to what very well may be my favorite "store bought" 'que in the city.

Located on State Road, in the damn near middle of nowhere, is the hickory smoked warehouse, that is Sweet Lucy's. Named after their Newfoundland (it's a large dog), this place serves up far superior meats than their closest Applebees'esque kitsch-fest competitor. Low and slow, with attention to detail, makes Sweet Lucy's one of my favorites.

I am more of a South Carolina style pork guy than Texas style, as I love some wet sauce on that hog, and this place just does it for me.

It's an order at the counter, no frills kind of spot, where you seat yourself, and help yourself to a smattering of pickled peppers, pickles, and pepper relish. They also have warm tomato based sauce, and vinegar sauce to which you can feel free to help yourself.

Big fan.

Ever the realist, I threw modesty to the wind and order the quadruple bypass, which consists of four meats, three sides and corn bread for seventeen bucks. Not too shabby. My cholesterol hates me.

I obviously went for the ribs, pulled pork, brisket, and pulled chicken. For the sides, I rolled with chili (I know, I am fat), coleslaw (served in a deceivingly shallow center tray), and macaroni and cheese. I am making myself sick just thinking about this.

The ribs are good, but nothing too crazy. My real favorites are the sliced and pulled meats. The pork is obviously delicious, but the pulled chicken is a real sleeper. I usually pass on chicken at BBQ places, but this was delicious. Well-picked, moist and flavorful, I would certainly not shy away from this bird in the future.

The brisket was also quite good, rich, flavor-packed and not too fatty.

The coleslaw is standard, creamy and slightly sweet, and a traditional stand-by. The chili is meaty, it comes packed with protein and a healthy smattering of cheddar shreds. Likewise, the mac and cheese is thick, creamy, and like the rest of the sides, just what you might expect from a Southern Grandmother cooking your favorite comfort foods.

The cornbread is also just what you would expect, slightly sweet, moist, and a bit of texture on top and studded (one of the most overused descriptions of food) with sweet corn kernels.

This is the place to go if you are looking for standard, delicious, pit barbecue in the Philly area. This is what Famous Dave's pretends to be. It's actually unfair to compare the two, like comparing the Nationals to the Phillies. Sad.