OOT News

By Patty-Pat Kozlowski

CONEY ISLAND-July 4, 2010, Number-one-ranked eater Joey Chestnut won his fourth straight title by winning the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog-Eating Contest in Coney Island, downing 54 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes in oppressive heat to retain possession of the Coveted Mustard Yellow Belt.

125 miles away in Philadelphia, I had quite a hot dogger event this past summer as I sampled my fair share of wieners over the lazy, crazy, hazy days.
Now mind you, I didn’t eat anywhere near 54, but I think I covered enough hot dog places to issue a fair judging. My quest was to find the hot diggidity dogs worth your mustard since the majority of us could not make it to Coney Island.
From Memorial Day to Labor Day, Americans chomp over 7 billion hot dogs. The convinence store 7-11, boasts that it sells 100 million hot dogs a year in North America. I did my part at these places to give you a run down on the red hots.
Citizens Bank Park, Section 111- I shelled out $3.75 for a Hatfield hot dog from a roving vendor. Wrapped in a tin foil pouch, it was accompanied by a packet of yellow mustard and ketchup and lets just say this diggity dog suffered from performance anxiety as it turned limp in my hand.

Aramark, the company that has the food concession contract at the ballpark needs to grill these doggies longer. No grill marks and a lukewarm wiener makes me think you microwaved the franks and wrapping them in foil baggies just makes them sweat and the buns get soggy. However, the hot dogs you order up in the concession stands seem to be grilled and much better tasting to give you that ballgame feel.
The only saving grace of the hot dogs at Citizen Bank Park are two instances. First, is if it’s Hatfield Dollar Dog Night and you can get em’ for a buck a piece (maximum 6 per person) or, if the Phillie Phanatic shoots the hot dog out of his air cannon and hits you square in the groin. Then you’ll be in hot dog heaven.

Hot Dog Tommy’s, Cape May New Jersey- up until maybe 5 years ago, there used to be a place just steps away from the Cape May Beaches that sold fifty cent hot dogs. I kid you not. 50 cent hot dogs out of a side window with all the mustard, catsup, relish and onions you could pile on. I never knew fifty cent hot dogs existed until I found this place. Lunch for a dollar! There was always a line but nobody every minded the wait because we knew we were waiting for a fifty cent hot dog.
Unfortunately, since you can not be that close to the Atlantic Ocean in the Victorian seaside town without costing over a million dollars in real estate, the fifty cent hot dog business went to the big wiener roast in the sky.
Taking its place, at the same take-out window is a place called Hot Dog Tommy’s selling wieners at Jackson Street and the beach. Wearing a hot dog hat and fire engine red high top Chuck Taylor Converse sneakers, owner Tom Snyder doesn’t sell fifty cents hot dogs and the line that snakes around the corner doesn’t seem to mind. Tom grills his puppies from 10:31 a.m. until 5:17 p.m. and for those who just want a hot dog, you have two choices. The leaner Wiener is a mixed pork and beef puppy served on a soft steamed bun for $1.30. The B.A.D. Dog, which stands for Black Angus Dog is an all beef hound served on a firmer deli roll for $2.85. There is no charge for mustard, catsup, mayo, onions or relish.
But I do not get just a hot dog. No, because I wanted to do permanent damage to Cape May County’s raw sewage system I order something called a Bad Thunder Dog ($4.00) which is the following: A Black Angus Dog topped with mashed potatoes (mixed with real butter!) baked beans, yellow mustard, chopped onions and shredded cheddar cheese on a deli roll. It was the Bull Mastiff of all hot dogs, Tom’s wife Mary gave me a fistful of napkins and a fork and I walked this dog right over to the Cape May promenade, sat on a bench and tried to eat it without being gawked at, photographed or suffered a heart attack.
There was no dainty way to eat this, and it was a two handed project. With the first bite, mustard and beans got on my cheeks but I kept chewing. Maybe in 90 degree weather, mashed potatoes and baked beans aren’t the best choices to eat but I couldn’t stop this toilet clogger of a hot dog. I did not eat a hot dog that day on the Cape May beachfront. I ate a small child. And he was tasty.

Aluminum street cart-Ben Franklin Parkway – My mother Carmella does not ask much from her daughters. She asks us not to do drugs. Don’t shave our arms and never eat a hot dog off a Center City hot dog cart. She fears salmonella or tapeworm and for 30 years I’ve obeyed her until now. Hawking $3 hot dogs, an aluminum buggy of a food stand served me my first hot dog cart wiener on 4th of July weekend. The dog was far from grilled, they were kept in a hothouse hell of a hole in the cart’s belly, in water murkier than the puddle the cart sat in. One of my dearest foodie advisors told me she yearns for the hot dogs of her elementary school days. “Floaters”, she calls them, because they floated in the serving trays as she waited in the lunch line. They were boiled to oblivion and for a 8 year old, it was good eatin’. But not from this cart-served on a bun that looked like it was a tire block for the cart, I squeezed on watery mustard and broke my mom’s heart as I bit into this dog that should have been euthanized at the pound. My only way to describe this hot dog is to remember the one-liner Dan Aykroyd made about hot dogs in the 1987 comedy “The Great Outdoors”. Fellow funnyman John Candy offers Aykroyd a hot dog and he replies, “Hot Dogs? Do you know what hot dogs are made out of? Lips and –well, since it’s a family paper, let’s just say, rear ends.”

Port Richmond Lake-The Kozlowski Family backyard swimming pool – back at Homestead Park, burgers and dogs were grilled up. Momma Carm buys only all beef hot dogs and this holiday it was Dietz and Watson that did the honors. Grilled to a crisp and served on a Strohman potato roll hot dog bun, I was ready for some hot dog ecstasy when another dog ruined the moment.
Porkroll the Dalmatian. This spotted moose was a malnourished skin and bones frightened pooch at the SPCA 3 months ago when we rescued him. Today, he’s 55 pounds of chicken parm and meatloaf and his job is to move from leather couch to leather couch to see which one is in the best position for the air conditioning to reach him. He watches 3 Stooges and the Weather Channel all day.
Porkroll gazed at me and drooled over the kitchen floor. I saw in his eyes that if I gave him my hot dog, one day he would return the favor. Sort of like, “What’s that Porkroll? Patty-Pat fell down the well at the old, abandoned mine?”
So as the responsible pet owner that I am, Porkroll ate my hot dog with one big sloppy gulp and didn’t even chew which if they freeloader job doesn’t work out, he could find work in the porn industry, I’m sure.

Johnny’s Hots, Delaware Avenue at Columbia Avenue- I like to call this Fishtown’s only waterfront dining establishment and one of my favorites. About 10 years ago, Johnny’s Hots was literally a shack next to a lagoon on the Delaware River, so small, you could not stretch or sneeze. But all you had to do was follow the line of truckers that parked and waited for his hot sausages, breakfast sandwiches and hot dogs. Johnny’s moved to a triangular cinderblock newly built establishment about ¼ mile north and the truckers still followed. As did the cops, the plumbers, the carpenters and everybody else. His hot dog buns are baked just for him, not too soft, not too crusty and cradle his hot dogs just perfect with toppings like sauerkraut, brown mustard, chopped onions and melted American cheese or Cheese whiz.

The Fishtown “surf and turf” (what I like to call it) is a hot dog with a fried fishcake wrapped around it-the best of land and sea.
He opens at 4:30 a.m. for his loyal breakfast sandwich crowd and he even was awarded Best Cheesesteak from Philly Magazine. But another claim to fame and public safety is when a PennDot inspector stopped at Johnny’s Hots for lunch and while driving through the hood, spotted a girder on I-95 that was cracked and ready to crumbled back in April 2008. I-95 was shut down for days while it was repaired and hopefully with the detour, more people ate at Johnny’s Hots.

Lenny’s Hot Dogs, Street Road near Buck Road, Feasterville-Ah Lenny’s, just on the outskirts of Philly past Route 1 when driving west on Street Road, one of the only few places left that serves Cherry Champ soda-bottled not on tap, but still, an A+ for effort. It was before my time, but other hot doggers tell me Lenny’s had a few shops in Philly, but his Feasterville location is all that is left. Lenny’s condiment of pepper hash is what puts him on the map-his followers swear by this topping instead of relish. His dogs have snap and you never just order one. He’s in a small strip mall shopping center called The Summit Center and sells Lucia’s water ice too, a treat to cool off your taste buds after a date with that pepper hash.
Again, nobody can ever be crowned the best hot dog, in fact, isn’t one of the better one’s you ever ate, one you grilled yourself in your own backyard?

By Mike Vagnoni
(Photos by MELISSA M. THAT GIRL PHOTOGRAPHY)

The Three Monkeys located 9645 James Street ( Grant & State Roads) Phila Pa…is one exciting place to visit…their outside Monkey court is open nightly and they offer the food, atmosphere, and upscale summer fun…cool off and come experience all that the Three Monkeys have to offer. This is the place to be for the summer of 2010 in Philly!

By Patty-Pat Kozlowski

With our sincere apologies to the ultimate Parrothead Jimmy Buffet:

“I like mine with lettuce and tomato
Heinz 57 and french fried potatoes
Big kosher pickle and a cold draft beer”

There is something about the summertime that makes you wanna hit the backyard and grill a burger in your Speedo (hey champ, the thong goes in the back!) flip flops and top off your beefcake masterpiece with all the fixings in your fridge. But sometimes, you gotta get out for a beer and a burger and these local places are grillmasters when you’re looking for that two handed, five napkin burger.

It’s summertime and the grillin’ is easy with Celebrity and Iron Chef Bobby Flay opening Bobby’s Burger Palace at 3925 Walnut Street in West Philadelphia. Just in time for summer’s heat wave, the Mulberry Burger is the July Burger of the Month, topped with arugula, basil ketchup, parmesan and mozzarella chesses.

This ain’t your fast food burger thrown together and wrapped up within 60 seconds of ordering. Flay’s beefery is splashed in retro oranges, limes and kitchy-spacey décor and serves above the board burgers of certified angus beef, ground turkey or chicken breast. He accompanies them with sweet potato fries, beer battered onion rings and ten milkshake flavors with an option to spike the thick malty frozen treats with bourbon, rum or vodka. Paradise indeed.

But it might be hard to sing a song about ingredients on Flay’s burger menu with the likes of Queso sauce, avocado relish, watercress, pickled jalapenos and blue corn chips being just some of his choice toppings. And it also might be a tad bit frustrating to warble a tune when your mouth is full.

Bobby’s Burger Palace, 3925 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 215-387-0378 www.bobbysburgerpalace.com

Good Dog! Good Burger!

At 15^th and Locust, you’ll definitely come, sit and stay for the Good Dog Bar’s infamous burgers.

With the décor of framed pics of man and woman’s best friend, chances are you will not be taking a doggie bag home when the Good Dog Burger comes to your table. It’s ½ lb of house ground sirloin, stuffed with Roquefort cheese, topped with carmelized onions and served on a toasted brioche bun for only $11.

All burgers are served with their signature mix of hand-cut shoestring potatoes and the addictive homemade aioli dipping sauce. The applewood smoked bacon is as thick as a belt and ordering medium rare is the epitome of what a burger should be.

For those of you who are like salty Quint, the crusty captain from “Jaws” (remember his best drinking shots line-“Here’s to swimming with bow legged women!”) there is a Salmon Burger grounded with eggs, panko, horseradish, dill, scallions, onions and mustard served with lettuce, tomato and malt vinegar mayo on a seeded challah roll that is worthy for landlubbers too.

Good Dog staff and bartenders know their craft and brews and the menu as well, so don’t be afraid to ask them what’s good or what they like. Awesome appetizers as well as daily pizzas and quiches round out this bar in Center City.

Good Dog Bar, 224 S.15^th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102, 215-985-9600

Up in the Great Northeast

Where’s the Beef? At The Burger Bar, the newest addition to Gallo’s Seafood Restaurant on Roosevelt Boulevard.

For $11.95 you can get something called the “5 Napkin Burger” that is double the beef, double the cheese, lots of bacon and topped with a fried egg. In about an hour or so, you’ll call this the “5 Rolls of Toilet Tissue Burger” but its worth it.

For those of you not competing for a slot at the next competitive eaters event, the regular burgers of fresh ground certified angus chuck with lettuce, tomato and pickle go for $5.95. Try the Burger Bar Special for $7.95 and you’ll get roasted baby bella mushrooms, carmelized onions and gruyee cheese or the Smokehouse Burger with smoked bacon, crispy onion straws, house BBQ sauce topped with cheddar.

With Caesar and chopped salads as well as wings and fries.onion rings, there is plenty of choices on this menu. Even giving a nod to Gallo’s bread and butter of under the sea dishes, The Burger Barn has Flash Fried Calamari and Lump Crab Cake Sandwiches. Did I mention a full beer bar and cocktails? And a spiked milkshake called the Knight Rider of chocolate ice cream, kahula chocolate liquer and crushed Oreo cookies. Yep, somewhere, David Hasselhoff lost his pants and can’t find the keys to the KITT car………

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

The Epitome of a Beer and a Burger

Memphis Tap Room makes their $9 cheeseburger very simple. The menu states: Pick your cheese, lettuce, tomato.

What comes out to your table is one of the best bar burgers in the city with juices dripping out of the center and cheese melting into the palm of your hand. Go ahead, lick your fingers.

Chef Jesse Kimball is known for the menu items like fried pickles, crawdad doughnuts, pilsner brined wings and the chicken fried chicken but his burgers are one of the best kept secrets around. Biting into the burger, your mouth is treated to ground beef so tender and flavorful, you might wonder if you’re eating filet mignon. Hand formed and not packed so dense that you get the hockey puck effect, Memphis Tap Room wait staff will perfectly pair up your burger with the right brew to wash it down. Can’t decide? The  beer sampler is always a winner and assists you in knowing what tastes you like and favor.

Memphis Tap Room, 2331 E. Cumberland Street, Philadelphia, PA 19125, www.memphistaproom.com

By
A.Samara

I recently had the pleasure of stopping by this new happening bar & grill and was really impressed. Here we have two new young up and coming entrepreneur owners Tim Lu, who grew up in the Havertown area and Brian Downey from Ridley Park, Pennsylvania. They both had a dream to own and operate a bar just like the one’s in Philadelphia. Just over the Burlington Bristol Bridge on Rt 130 South in New Jersey you will find The Red Zone. It’s a fairly large place with lots of parking and even a cool deck. As I walked in I noticed there were two different bar areas with lots of HD tv’s and many dining rooms. There is also a huge room where the Deejay’s & Bands perform towards the weekends. As I took a walk around I also noticed a nice game room with a few pool tables and lots of video games. They have one of those cool new jukeboxes over by the back bar too. There are plenty of nice spacious wooden booths and tables located in the same area. I was greeted by a friendly bartender/ waitress Dana, where I sat and observed a very loaded menu of appetizers, sandwiches and entrees. There was one menu item from their Specialty Sandwich section that caught my eye called “The Prime Rib Dip” which consisted of tender sliced Prime Rib on Ciabata bread. It came with tasty au jus sauce and a tangy horseradish, it was really out of this world! The next item I tried was a bite of their Red Zone Burger which is a colossal sized burger made with cheddar cheese & bacon. Made to order it was simply delicious. The last item I tried was their Red Zone Ribs, wow so scrumptious and a nice portion as well. All of the food at the Red Zone is homemade, even the breading on their chicken fingers! I can honestly say this place is New Jersey’s bestkept secret. The Red Zone has a lot to offer from daily ½ price appetizers to discounted wings & ribs. In season they also offer delicious steamed crab legs Monday through Sunday. That’s right all week long, you cant beat that! They offer nightly entertainment & drink specials. Thursdays & Saturdays they have a Deejay, Thursday night is college night. Friday nights they have local live bands such as Calling All Saints & Please Please me” Every Sunday night they have salsa night where you can strut your stuff to the best Latin music. The Red Zone is open Monday through Sunday from 11pm-2am. They also offer their spacious dining rooms to anyone who may want to plan a banquet, birthday party or any kind of event. They can hold anywhere from 50-300 people! As I spoke to the new owners I made my own suggestions of maybe having car & bike shows too. They seem to like the idea and are definitely giving it some consideration. All in all, I really had a nice time at the Red Zone and would encourage everyone to check this place out. It’s so easy to get to and as I said there’s plenty of parking in their huge paring lots. If you would like to stop by just GPS them at : Red Zone Sports bar & Grill 259 Route 130 South Burlington, NJ 08016
If you would like to set up a banquet or have any questions please contact them at 1-609-589-3937 or visit them at their website: www.theredzonesportbar.com I give this place two thumbs up for sure!

Tony’s Place Bar and Grill-Not Just Tomato Pie!

By Helene
At Tony’s Place Bar & Grill you are always treated like family “whether it’s your first time there or your 50^th!”  Tony’s Place is still owned and operated by the Mallamaci family-the original opened in NE Philly in 1951 (6324 Sackett Street). Their Tomato Pies put this place on the map!  The Ivyland location opened in August 2006, with Executive Chef Lawrence Fullbright, leading the kitchen-serving exemplary upscale, Contemporary-American fare including; Flat Iron Steaks, Bone-In Pork Chops, Sautéed Chicken, Homemade Crab Cakes, and Sashimi Tuna! They also make delicious Angus and Bison Burgers, Orange Cranberry Salad, Spinach and Artichoke dip, Wings, and so much more! There is something for everybody-even a kids menu! The kitchen is open every day at 11 am and from Sunday thru Wednesday until 11pm. Thursday, Friday and Saturday it is open until midnight.

You can enjoy a fine meal inside in their restaurant which accommodates about 120 guests or at their beautiful mahogany bar with its own seating where you can watch your favorite sporting event on any of their multiple high definition televisions. If you want to feel that warm summer breeze why not have the same fine service outside on one of the largest patios in Bucks County-over 3500 sq feet! Dine on clothed, candlelit tables in a tropical setting with palm trees all around or grab a frozen drink at their large outdoor bar!

Tony’s Place is quickly gaining notoriety with their wide variety of Craft Beer. They carry over twenty draft beers and 80 varieties of bottled beers from the US and Europe including Hoegaarden, Guinness, Dog Fish, Rogue, Unibroue, Stone, Chimay, and La Chouffe to name a few. They of course carry the standard- Coors Lite, Miller Lite and Yuengling and a moderately diverse wine list available as well.

Tony’s Place is a fine place to make all your holiday dinner plans or for any special occasion.  They have brunches, five–course beer and wine dinners throughout the year, and every summer they have an annual Pig Roast!  They also are very much involved in their community, holding fundraisers and events. Every Thursday is Karaoke @10pm and Every Friday and Saturday kick back and enjoy live acoustic acts starting@10pm. Named Best of Bucks County for their Happy Hour! Get ½ off all drinks and appetizers Monday thru Friday from 4-6pm!

Only 20 minutes from Business Route 1, near Street and Jacksonville Roads, in the Ivyland borough (1297 Greeley Avenue). Make Tony’s Place your Favorite Place! For more information check out their website at www.TonysPlaceIvyland.com. Dinner Reservations are suggested for Friday and Saturday night at 215-675-7275

…After “last call”, Philly has plenty of diners to head off the hangover

By Patty-Pat Kozlowski

It’s just after 2 a.m. and last call is over. There is only but one question that remains, and we’re not talking about, “Where the hell are my pants?”

Nope, you say to yourself and your crew, “Where are we gonna eat?” Chances are, you’re one of the lucky ones who know that “the diner” has just what you need to get your fill.

And you’re lucky because Philadelphia is one of the few remaining towns that still has a thriving diner trade. New Jersey of course will always be king of diners, but Philly, Baltimore, New York and Rhode Island are still the mainstays of diner domes where shortstakes, burgers and fries and apple pie ala mode will always be on the menu.

But before we go through a list of diners that are meccas for “after the bar” scenes, we’ll give you a little bit of history of these American icons where you sit in a booth and order chipped beef on toast or better known as S.O.S……..

The First Diner-had no booths, no sarcastic waitresses, no blue plate specials. It was actually a horse drawn carriage wagon in Providence, Rhode Island back in 1872 and it catered to the workers at the Providence Journal newspaper. A guy named Walter Scott worked for the paper and would make a little money on the side by preparing his fellow co-workers basket lunches. He left the paper business and bought a horse and carriage and took his lunch baskets on the road, visiting other businesses and factories that worked around the clock. His menu was simple: coffee and sandwiches.

Five years later in 1877, Thomas Buckley started to mass produce lunch wagons and received a patent in 1891 for his “diners”. By this time, the wagons were made with stools attached to the sides so workers could have a seat and eat their sandwich on the ledge of the wagon-hence, the first diner counter.

But with supply and demand, when the demand for more seats came about, diners went from being wagons to becoming more stationary. Call it coincidence, but someone had the bright idea to take an out of service train dining car off its tracking and plant it on a busy corner. The beginning of, “What are ya having, hon?” was born.

And that’s where Jersey boy Jerry O’Mahony comes into play. The O’Mahony Diner Company, based in Elizabeth, New Jersey started to manufacture and build these railcar diners with the sleek steel and art deco designs and is credited with making over 2,000 diners up until 1972 when they closed shop. Only 20 of O’Mahony’s masterpieces still exist today.

Where are we gonna eat?

But it’s still 2 a.m. and where are you gonna eat? This whole article could be filled with the diners of Philly and Jersey and everybody has their favorites but we wittled them down to these five that are sure bets for your after the bar closes meal. As one of my favorite drinkers told me, in her wild days, she’d finish off a night with a plate of steak and eggs. “It gave me the protein I needed and it helped with the hangover,” she belched, also giving me the advice to never ever eat cheese sandwiches with a pitcher of Sinapore Slings.

Nothing Could Be Finer…….Than The Aramingo Diner: The Aramingo Diner at 3356 Aramingo Avenue, 19134  itself began in 1957 when William and Catherine Moraitis opened its door and immediately became a Philadelphia favorite serving up famous breakfast fried potatoes, chipped beef on toast, cream of chicken soup and Friday seafood dinners in Port Richmond along Aramingo Avenue-a much travel route that linked Center City with the lower Northeast.

In 1972, their daughter Georgette married George Grigos and a new generation began at the Aramingo Diner. Grigos has ketchup in his blood and coffee in his veins as this self-made man started in the food business and worked his way from the ground up to own and operate the Aramingo Diner. At age 19, Grigos moved to New York City to attend college and complete a course in restaurant and hotel management. He knew he could not afford the top of the line schools like Cornell University or the Culinary Institute of America but he knew he had the passion and work ethic to be successful.

When he returned to Philadelphia, at the age of 21 he started a catering job at the Philadelphia International Airport and found himself managing 350 people. He excelled by making sure sanitation and safety were first and foremost.

But on a cold December night in 2006, loyal staff and customers gathered on the sidewalks and watched the Philadelphia Fire Department fight a blaze in the diner and wondered if another slice of that famous cheesecake would ever be served again.

Just in time for their 50^th Anniversary, the Aramingo Diner opened its doors again in March 2007 serving up a full house of customers. Those who tried to pay for their slice of cheesecake, the diner’s signature dessert were shooed away by Grigos. “The cash register doesn’t work today,” he quipped. “Thank-you for coming back to us.”

One of the few diners in Center City Philadelphia that’s open 24 Hours-and that’s Little Pete’s at the corner of 17^th and Chancellor Streets. With its cash only policy and free delivery (but very, very strict delivery boundaries) Little Pete’s is very little with only a dozen or so counter stools and a handful of booths for customers that are always filled and Little Pete’s is famous for always being opened 24/7 and serves breakfast all the time. Cheese omlettes and home fries, club sandwiches and milkshakes, ice cream sodas and greasy gotta have burgers with greasier onion rings.

You’ll never know who you’ll bump elbows and knees with, the place is that small-but suits and ties, Rittenhouse Square condo dwellers, plumbers, construction workers, cops and secretaries either take a seat or take it out. But those you hit the center city bar scene know there is only one place to eat at 4 a.m. less than one of their fancy overpriced cocktails two blocks away.

Thick cut steak fries and the best Texas Tommy dogs outside the Lone Star state as well as juicy burgers on toasted buns join the famous turkey (do you want Thanksgiving turkey or lunchmeat turkey?) club sandwiches with alotta crispy bacon wedged in between as lunchtime favorites but don’t forget to look at “Pete’s Picks” atop the stainless steel napkin holder that gives you over 20 choice specials from sandwiches to full platters.

But again, it’s the breakfast after the bars that Little Pete’s excel at. Food blogs and websites are chock full of grateful diners who just needed a short stack and sausage or French Toast and scrapple and yes, even steak and eggs to tide them over after a night of dancing on the bar. In fact, both the Latham Hotel and the Warwick across the street find their guests stepping out to grab something at Little Pete’s instead of dining in.

Everybody Who Knows Goes to Melrose-for over 73 years The Melrose Diner at 1501 Snyder Avenue in South Philadelphia has been the diner to eat at with their famous Butter Cream Layer Cake and the bags of chocolate chip, butter and oatmeal raisin cookies.

Don’t take the revolving door of customers using their take-out window as a clue to not go inside. You’ll be met with oldies music and staff that knows your name and your order. When the ownership changed hands a few years back it was a split decision between customers if it was for the better. The waitresses are still there with their brown and white uniforms and nametags and yes, you still have to share the booths with other diners! But that’s the Melrose Diner, it’s their way or go elsewhere-and some customers did to The Oregon Diner and the Penrose Diner but the Melrose, just off of Broad Street still has its loyalists and still is a breakfast go-to place after a night out at the Phillies game, a concert at Wachovia or throwing them back at any given South Philly bar room.

Their version of steak and eggs is a petite tenderloin tail with fried eggs, home fries and toast for $11.95. Go ahead, my friend, have another Pink Squirrel.

Only Christmas Closes the Dining Car-but every other day, The Dining Car at 8826 Frankford Avenue is open 24 hours a day. Patriarch Joe Morozin Sr. opened his very first eatery when he was sixteen years old. The road was paved with hard work, dedication and perseverance. It led from the GI Inn to White Way to the Torresdale Diner to The Dining Car.

The Torresdale Diner was originally located at 8828 Frankford Avenue in Philadelphia from 1960 to 1980. In 1979 its name changed to The Dining Car.

The “new” Dining Car was constructed by the Swingle Diner Company on-site in New Jersey and trucked to its current location at 8826 Frankford Avenue in 1980.

Its prominent features include black enamel, stainless steel, glass block and neon accents. As you approach its rolled top stainless steel roof and long sleek black body, you can almost find yourself looking for the rest of the train. Not wanting to interrupt service to its customers, both diners were actually operating at the same time for a short while. Some customers even picked up there coffee cups from the old diner and walked over to the new diner to sit and finish up there. Once all of the patrons were served, the “old” diner was closed.

The Food Network Channel knows this Northeast Philly diner very well and has featured it on several specials but they’re preaching to the choir. Everybody knows the Jewish Apple Cake, Apple Walnut Pie, the French Onion Soup and Mama’s Chicken and Gravy are downright awesome.

The Dining Car has always been known for its authentic diner fare. However, it has its own personal touch on American/Continental cuisine. Executive Chef Lawrence Thum, a Dining Car veteran since 1975, constantly adapts the daily blackboard specials for freshness and variety.

Chef Thum started out as a dishwasher in high school working his way through all facets of the diner until reaching the position of head chef. His knowledge of the front and back of the house is invaluable. His assistant Chef Robert High, another valued employee since 1975, is a third generation member of the Dining Car family. Chef Thum is the culinary architect of the Diner’s totally scratch kitchen. He even makes his own maple syrup!

And that’s what you top your pancakes and French toast with when you order that breakfast after the bar scene. Locals like to call The Dining Car, “the Palm of the Northeast” cause its where everybody who’s anybody likes to go-not to be seen-but to eat a meal you know will always be fantastic. And maybe, just maybe you’ll have the honor of being waited on by Elaine Kelly-who’s been a waitress there for 34 years.

It’s worth the bridge toll-Penn Queen Diner in Pennsauken N.J.- Ahh the Penn Queen on Route 130 between Pennsauken and Merchantville and just right off the Betsey Ross Bridge. It’s the best $4 you’ll ever spend to cross the river, if only for their basket of warm cheese rolls.

And don’t worry, you’re not doing a double take-you’ll see good looking tall handsome twin brothers seating you in either the counter and booth wing or the dining room.

Portions are huge, the chicken parm dinner feeds you for dinner and then a midnight snack and then lunch the next day and the cream of chicken rice soup on Sundays is divine intervention. The only drawback is that the Penn Queen takes off her crown at midnight-so drinkers need to call it an early night for their steak and eggs and western omlettes.

Now let the slinging of hash begin, of course we could not put every diner on this list and we heard people give kudos to the Mayfair Diner, the Tiffany Diner, Broad Street Diner, the Liberty Bell Diner, Ponzio’s, The Sage and does anybody remember Sherry’s under the EL on Kensington Avenue?

America has a love affair with their diners and diner food and the epitome of going to the diner after a night out is immortalized in the 1942 Edward Hopper painting titled “Nighthawks”- a scene of a corner all night diner with a waiter, dressed in crisp whites looking to refill a cup of hot joe to a few lonely counter guests. You see the scene through the window and suddenly you get the urge for what else? Steak and eggs at a 24 hour diner.

A.Samara

Have you ever wanted to get away from it all and go somewhere tropical but just don’t have the time between work, home, and all your responsibilities? Well look no further, I found the perfect spot in Langhorne, Pa just off the Rt 1 & 95 exits. Cheeseburger In Paradise is definitely the place to be! Just the name itself reminds me of the Jimmy Buffet song and already I feel like this is where I need to be. Just as soon as you walk in the door you feel like you are somewhere else and you notice all the cool tiki-like decorations and crafty little fish carved benches, palm trees and a super cool bar with the lyrics of Jimmy Buffet songs imbedded right into it. If you walk a little further and look to your right, you will see a fabulous out door deck with neat doors that open up like a garage. I always thought that was a very unique idea. That’s where I met a very nice man, Manager Partner, Dave Sweeney. He was very friendly and was happy to show me around the restaurant and give me a little history behind the story of this lovely little get away.

The first Cheeseburger In Paradise opened in 2002 in Key West Florida. The idea was to have a Jimmy Buffet like atmosphere with a menu of mostly finger foods & fun dishes that was completely different than most. From their slider burgers to their Cajun dishes and even a mass selection of specialty tropical drinks, you cant go wrong. Since then the Paradise Restaurant Group has opened 36 locations through out the US, and they even have one in Delaware too. Now lets talk about the food. When I checked out their menu I noticed there were so many different items to choose from and they all looked yummy. I even looked at their really cool drink menu which had so many drinks I couldn’t decide, but then I found the perfect martini called “Key Lime Pie” and perfect it was, with a blend of citrus vodka, sweet & sour, Key lime flavoring, whipped cream and a graham cracker rim. That is like an appetizer and dessert all wrapped up in one if you ask me. I highly encourage anyone to flip through the drink menu, especially on those hot summer days. They offer an array of Ice Cold Glacier drinks, Margaritas & Mojitos and serve them in giant colorful martini glasses. They even have Sangrias in single serving pitchers, you cant beat that, When I was ready to order, I had the pleasure of meeting bartender/waitress Selena Gillespie who is a recent graduate of West Chester University and has a bachelors degree in psychology. She was very nice and helpful and a wonderful personality to match. I ordered my martini of course and then moved on to trying a few specialty dishes that were prepared by Chef Erik Lowell of Langhorne, Pa. The first dish was called “Kickin Chicken Nachos” and wow what a huge plateful too! This dish consists of tasty fresh pulled chicken with tomatoes & jalapeno peppers and was delicious. I encourage you to bring a friend if you want to finish this plate of nachos. The second item was called “Kingston Pork with Rice”. They season the pork and have a corn salsa topping and give you a little spicy mango coconut dipping sauce. Lets not forget the zesty potato chips too, very tasty and really good especially if you take them home and reheat them in a toaster oven later. I love the almost burnt flavor so yummy! The food was so good but I didn’t have enough room to finish so I’m definitely going to come back and try different things and of course my favorite martini over the summer. There is also a good amount of entertainment at Cheeseburger In Paradise. Thursdays they have Quizzos, Friday & Saturday nights they have “live bands” like my friends (CJ, Chris & Tommy from the Seven Band) and “Karaoke” on Sundays. Did I mention the new Pool Room in the back they just recently opened? It’s a private back room with video games, pool tables, TV’s and even a jukebox. Perfect for planning a birthday party, business meeting, or any kind of get together in a private setting. Please contact Dave Sweeney: (215) 757-3179 for more information. The hours of operation at Cheeseburgers In Paradise are: 11:30-1am Monday thru Saturday and 11:30-11pm on Sundays. They are easy to find right off I-95 or Rt 1 in Langhorne, Pa and have a huge parking lot with plenty of parking. They are located right in the surrounding Oxford Valley Mall circle, so you can go shopping and then stop by if your hungry. Bring the whole family for some great fun, delicious food and great entertainment!  For all you sports fans they offer $2.00 Budweisers during all the Phillies & Flyers games and many large HD TV’s to enjoy them. Also be sure to check out their website for an online look at their menu, entertainment and upcoming special events: www.cheeseburgerinparadise.com All in all, I really had a nice time and enjoyed the food and beverages, not to mention the friendly staff. I hope you will stop by and experience it for yourself, I promise its definitely worth it.

By A. Samara

Have you ever walked into a restaurant and felt as if you were sitting at home at the family dinner table? Well that’s the feeling I got when I wondered into Toners Beef & Ale not so long ago. With their age-old family traditions, cozy dining areas, and delicious food, it was a wonderful experience. Toners has been a long time family establishment dating back to 1963 when John Patrick Toner, a 1^st generation from Ireland, decided to take over what was a very small soup-like kitchen and turned it into one of the longest family operated restaurant’s in the area to date. I had the pleasure of talking to Larry Toner, John Patrick’s son, who has been working there since he was 8 years old.  Larry was very nice and hospitable and took the time to sit with me and explain some of the history behind Toners. He explained how his father’s business started from just making simple sandwiches for the blue-collar workers when the industrial park opened just down the street.  Since then, the place was well known throughout the community and hailed as one of the best places to enjoy a nice juicy roast beef sandwich.  I have to say, they were right! In the fall of 2009 after the passing of John Patrick , Larry Toner decided to start renovating, as they have in the past, but this time put a modern day twist on the place. With shiny hardwood floors, and a café like interior as well as really cool tables with casino print on them.  He also added on a very nice deck out back, which is perfect for those nice sunny days. I must say I was really impressed with what Larry has done since my first visit last year. Now lets talk about the food! Jessica our waitress was very friendly and helpful and served us an array of delicious specialty items from their menu. Of course we started off with the mouthwatering roast beef sandwiches and worked our way up to one of the best garlic white clam dishes I ever had! In all honesty I was not really a huge fan of clams in the past, but after trying them, I think I changed my mind. Yes they were that good! They also served us a delicious shrimp salad that was so nicely prepared it looked like it jumped out of a magazine. It was very yummy and a good item to try especially on the warmer days or if your trying to watch your figure, I highly recommend it. Brian is the chef, we argue because he says he’s just a cook, but I think he has the makings of a really good chef. His food is just too good to believe, you will have to find out for yourself. In the beginning of April the ALL-U CAN EAT CRABS special went into effect. Every Tuesday & Wednesday you can come in an enjoy Larry’s Cajun or garlic steam brewed crabs.  During this season he will have steamy gulf crabs delivered to your table. Just make sure you come hungry, you wont be disappointed.  In all, I had a really good time at Toners Beef & Ale and it was really easy to get to. They are just off the Ft. Washington exit of the Pa Turnpike. There is plenty of parking and they’re open 7 days a week. They also offer catering service on and off the premises and could accommodate up to 60 people. For more information on specials, party accommodations, events or directions, please contact them at : (215)-646-5655  Check them out on Facebook too : Toners Ye Old Ale House (Ft. Washington, Pa) You’ll be glad you did!

By Patty-Pat Kozlowski

I’m doing a lot of research on the Great Potato Famine, you know, when almost 1.5 million Irish starved to death or died of disease in the mid 1800’s when their only source of food and economy, their potato crops, were festered with blight and rot. And while the Irish starved to death and some left their Emerald Isle to just survive, the government still strangled them with taxes, refused them relief and food assistance and oppressed them socially, religiously and inhumanely as they rotted like those damned potatoes.

But enough of my history lessons. It was very ironic that after researching the Great Potato Famine that the chance to review Fishtown’s Hot Potato Café’ came into play. Owned and operated by sisters and sister-in-law Claire, Kathy and Erin Keller, the BYOB sits on Girard Avenue watching the 15 trolley pass in the shadow of I-95. It also was featured in the guillotine like hot seat reality show, Kitchen Nightmares, starring Chef Gordon Ramsey.

Did you happen to catch that episode for the season premiere? 3.28 million people watched Fishtown’s own Hot Potato Café get put under the microscope as Chef Ramsey huffed, puffed, cursed, yelled and smashed and mashed the Hot Potato Café into what it is today: A really good place to eat right in the Philadelphia Riverwards.

It’s the perfect story-the Irish and their potatoes. With a plot that goes like this-the Keller clan, a close knit Irish family sees their beloved rowhoused, sidestreeted, every-body knows every body else and their grandmother neighborhood of Fishtown starting to become gentrified and revitalized.

Sure you have your corner delis, pizza places, luncheonettes and fast food joints, but what about having a good place to get something to eat, somewhere to just walk to with a bottle of wine and enjoy your dinner without leaving the zip code or Girard Avenue?

Kathy Keller had a food and hospitality background, working the kitchen and catering facilities for Finnegan’s Wake and Claire had the hospitality background working for the Hyatt and Four Seasons. And the passion to bring comfort food, their family comfort food-from their Irish upbringing and their kitchens onto Girard Avenue lit a fire in them.

So in March of 2007, Hot Potato Café opened its doors next to a used car lot on Girard Avenue and people were talking about the homemade, freshly fried hot potato chips, the addicting buffalo chicken dip and what about that chunky and filling hot potato soup? But the novelty of a new restaurant in the hood wore off and as anyone in the business can tell you, running a restaurant ain’t easy. Corners were cut, diners thinned out, it was hard to keep talented staff. Good wait staff need to survive on tips, and if the tips aren’t there because nobody is eating there, well the ship starts to sink.

A bad food review in the Philadelphia Weekly newspaper prompted the second to last nail in the coffin. Meanwhile, since opening, Hot Potato Café hadn’t turned a profit. An anonymous tipster, contacted the television reality show Kitchen Nightmares and asked Chef Ramsey to consider visiting Philadelphia and whipping Hot Potato Café into shape.

You think Chef Ramsey likes to curse? Well, he was no match for the Keller Clan! But this story isn’t about Chef Ramsey. It’s about giving Hot Potato Café another chance at life-same thing back in the 1850’s when Irish mommies bundled up their Irish babes in rags and boarded barely seaworthy vessels for a better life and sailed away from the only home they knew-not for a second chance, but an only chance at survival. Because if they stayed where they were, they would certainly perish. Keller’s don’t perish.

Launching a new menu and a new passion the Hot Potato Café has refused to starve, has refused to rot. The re-launch of their Hot Potato Soup which used to be chunky, lumpy and topped with bacon and cheese is now a silky smooth creamy drink finished with sour cream and fresh chives atop.

For those of you who like chunky soup (I’m in that group) there is the Fishtown Chowder, which at first sounds like a soccer move concocted on the knee ripping fields of Newt’s Playground back in the day when real boys played on cinders (and still do) instead of lush, soft green, green grass.

But the Fishtown Chowder is a cup of cream soup swimming with bacon, onions, calms and slices of potatoes that goes great for lunch or dinner when your City gets hit with back to back snowstorms measuring over 56 inches of (insert Chef Ramsey and Keller sister’s obscenity here) white stuff.

And I like Hot Potato Café’s nod to the Polish dumpling called the Perogie. Filled with mashed potato, salt and pepper and then blanketed up in a dough cover (it’s the Polski ravioli!) the Hot Potato doesn’t try to be hip and chic and bastardize a simple, comfort food. They fry these little Polonia footballs up in butter and carmelized onions and serve them with a dollop of sour cream.

Want to know what 9 out of 10 ladies talk about when they’re at a wedding, shower, birthday party? How they make their potato salad. Really. Do they use Hellman’s Mayo or Miracle Whip? Do they dice celery or onions? Do they put boiled eggs in there or mustard? Yep, the ladies can be fighting over something horrid and all it takes is one of them to say, “Did you taste this potato salad?” and everything settles down and they all grab a fork. And they all think their potato salad is the best. And they’re all correct.

The New Wave Potato Salad at the Hot Potato uses red and purple potatoes and tosses them with green beans, feta cheese bullets and olives to make a really unique spin on such a staple of a dish. You won’t get this at your block party this summer in a Tupperware bowl so make sure to order this salad stand out.

The namesake screams for Hot Potatoes and the Keller girls do deliver. There are five different loaded hot potatoes on the menu starting with a simple sour cream, cheddar, chive and bacon called the Traditional to the Chili Joe with minced beef, onions, tomatoes, peppers, beans and cheddar which will give you a one way ticket to sleeping on the couch that night, got that Tooty?

In between, the Philly Cheesesteak Hot Potato works with the shredded steak, onions, mushrooms and peps and so does the Florentine, a little kick of a tater filled with spinach, roasted peps, sautéed onions and parmesan cheese.

For dinner,  try the Steak Frites, a really well done 10 ounce strip covered in herb butter and stacked with parmesan fries like a haystack that was worth the $19 price (the most expensive on the menu) as well as the Pan Seared Crabcakes (with nice big chunks of crab) served with a catchy remoulade that I wanted to dip my fries in. If its comfort food you want, I know Shepherd’s Pie isn’t exciting and that’s because its not supposed to be but the Keller’s mince lamb and rosemary for a new twist on the ground beef and mashed potato original and cover their creations with a parmesan crusted top coat will make it worth your while.

So what’s that old Irish saying? Foolme once, Shame on you. Fool me twice, Shame on me. The Hot Potato Café deserves another chance and if they don’t bring to the table what they have proven on national television what they are capable of-then shame on them.

Hot Potato Café, 529 E. Girard Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19125 (215)-425-0905

By Patty-Pat Kozlowski

It’s almost as bad as being turned down for the Prom. No, in fact, its worse. Calling Tacconelli’s Pizzeria in Port Richmond on Somerset Street and getting the answering machines telling you they’ve sold out of dough for the night and to try tomorrow. Heartbreaker.

Cause when you’re in the mood for thin crust, brick oven tomato pie, opting for anything else is a mortal sin. But now, redemption is upon us and Tacconelli’s Pizza in Maple Shade, New Jersey is like the second coming of Christ to pizza lovers. “We Got Dough” is emblazoned right on the new magnets Doris Tacconelli gives out at the cash register.

Right across from the Moorestown Mall on Lenola Road-if you don’t see the packed parking lot and warm and cozy dining room from the street with a line almost always pressed against the front door, you’ll smell the garlic and olive oil being baked in the gas brick oven. Funny thing is, when I first went to the New Jersey Tacconelli’s location after calling the original and finding they were sold out, I didn’t find a lot of Garden Staters in the booth. In fact, I saw a lot of people from across the bridge, from the Philly riverwards who probably got the same recorded message I got and had the craving for a pie from Tac’s. We look at each other, like we just got caught cheating and ashamed that we paid the $4 to cross the Betsey Ross Bridge-but for phenomenal pizza and the way Vince Jr. and Doris run the place, I think we’re all getting an E-Z Pass. And since then, I’ve been back, again and again, and again with a bottle of Chianti or a six pack of Corona.

Vince Tacconelli Jr. hasn’t missed a beat, acknowledges he was taught by the best, and doesn’t get into whether there is or isn’t a family “pizzing” match between the two pizzerias. He just goes about his business, and boy, what a business, of working his mammoth of a brickwall gas oven, dressed in his baker boy whites turning out crispy pie after crispy pie like a well oiled machine during the Industrial Revolution.

Starting off, there are three kinds of salad you can have while your pizza is being baked within ear and nose shot. Caesar, with romaine, asiago cheese, crotons and freshly housemade Caesar dressing; The Greek with red onion, kalamata olives, popcorns of feta with olive oil and balsamic dressing,; or The House with lettuce, mushrooms, onions, cucumbers, red peppers with a dash of garlic salt and cracked pepper rounds out the choices. It’s a nice salad offering, but you’re here for Vince’s pizza, right?

There is a basic choice of five pies starting off with the White Pie made with fresh mozzarella, heavy doses of olive oil, topped with salt, black pepper and garlic. Nothing is as pure as a Tacconelli White that Vince Jr. leaves in the oven just long enough to produce a pizza crust bubble-a half sphere ball burnt on the outer edge that is the birth of all sibling fights in my house-“Who gets the pizza slice with the burnt bubble?”
There is a Red Pie showcasing the famous Tacconelli’s pizza sauce and pairing it with mozzarella and the Tomato Pie sans cheese. For those of you who want a zippier pizza, the Marinara Pie is toped with grated Asiago cheese and ladled with their spicy Mariana sauce.

But it’s the Signature Pie, a White Pie topped with cheese, garlic, spinach and chopped tomatoes that coming out of the brick oven looks like it will bend the pizza pan from all the generous topping and pools of sizzling olive oil, that makes your mouth water and clears your sinuses. Sudafed-PE, eat your heart out.

And to even put one of Vince Jr’s pizzas in the same sentence with a decongestant is a mortal sin. It’s up to the diner, the pizza eater, to create their favorite toppings after they start with a foundation from the basic five. My family are purists, Sister Dawn gets a Red Pie with mushrooms and hopes nobody else eats the fungai so she can take the rest home. Ma and Pa always opt for the sausage, meaty morsels (not sliced casings) that smell and taste of fresh fennel and Gina, the baby at age 30 gets the Pepperoni, and doesn’t have to worry about the grease ponds inferior cheaper pepperoni on other pizzas.

I remember as a teenager, getting a Coke and a slice at numerous pizza joints throughout the City and holding the pepperoni slice vertical, so that bright orange grease would drip off onto the paper plate. It was a right of passage, like going through puberty, you knew there was a better pizza slice out there, but as a teenager, you couldn’t help yourself.

The Signature Pie is a hands down winner, but I also go for the Mariana with all its kicks and have fresh basil and extra Asiago atop and ask Vince to incinerate the crust. The crisper and crunchier the better and I don’t have to share with those who don’t like it well done as the outer rim blisters and crackles and I feel like I can eat the whole pie myself, ala John Candy, eating the big 96er steak in that old comedy, “The Great Outdoors”.

And if, by chance of a miracle, there are any slices left, they are best served cold the next morning for breakfast. However, some have been found to mysteriously disappear overnight, prompting us to believe that our family dog, Fonzarelli the Dalmatian can, in fact, open the fridge (as well as order adult movies On Demand with the remote control).

A bit of history

In 1918, Giovanni Tacconelli traveled from his hometown of Chieti, Italy to Philadelphia. After a few years working as a laborer, he decided to do what he’d done in his native land – bake bread. The best and only way to do so, he said, was to bake it in a brick oven. So, along with a few of his friends, he built a 20′ x 20′ brick oven. The bread business went well until the outbreak of WWII, at which time his sons- all of whom had helped him run the family business- were drafted into military service. With no one around to help him, Giovanni had no choice but stop baking bread.

In 1946, with everyone home from the war, Giovanni had a brainstorm; rather than simply make bread, he decided to use his massive brick oven to make Old World “tomato pies”, a skill his mother had taught him many years before. A skill that in time he would pass on to his own son, Anthony.

In 1998, after decades of operating an award-winning restaurant, Anthony and Sylvia’s son, Vince and his wife Barbara Tacconelli decided to retire. They entrusted their business, which by now had become a Philadelphia institution, to their younger son, Vince, Jr. Vince and his wife Doris would successfully operate the pizzeria for the next five years, from 1998 – 2002.

In 2003, Vince decided it was time to take Tacconelli’s to the next level. That’s when He and Doris opened a second Tacconelli’s Pizzeria closer to their home in Maple Shade, NJ.
Of course, some changes were inevitable. At Tacconelli’s – Maple Shade there is no need to reserve your dough; in fact, walk-ins are welcome. Some things, though, never change: at Tacconelli’s – Maple Shade you’ll find Vince Jr. making the same freshly-baked, award-winning pizzas he made at Tacconelli’s – Philadelphia. The ingredients, and even most of the cooks, are the same. So it is our commitment to our customers, namely to not tamper with Giovanni Tacconelli’s inimitable recipe for delicious, thin-crust “tomato pies”

Tacconelli’s Pizzeria 450 S. Lenola Road, Maple Shade, N.J. (856)638-0338 Open Wednesday-Sunday.












by MikeV | Categories: Dining Out, Restaurants | Comments Off