Philly Cheese Steaks and "Cheese Steaks"

So when we were in Philly last month and we had the obligatory cheese steaks, well I had grilled veggies... however I have no idea where we were since this thing just deleted most of the pictures we took, including the one of the exterior. Maybe one of the carnivores knows whew we were and can update this later. It was on South Street, I know that much. I also know that what I ate was delicious and what Yoi and Gavin ate had some kind of "whizz" on it which met with a positive response. So this isn't much of a review I guess. Whoops! We'll do better next time.

Big Bad Wolf - Baltimore

When venturing for food in Baltimore, we are tempted by lake trout – which is neither from a lake nor trout – cuisine that reportedly gets better the further into the sketchy parts. But Felipe, our Baltimore host, suggests another local delicacy – pit beef.

Felipe speaks enthusiastically about The Big Bad Wolf and its namesake sandwich, which features pulled pork, beef brisket, bacon and a sauce of your choosing. That description was enough to squeeze us into the car into the backseat of a hatchback and for an uncomfortable ride that seemed to last for hours.

The Big Bad Wolf is pretty much a simple, smokehouse shack.



We found counter space and had to wait a while for food as Friday nights are heavy traffic at the shack.

But the sandwich was worth it – not too large, not too small, just perfect. It was filling without being overwhelming, but still an intense culinary experience. The different meats are all smoke-tacular on their own, but in tandem formed an intriguing flavor that was difficult not to inhale.




Yoi and Jeremiah opted for the spicy Kansas City-style barbecue sauce while Gavin went with the North Carolina vinegar. Will wasn’t feeling the Wolf and gulped down a large and tasty tuna steak sandwich instead.



In addition, we asked for some of the Wolf’s XXX hot sauce – it was spicy enough to make you sweat but still sweet and rich. In particular the sauce was delicious on the Wolf’s fresh cut fries.



So while we may have missed out on the charm of lake trout, The Big Bad Wolf certainly satisfied our carnivorous yearnings.

Summit Diner

Last time we were here in December of 2007, we had an amazing meal that neither Jeremiah nor I will forget. I think Will was pretty sick during that trip and he doesn’t remember the quality of the food for his taste buds being shot.

We drive down Somerset’s main road and there she is in all her silver glory: a diner straight out of the 50’s.



It could be in any town in any Main Street, USA. Oh, but the food! The food is the stuff of dreams.

We sit down at a corner booth to relive the experience. Our sassy waitress plays a practical joke on Will and confiscates his camera. Hilarious.



Gavin gets the Scrapyard, which is a heap of potatoes and homemade scrapple smothered with cheese. It’s enormous.



Jeremiah gets a full stack of pancakes and a side of freshly ground sausage.



Will and I get burgers, his plain and mine with mushrooms, Swiss and bacon. I also get fries and a cup of beef and vegetable soup. He gets a bowl of the same soup. Everything is amazing, just like we remembered.




Honestly, this is the best diner in the whole world. So yummy.

Will and Jeremiah even indulge in dessert. A slice each of cherry and blackberry pies. Flakey crusts, gooey yet fresh fillings.






We polish everything off. Gavin’s getting pretty good at eating faster and in larger quantities. Kudos to you, Gav!

Ted’s - Buffalo, NY

Driving into Buffalo, before we greet Jeremiah’s family, before we go to the club to unload, we make a beeline straight to Ted’s.


We can smell the charcoal as soon as we step out of the van. Where are the grills? I don’t see them outside. That’s because all the grills are actually inside the building! We get in line and Jeremiah does the ordering. He just holds up three fingers and says, “three.” Three dogs, that is. The grill guy knows. That’s what everyone comes for: the charcoal grilled hot dogs. Jeremiah also asks him to burn them, so the natural casing chars and crisps up. The grill guy also pokes holes in the dogs so parts of the inside also get the charcoal treatment. Looking good.



Jeremiah also orders Will a grilled chicken sandwich and an order of onion rings for us to share. Jeremiah and I get the “works” on our dog. A separate guy (a young kid, really. He must have just started because the grill guy keeps on yelling at him.) takes the grilled dogs and tops them with ketchup, mustard, onions, relish, a pickle and Animal Sauce, Ted’s famous hot sauce.



Since I missed out on the Chicago Red Hot, I’m looking forward to this Buffalo cousin. We sit at a booth and have at it. The dog is delicious. The casing is crisp, the burnt bits lending it a smokiness that goes perfectly with the surprisingly sweet onions and relish, the tanginess of the Animal Sauce and the sour pickle. This dog rides on the same concept as Banh Mi. All the flavor spectrums attack your mouth at the same time. A worthy adversary to both the Chicago Red Hot and the austere New York dog.



The onion rings are a tangled nest of sweet, crisp and yet, also moist wonder. We douse it with vinegar and wolf them down along with our dogs and chicken sandwich. Jeremiah has the loganberry drink, which I do not have the pleasure of sampling. I imagine it tastes like berries. Loganberries.

Definitely check out Ted’s when you’re in Buffalo. Just as Ben’s Chili Bowl has a distinctly DC vibe, Ted’s has a distinctly Buffalo vibe that is hard to explain. The best way to understand would be to go see it for yourself. Cheers!

OKcupid

Enjoy! And if you're confused about why this is here, check out Saturday in this post.

Gino's Chicago

We would be remiss to visit Chicago and not eat deep dish pizza. Refusing to settle for any old Joe’s version of the windy city classic, we went to the place where the stars get their fix – Gino’s East. Gino’s walls, benches and even seat cushions are filled with the markings of past patrons, including someone who was smitten with the latest “Harry Potter” movie.



Deep dish takes about 45 minutes to cook, so we started out with calamari and a salad.




The calamari were the usual fare, but interestingly enough they came with a side of cocktail sauce. However, we were still starving and a touch impatient – we’d finished the games on the kiddie menu and even drawn extra eyes and arms on the pizza man.

Finally dinner arrived – and it was huge.





We ordered a medium when we should have got a small. Two slices of the monster and Yoi and Gavin were toast.





The beast must have had 10 pounds of mozzarella baked under a tangy layer of sauce. The crust was more like a butter-soaked biscuit than pizza crust – and we mean that in the best way possible. The homemade, crumbly sausage was not spicy, but still tasty – it was recommended, but pepperoni might be better.

Will wasn’t feeling the pizza vibe, so he ordered spaghetti, which was covered with the same sauce as the pizza. He could only get through half the plate – not just the pizza is overwhelming.



A slice of Gino’s deep dish is heavy and filling, but it’s grossly satisfying as long as you don’t overeat. Oprah apparently loves the bacon cheeseburger deep dish, which sounded like a heart attack special. While it was a treat, we won’t need that urge to be filled again for some time. Walking out, the line to be seated was around the block.



Its popularity is well deserved.

Thinking in Chicago

In Which We Are Priced Out Of Several Chicago Museums And Walk Many Miles...