so i'd like to believe that because i am from chicago, i have a bit of insight on chicago food. one of these quintessential foods is the hotdog. now i know what you're gonna say...hotdogs?! really?! yes, hotdogs.
my brother-in-law actually recommended scotty dogs to me. he said that i needed to verify if scott was creating the true chicago dog. now for those who do not know, true chicago dogs are made with steamed poppy seed buns, vienna hot dogs, tomato, relish, hot peppers, mustard (NO KETCHUP!!!) and a pickle slice. i have to admit, i was skeptical about going to scotty dogs to try a chicago dog. i've met scott bangs, owner of scotty dogs on a few ocassions, and he was happy to serve up a chicago dog. there was a mutual respect, he knew i loved chicago dogs and i had heard that he serves up a good one.
well, scott didn't disappoint. when he handed over the 'dog, i gave it a good look over...and then i asked, "is that celery salt on there?" with a smile, scott answered, "you know it!" i knew right then i was in for a true chicago 'dog. though i didn't mention it above, celery salt is an essential ingredient to the chicago 'dog. scott assembled the perfect concoction of necessary ingredients to create one of the best chicago hotdogs i've had in the valley.
but that wasn't enough. i needed a second 'dog. so i asked scott if he had a specialty 'dog...sure enough, he told me about his "scotty dog." cheddar cheese on the bottom, a hot dog, topped with tomatoes, hot peppers, sauerkraut, melted cheese, mustard and then the topper, siracha sauce. now i know this sounds like it would be a reason to call the fire department for your mouth, but it's not. it's got the perfect amount of kick. i can honestly say that the "scotty dog" is worthy of pink's hotdogs in hollywood status.
if you can only eat one hotdog for lunch, go two days in a row to try both of these. scotty dog definitely deserves 4 sporks out of 5! here's the kicker, scotty dogs is a mobile cart. so you're gonna wanna follow him on twitter to get his location. scotty brings the urban vendor experience in full force and the food is good, to boot!
scotty dogs
on twitter at @sbangs
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Friday, November 13, 2009
Chicago Hamburger Co.
i've been going to this place for nearly 10 years and it never lets me down. i decided to take my wife there a few years ago, because quite frankly, it's the most authentic chicago-style joint in town. they have everything that true chicagoans want, and everything that non-chicagoans would envy because they're not from chicago! only kidding. but seriously, this place is very good!!!
when walk into the place you are bombarded (and that's an understatement) by chicago paraphenelia. posters of michael jordan, the "monsters of the midway" (if you know chicago, you know what i'm talking about with that reference), mayor daly election poster, street signs. there is memoribilia from the white sox and that other baseball team, too. everything that would take you back to the windy city...only it's here in phoenix. there's pinball machines for the kiddos and the kid in you...
okay, food. seriously folks, these guys at chicago hamburger company know how to do food right. their hamburgers are incredible...but personally, i prefer their sliders. a pack of 10 will run you about $9, but trust me, you'll be luck if two of you can eat ten...unless you're a champ. but the bread is super soft, which is rare to find appropriately on other places "sliders." the fries are yummy scrumptious...chicago hamburger company also sells...wait for it...wait for it...chili cheese fries! if you're from chicago you know that this is one of the four food groups (along with hot dogs, pizza, and funnel cakes). they have a pretty good menu and the prices are fairly reasonable. you can escape with two very full people for around $20.
out of five sporks, chicago hamburger company gets 4.5! yes, this place is that good. it's not a chain and it definitely takes me back to my days in the greatest city on earth. go there, get full and enjoy chicago in phoenix.
when walk into the place you are bombarded (and that's an understatement) by chicago paraphenelia. posters of michael jordan, the "monsters of the midway" (if you know chicago, you know what i'm talking about with that reference), mayor daly election poster, street signs. there is memoribilia from the white sox and that other baseball team, too. everything that would take you back to the windy city...only it's here in phoenix. there's pinball machines for the kiddos and the kid in you...
okay, food. seriously folks, these guys at chicago hamburger company know how to do food right. their hamburgers are incredible...but personally, i prefer their sliders. a pack of 10 will run you about $9, but trust me, you'll be luck if two of you can eat ten...unless you're a champ. but the bread is super soft, which is rare to find appropriately on other places "sliders." the fries are yummy scrumptious...chicago hamburger company also sells...wait for it...wait for it...chili cheese fries! if you're from chicago you know that this is one of the four food groups (along with hot dogs, pizza, and funnel cakes). they have a pretty good menu and the prices are fairly reasonable. you can escape with two very full people for around $20.
out of five sporks, chicago hamburger company gets 4.5! yes, this place is that good. it's not a chain and it definitely takes me back to my days in the greatest city on earth. go there, get full and enjoy chicago in phoenix.
Friday, November 6, 2009
pho thanh
so we were in the mood for some asian food, whether it was thai, chinese, vietnamese, whatever; we just knew we wanted asian food. and we didn't want to try our usual haunts. i thought vietnamese sounded good. so we tried this little joint down the street from us by the name of pho thanh.
from the outside, pho thanh sits in a mini-strip mall with another asian restaurant, nail salon and an asian food market. from the outside, you would never want to try this place. but it is definitely a gem in the rough. the seating inside has some family tables, so you could sit right next somebody from somewhere else. although it's not identical, it definitely reminded me of my experience eating in chinatown in boston. so i knew right there it would be a good experience. the decor was pretty plain, but again, not something to judge a place's quality of food by (cause Lord knows i have eaten in some very nicely decorated restaurants whose food was horrible).
anyways, when i opened up the menu (which is a small novel in and of itself), i was happy to see a vast array of choices for dinner. i'm not a huge noodle fan, so i opted for a broken rice dish. my wife, she loves soups and so she went for pho tofu. service was a bit slow, but we did get around to ordering. i was pleasantly surprised by the waiter's recommendation after i had told him my order. i ended up with a broken rice dish that included shrimp warpped in beancurd skin, bbq pork, crab and egg cake, ground pork wrapped in grape leaves and some rice. i figure if a waiter is gonna recommend something it's gotta be worth trying. i also ordered a vietnamese egg soda. i'm not gonna lie, it was different, sort of an odd flavor of egg whipped with soda water. it was tasty, but i don't that it would be my drink of choice.
when food came, i realized just how exposed i was to americanized vietnamese food in my past. this stuff looked authentic. not that i know what authentic looked like...but this stuff had to be. my wife's pho tofu was HUGE! it was a bowl that was easily 12" across and 4-6" deep. she really enjoyed it...but i didn't try it because i have to be a very particular mood for soup. my food was equally great. if i could (which i think i can) i would eat the ground pork wrapped in grape leaves for dinner by themself. they're sort of like dolmas, but i like these better.
overall, the meal was pretty good. out of 5 sporks i'd give this place 3.5. i think i was expecting something different, so that may have thrown off my tastebuds. the food was good, but the service left a lot to be desired. plus, i don't know how i feel about servers walking around eating food in between serving food...just doesn't seem cleanly to me. i would go back for sure; at least now i know what to expect.
pho thanh
1702 west camelback road
phoenix arizona 85015
from the outside, pho thanh sits in a mini-strip mall with another asian restaurant, nail salon and an asian food market. from the outside, you would never want to try this place. but it is definitely a gem in the rough. the seating inside has some family tables, so you could sit right next somebody from somewhere else. although it's not identical, it definitely reminded me of my experience eating in chinatown in boston. so i knew right there it would be a good experience. the decor was pretty plain, but again, not something to judge a place's quality of food by (cause Lord knows i have eaten in some very nicely decorated restaurants whose food was horrible).
anyways, when i opened up the menu (which is a small novel in and of itself), i was happy to see a vast array of choices for dinner. i'm not a huge noodle fan, so i opted for a broken rice dish. my wife, she loves soups and so she went for pho tofu. service was a bit slow, but we did get around to ordering. i was pleasantly surprised by the waiter's recommendation after i had told him my order. i ended up with a broken rice dish that included shrimp warpped in beancurd skin, bbq pork, crab and egg cake, ground pork wrapped in grape leaves and some rice. i figure if a waiter is gonna recommend something it's gotta be worth trying. i also ordered a vietnamese egg soda. i'm not gonna lie, it was different, sort of an odd flavor of egg whipped with soda water. it was tasty, but i don't that it would be my drink of choice.
when food came, i realized just how exposed i was to americanized vietnamese food in my past. this stuff looked authentic. not that i know what authentic looked like...but this stuff had to be. my wife's pho tofu was HUGE! it was a bowl that was easily 12" across and 4-6" deep. she really enjoyed it...but i didn't try it because i have to be a very particular mood for soup. my food was equally great. if i could (which i think i can) i would eat the ground pork wrapped in grape leaves for dinner by themself. they're sort of like dolmas, but i like these better.
overall, the meal was pretty good. out of 5 sporks i'd give this place 3.5. i think i was expecting something different, so that may have thrown off my tastebuds. the food was good, but the service left a lot to be desired. plus, i don't know how i feel about servers walking around eating food in between serving food...just doesn't seem cleanly to me. i would go back for sure; at least now i know what to expect.
pho thanh
1702 west camelback road
phoenix arizona 85015
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