Underdogs Review

When I heard about this 'haute' dog joint near work, I knew I had to check it out. Since then, I've been back three times. So when the GF's brother and cousin came to visit from Michigan, where did we decide to go on our first night? Underdogs of course!

If you're heading south on 17th street, look to your right and a bit down, and you'll see the 'under'ground steps to Underdogs. Almost makes you feel like you're in the know. There's an ATM right outside - and for good reason. Unfortunately, Underdogs is a cash only joint - surprising, as orders can easily total over $20 if you go with a friend. Apparently they do BYOB after 5PM though, so there is some satisfaction there – for others perhaps.

In any case, on to the onslaught of haute dogs! 

Chihuaha ($4.50 / $7.75 with small soda and fries) 

Chorizo sausage with sautéed onions, chipotle mayo and queso blanco

This dog had a slight bit of heat to it - the chorizo definitely came through. This was nicely balanced by the queso blanco cheese topping the dog as well as the chipotle mayo, which added a nice creaminess to the dog. Definitely one of my favorites. The "buns" that these dogs come on are pretty hefty - more of a roll. Once you get through about three of these - you feel that wear and tear on your jaw - but it's totally worth it. There are no soggy buns here.

Chicago Style ($3.75 / $7.00 with small soda and fries)
Yellow mustard, relish, chopped onions, tomato slices, sport peppers, dill pickle spear and celery salt

If the Chihuaha dog was more savory - this was definitely more fresh and even sweet. The fresh tomato slices and dill pickle definitely brought Chicago to light - cool, fresh, and bright. The sport pepper added a spicy kick and was nicely accentuated by the celery salt and chopped onions. No ketchup needed or wanted here!

The Michigan ($3.75 / $7.00 with small soda and fries) 
Beef chili, cheddar, chopped onions and mustard

The Michigan dog was ordered by both the GF and her brother. I sampled a few bites of her dog (not the first time this has happened!) and declared it a hit. The chili was of the creamy variety and it had a small kick to it. The chopped onions were a nice foil to all that savoriness. The hot dog itself was plump and juicy. A solid dog.

You can see the fries to the right - and let me tell you - they do not disappoint. They are not necessarily the most crispy of fries, but are well seasoned (a tad over-seasoned with salt) and delicious. An order of small fries or a combo nets you one of there different dipping sauces - I typically go with the garlic aioli or the chipotle mayo - perfect complements to greasy, delicious fries. If you order a side order of large fries - be prepared for a massive dose of fries and two complimentary complements to your fries.

My only other gripe (the first being the fact that Underdogs is cash only) is that the sodas that accompany any combo are not only ridiculously small - they are filled with 75% ice. Knowing this - on this visit, I clearly asked for no ice in my soda (it was also freezing outside). Lo and behold however, ice packed my cup. It was not a big enough deal to ask for another soda, so I took a sip of it. One sip and it was done (ok ok, maybe two sips).

Other than this pet peeve of mine (really? who needs that much ice?), Underdogs is a great place to go for a quick, tasty bite in the Rittenhouse area. If you're closer to South Street however - I hear Hot Diggity is great as well. I'll need to do a taste test between the two haute dog joints one of these days. In the meantime, Underdogs gets it done for me.





www.underdogsphilly.com 

Rex Style Pizza & Restaurant Review

Nestled between Drexel University's Center City Campus and the Love park area is a small pizzeria by the name of Rex Style Pizza & Restaurant. Craving a simple slice of pizza (or three) after work, I decided to take a chance on this nearby pizzeria, even if I felt like I was cheating on Jake's.

Entering the establishment, I noticed it was quiet, clean, and had a homey feel. Definitely someplace I could definitely see myself coming for a quick bite with some friends before going out. Unfortunately, this pizzeria does not have a display with the types of slices that are readily available. On second thought, that could be a good thing since oftentimes, you see cold, old, and dreary slices sitting in those displays. After asking the lady at the counter - I found out that they do indeed sell pizzas by the slice (phew!).

I ordered a regular cheese slice and being the glutton that I am and in my never-ending quest for a decent Philly cheese steak in Philadelphia, I ordered a cheese steak. My order was under $10 however, so the lady informed me that she needed to add a $0.50 surcharge. Feeling nickel and dime'd - I decided to go overboard and get an additional small order of fries (so glad I did!.

Philly Beef Steak ($6.50) 

This was a hefty sized cheese steak and it looked like it had a lot of promise. Unfortunately, the meat was a tad on the dry side and was not well seasoned. The onions were nicely grilled, but the provolone cheese was clearly lacking in this steak sandwich. Philly ... why do you disappoint me so?

Cheese Slice ($2.50)

A bit on the pricey side for a simple cheese slice. This pizza slice had a nice thin crust - however, the dough was not sufficiently seasoned. There was an extremely minimal amount of mozzarella on top which didn't have a necessarily fresh taste and there was definitely a dearth of sauce underneath the thin layer of cheese. Disappointing to say the least. 


French Fries ($1.99)

Rex for the win! These fries completely redeemed this pizza joint. The small order was plentiful and more importantly the fries were so crispy and light. The innards were perfectly creamy. Thankfully, they were not overly salted (if at all).

Overall, Rex Style Pizza was disappointing - however the fries are perfect. For $2 and its relatively close proximity - I'll be back with the GF for many orders. Remember to bring cash if your order is under $10! FYI - they do have an ATM inside.

Rex Style Pizza & Restaurant
1526 Race Street
Philadelphia, PA 19102
(215) 557-9555 
www.rexstylepizza.com  

Jake's Sandwich Board Review

After giving the GF's brother and cousin a cold, blistering tour of Philadelphia's historical sites, we had to stop for a cheese steak. Would we go to Jim's? Pat's? Geno's? No thanks. I knew if there was any place that could redeem Philadelphia by providing a decent Philly's Best type cheese steak - it would be Jake's Sandwich Board.

When you enter - be prepared for the gauntlet of different types of sandwiches. Jake's doesn't pigeon-hole itself as a cheese steak only type of joint - in fact the 50/50 (half bacon, half pork) is one of the monster creations that this place houses. While the three of us all got cheese steaks, we were drooling over the other options as well. To make up for our lack of sandwich diversity, we ordered fries, potato pancakes, and chocolate-covered bacon as well.

Jake ($8.50)
Fried onions, provolone cheese

Jake's cheese steak is a solid iteration of Philadelphia's iconic sandwich, but alas - it is still no Philly's Best. The meat is plentiful however, which is appreciated. I prefer grilled onions that aren't diced up. The sesame seeded hoagie roll does add an unexpected toasty element, but apparently you can order them unseeded as well if that's your pleasure. Overall though, the sandwich was a bit dry. Jake's does carry Siracha hot sauce table-side though if you need that extra kick.

French Fries ($1.50)

Jake's fries were nicely fried and crisp - perfectly done. The innards were deliciously creamy. A bonus? They were not overly salted! It's also sold at a great price point as well for what I considered a healthy amount of fries.

Potato Pancakes ($4)

While the fries were great - the clear star of this show were the potato pancakes. As you can see - they were seasoned very well - some chives even? In any case - they were amazing!!! These potato pancakes were actually flattened, mini hash browns - I was thinking that they would be like latkes. I'm glad I was wrong. I would seriously come back just for these bad boys. True story: I talked these potato pancakes up the rest of the day - I must have brought them up at least five times. They came with a spicy chipotle mayo-type sauce that was a simply perfect complement to these perfectly fried potatoes.


Chocolate-covered bacon ($2)

At first I thought they had mistakingly left out this part of our order. Apparently though, these are made ahead of time and are put in the fridge/freezer. When we were done with our meal, we received these nicely wrapped packages. Which opened up to reveal these ...

Two thick-cut slabs of bacon - covered in chocolate. This 'treat' was more unique than tasty. In fact, only the GF's cousin finished these. In my estimation, the bacon was too chewy - I was hoping and expecting more of a crisp crunch. I definitely got the whole salty-sweet dessert thing (which I love), however texturally, this was not a hit. It's not a good thing when you need to unclench your jaw after trying to eat this dessert.


Cherry Soda ($1.50)

They have a variety of sodas here - including unique ones such as cherry. Bonus? They offer free refills! The cherry soda was definitely a hit.

And if you haven't heard about the Jake's Sandwich Board challenge on the Food Network, you may want to check it out yourself!

If you can down 3 pounds of sandwich, an entire box of Tasty Cakes, 4 Philly soft pretzels, 24 peanut chews, and a cherry champ soda in under 45 minutes - you can earn your place on the wall.In fact, if you fail - you still earn a spot on the wall - as a failure!

Last tidbit - apparently you can order all the sandwiches in a bowl without the bread, in a salad, or on a haystack of fries. Genius. 


Overall, Jake's hits the spot on so many levels (did I mention the potato pancakes?). While the cheese steak still isn't the best I've ever had, it gets the job done for the most part. I can't wait to come back for the Mensch, which contains slow-roasted brisket. And yes - for some more potato pancakes!



http://www.jakessandwichboard.com/