Hot Time for my DDD trip to the City of Brotherly Love (Philadelphia)

In the last season or two of "Diner's, Drive-ins, and Dives" Guy went back to 6 or 7 places in Philadelphia.  I knew that I'd have to make a road trip up to the so called "City of Brotherly Love" but I waited until there were 6 or 7 places to try. 

I decided almost at the last minute to take a quick two day trip to Philadelphia to get to most of the places that were featured on the show.  I decided on the day and as it came closer, the hottest weather of 2013 (up to that point) hit the East Coast.  Undaunted I left work and headed to Philly.  The drive went quickly, from Dulles to the hotel I booked at around the Philadelphia International Airport took just over 2 hours.  After checking in and taking a lukewarm shower (more about what would become my first hotel later) I headed out to my first place.  My first stop was in the Center City area of Philadelphia and the drive took me up Broad Street, which is a main street into the city.  Driving up Broad I passed the sports area of the city, complex where the Wells Fargo Center (home of the NBA Sixer's and NHL Flyer's), Citizen's Bank Park (home of the Phillie's) and Lincoln Financial Field (home of the Eagles).  As I drove into the city  saw some things that I have never seen before.  People park their cars in the center of the street! 

My first stop was at a place pretty unique to Philly and to the DDD show. I entered a small and colorful cafe called the "Jamaican Jerk Hut".  The place holds about 20 people and does a big carryout business.  As I entered the staff was surprised a bit that I was eating in and gave me a very friendly greeting.  The carryout counter is adorned in Tiki Hut motif, giving you the feel of being on the beaches of Ocho Rios.

Jamaican Jerk Hut in Philadelphia

Colorful Menu Wallboard

As I looked over the menu I knew that due to the extremely hot temperatures and also wanting to try another place later tat I would choose an appetizer.  One of my favorite bites when I am in the Caribbean on cruises are Conch Fritters.  One of the appetizers listed was  Salt Fish fritters and I knew what I wanted.  The menu also featured a lot of fruit sodas.  Now I do like Ginger Beer and that was listed, but I prefer the Bermuda Style Ginger Beer as it is not as spicy as the Jamaican Style which is very spicy, so I chose a Pine Apple Soda.  The soda was imported from Jamaica and was really good and not too sweet.  I was served 4 good sized fritters and there was a spicy dipping sauce on the side.  I really liked the fritters and even though they were very spicy, they were tasty, too.

My Salt Fish Fritter appetizer at Jamaican Jerk Hut

After finishing up I was able to talk to the staff and have the chef sign my book, but they were very confused about what I was doing, oh well, that is not a very uncommon thing!

I headed into the center of Philadelphia to try m y next place. I arrived in the area of my next location just before 6pm and it is located in the small Theatre District of Philadelphia so parking was a big headache!  The public lots fees were a minimum of 5 bucks for 15 minutes and all of the street parking was either full or was unavailable until 630p.  I ended up driving around and around the area until 630p (not really my choice, but it became necessary).  I walked about a block from where I parked to my next place, "The Good Dog Bar". 

The place was packed and I was given a seat at the bar.  The place is dark and is mostly a very long bar with some booths in the areas adjacent to the bar.  I asked the bartender to remind me of what was featured on the show and he told me not only what was featured but what they were famous for.  I chose the Truffled Cheessteak Empanadas.  The plate came out very quickly and they were delicious.  Four Empanadas accompanied with a sauce that featured a Chocolate Stout Ale sauce.  

Truffled Cheesesteak Empanadas

The delicious filling

Unfortunately this is the only positive things I can write about the place.  It was crowded and noisy, which is not a bad thing.  I could not get a word in with the bartender who was also my server.  He was servicing the entire bar and as I was on one end of the bar, he rarely made it to my end.  I was getting more and more frustrated as after finishing my food I had to wait for over 15 minutes just to get my bill and the root of my frustration was that the meter was running on my parking spot and after seeing "Parking Wars" on TV (which is filmed in Philly) I know that they are all business with parking in Center City!  I finally got the bill barely made it back to the car.  I was really upset and wasn't even able to get the book signed.  The Good Dog is an OK place but I don't see me going back there.

I headed back to the hotel but I knew that there was a place that I had been to in the past but wanted to go back to and it was sort of on the way back to the hotel.  I headed to the famous intersection of South 9th Street and Passyunk Avenue in South Philadelphia.  This is the area that might be the Capital of Cheesesteaks!  The daily 24 hour a day monumental battle between "Pat's King of Steaks" and "Geno's Steaks" has been waged for almost 50 years. 

Geno's Steaks

Geno's Ordering area - Always busy!

I chose to get a Cheesesteak "wit Provolone" at Geno's.  The places are almost identicle in their business.  You order and pay for you sandwich at one window and then if you want a drink and/or fries that is done at another window.  You can order them "wit" or "witout" which means that you want fried onions on them and your cheese choices are American, Provolone, or Cheez Wiz.  I prefer Geno's because they are not only friendlier but I like the cut of the steak.  Both places have great Italian bread and I decided to take mine back to the hotel.

I arrived back to the hotel and a very long night was about to begin.  Hotels in the Philly area are pretty expensive so I chose a budget place.  When I got back on this very hot night my greatest nightmare was found, very poor air conditioning!  The AC was on full and it was pumping out some cool air but it was not doing very well.  My room could have been used as a prime example of the fact that heat rises.  I had to position a chair next to the unit to keep cool and when I stood up the air at my head level (about 6 feet) was about 25 degrees warmer than at the bed and chair level.  Right then I decided to call the front and tell them I would be checking out and find another place.  I decided to use some points and get a nearby more luxury hotel, all I needed to do was make it through the night.  I fell asleep for about an hour and was awoken by silence!  The AC stopped and would not start back up and the room was getting hotter by the minute!  I called the front desk and was old that they would call back to help out.  After about an hour and no call I walked down to the office and after some discussions I was given another room and as I entered that the bed looked very made, but the AC worked and that was good!  The room was a real prize, too.  The AC came on then off then on, what a nightmare, I think I got about 2 hours of sleep.  Using my points was one of the best decisions I had made.

Morning and more heat arrived and I checked out and headed to my next few places.  I headed into the city again and made my way to place that features breakfast and lunch only.  North of the Center City area is a cool little cafe called "Honey's Sit'n Eat".  I entered the place and was seated at a table toward the back of the cafe and noticed a lot of old style signs and knick-nacks on the walls.  I am not the biggest fan of breakfast foods so I decided to try a lunch appetizer called Vegetable Latkes. 

Honey's Sit'n Eat's Vegetable Latkes

The Latkes came with Apple Sauce and Sour Cream on the side.  They were very tasty although I am not sure why Apple Sauce was included but it was homemade and very tasty.  The Sour Cream was the perfect accompaniment with the Latkes.  The staff there was excellent, even though it was so busy they took the time to not only give great service but talked with me about my travels and I really appreciated it.

From Honey's I headed back down Broad Street into South Philly to my next stop, "The South Philadelphia Tap Room".  As I entered I thought that even tough Philadelphia is known as the "City of Brotherly Love" it should also be known as the "City of Brew Pubs".  The city is filled with restaurant-bars that either brew their own beer or feature locally brewed beers on tap. 

South Philadelphia Tap Room

The small bar and restaurant featured 10 taps of local brew and then a full bar of drinks.  I decided to try one of the local brews which was a Cider with Raspberry flavors.  It was very dry, a bit too dry for me, but as I don't drink very often I am not the best judge.  I also chose to try the Macaroni and Cheese, which was delicious, featuring white cheese sauce and fried onions on top. 

South Philadelphia's Raspberry Cider

Main bar with 10 Taps out front

My Mac and Cheese

South Philadelphia Tap Room is a place that I would go back to.  The menu looked really good and I was there shortly after they opened but I can imagine that it really gets hopping as the days goes on.

Most of the places that Guy went to for DDD in Philly were spots only open in the evening so I was able to go and check in at my new hotel and rest for a few hours.  I can ell you that I was really enjoying the cool temps in the hotel and even was even to doze for an hour or two.

I headed back into the city, but more on the south side of the city.  It was in a neighborhood and I guess I would call the place a "neighborhood bar".  The "Sidecar Bar and Grille" is a unique place as it looks as it's in a row house.  The main area as the place opens in the afternoon is the bar area on the first floor with a big bar and adjacent tables.  They also have an upstairs room that opens later in the evening. 

I ordered an appetizer that was Chicken Nuggets that had a Pretzel batter.  They were served with a Honey Dijon and Horseradish sauce that was very thick and tasty and the sauce was a real nasal cleanser.  They also feature a large selection of local beers on tap. 

My Sidecar Appetizer

This is another place that I would like to try again.  On a side note, I have noticed that many of the food service people that I meet on my travels love to have body art and I have often wondered why that is, not sure but just wanted to throw that out!  I headed to what would be my last place on this trip and headed into the area of Philly known as "Little Italy"  I parked almost in outdoor Italian Market area, near where my last place should have been located (according to my Garmin GPS).  I had some time to kill so I thought that I could look around the market as the place I was going to wasn't going to open for about 30 minutes.  The market was pretty much closing down as it's main operating times are in the morning and early afternoon hours.  I could not find the place and had to stop into one of the few open stores.  The store was very much an Italian souvenir store. The told me that I was about 5 blocks from my destination, I looked around and ducked in and out stores to check them out and get cool from the almost 100 degree heat.

South Philly's Outdoor Italian Market

Cool Bike Shop in the Market Area...Took this for my friend Ann

I headed up the 5 blocks and made it to South Street to go to the curiously named "Percy Street BBQ".  Not sure why it's named as it is since there is no Percy Street anywhere around.  The place had just opened and I was seated right away.  I could smell the great BBQ cooking .  One thing that I love is when a place has a Whiskey Bottle water service, which they do at Percy Street. 

Percy Street BBQ

Very Cool Water Service and a VERY HOT Day

I asked about the specials and what was cooked on their episode.  I noticed one of the appetizers was Deviled Eggs, gotta love a place that has Deviled Eggs!  I decided to get the eggs and for my meal try the Pork Belly Sandwich that was featured on the episode.  As I waited they brought three small bottle of their homemade BBQ sauces.

Percy Street's BBQ Sauces (Red-Hot/Blue-Medium/White-House)

Just as the eggs were delivered I was given complimentary Pimento Cheese spread with some saltine crackers.  The eggs were unreal, rich and delicious.  The Pimento Cheese was very smooth with a bit of a spicy bite.  The server also brought, compliments of the kitchen a huge serving of BBQ Fries.  French Fries topped with Cole Slaw and shredded Pork BBQ.  I was not hungry for all this food and my sandwich had not even been delivered.  I tried the Fries and they were awesome, so I know that their BBQ was top notch.  My sandwich arrived and it was AWESOME!  The Pork Belly was tasty and rich and was topped with a spicy sauce and shredded carrots and watercress.  the bread they used was like the type used by Geno's a dense and crispy sub roll and just added to the sandwich.  I couldn't even finish all the food I was served and it was very reasonably priced.  Before heading out I was able to meet and talk with both the manager and the chef and we spoke about the filming and my travels, they were the some of the nicest people that I have met on my travels.  I really loved Percy's and will go back on my next Philadelphia trip.  I headed home with my DDD count at 316!

Triple D in the Low Country (Charleston, South Carolina) - Part 2

After finishing up at my 308th DDD location I headed into the historic area of Charleston.  There is an outdoor market area where the famous carriages rides originate from.  I spent a little time in this area because there is the Moon Pie General Store in this area and I wanted to check it out.  The store is a throw back to my childhood.  The store is filled with candy, drinks and collectibles of items that have seem to be long gone today but that I used to see in the stores, especially the old Ben Franklin store in Fairfax.  I didn't get anything on the visit but planned to go back later as the heat would have melted or ruined anything I bought.  This is the type of place that you have to make at the end of your visit and that was my plan.  I headed to the Charleston Maritime Center to get on the 1130a Charleston Harbor Cruise on the Carolina Belle to see the sites of Charleston Harbor.  Although it was hot, there was a really nice breeze and the water seemed to create a natural air conditioner and it made the cruise very pleasant.

Cruising Charleston Harbor

Captain David at the helm of the Carolina Belle

Charleston Customs House built in the 1800s

We sailed out for about 90 minutes and saw many of the buildings, barrier islands, and forts that make up the Charleston waterfront.  The most famous place being Fort Sumter, where on April 8, 1861 the Civil War began when the fort under the command of United States Army General Robert Anderson came under fire by the forces of the Confederate State of America Army led General P.G.T. Beauregard.  After over 24 hours of bombardment Anderson surrendered the fort and the war had begun.  The walls of the fort are now quite small, but at the time they stood over 25 feet tall.  In 1864 the US forces bombarded the fort and in early 1865 the fort was surrendered to the US Army. 

Fort Sumter

Where the Civil War began April 8, 1861

As we made our way around the harbor we saw the World War 2 aircraft carrier USS Yorktown, which served our Navy World War 2 and the Korean War and was a victim of Japanese Kamikaze attacks, but survived and is now at home and at peace in Charleston Harbor.

USS Yorktown

As we made our way back to land we cruised up to the new bridge that leads to the Mt. Pleasant island area from downtown Charleston.  This bridge which opened in 2004 improved the traffic flow in the area and is quite a visual site.

Harbor Bridge

After a very pleasant cruise I headed out to my next place.  This is one that I wanted to try.  The place is built from an old Gulf Gasoline station and is aptly named "Fuel".  The place is unusual because it really celebrates it's heritage as a gas station with paintings and memorabilia of gas pumps and cars but the cuisine is Island Caribbean.

Fuel in Charleston

An Art Deco style former Gas Station turned Caribbean Cafe

Inside Fuel, celebrating it's heritage

As I was not all that hungry I decided to try an appetizer and a side item, both of which were featured on Fuel's DDD episode.  One thing I noticed as I sat down, Fuel really likes to promote spicy foods.  On the table there were 4 or 5 bottles of hot sauces.  All of them looked good and hot, and featured the very hot habanero pepper. 

Fuel's added heat on each table

I chose the Ho Cakes, 4 corn cakes mixed with mild spices and served with a pepper spread and topped with a Key Lime sauce and sour cream.  My side was the Fried Sweet Plantains.  The Ho Cakes were pretty good, they were a little bit drier than I had anticipated but the sauce and pepper spread really accentuated the cakes.  The Sweet Plantains were probably the best I had ever had.  They were sweet and delicious.  I was able to get my book signed my the chef and owner but was not able to meet him as it was pretty busy for a late lunch crowd.

Fuel's Ho Cake appetizer

Sweet Plantains Side Dish

From Fuel I headed back to the hotel to get out of the heat and humidity.  It reached 99 according to the thermometer in the car and I think that may have been low!  I caught up with Barry and his relatives and they asked about my travels and told me about the reason they were in Charleston which was for a wedding which was just hours away.  The wedding would be held on a paddle wheeler river boat on the Charleston Harbor. When they left for that I left for m dinner stop which was in the town of Summerville about 20 miles west of Charleston.

In the late 1970s the Summerville High School football team had a star quarterback named Perry Cuda.  The team known as the Green Wave won the state championship and Cuda went on the play for the legendary football coach Paul "Bear" Bryant at the University of Alabama.  After a stellar career at "Bama" Cuda's pro football aspirations were ended with an injury and he returned to Summerville to run the family business, "Perfectly Frank's" simply put a "Hot Dog Joint"! 

A Summerville, SC landmark

Perry's dad name was Frank and he opened the place when Perry was young.  Perry has named all of the meals in honor of his father and all of them begin with the name Frank.  They have dozens of different types of hot dogs and also have other items, but the real specialty here are the dogs!  I chose the Frank Sinatra, a hot dog covered with Perry's special Bleu Cheese Cole Slaw.  I also chose the Frankie Cucumber, a hot dog with Fried Onions, Salmon Cream Cheese and fresh cut cucumbers.  Both were awesome and delicious!  After finishing off those I went up to get another dog (in my opinion give me another dog, I don't need a dessert!)  While waiting Perry came out to meet me and sign my book and he gave me a refund on my extra dog!  WOW, I got to meet him and get a free dog!  He was impressed with my travels and thanked me for coming in,  I just wish we had a Perfectly Frank's in Leesburg!  As I left I had to ring the cow bell by the door to give them my approval for a great meal!

My Perfectly Frank's meal - Top is the Frank Sinatra; Bottom is the Frankie Cucumber



Enjoying a Great Meal

I had one day and one place left in Charleston before heading home and really had a full day of relaxation planned before heading back into the historic area of downtown Charleston and tiring my final DDD location.  I headed into for an early dinner at a really funky joint that is decorated in a very unusual style, sort of a like a taxidermists heaven!   "The Tattooed Moose" is a neighborhood bar that has awesome food and a very interesting feel to it.  It is in an industrial area of Charleston and has a very eclectic clientele.  There were young professionals, retirees and families, it sort of reminded me of the Vienna Inn in Vienna, Virginia.

 

 



The Tattooed Moose - A Funky Charleston Bar and Restaurant

The walls are adorned with all types of signs and unusual decorations, but the most unusual decorations are the many stuffed animals all over the walls.  There are Moose, Chipmunks with firearms and Deer to name just a few. 

 



The Tattooed Moose!

 

The Funky Wall Decorations at the Tattooed Moose

 

I chose the dishes that were featured on the episode that featured this cool joint.  The Confit Duck Sandwich with the special fries cooked in duck oil.  I know that it doesn't sound too appetizing but both were delicious.  The sandwich had shredded duck on thick marble bread with fresh lettuce and tomatoes, cheddar cheese, bacon and a garlic-mayo spread and presented with a pickled green tomato and pickle wedges.  The fries were shoe string cut and had the garlic mayo on the side.

 

 

My Confit Duck Sandwich



The Tattooed Moose' Shoe String Fries

 

I really enjoyed the sandwich and again as at the Glass Onion, the duck was cooked perfectly and was not greasy as is the complaint for most people when they have duck.  I would recommend this place to anyone when they visit Charleston. 

 

Before leaving I decided to go back to Charleston's historic market area.  I went back to the Moon Pie General Store and check it out and all of the old fashioned candies and sundries that I remembered from my childhood.  the store is on the area where you can take a carriage ride through the streets of Charleston and although I did not do this on this visit, some of my friends have and they highly recommend it!

 

 

One of the many Carriage Companies in Charleston



Memories of Childhood Candy, the Infamous Bubble Gum Cigars!

 

After a great visit to Charleston I rode home headed back to Virginia via another childhood memory, Pedro and the famous "South of the Border"!  Although Pedro is n ot a DDD place it was great to see all the road signs again. 

 

As I arrived home, my DDD count had risen to 311!

Triple D in the Low Country (Charleston, South Carolina) - Part 1

My friend Barry had told me that he would be attending a family wedding in Charleston, South Carolina in June 2013.  His plan was to take a week and drive down from the DC area and back.  i started thinking about asking if he needed a co-pilot for his drive home and when he said that he would be OK with me joining him I looked into flying down from Dulles to Charleston and getting a car and checking out the six DDD places in the Charleston area while he was off doing family stuff.

I had originally planned to fly down on a Thursday after work but as the day got closer the flights got heavier and heavier and since I fly stand-by I decided to take an extra day and fly down on a Wednesday.  I was able to get on the noon flight and after a brief delay in departing from Dulles, I made my way to Charleston.  I arrived on a very hot and humid afternoon, which is not unusual for Charleston.  I got a car rental and headed to the hotel and on to my first place.  Barry was with his cousin playing gold, which I find insane in 95 degree heat!

United Express Canadair RJ - My ride to Charleston

Two of the places in the area were within 2 miles of the hotel and those would be my lunch and dinner stops for my first day in the area.  I headed off to "The Early Bird Diner". 

The place was pretty quiet on a mid afternoon Wednesday.  I remembered watching the DDD episode, that one of the things the EBD (a name that the owner uses) is that on the weekend this pace is opened until 4am and is known to be very popular to the late night bar crowd.  The menu is quite eclectic and features all types of meals and the entire menu is always available.  I saw an item that was on the breakfast menu and I had to try it.  It is actually my kind of breakfast item.  I am not a real big fan of eggs and when I saw that Shrimp and Grits on the menu I knew that I needed to try it.  The dish is served with a biscuit on the side.  The huge bowl had very creamy grits covered with huge shrimp and a brown spicy gravy.  The creamy grits really cut into the spice of the gravy and the shrimp were sauteed just right, it was a very delicious meal.

My Early Bird Diner Shrimp and Grits meal

The staff was very friendly and accommodating.  The server went and got the chef and owner of the diner to come and sign my book.  He came over and talked to e for a while and took my book to sign and and I was give an sticker of the diner.  The owner is also an artist and he not only signed my book but also drew a picture of one of the EBDs signature dishes, Chicken and Waffles.  I really felt special that he did that.

The signature and art work in my DDD  book

Off I went from EBD, full and satisfied.  After returning to the hotel and meeting up with Barry and some of his relatives, I found out that there were more family activities for Barry, so I decided to have dinner at the other DDD locale near the hotel. 

I headed off to dinner to a small but very neat place called "The Glass Onion".  This place calls themselves "Soulful Southern" cooking.  I was seated at a small table and looked over the menu.  The server explained that their menu is known as "Farm to Table" and specializes in organic cooking. 

Everything on the menu looked great and I decided on the 2 Deviled Eggs for and appetizer and the Comfit Duck Gnocchi for my dinner.  The Deviled Eggs soon arrived and were accompanied with a bowl of Boiled Peanuts.  I had never had boiled peanuts and always wondered what they tasted like.  I was very surprised, they weren't crunchy, but had the taste and texture of beans.  It was very unusual taste that I really enjoyed, not sure if I would have them often but it was great to have tried them.

Deviled Eggs and Boiled Peanuts

While waiting for my meal, I talked with the server and the manager about my DDD travels.  The manager said he would return to sign my book and as the meal arrived, I was surprised with an extra side dish.  The server told me that the chef made an order of Pimento Cheese with crackers and pickled vegetables.  The cheese was delicious and both the cheese and the vegetables were very spicy, I used the crackers to lessen the burn of the spices.  The main dish of Comfit Duck Gnocchi was presented in a gravy broth with oyster mushrooms and Parmesan cheese.  It was delicious!  The duck was tasty and NOT greasy.  That is the one complaint I always hear about duck and this was great. 

Pimento Cheese and Pickled Vegetables

Comfit Duck and Gnocchi

I was very impressed with both of my stops on my first day in Charleston, South Carolina and I also realized that this city is a real "foodie town"!

The next morning I headed into the historic area of Charleston on a very hot and humid morning.  By days end it would reach 99 degrees but I needed to get to a few more places.  My first stop was a tiny place just off the famous and historic Charleston Market.  "Dixiw Supply and Bakery: is a iny place that is located next to a mini market.  There is seating for about 20 and it does a very brisk business.

Dixie Supply and Bakery

I chose the meal that they made with Guy on the show.  A Chicken Buiscuit with cheese and sausage gravy.  It also came with an egg, but I decided against it and then was told that Guy (who also is not a fan of eggs) got his the same way.  Great Minds think alike I guess!  I was awesome and the staff was very friendly and acommodating.  They also serve bakery goods featureing several types of pies, but I decided that the huge buscuit was enough for me.

My Chcike Buscuit Breakfast

After a great breakfast I headed out to check out this historic city and get to a few more places, but that is for the next installment!