Free Dogs, New Dogs, Artsy Dogs and the Top 5 Wieners In Love City
Hot dogs are having a moment.
In case you don’t already have it marked in red on your calendar, this Saturday is National Hot Dog Day–the one day of the year set aside by wiser, fatter men than me for the appreciation and glorification of that most American of tube-shaped meats. And since Philly is currently ranked as the 6th most wiener-ific city in America (an honor received for our consumption-by-volume, coming in just behind Chicago but well ahead of Harrisburg/Scranton–the only other Pennsylvania area to make the top 10), you just know there are going to be celebrations.
First, the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile will be making a special stop in Philly. Why special? Because this ain’t the regular old Wienermobile, but the “first-ever, special edition Wienermobile Food Truck.” Yes, for the first time in the history of driveable tubesteaks, the Wienermobile will be dispensing actual hot dogs–1,000 of them, courtesy of Oscar Mayer and Hawk Krall, the local artist, food writer and all-around hot dog fanatic. Krall designed the dogs himself (well, the toppings, anyway) and he and the Wiener Truck will be down at Penn Square TODAY starting at 11:30.
Want more? Click through the jump for more National Hot Dog Day events and a list of our five favorite dogs in town.
Down in Old City, Saturday is totally Dog Day, with Rick De Coyte of Silicon on 3rd Street trying to bump Philly to the top of the hot dog list by giving away dogs and drinks to anyone who comes down to his studio (139 North 3rd) with a donation of clothes or children’s goods for Cradles to Crayons. He’ll be taking donations and slinging dogs from 1pm-6pm. Oh, and guess whose art will be hanging in Silicon that day? That’s right–Hawk Krall’s. There will be all manner of wiener-centric prints available for sale so you can take a little of the magic of this National Hot Dog Day home with you to enjoy all year long.
But what if you find yourself down in Old City with no kids clothes to donate? Have no fear. Scott Schroeder, chef at South Philadelphia Taproom, will be debuting his new Scott Dogs cart on this very special day, will let you buy his homemade dogs and toppings for the discriminating wiener enthusiast.
Still not enough for you? Well then how ’bout shoving one of these in your face:
Our Five Favorite Tubesteaks
Supper Dog at Supper
Chef Mitch Prensky is maybe a bit better known for the beyond-organic, farm-to-table dinners he serves. But Supper also does brunch. And at brunch, Prensky and his crew serve the Supper Dog–a fully scratch-made dog made from 100% pork shoulder, wrapped in bacon, deep-fried, then served with sauerkraut, barbecued onions and beer mustard on a homemade bun with a side of buttermilk fried pickles.
Any Pretzel Dog
No, it ain’t fancy. It ain’t classy. And there’s something so inherently freaky and American about the urge for shoving foods inside other foods. But since we like pretzels and we like hot dogs, naturally we are stone suckers for anyone who jams the two together. Only thing better than a pretzel dog? A bagel dog. Anyone with a line on where to score some of those, let us know.
Frankfurter at Frankford Hall
Simplicity itself: a dog, a roll, spicy mustard and a side of kraut. There are two reasons why the whole beer garden thing is taking off in such a big way these days. A perfectly presented hot dog is the other one.
The Smokehouse Dog at MidAtlantic
Daniel Stern’s homemade dog with slaw, chips, pickles and a beer for $6? Yeah. That works.
A Grilled Dog from the Greek Ladies
If you want to go to some random roach coach and grab a limp wiener from a vat of tepid water, more power to you. Us, we go to the cart on the southwest corner of 17th and Market where they sell grilled dogs, sausages, and kielbasa — and nothing else. If you’re the kind of person who likes a charred dog, they’ll accommodate.
