More food, more drink. This time featuring stuff from Washington and Philadelphia.
Fine Dining at Atomix
Full review here.
Mason’s Famous Lobster Roll in Washington DC
I was walking through Washington’s historic Georgetown area, when I got hungry. Originally, I wanted to have a half-smoke in Washington (a kind of hot dog that is only sold here) but the place I had my eye on was far away and I was hungry. So, I did some quick research and found Mason’s Famous Lobster Roll, which was right around the corner. I have never had lobster roll before, so I went with the classic cold one served with lots of butter. I really liked the sweetness and butteryness of the lobster roll and would definitely have it again. All in all though, I am not the biggest lobster fan and will probably never really be.
7/10
Cookie from Levain Bakery
I love cookies and I am a big fan, when they are half-baked and chewy on the inside. The internet told me that the place to go for cookies, was Levain Bakery, which operates stores in many different US cities. I went to a DC store, opted for the fall one with pumpkin spice and was given a very weighty bag – a good sign. However, I was really disappointed. The cookie was half-baked but too dry and too massive. The chocolate was not molten and gooey but hard. I might give them another chance in New York because the Washington store was quite empty. Maybe when there’s more customers, they serve them up freshly out of the oven? So far, my top spot for gooey cookies remains Ben’s Cookies in London.
3/10
Philadelphia Cheesesteaks from McGillin’s Old Ale House and John’s Roast Pork
Obviously, I would have to have cheesesteak when in Philly. On my first night, I ended up in McGillin’s Old Ale House, which according to its website „threw open its doors the year Lincoln was elected president. That’s shortly after the Liberty Bell cracked (…).“ I was hungry and went for the cheesesteak but was not impressed. The bread was nice and soft but the meat tasted a bit like minced meat and there was two sad slices of provolone cheese on top, which sadly did nothing for the flavour.
I was determined to give the cheesesteak another try though and went to South Philadelphia to John’s Roast Pork. The area surrounding it was industrial and a bit run down. It had low budget shopping options, Dunkin Donuts and Chuck E. Cheese’s. I had found out about John’s Roast Pork through different food documentaries and YouTube videos. The place was established as a family business in 1930 and originally focused on pork. When the cheesesteak got more and more iconic, they added it to the menu. Their recommended version features roast onion and American cheese (not provolone). What can I say: It was a beast of a sandwich, the meat was excellent and the cheese was oozing out adding that typical „Scheiblettenkäse“-flavour. Might have reduced my life expentancy by 6 months, but worth it!
McGillin’s Old Ale House: 2/10
John’s Roast Pork: 10/10
Philly Soft Pretzel from Wetzel’s Pretzels
After Pretzelgate at Citifield (see Food and Drink Part 1), I decided to give it another go in another city (and not at a sports venue). Apparently, Philadelphia is known for soft pretzels, so I found a chain shop and got a classic salted pretzel with a Jalapeno cheese dip. The pretzel indeed was soft and warm and nearly as greasy as John’s Cheesesteak but it was also delicious. The dip was nice and spicy and I’d gladly eat that again. Now that’s a pretzel, New York City!
9/10
Burgers from ShakeShack
In’n’Out Burger, Five Guys and many more: America is famous for its burger culture – and sadly I am not a burger fan. I find them overrated and generally dislike it when I cannot eat the ingredients in a dish separately. Yes, I am weird like that.
However, I wanted to make an exception for ShakeShack. The fast food chain originally started in 2001 as a hot dog cart in Madison Square Park and was operated by Denny Meyer, famed restaurateur behind the close-by 3 michelin star restaurant Eleven Madison Park. When the city took bids for a permanent kiosk-style restaurant in Madison Park, ShakeShack’s bid was accepted and their success story was about to start. Today ShakeShack operates 229 stores in the US and 121 abroad. The chain’s success is based on their smashburger approach: Instead of going with the flow and selling massive, thick patties topped by dozens of toppings, they went minimalist. They go for less weighty patties that are smashed on the grill, so that they are a bit more crunchy than usual burgers. The burger itself is very simple with the extremely soft potato bun actually being the star of the dish.
I had their classic cheeseburger and – because I couldn’t help it – their spicy burger made in collaboration with the YouTube channel HotOnes. And yes, those are my kinds of burgers: simple, easy to eat and not too heavy on the meat. The bun was as soft as I imagined and going to the original location with nice views of the Empire State Building definitely added to the experience.
9/10
Beers at Rudy’s Bar and Grill
In New York, a pint of beer is normally $9. Add tax and tip and you’re paying about $12. That’s expensive, so I checked for more budget friendy options. While some bars do offer $5 or $6 happy hour beers, the cheapest pint I could find is served at Rudy’s Bar and Grill – an iconic New York Dive Bar established in 1933.
Rudy’s list of famous customers is a long one and it includes the likes of James Gandolfini, Paul McCartney, Anthony Bourdain, Frank Sinatra and – rumour has it – Al Capone. I highly recommed reading more about the bar’s history as it’s a good one.
A pint of their own Rudy’s Blonde Draft Beer is $3 and with every purchase you can ask for a free hot dog. The beer tasted a bit watered down but for $3 I will certainly not complain. What was even better than the beer, however, was the extremely welcoming atmosphere. Due to the bar’s reputation and the low budget beer, I was expecting lots of tourists and maybe some students. But what I found was a bar full of regulars. Everyone knew each other, everyone was mingling and it didn’t take long before someone started chatting to me and introduced me to everyone. I was invited to next Saturday’s daydrinking session and I apparently I have to be introduced to „Herbert, the German“ – another Rudy’s regular. All in all a great experience and not my last night at Rudy’s.
10/10
Couch Potato Chronicles 