Midtown Lunch

Hope you all had a lovely 4th of July. I am no Hawk Krall, but I have tried a good amount of hot dogs in this city. For some reason, I put off trying Hot Diggity- despite having won Phila Weekly’s hot dog battle against Underdogs. For the most American day of the year, I couldn’t put off a visit any longer.

It was a hard decision, but the ability to convert any hot dog to a bacon covered hot dog (for $1 extra) convinced me to try the Seattle Grunge Dog. This one comes with garlic cream cheese, tomato, and a whole lot of shredded onion. I overheard a regular customer telling the Hot Diggity staff that the bun seemed firmer than usual, and it could have been a bit softer. The staff said that they get their buns from the same place and sometimes the batches vary. Though the garlicky cream cheese and bacon are hard to compete with flavor-wise, I could taste the hot dog through it all. It had a much stronger  hotdoggy flavor than any other hot dog I’ve had in Philly; like it had been injected with extra hot dog juice. I mean that in the least-gross way possible.

Fries are the other main part of the menu. Here, they salt them and cut them thick.  I prefer a thinner fry, but I can’t complain about the taste. The small size is generous. If choosing between all the hot dog varieties wasn’t enough, now you have to pick out a dipping sauce. I tried the sun dried tomato, but I think I should have gone with something more mayo-ey.

To quench my thirst, I had to get involved with Hot Diggity’s homemade sodas. I sampled the yellow tomato first, but it was a little too savory for me to drink a whole cup of without vodka. Instead, I got the cilantro-lime jalapeno.I love love love jalapeno in my drinks, though I really don’t like it in my food. I also love cilantro and lime. So, I was in love with this soda. Tequila would have made it even better. $3 is kind of a lot, but hey- it was a holiday.

On special this month is a pickle plate ($3), I had to order it.  I was served a beautiful, Lisa Frank colored tray of beets, chard stems, scallion bulbs, and carrots. Pickles are important to me. I have a pickle necklace to show for it and I enjoy making pickles in my free time. So I can honestly say, these were some impressive pickles. Along with the tangy- sweet brine, the array of vegitables maintained their crispness. The chard was not at all stringy. This set of pickles would be well received on the fine china of a much fancier place.

P.S. Look out for Groupon Now deals for Hot Diggity, they often come up + You can pay and get a discount by using LevelUp!

THE + (What somebody who likes this place would say)

• Fancy sodas that make great mixers
• Tons of hot dog choices, and bacon can be involved
• Superpowered hot dog taste

THE – (What somebody who doesn’t like this place would say)

• Not cheap for hot dogs

Hot Diggity, 630 South St, 267 886-9253