Midtown Lunch

 Today Luncher John is at the new and improved Dapper Dog

One of the new trucks in the LOVE Park regular rotation this year is The Dapper Dog. Originating as a late weekend night hot dog cart in Northern Liberties, The Dapper Dog now has a full-fledged food truck with one regular weekly appearance at LOVE Park. You can easily spot it by the fantastic illustration on the left side of the red truck.

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This week Luncher John is back on the streets, checking out the mac from Mac Mart

There will always be a place for the ultimate comfort food, macaroni and cheese. Who, as a kid, didn’t enjoy a good bowl of mac and cheese, whether it was Kraft or mom’s homemade recipe? And it still remains a good meal as you’ve grown up.

Mac Mart, a new food truck that opened in December at Drexel, aims to satiate the continuing craving. Launched by Marti Lieberman, a recent Drexel alum, Mac Mart is the city’s first truck specializing in mac and cheese. At lunchtime during weekdays, the truck is easily spotted at the bustling corner of 33rd and Arch Streets by its distinct pink color and graphic of Marti serving a pot of the goods.

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Sometimes I am really proud of how gross I am. I noticed that Hershel’s in Reading Terminal offered a knish dog. I wasn’t exactly sure what that meant, was it a hot dog poked inside a knish? A hot dog wrapped in a knish? I had to know.

Then I saw the hunks of glistening meat on the cutting boards. I wanted it all.

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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.

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First John went to Underdogs, then I went to Maui’s Dog House. This week, for Wiener Wednesdays it is a hot dog special in Northern Liberties.

Unlike Underdogs or Maui’s, Cantina Dos Segundos specializes not in hot dogs, but in Mexican food. On special, however, is the Mexican hot dog. I had heard good things, and needed to try it for myself.

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Hot dogs are the hotness; last week John had  Texas Tommy and a chili dog at Underdogs. Today, its an equally new hot dog shack in Center City.

You knew it would be Maui Dogs right? This branch of the original Jersey spot opened in the Bellevue’s basement food cart at the end of January, about a month before last Wednesday’s wiener joint, Underdogs.

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Hot dogs are the hotness right now. It is time Midtown Lunch Philly starts comparing. We start with John’s look at Underdogs. Next Wednesday, it will be someone else’s wieners.

Compared to other cities and regions, Philadelphia’s hot dog scene has not been too prominent until very recently. Fortunately, several new establishments specializing in hot dogs have sprouted up in different parts of the city. The newest is Underdogs, which opened up in the below street level spot previously occupied by Argan. Since its opening in late February, Underdogs has drawn big lunch crowds eager to try their hot dog offerings. Based on the quality of the food, it does not appear that the crowds will die down any time soon.

The menu at Underdogs is pretty extensive. If you thought you could there were only so many ways to dress up a hot dog, you’re in for a pleasant surprise. There are no less than thirteen hot dog and ten sausage offerings, in addition to twelve different dipping sauces for the French fries. You can choose just a hot dog or sausage offering, but the best values are the combos of a hot dog, fries and drink.

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