Super Duper Weenie

I was really hoping our trip to Super Duper Weenie would be . . . more impressive. While in Connecticut over Labor Day weekend for a wedding (which was lovely, I might add), I suggested to Buppy that we check it out. It's been featured on Food Network, and since I have my bucket list of places to eat for foodie reasons, how could we not stop by? Plus, we had nothing better to do during the day on Saturday.

Buppy and I both tried their New Englander, which comes topped with sauerkraut, bacon, mustard, sweet relish and raw onion; I requested mine without the relish. There were a lot of onions on both of ours, which suited me fine since I pretty much love all things onion. But here's my thing with dogs --- I can open a can of sauerkraut and put some on a dog at home. I can chop up some onion and throw on some bacon. What needs to impress me is the dog itself, and these didn't. My friend who got married said they deep fry their dogs, but from what we witness, they didn't. They split them down the middle, slap 'em on a griddle and then use a press to get them to open up a bit. I'm not quite sure why this is done; it seemed to make eating them all the messier.

Looking at this pic now, all I can think is, "Thank goodness we don't eat this stuff on a regular basis!" But it was a mini-vacay, and a spot featured on Food Network, so that means it's alright to indulge, right? Yup, that's my story.

I got a 2nd dog (I was really hungry, ok!?) and asked for onions, chili and cheese. Again, I can add onions and cheese at home. I think the cheese was a white American single placed in the bottom of the bun before the dog, so the heat helped to melt it a little. The chili was alright; would I eat a bowl of it? No. Was it better than canned. Yes.

The dogs at both of the "famous" joints we've now tried are all skinless, which might be my problem. Growing up, my papa loved and always got us skin hot dogs. These puppies have such a wonderful snap when you bite into 'em. They actually mail them to me from Wisco, I kid you not. Buppy's not that impressed with them, but they're by far the best dogs ever in my opinion.

We shared a small order of fries, which were good but appeared very, very greasy. I enjoyed the salt and pepper they sprinkled on them before handing them over.

Apparently the place has a massive following, despite my opinions. It was packed the entire time we were there. You order in a little area with 8 seats at a counter, and there's extra seating in a room next door. Counter seating? All full. Room next door. Totally full. There's almost a line out the door to order, but then the guy cookin' the dogs yells to close the door, and somehow everyone crowds in a little more. Buppy and I took our tray outside and ended up eating next to the sign out front. Good thing there's extra parking, because the 6+/- parking spots in front of the building just don't cut it.

I'm glad I can say I've been there, but I have no urge to go back. *sigh* We did find it interesting that they're not open for dinner; I think they close at 4pm. Perhaps such a small dwelling couldn't handle that rush? Who knows? Odd nonetheless.

Chaps Pit Beef

Ah, I can check another one off my Baltimore foodie bucket list. The morning after the bull and oyster roast back in mid-March, Buppy and I decided to head into Bmore to hit up Chaps Pit Beef, which was featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives on Food Network. Guy's sandwich looked jam-packed with meat, which, to me, is like heaven on a bun.

We tried the Jennie Special sub, which consists of pit ham, turkey, sausage and cheese. It was good, but I think I prefer both subs without the sausage. It wasn't as flavorful as I'd hoped and got somewhat lost in the other ingredients. Truth be told, it was in my way. As for the cheese? No real flavor there either, so I'd nix that next time, too. The pit ham and turkey combo? Very moist, meaty and satisfying.

We also ordered Guy's Triple D, which came loaded with pit beef, corned beef and sausage. Like I just said, nix the sausage here folks; it's not needed and doesn't add to the overall taste of the sammy. At first, before digging in, I commented on how crispy the ham had gotten and how the outer browned edges looked perfect. Then Buppy bit into it and realized it wasn't ham but a very ham-colored corned beef. He didn't seem to care for the corned beef as much as I did. I thought it had fantastic flavor; I don't really remember his issue with it.

We split both sandwiches and a small order of fries, too. The fries came in a styrofoam container that they had to jam shut with a fork because they piled in so many. While good fries, I was definitely there more for the meat sandwiches than anything else. We also got 1 large soda for Buppy, and a cup for water for me. Our billed totalled $21.62, and I felt like we received a great value for our $$. The sandwiches were less expensive and seemed much larger than the ones we purchased from Edmart deli. Both delis were excellent and deserve their spot on Food Network, but Buppy and I agree that we'll frequent Chaps Pit Beef more often than Edmart in the future. Interestingly enough, this restaurant sits in the parking lot of a strip club. Didn't see that coming on Food Network!

*Side note: Picture quality is horrible because my camera died early that morning from its prolonged use at the bull roast, so these had to be taken with my phone.

Baltimore Foodie Bucket List - 1 Down

Not long ago, I posted my Baltimore foodie bucket list. I hate that I occassionally take living somewhere for granted and never think to take advantage of what's around me, and that's where my bucket list comes in. Last Thursday, Buppy and I had to go down to the Pikesville area anyway, so why not hit up Edmart deli? Gee, glad I thought of it!

While staring at the menu board, we let the person in line behind us go ahead. We had no clue what to order, so why make him wait? Well, Buppy was sure glad we did. This person ordered a 'cloak and dagger'. Buppy and I looked at each other, stumped. There were no sandwich names listed on the menu board, only meat fillings. I whispered, "Aw heck, just ask the guy what it is." Buppy did. Apparently it's like a Reuben, but with slaw instead of sauerkraut. Buppy's mind was made up instantly. I tried to order a rare roast beef sandwich, only to be told that they didn't have any rare roast beef. The man behind the counter suggested brisket instead, pointing out that it's what Duff ate when they were featured on Food Network's Best Thing I Ever Ate 'At a Deli' episode. Bam, my mind was made up. I couldn't remember what Duff had eaten when we arrived, but I'm glad the counterman suggested it.

Buppy's cloak and dagger sammy with Maui onion potato chips.

Each sandwich alone was $8.50. I don't normally 'combo' my meals, but I found a bag of chips (kettle cooked --- yay!) called Funky Fusion that I wanted to try; with a name like that, you never know what to expect. Adding a bag of chips each (Maui Onion for Buppy) and something to drink, our total came to $19.98 (the lunch combo special is $9.99). The sign said 'plus tax', but we weren't charged tax, and I didn't complain. While we had originally planned to eat there, the only seating were 2 tables right next to the restroom behind a bookshelf. We actually didn't even see 'em at first. Since it was such a nice day out, we instead brought our meals home and ate outside on the deck.

My brisket sandwich with Tiger sauce and Funky Fusion potato chips.

Funny how things turn out. Both sandwiches were very good, and both came on seeded rye bread. I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about Buppy's seeing as how I'm not a huge fan of slaw or Thousand Island dressing. My brisket was dressed simply with Tiger sauce (mayo+horseradish). We split the sandwiches, but in the end liked each other's slightly better. Same with the chips. Funky Fusion, apparently, is code for 'light barbeque flavor'. The 'cloak and dagger' was a little too dry for him, and the brisket was almost too buttery for me. I know that sounds odd. The brisket was the tenderest meat I've ever put in my mouth, but it seemed too fatty for me. I'm actually not sure if it had a lot of fat or if the smoothness of the meat just gave me that mouth feel. Plus, the brisket lacked flavor to me. Surprisingly, so did the corned beef in Buppy's sandwich though. There was a hint of the briny flavor you get from corned beef, but it left me wanting more. The crunch from the slaw was the perfect addition though, and they were light-handed with both that and the dressing, so the sandwich seemed well-balanced.

2 sammys, 2 drinks and 2 bags of chips for $19.98

As I was checking out, I asked about their lox. I absolutely love lox but very rarely eat it because it's so pricey. I didn't plan to purchase any that day, but asked just so I'd know for next time. Lemme tell ya, there'll be no 'next time' to purchase lox there. Ever. Not for $47.50 per pound. Good to know.

Lastly, I'll mention the pickles. Everyone knows I love pickles. Couldn't sit down for a meal at my Grandma's house when I was young without her homemade pickles on the table. I've even started to make my own refrigerator pickles, and taught my mom how too. But these pickles are just weird, in a hard-to-describe way. I've had sour and half-sour pickles at delis before, but these weren't the same. They weren't sweet, weren't dilly . . . . I wish I could describe better what they tasted like.

One down, 3 to go on my Baltimore foodie bucket list. Stay tuned.

My Baltimore Foodie Bucket List

Obviously I love Food Network, and I say 'obviously' because, well, how could a person who loves food as much as I do not love it? Two of my favorite shows are Diners, Drive-ins and Dives and The Best Thing I Ever Ate because they showcase talent from around the country. Thanks to an episode 2 nights ago (that was a rerun but I hadn't seen before), I now have 4 places in the Bmore area that I'm just dying to try.

The first place I put on my bucket list thanks to FN was G and A Restaurant, which claims to be Home of Baltimore's Best Coney Island Hot Dogs. I must say though, when I first added this to my list, I hadn't tried traditional Cincinnati chili. Now that I have, I'm a little more skeptical of this place, mainly because I don't care for chili with cinnamon in it, and if they use the kind of chili that does, I can tell you now I'll be disappointed. Still, since I don't know for sure, it's a place to try. The only reason we haven't made it there yet is because I always think of it on Sundays, and it's closed Sundays. That, and it's not easily accessible from the metro, so we'd have to drive into the city. Read my lips though: I'm going there this Spring.

The 2nd place, which I just learned of a few weeks ago, appears to be a fave of both Duff and Guy. After seeing the sandwiches they devoured, how could it not? Chaps Charcoal Restaurant appears to be most widely know for its killer pit beef, and their one sammy, The Big John, features pit beef, ham, turkey, corned beef and sausage. For a girl who's watching what she eats, this will be a huge indulgence. But I'm willing to make that sacrifice for something both Duff and Guy are willing to vouch for. This place isn't accessible from the metro either (well, on a nice day we might walk the 2.5 miles there, but first we have to figure out if it's in a decent neighborhood). Buppy and I are thinking sometime in March, if it's nice, we'll take the bike and hit up this joint. I can almost taste it.

The 3rd bucket list addition came to me from The Best Thing I Ever Ate 'At a Deli' edition. Duff, once again, stayed local (which I love about him!) and went with Edmart Deli in Pikesville, MD. I don't recollect if Duff got the corned beef or the pastrami, but the restaurant's slogan is Baltimore's Best and Favorite Deli, so I'm thinking I can't go wrong with either. The sammy was huge, packed full of meat, and I could see the caraway seeds in the bread. I plan to hit up this place tomorrow for an early pick up of dinner (my night alone). If I can stand it, I might wait for a night when Buppy is home so we can both try it, but no promises hun. Pikesville is only about 20 minutes away, so this is by far the closest. I can't wait.

Last but not least, number four isn't actually thanks to FN but is due to my ex-worker and an old friend. I've actually already blogged about Fogo De Chao and how I really want to try it, so I won't say much about it here. Only that I still haven't made it, and I'm not sure when I will because it's hard to justify spending $50 per person on dinner, not including any tax, gratuity or drinks. Still, I've heard that Brazilian steakhouses are amazing, so it'll stay on my bucket list until someday, somehow, I get to one. It will happen!

So what about you ---- has FN visited any places near you that have made you decide to hit it up and give it a try? I can't see a bunch of FN foodies being wrong about good food, especially when it all looks so good, so I'm pretty psyched to start crossin' things off my list! What's on your bucket list foodies?

This photo is of our reuben we enjoyed at the Carnegie Deli on Christmas Day '09. YUM!