62 replies to this topic

[VictorFiorillo]

I just paid over $10 for a chili dog and 12oz paper cup full of fries at the new Bootsie's on 19th Street.

[Holly Moore]

and ????

If I were an editor, I'd kick this back for a tad more info

[MarketStEl]

$10 for a chili dog and fries!

Good God, Holly, how much more info do you need?

Something like "Was the hot dog Kobe beef?"

[VictorFiorillo]

My post was simply meant to comment on the fact that there exists a takeout place in Philadelphia where you can spend more than $10 on a hot dog and fries, without even worrying about a drink. Not to comment specifically on the food. I'll leave that to you, Holly.

[mrbigjas]

I just paid over $10 for a chili dog and 12oz paper cup full of fries at the new Bootsie's on 19th Street.

19th & what?

[Mummer]

Google confirmed my understanding that Bootsie in Philly refers to tenor wizard Bootsie Barnes.

But you can get what they call a Kobe Beef hot dog at Bootsie's Philly.

[Andrew Fenton]

I just paid over $10 for a chili dog and 12oz paper cup full of fries at the new Bootsie's on 19th Street.

19th & what?

38 S. 19th, according to their website.

Edited to add: you can't get a hot dog there for less than $3.95 (plus tax, I presume).

Edited a second time to add: wrong! there's a kid's menu, which offers a hot dog, fries and a drink for $4.95.

Edited by Andrew Fenton, 24 August 2006 - 01:06 PM.

[Andrew Fenton]

The menu looks interesting. Wild mushroom/shrimp topping for your hot dog? That's not a combination I'd have thought of, and frankly, I'm skeptical; still, it ain't boring. Ditto strawberry/pecan sauce.

But "bruschetta topping" makes Baby Jesus cry.

[I_call_the_duck]

Actually, wild mushroom/shrimp will make an interesting surf n' turf. Sorry, but I still can't grasp the fishcake and hotdog concept.

I'm really interested in the rabbit-veal sausage. May be worth a visit.

[Andrew Fenton]

I'm really interested in the rabbit-veal sausage.  May be worth a visit.

Throw in some lamb and you'd have the cute-baby-animal trifecta... delicious!

[Rich Pawlak]

I just paid over $10 for a chili dog and 12oz paper cup full of fries at the new Bootsie's on 19th Street.

Damn they let you guys at Philly Mag expense ANYTHING!

[KatieLoeb]

I just paid over $10 for a chili dog and 12oz paper cup full of fries at the new Bootsie's on 19th Street.

Damn they let you guys at Philly Mag expense ANYTHING!

Do I detect a touch of envy in that accusation?

edited to add:

Bootsie's is open until 4AM on the weekends! I think I just found my new drunk-when-the-bars-let-out food fix.

[mrbigjas]

Actually, wild mushroom/shrimp will make an interesting surf n' turf.  Sorry, but I still can't grasp the fishcake and hotdog concept.

keep trying. it'll be an epiphany one day, and you'll be like, 'damn! how did i not get this before?' you may weep a little. it'll be ok, we'll understand.

it's the beauty of things like the combo that prevents the title of this thread from being anything more than a minorly annoying phrase that is tossed around as a joke from time to time.

[jmbrightman]

13 (now 14) posts and I still don't know if the hot dog is any good, let alone whether I can choose brown or yellow mustard...and for that money a pickle bar would be appreciated...

[MarketStEl]

Google confirmed my understanding that Bootsie in Philly refers to tenor wizard Bootsie Barnes.

But you can get what they call a Kobe Beef hot dog at Bootsie's Philly.

Jeez, and I thought I was joking...then again, to charge that much for a hot dog, you'd have to do something like that.

Obviously, judging from the menu, the $10 is with tax and tip.

[herbacidal]

Not sure why high priced hot dogs makes us sixth boroughish, but if the idea of better cheap eats (in that case expensive cheap eats) is more New Yorkish, it looks like there's also a Korean fast food joint opening on Sansom next to Happy Rooster in a few weeks.

[Bluehensfan]

I just paid over $10 for a chili dog and 12oz paper cup full of fries at the new Bootsie's on 19th Street.

Is this some kind of (cheap?) marketing ploy to create some blue collar competition for the $100 cheesesteak at Barclay Prime? Let's see...hot dogs and fries ten bucks ...(mental wheels turning)...me, I'm heading on over to DiNic's and demanding that I pay no less than....40 bucks...for lunch.

[VictorFiorillo]

Not sure why high priced hot dogs makes us sixth boroughish, but if the idea of better cheap eats (in that case expensive cheap eats) is more New Yorkish, it looks like there's also a Korean fast food joint opening on Sansom next to Happy Rooster in a few weeks.

uh, because New York's cost of living is higher than Philadelphia's.

[I_call_the_duck]

OK, so here's some more info. We peeked in there last night out of curiosity. The place was bright and clean, with several tables for dine-in guests. I just glanced at the condiments bar, but it looked like any other. We didn’t buy anything because we just had dinner, but did have a chance to chat with none other than Bootsie (not Barnes) himself. The store had just opened last Saturday, and according to Bootsie, has been doing a brisk business during lunch. He was eating an ostrich burger. The bun looked to be your standard mass-produced bakery type, but the burger itself, which looked to be about 8 oz. was topped with chopped portobellos, and looked really good.

All the meat is organic and comes from some source in California. I commented on the cool sausage combinations, and Bootsie says that he’s hoping to get even more types of meat such as wild boar, or whatever is in season. Add duck to the menu and he’ll be my new best friend. About the Kobe (Wagyu!) beef hot dog, he said that the reason why it’s relatively inexpensive is that “he doesn’t have the need to incur a 7000% mark up”.

Bottom line, would I go? Probably. The kids menu actually looks somewhat reasonable if I can get away with ordering that. A 1/4# Angus burger, fries, and a drink for $5 ain’t such a bad deal. Yeah, the other items are more expensive than your usual places, but they look interesting enough that it’s worth at least one visit.

Edited by I_call_the_duck, 25 August 2006 - 07:46 AM.

[Holly Moore]

Chagrinned that Victor beat me to a new Center City hot dog place I hit Bootsie's this evening.

Google confirmed my understanding that Bootsie in Philly refers to tenor wizard Bootsie Barnes.

Met the owner, Yeir Butz, which leads me to question there is but one "Bootsie" in Philadelphia.

Mixed reviews for my first trip. Had a chili Kobe dog with raw onions and a side of fries. It was my first and last Kobe dog. Skillfully cooked, great bun, but the dog was way too non-greasy, verging on dry. The other dog choices are organic beef and buffalo. I'm a bit leery of both as hot dogs. They sound overly healthy. I'm going to start lobbying for a basic natural casing, all beef wiener. Or, on the upscale and top dog persuasion, for Usinger's black angus natural casing dog. Maybe the organic beef dog will surprise me. I doubt the buffalo dog will.

The fries are shoestring, fresh cut. Good potato flavor and much better than frozen. But single fried, which means they are not crisp. They say it's because of production, but McD's used to feed lines out the door and around the building with fresh cut, twice fried fries. Not bad by Philadelphia standards, but not great either.

I've got a lot more eating to do at Bootsie's. I suspect I just became a regular.

[KatieLoeb]

I stopped by Bootsie's this afternoon for a bite after running some errands in the neighborhood. I ordered the kid's meal, a 4 oz. Angus burger, fries and a drink. I topped the burger with some cheese and fried onions and Bootsie's "perfectly spicy" BBQ sauce.

The service aspect of the place needs some serious work. I asked how spicy the BBQ sauce was and the counter girl stared at me blankly and said "I dunno. I've never tasted it." This in full view of her manager that was hovering over her shoulder showing her how to check the boxes on the order form. YIKES.

My burger arrived without the fries. I asked again and the gentleman in the back (I presumed to be the owner) said he'd go get them. It took a good 5 minutes so I was expecting a hot fresh batch of fries with my now half finished burger. No such luck. The fries I got were bone dry, a couple were hot but they were mostly lukewarm or cold. The temperature varied throughout the cup as if they'd been (and I shudder to say this) reheated in a MICROWAVE. Horrible. Texture was ruined and any molecules of moisture within that ever existed had been molecularly rearranged into non-existence. Appalling.

On the plus side the burger was very good. I really liked the whole wheat bun. The fresh limeade was also tasty and refreshing. But the service and the reheated fries HAVE TO GO. When I went to throw out the trash and the full cup of fries was obvious on my tray I was asked how everything was. I told them exactly what I've told you and no one even attempted to lie and say they didn't nuke the fries. I just got a shrug and a "Have a nice day".

[KatieLoeb]

I'm happy to report that I received a prompt and apologetic e-mail from Bootsie's owner Mr. Yair Butz very soon after posting my experience here. Mr. Butz assured me that the service lapses I experienced have been addressed and invited me to return to Bootsie's on him. I'm impressed with his reponsiveness to criticism and his commitment to customer service. Kudos to him!

I had every intention of returning anyway, since being an "in-the-biz" type, I know it just isn't fair to judge a brand new place until they've had a few weeks to work out the kinks in service and get into the groove of operations. But I will most certainly ask for Mr. Butz next time I stop in so I can introduce myself and shake his hand.

[VictorFiorillo]

Katie/Holly... Overall, I couldn't complain about the food (except for the price, since only so-called "Kobe" dogs were available at my visit)... but the service was absolutely abysmal. From cooks fighting with eachother to cooks fighting with clerks to clerks fighting with customers to customers fighting with customers. What a bad vibe. And I really wasn't pleased when I saw the cook drop my warmed dog onto a cold, raw beef pattie, then pick it up and place it on the bun. I commented about the chaos to the cashier and she said, "This is nuthin'"

[KatieLoeb]

Katie/Holly... Overall, I couldn't complain about the food (except for the price, since only so-called "Kobe" dogs were available at my visit)... but the service was absolutely abysmal.  From cooks fighting with eachother to cooks fighting with clerks to clerks fighting with customers to customers fighting with customers.  What a bad vibe.  And I really wasn't pleased when I saw the cook drop my warmed dog onto a cold, raw beef pattie, then pick it up and place it on the bun.  I commented about the chaos to the cashier and she said, "This is nuthin'"

Wow. That's appalling. I don't even know what to say to that.

Mr. Butz, are you reading this????

[Jeff L]

Wow.  That's appalling.  I don't even know what to say to that.

Mr. Butz, are you reading this???? 

Not sure if Mr. Butz has read this but Michael Klein of the INKY has. Today's food section reports favorable buzz. "The budget- conscious crowd on E-Gullet has seized on the prices"

No mention, however of the way negative service reported on this thread.

Oh and Bootsie's partner is a writer for General Hospital, seems like there isn't a whole lot of restaurant experience in this venture.

[VictorFiorillo]

Maybe it's just wrong place, wrong time, but I just left Five Guys Famous Burgers and Fries (the new one, 1527 Chestnut), where I witnessed another behind-the-counter melee, this one featuring one very large cashier and one very small cashier both of whom were threatening each other with all sorts of mean things. The word "bitch" was uttered several times. The large cashier punched the small cashier, who left the floor. As twenty or so people wondered what would happen to the food orders they placed long ago, the manager told the puncher to go home, that she is not "permitted to punch another employee while on the floor". The fight was over the fact that the little cashier opened the drawer of the large cashier, which seems like a pretty good reason to me to fight.

Holly, have you tried THEIR burgers/dogs yet?

[Bluehensfan]

Maybe it's just wrong place, wrong time, but I just left Five Guys Famous Burgers and Fries (the new one, 1527 Chestnut), where I witnessed another behind-the-counter melee, this one featuring one very large cashier and one very small cashier both of whom were threatening each other with all sorts of mean things.  The word "bitch" was uttered several times.  The large cashier punched the small cashier, who left the floor.  As twenty or so people wondered what would happen to the food orders they placed long ago, the manager told the puncher to go home, that she is not "permitted to punch another employee while on the floor".  The fight was over the fact that the little cashier opened the drawer of the large cashier, which seems like a pretty good reason to me to fight. 

Holly, have you tried THEIR burgers/dogs yet?

I'm not Holly but I can say that the burgers and fries at Five Guys near us (down south in Delaware) are wildly inconsistent. The burgers are dry sometimes, perfect others. The fries, while usually heavily tasting of overused oil, can be great one of every five times or so. While I love going to Five Guys near us, I sometimes dread the thought of what I will end up with. Hey, at least the peanuts are consistent.

[Andrew Fenton]

Maybe it's just wrong place, wrong time, but I just left Five Guys Famous Burgers and Fries (the new one, 1527 Chestnut), where I witnessed another behind-the-counter melee, this one featuring one very large cashier and one very small cashier both of whom were threatening each other with all sorts of mean things.  The word "bitch" was uttered several times.  The large cashier punched the small cashier, who left the floor.  As twenty or so people wondered what would happen to the food orders they placed long ago, the manager told the puncher to go home, that she is not "permitted to punch another employee while on the floor".  The fight was over the fact that the little cashier opened the drawer of the large cashier, which seems like a pretty good reason to me to fight.

"Come for the burgers, stay for the floor show!"

[wkl]

Bluehen (or anyone else)- How do you think 5 Guys compares to Jakes? I like Jakes but give the nod to Charcoal Pit for best to go burger in our gastronomicaly humble state.

[mrbigjas]

Maybe it's just wrong place, wrong time, but I just left Five Guys Famous Burgers and Fries (the new one, 1527 Chestnut), where I witnessed another behind-the-counter melee, this one featuring one very large cashier and one very small cashier both of whom were threatening each other with all sorts of mean things.  The word "bitch" was uttered several times.  The large cashier punched the small cashier, who left the floor.  As twenty or so people wondered what would happen to the food orders they placed long ago, the manager told the puncher to go home, that she is not "permitted to punch another employee while on the floor".  The fight was over the fact that the little cashier opened the drawer of the large cashier, which seems like a pretty good reason to me to fight. 

now that sounds like a real party!

every time i've been to five guys the cashiers and staff in general have been extraordinarily nice. i mean, like, oddly nice.

the thing that i wonder about that place is how long they're going to last without getting sued by someone falling and breaking their neck on the extremely treacherous grease-covered tile floor. i mean, i've come this close to wiping out every time i've been in there.