The Sixth Borough aka Bootsie's Hot Dogs

[VictorFiorillo]

Word is that Bootsie's is handing out free brekfast sandwiches tomorrow morning on Market between 16th and 18th. 7:30-8:30am.

[Bluehensfan]

Here's a follow up on the Five Guys/Jake's debate. Last weekend had (gulp!) both. This time we tried the Jake's location in Newark given our bad luck at the Elsemere branch. The Newark store hasn't missed a beat. The burger was fabulous, just like it always has been and the fries (with old bay seasoning) were done just right. It really makes me wonder why the Jake's in Elsmere is so much worse. Five Guys was the usual. Good burger, but not as good as Jake's at it's best. I still was not impressed by the fries there my last visit...they still taste a bit burned to me.

I still gotta try Bootsie's one of these weeks and add that one to the mix, but with all of the exotic options there, I can't see myself ordering a traditional burger!

[MarketStEl]

Take a good look at the avatar attached to this post, simply_perfect.  Someone bearing a strong resemblance to it will be walking through your door before long.

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I don't know whether Bootsie recognized me when I stopped by on Saturday afternoon, but we did end up chatting quite a bit about the food, the business and future plans -- and he keeps an eye out for comments on this board.

I said I'd post one. Here it is: The service is fine and the Kobe beef burger is one of the best in town. Bootsie's gets extra points for producing a medium rare burger when I requested one. (The woman behind the counter was a little slow in asking me how I wanted it, so by the time I relayed my preference, the burger that was being made for me was on its way to medium. Bootsie put a new patty on, then later thanked me for giving him his breakfast.)

The fries are also first-rate, properly crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside. These shoestring fries are a dark brown color to boot, which suggests to me that they had a pretty thorough second go-round in the fryer.

The menu now features several burger combos -- an effort, I imagine, to make it easier for patrons to make up their minds by offering some toppings pre-selected. I went for the burger with blue cheese, sauteed mushrooms and sauteed onions -- a dynamite combo. The burger was so juicy, the whole grain bun went all soggy on me. My T-shirt resembled Holly Moore's shirt by the time the meal was over.

Now I have to go back to try that Kobe beef hot dog.

[Rich Pawlak]

I stopped into Bootsie's on Wednesday afternoon, and it was nicely crowded, always a good sign. I proceeded to order the buffalo hot dog and the fennel Italian sausage and an order of fries. I was totally underwhelmed, I'm sorry to say.

The hot dog was mushy to me, even though I asked for it well done. Didnt care for the texture. The bun tasted stale.

The sausage was also a dull one, could hardly taste any fennel! My sandwich was drowned in red and orange peppers, and served on a pumpernickle roll of some kind. What the hell was that kind of bread doing wrapped around an Italian sausage??

My fries were good, but weren't hot. There were not fresh out of the fryer, and had obviously been sitting a while. So, 3 for 3, kinda disappointing, considering what has been said here. And a mighty stiff tarrif to pay as well. Sorry, I had to be honest.

[Bluehensfan]

Looks like Bootsie's got the boot. In the window is a sign stating they will re-open in early January as a full service restaurant featuring a Continental and Mediterranean menu, including steak and other great creations. Is that where the chef from the Waterworks landed?

[simply_perfect]

Looks like Bootsie's got the boot. In the window is a sign stating they will re-open in early January as a full service restaurant featuring a Continental and Mediterranean menu, including steak and other great creations. Is that where the chef from the Waterworks landed?

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Sorry to disappoint you, but we did not get the boot. We made a business decision to change our Philadelphia venue. As far as our chef goes, it’s not who you think it is. The guy I put in charge of our menu and kitchen has been in the business for about 30 years and has proven himself as a valuable asset and welcome addition to our crew. We will as you stated re-open the first week of 2007 with a full menu for both lunch and dinner, consisting of Mediterranean and continental cuisine. We are also participating in Philadelphia magazine “Philly cooks” on January 17th. Included in our transformation are also a proposed wine and specialty beer bar, as well as, the appropriate atmosphere for the type of dinning we will offer. Hope to see you in our re-fashioned restaurant soon

[rlibkind]

Well, looks like the high-end hot dogs did not prove themselves in the Center City marketplace, since simply_perfect is shifting gears to what he obviously believes will be a more economically renumerative line.

While it usually pays to overcharge the American public, the humble frankfurter rarely supports such a pricing approach.

What this city needs is a good $3-$4 dog, like a natural casing all-beef Best Provision or Usingers dog. For cheap dogs I'll go for the fifty-centers at Ikea, which have got to be the cheapest in town.

[Bluehensfan]

Well, looks like the high-end hot dogs did not prove themselves in the Center City marketplace, since simply_perfect is shifting gears to what he obviously believes will be a more economically renumerative line.

While it usually pays to overcharge the American public, the humble frankfurter rarely supports such a pricing approach.

What this city needs is a good $3-$4 dog, like a natural casing all-beef Best Provision or Usingers dog. For cheap dogs I'll go for the fifty-centers at Ikea, which have got to be the cheapest in town.

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Sorry about the cliche "getting the boot" comment...no harm was intended. Unfortunately we never made it to Bootsie's when we ventured in town (we are generally only there on Saturdays), although we did plan to go there one of these weeks. When they say they will be serving Mediterranean cuisine, I hope they serve grilled fish or some Greek specialties...that sounds appetizing and I would be heppy to stop by next month!

I hope the "rebooted" restaurant (how's that? ) will be open for lunch on Saturdays, seeing that too many good places in town shut down for lunch on Saturdays or do the brunch thing with a different menu.

By the way, a great place for hot dogs (if you're willing to drive) is Jimmy John's on Rt. 202 just north of Rt. 1 in West Chester. The casings are very firm and snap when you bite into the.

Edited December 20, 2006 by Bluehensfan (log)

[simply_perfect]

Well, looks like the high-end hot dogs did not prove themselves in the Center City marketplace, since simply_perfect is shifting gears to what he obviously believes will be a more economically renumerative line.

While it usually pays to overcharge the American public, the humble frankfurter rarely supports such a pricing approach.

What this city needs is a good $3-$4 dog, like a natural casing all-beef Best Provision or Usingers dog. For cheap dogs I'll go for the fifty-centers at Ikea, which have got to be the cheapest in town.

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just for the record, our 3.2oz organic all beef hot dog was $2.95. and it may also be available for lunch, as well as, same size kobe' beef hot dog. the new menu will have a number of sea food items on it including whole grilled fish. economics will

dictate whether or not we will open for lunch on the weekends. stay tuned

[Bluehensfan]

Well with grilled fish, we will be sure to stop by if you're open on Saturdays at lunch. The city could use a place serving really good grilled fish a la Dmitri's on Saturdays at lunch... With all of the office buildings around there it would seem to me that lunch would be at least profitable during the week, but the weeked seems more dicey.

Edited December 20, 2006 by Bluehensfan (log)

[kretch]

Almost forgot, I checked this place out over Thanksgiving. The andouille sausage I got was really, really weak and the roll it was served on was even worse, but the fries were absolutely phenomenal. Possibly the best I've ever had in Philly. They're what the crab fries at Chickie and Pete's aspire to be.

Edited December 21, 2006 by kretch (log)

[Carlson1105]

I beleive the Chef from The Waterworks (Adan) is now at Alma de Cuba.

[boggah]

Just a few years before its time