Philly Dog Days of Summer Hot Dog Cook-Off RECAP

By Le Anne Lindsay, Editor

I was invited to the 3rd Annual Dog Days of Summer Cook-Off presented by South Street Headhouse District in conjunction with Hot Diggity held on July 19, 2014, 1-4pm, under the Headhouse Square Shambles (2nd/Pine). Twenty of the region’s top restaurants and chefs went grill-to-grill in the ultimate hot dog competition. There were 20 different hot dogs with tasty inventive toppings.

Getting around to all 20 would have been ambitious, even eating half dogs, but I did taste a respectable 10, which I have given Tine Ratings – * Excellent – 4 Tines * Great – 3 Tines * Good – 2 Tines * Fair – 1 Tine * Poor – Tarnished, and placed in order of my least favorite to my most favorite. along with pictures of the actual 1st & 2nd place winning restaurants with their big checks!

#1 The Twisted Tail – House made pork dogs, brisket & short rib chili. Sounded like a winner, but I felt it was under cooked and a bit too gamy – 1 Tine

Twisted Tail Chili Dog

#2 Rex – I gave extra marks for anyone using a potato roll, but I took off for sausage, since it was a hot dog contest – 2 Tines

Rex Restaurant Chicken Fried Chicken Dog

#3 BRAZBQ – these dogs were cut up and mixed with peas and corn, topped with potato sticks – this didn’t really work on a roll; if it were in a bowl, piping hot, with baked beans, and then add the potato sticks on top, now that would have worked for me – 1.5 Tines

Brazbq Brazilian Dog

#4 Cavanaugh’s – Bacon Wrapped Sausage – not much to say about it – 2 Tines

#5 Noir Restaurant’s It looked like potato salad, and even though I knew it wasn’t, when I bit into it, I wanted it to taste like potato salad – 2 Tines

It was about this time that a cold brew was called for – only the line stretched clear back to the ticket booth entrance. I stayed in the beer line for over 15 minutes and figured I’d better just forget it for now and get back to sampling, walked passed a table and saw my friend and fellow blogger Lee of

Sparkle Plenty Designs, Inc. and Madness Mom and Me…

Crazy Craft Beer Line

Lee keeper of the drafts

… it was perfect timing, as Lee told me her husband Andrew was at the front of the beer line and could get me a draft! As you can see, we got enough to last awhile.

Andrew, Me, Lee and their neighbor Kathi

#6 Hot Diggity – should have had the advantage, and it was a very good dog, the sweet corn was summer Jersey fresh, and the delicately displayed shaved radish was lovely, but it wasn’t my fav. 3.5 Tines

Hot Diggity Corn Salsa Dog w/ bacon, cumin, creme, cilantro and crispy tortillas

#7 Sancho Pistola’s – What was hot about this dog, other than Casey’s pose, was the Bacon jam – bacon cooked down with sherry vinegar and maple syrup – 3.5 Tines

Sancho Pistola’s Boner w/bacon jam, jalepeno ketchup, mayo & pico de gallo

#8 Head House Crab & Oyster Co. – Were the BIG $1000 WINNERS of the DAY – voted on by the public through a count of yellow tickets! Loved the idea and execution of the crab salad, but the dog itself was too salty, together with the Old Bay, it really did make it a Sea Dog. 3.5 Tines

Congrats Head House Crab and Oyster House!

The Runner Up with a $500 prize was one I didn’t get a chance to sample – Misconduct Tavern‘s – Sriracha Pork Sweet Sichuan Chili dog.

Good show Misconduct Tavern!

#9 Brauhaus Schmitz’s The Mojo Rising This was my personal runner up. Not only was it a traditional Hatfield hotdog with bacon, but I’m a Dorito-holic and these guys ingeniously used them as a crumbled topping – so good 3.75 Tines!

Drum roll please ……MY PERSONAL WINNER

#10 The best of the Cook-Off to my taste- Taproom on 19th’s Korean Fried Hot Dog – the cool sweetness of the perfectly diced watermelon, really brought out the flavors of the jalepena mayo, and as I said before, extra points for potato roll – perfect combination! 4 Tines!