Jersey hot dogs/Philly cheesesteaks

I have been wanting to take my buddy Mike on a Roadfood weekend trip.  Knowing how much he loves hot dogs and cheesesteaks, the destinations were easy to pick out.
 
Friday July 31, 2009
 
Having heard about the size of the burgers that they make at Denny's Beer Barrel Pub in Clearfield, PA, we made this the first stop on our trip.  It is located just about a mile off of I-80 in the middle of the state and even through we arrived at 4:30 in the afternoon, they already had a packed parking lot.  This place is very popular.  Luckily, we didn't have to wait for a table. 
 
The menu here is beyond huge.  I'm talking Cheesecake Factory huge.  But this sign

near the front door will let you know what you should be ordering.   There must be 40 different types of burgers with various toppings you can order.  And here is the part of the page

with the really big burger challenges.  There are plaques on the wall and a Hall of Fame for those who have succeeded.  I know it isn't the greatest photo,

but in the bottom right, you can see that a woman from Bradenton, FL once ate a three pounder in 20 minutes!  That is astonishing!
 
Having no interest in being miserably full the rest of the night, both Mike and I settled on more mundane 1/2 lb. burgers.  But first, we started with an order of jalapeno sticks. 

Not overly hot, with a light, tasty breading, while dipped in brown mustard or marinara, this was a good starter.  Because of the crowd, the burgers took a while, but it was worth the wait.  I can't remember the name of Mike's burger,


but it came topped with a hot sausage patty, cheese and plenty of peppers and onions.  He absolutely loved his burger and had it mostly eaten by the time I got done taking photos.
 
My burger was called the Pennsylvania Beer Barrel Burger.

Well seasoned, with a little bit of a crusty outside and cooked perfectly medium (nice amount of pink on the inside), this was a fine burger.  You could really tell the beer taste in the grilled onions, which is only fitting in a place named this.  And as a 1/2 pounder,

it was the perfect size for one hand.  The fries on the side were ordinary and on my next visit, I will try the wispy onion straws instead.
 
While we were there, some really big burgers


came out to some guys at another table.  Not the shy one, I went over and took some pictures of it.  Both Mike and I assumed that something this big, had to be the three pounders.  Uh, no, these are only two pounders.  And again, someone ate a three pounder in 20 minutes?  Unbelievable!  Unfortunately, we had a schedule to keep and couldn't stick around to see if these guys won in their own personal battle of Man vs. Food.  As we were walking out, we passed four young soldiers heading for the door. 

I said to them, "These guys look like they can put away some big burgers!"  They laughed and one said, "We're gonna try."  Wish I could have seen what kind of damage these guys did.
 
Mike really loved this place.  In fact, he liked his burger even better than the renowned Tessaro's we have in Pittsburgh.  As much as I enjoyed the place, it isn't on Tessaro's level.  Still, Denny's gets a very good recommendation from us.
 
http://www.dennysbeerbarrelpub.com/

Friday July 31, 2009 cont.
 
Before I left work, I checked the weather in State College, PA.  The forecast said 100% chance of thunderstorms.  Crap!  We had tickets to see a minor league baseball game.  The State College Spikes are a minor league affiliate of my Pirates in the low Class A New York-Penn league.  As we were approaching State College and the skies looked ominous, we certainly weren't expecting to get the game in.  But the skies actually cleared up and we saw a fine game with no rain at all.  Consider us lucky!  The stadium, which also doubles as Penn State's baseball team's home, is modeled after PNC Park and has the same outfield dimensions.

In between inning entertainment was provided by something called Zooperstars.  This is Harry Canary

and Bear Bonds.  Mildly amusing, but give me Myron Noodleman anytime!
 
 http://www.myronnoodleman.com/
 
The Spikes ended up beating the Auburn Doubledays 1-0 in a quick, entertaining game.  But I would be remiss if I didn't mention how nice and friendly all the staff we encountered at the game were.  From the ticket taker, to the girls at the concession stand to our usher, everyone we met was extremely friendly and helpful.  Nicely done!
 
Obviously, our late night stop had to be the Berkey Creamery, better known as the Penn State Creamery.  I had slight reservations about bringing my buddy Mike here.  As a huge Pitt fan and an unabashed Penn State hater, I figured he would turn his nose up at this place.  But the high quality ice cream won him over.  Here he is enjoying a cone of Bittersweet Mint

and a bag of pretzels.
 
In all my previous trips here, I always ate the Peachy Paterno and the Bittersweet Mint.  With having a decent sized selection to choose from,

I wanted to try something new.  After the recent visit to Rhode Island, where coffee flavored beverages are very popular, I decided to get the WPSU Coffee Break. 

This is coffee ice cream with chocolate chips.  The coffee flavor was on the subtle side, which is good, since coffee isn't a flavor I typically enjoy.  Mike also got a scoop of this and loved it.  One scoop couldn't possibly be enough, so I went back up and also got a scoop of Peachy Paterno. 

The flavor of peach is much stronger in this flavor and you can see that there are chunks of peaches in the ice cream, too.  One of the things I like about the ice cream is that it isn't too soft.  In fact, it takes a good while until it starts to melt.  But it is also very light on the tongue, too.  This is some terrific ice cream!
 
http://www.creamery.psu.edu/
 
We checked into our hotel in State College for the night.
 
Much more to come.....

Saturday August 1, 2009
 
The first words out of Mike's mouth on this morning was, "What time does the creamery open?"  I recognize a good idea when I hear one, so we made another stop for ice cream before leaving town.  Mike went for a cone of chocolate chip cookie dough.  Wanting to try another new flavor for me, I had the peanut butter swirl.  

No doubt that this is a high quality ice cream, but I'm thinking that I would have enjoyed it more if the base flavor was chocolate instead of vanilla.  Another good idea from Mike came when he spotted something called a cheeseburger pretzel. 

He bought one and had them warm it up in a microwave.  Basically, this is hamburger, with some cheese oozing out of the inside,

between a pretzel exterior.  Not too bad!
 
On many of these weekend trips, I never know if my cousin Johnny will be able to join me or not.  He usually works both days on the weekends, and often doesn't know for sure if he can get off until the last minute.  But, I had a plan.  When I invited him to join us, I used those three little magic words.....  Charlie's Pool Room.  We have been here twice together before and it is one of his all-time favorites.  He called me Friday night to let me know that he was able to get off work for the rest of the weekend on Saturday at 11:00AM.  So, we decided to meet at Charlie's Pool Room, in Alpha, NJ at 2:00PM.
 
I have written about CPR previously and I have no intention of repeating my words or photos.  But this is one of the great Roadfood stops anywhere.  Run by brothers Joe and John Fencz, it is unlike anyplace else I have visited.  By all rights, places like this shouldn't exist anymore.  There is only one thing on the menu and that is hot dogs.  And it is located in a residential neighborhood, far away from the main drag.  Joe will even tell you that if it wasn't for the internet and all the publicity it has received, they would have closed by now.  But the hot dogs are so good, they are not only surviving, they are thriving!
 
We showed up a few minutes after 2:00PM and Joe greeted me, remembering me by buffetbuster from Pittsburgh.  I ordered two mealies (what they call the hot dogs fully dressed with the Hungarian sauce and peppers), while Mike just got one to start.  We sat at the table to catch up with Joe like old friends.  Here is Joe

showing off when one of the mealies made the front page of the Newark Star-Ledger.  Minutes later, we heard the ding of the bell, which meant the mealies were done.  Joe went into the kitchen and brought them out to us. 

Words fail me at how much I enjoy these mealies.  Joe makes the sauce up, usually that morning, from the same recipe created by their grandma in 1925.  It is hot, sweet, oniony and positively addictive.  Eating one will only make you develop a strong craving for more.
 
We were enjoying the company so much, I didn't realize until almost 2:45 that Johnny was considerably late, which is very much unlike him.  Soon after, he called to say that he had been in a minor fender bender and had run into heavy traffic, headed to the Poconos for the NASCAR race.  We waited until he showed up about 3:15 before we ordered more.  Mike got two more, I got two more and Johnny decided to catch up right away with four.  Here is he is,

happy to have some mealies in front of him.  He gobbled those down and quickly ordered two more, which were soon put away, too.  As a chaser,

he finished with a fudgesickle.   Knowing we still had three more hot dog places to hit this afternoon, I decided to rest on those four, knowing I will find a way to get back here again soon enough.
 
We enjoyed chatting with the Fencz brothers so much, before we knew it, 2 1/2 hours had slipped by.  It is very easy to spend an afternoon here, you are made to feel so welcome.  Even John Fencz, who is quieter than his brother Joe, spent a long time talking with us.  Usually, he is too busy in the kitchen, making the mealies on the one 12" skillet they use to make all the hot dogs.  I particularly enjoyed hearing about all the attempts by people trying to break the 18 hot dogs, with sauce in under two hour record.  The idea of attempting this, along with Johnny, has crossed my mind.  I know I wouldn't be able to eat that many in one sitting, but I think Johnny would have a legitimate shot at it.  Before we left, I asked another customer to take a photo of the five of us.

From left to right, that is cousin Johnny, my buddy Mike, Joe Fencz, John Fencz and myself.  My favorite moment of the day, though, was when John pulled an old framed photo of the brothers when they were younger.

Don't all of us have a similar photo hanging somewhere!
 
Charlie's Pool Room is a true Roadfood gem and I cannot recommend this place high enough.
 
http://www.roadfood.com/Restaurant/Review/5921-5997/charlies-pool-room
 
We got back in our cars and headed east for more hot dogs.
 
Much more to come.....

Buffetbuster,
 
Great report so far - what a wonderful idea for a roadtrip.   Just one question about the cheeseburger pretzel.   I have never heard of or eaten one.  Was that food something that you really liked and would order again, or was it just different?

Cliff,

I think you are being too modest about your accomplishment.



Stay hungry, my friend.

Jim

I want some mealies!

JRPfeff-
Thanks for the laugh!

Buffalo Tarheel-
Because I am not a fan of pretzels, I would have never bought this on my own.  Mike definitely liked it enough to get it again, but I probably enjoyed the novelty of it, more than the food itself.

The speed at which you are posting this report makes me feel like *I* am writing this trip report! 

Hopefully, you'll meet some fun and exciting people in Philadelphia!

Wow!  When you get busted on by Travelin Man for how long your trip report is taking, that is truly embarrassing!

It ain't only TTM who's waiting.

Saturday August 1, 2009 cont.
 
As soon as we pulled up outside the West Orange location of Jimmy Buff's,


I knew I had made a mistake.  This looked nothing like what I have seen on tv.  Still, we were here and needed to eat, so.....
 
Neither Johnny or Mike had ever eaten an Italian hot dog or a Newark hot dog.  Am I right in saying they are the same thing?  If you aren't familiar with these hot dogs, it is a deep fried wiener, plus peppers and onions and topped with fried potatoes, all inside a half loaf of Italian bread or pita bread.  Anyway, I ate one at Dickie Dee's around six years ago and was anxious to try it again.  Here is the menu board at Jimmy Buff's. 

The concept seemed to throw Mike off and he was slightly hesitant.  Since he didn't want peppers or onions, we decided he would get a single by himself and Johnny and I would split a double.
 
The people here were very nice and the guy making our dogs didn't mind me taking a few photos of him in action.  Here he is finishing up Mike's single

and starting on our double. 

In fact, he seemed amused by our interest.  Here is Mike's single,

which is basically the wiener, the bread and the potatoes, plus some ketchup.  Truthfully, he didn't like it all.  While he thought the bread was fine and the potatoes quite good, he said the wiener was substandard and he just didn't like the concept on the Italian style hot dog.  Honestly, I wasn't surprised by his reaction and took it with a grain of salt.  
 
I took a few photos of our double,


before Johnny cut it in half.  First of all, that is a lot bread!  As someone who isn't much of a bread eater, I was thinking that it was too much bread and not enough hot dog.  But the bread itself was very fresh and really quite good.  So no complaints about that.  I was also hesitant about the ketchup on the hot dog, but once I realized that it was just for the potatoes, I thought it was a good idea.  Here is my half of the hot dog

after it was cut.  The fried potatoes were wonderful, with a delicious creamy inside.  There weren't a lot of peppers and onions, but what was in there was sauteed perfectly.  The wiener itself appeared to be deep fried, which gives it an unusual flavor.  I liked it as did Johnny, but I just don't think Mike was used to it.  Even though it has been several years, I'm thinking I liked the Italian style hot dog here better than at Dickie Dee's.  I can tell you that the people here were much nicer.
 
Oh, and to drink, a Yoo-Hoo and a C & C Black Cherry. 

Excellent!
 
The only negative about the experience here for me was that I was expecting to walk into the location I had seen on tv.  And that is just a case of poor planning on my part.  Otherwise, Jimmy Buff's gets a thumbs up!
 
http://www.roadfood.com/Restaurant/Review/468-468/jimmy-buffs
 
More to come.....

Wow !!!!

These are  some great places .
Roadfood musts and if you decide to go back to Charlies Pool Room anytime soon bud let me know , we are looking for another meet there in the future .
Dennys is a place I had been thinking of visiting before my bariatric surgery , another great place I see , and you got in a minor league ball game .
And to add Jimmy Buffs !!!!
 
Benzee

Saturday August 1, 2009 cont.
 
We continued north to the beautifully named town of Clifton, New Jersey and found Rutt's Hut.  This is such a famous hot dog place and has been on tv so much, Mike really wanted to come here.  Cousin Johnny and I visited just last summer and weren't particularly impressed, but we still stopped here for Mike.  Here is Mike and I outside,

with the classic Roadfood sign in the background.  Apparently, there is a seperate sit down bar area, but we went to the stand up counter and ordered.  I got a ripper and covered it in the homemade relish, which sits on the counter.  You can help yourself to as much as you want.  As you can see,
 

the rippers are dogs that are deep fried until the skin is mangled and gnarled. The relish is mostly yellow and seems to be some mix of mustard, carrots, maybe pickle and some other things.  It seems to be an acquired taste and I liked it much better this time.  The wiener itself tastes unlike other deep fried dogs I have had.  The outside has a nice rugged crust to it and is a joy to eat, but the inside can be kind of squishy.
 
Johnny considered trying a cremator which is the most cooked dog, but backed off and ordered the "weller", which is the well done dog.  Convered in the relish, he gave it a thumbs up.  Sorry, I forgot to take a photo of his dog.  Like me, Mike got the ripper.  Not sure if he would like the relish or not, he hedged his bet by covering half the dog with it.  The other half he used more conventional condiments. 

That has to be just about the ugliest hot dog I have ever seen.  Apparently, the deep fried dog hadn't grown on him yet, because he didn't like the taste at all and gives Rutt's Hut a thumbs down.  There are no seats here, just counters to lean on.

 
I am still kind of so-so on Rutt's Hut.  Still, I left with a better impression than I had before.
 
http://www.roadfood.com/R...ew/1362-1362/rutts-hut
 
At this point, it was starting to get late in the day and we were getting quite full.  But, there was one more stop on our list, so we continued north to Paterson to visit Libby's Lunch.  This was the first time for all three of us.  When we got nearby, about half a block away, we saw a great old looking sign on the road, letting us know we were close. 

 
Libby's Lunch

wasn't at all what I expected.  I really thought this would be a small divey place, your basic hot dog stand.  Actually, the place was reasonably big, roomy and might even be able to be called nice.  Who knew?  Also nice were the people who worked here.  The three of us sat at the attractive curved counter

and looked through the big menu.  Some interesting looking things here, but we all came for the hot dogs.  Here is that page

on the menu.
 
To start us off, we split an order of the gravy fries. 

The fries were hot and good.  Mike got his Texas weiner with chili only,

while Johnny and I got ours with chili, mustard and onion.

The chili here is not too thick and is plenty spicy.  Great flavor and all three of us loved it.  The weiner itself is also deep fried here, but not nearly as mangled on the outside or squishy on the inside as at Rutt's Hut.  Good stuff!  All three of us agreed that Libby's Lunch was our second favorite hot dog place of the day.  Of course, Charlie's Pool Room was was an easy #1!
 
Tired and needing a break, we drove to our hotel, just on the Jersey side of Philly.  But, we were not yet done eating for the day!

Tremendous report.

buffetbuster


Saturday August 1, 2009 cont.  
 
Like me, Mike got the ripper.  Not sure if he would like the relish or not, he hedged his bet by covering half the dog with it.  The other half he used more conventional condiments. 
 

BB, if Mike ever tells you about a pitchfork and torch-wielding mob outside his house you'll know why.
 
Brad

Brad, I can't imagine that relish and cheese going well together.

Sunday August 2
 
All three of us were tired from a long day of eating and of.....eating.  Johnny napped, Mike watched the Phillies game and I rubbed my tummy and moaned for a couple hours.  We needed to recover quickly because a late night outing was in the works.  Coincidentally, Travelin Man had plans to be in Philly.  But, he was attending an Orioles game in Baltimore with signman and wouldn't be getting to Philly until around midnight.  Knowing Tony Luke's is closed on Sunday, we had no choice but to go that night.  Truthfully though, a place like Tony Luke's comes alive late on weekend nights.  The people watching is a big part of the fun!
 
TTM called me from the road and we decided 12:15AM as our designated meeting time.  We arrived within five minutes of each other and formulated a game plan.  Johnny and I would order a chicken parm sandwich and a Roast Pork Italian with broccoli rabe.  That way, we would both get half of our two favorite sandwiches.  TTM and Mike thought along similar lines, only they got their Roast Pork Italian without the broccoli rabe.
 
About ordering at Tony Luke's.....  Know what you want before you get to the window.  The people who work here aren't necessarily rude, but the lines are usually so long, they don't have time to deal with indecisive people or dillydallyers!  They ask for your first name and in about 15 minutes, they call out your name and you pick it up at another window.  Make sure you have the receipt slip with you when picking up your food or you will incur their wrath!  Ask TTM about that!  Here is part of the long menu board. 

I would love to try so many of these sandwiches, because they are undoubtedly terrific, too.  Here is our chicken parm. 

As you can see, this is a fairly big sandwich.  The chicken parm is nice and lean in a tasty sauce and the bread here is fresh, chewy and excellent.  Still, it is almost an afterthought compared to the Roast Pork Italian.  The sandwich is stuffed with moist, juicy, garlicky pork. 


And the bitter greens of the rabe work so well with the meat, it is just a perfect combination.

This is one of the great sandwiches anywhere and I can still vividly recall my first bite into one a few years ago. 
 
Tony Luke's

is open real late and it looks especially good at night.

Well, it would if this guy and his camera weren't in the way!

Okay, that's better!
 
Like I said, the people watching here is wonderful.  There were guys pulling up in fancy cars, coming from the clubs with their scantily clad dates.  Sorry, no pictures.  Lots of blue collar types, who looked like they were leaving from or headed to work.  We even got to see a guy get fired from Tony Luke's and them call the police on him.
 
In my opinion, Tony Luke's is the best Roadfood restaurant in my home state!
 
http://www.roadfood.com/Restaurant/Review/1232-1232/tony-lukes
 
Back to our hotels for the night.

Wow !!!!
I spoke too soon .
Rutts Hutt and Libbys and then onto Tony Lukes
Fantastic Trip report !!!

Benzee

I had the opportunity to eat at Tony Luke's for the first time a couple of weeks ago. I have to say the Roast Pork with rabe is one of, if not the best sandwich I've ever had. The  garlic and greens with the sweet pork have me wishing I could go back there right now.  We have nothing like that in Alabama!

Tony Luke's is my favorite cheesesteak place. The roast pork is great as well. I prefer it with sharp provolone. Great report.

Excellent pics (as always) buffetbuster.  Next time in Philly, try to hit John's Roast Pork.  My favorite roast pork in Philly (the have spinach instead of rabe), though they kind of keep bankers hours so it's not always possible on a long weekend.
 
Now that I think of it, you likely have already been to John's.
 
 

eruby-
Interesting that you bring John's Roast Pork up.  I have not been there, but Travelin Man has and if I remember correctly, he is a big fan.  In fact, we briefly discussed possibly trying to fit them in.  But the focus of this trip was to get my buddy Mike some really good cheesesteaks, so John's will have to wait until the next trip.

Wow, What a great trip report!
I was in Ocean City, NJ last week, and had my Voltaco's Cheese Steak fix. I think they are the best in the world!  Next time you are near Ocean City, I would highly recommend trying one!

buffetbuster


eruby-
Interesting that you bring John's Roast Pork up.  I have not been there, but Travelin Man has and if I remember correctly, he is a big fan.  In fact, we briefly discussed possibly trying to fit them in.  But the focus of this trip was to get my buddy Mike some really good cheesesteaks, so John's will have to wait until the nest trip.

I should also have mentioned that John's has an excellent cheesesteak too.   One demerit for me. 

buffetbuster


Brad, I can't imagine that relish and cheese going well together.

No, me neither.  I like a cheese dog (with chili and onions) and a relish dog (with mustard and onions) but ne'er the twain should meet for me.
 
God, now you have me wanting a roast pork with broccoli rabe from Tony Luke's.  (droool)

I have to agree with the majority here and say Tony Luke's Pork with the Rabe is one of the best sandwiches I've ever had.  I just wish they were open on Sundays before the Phillies games!

As always BB this is a fantastic report.

I think John's Roast Pork won Best Chessesteak this year for 09'
They also have the current Best Roast Pork too!!!
Check em out !!!! ;)

I stopped in at Jimmy Buffs in East Hanover for lunch today. I had a chili dog with onions and a 1/4 bacon cheeseburger. Both were great, the chili was really tasty and the burger was just what I was looking for. They also had butterfly fries, which I don't see very often, and those were delicious!

wow, that a lesson on how to write a great trip report! well done!!!!!!! I sure wish I was heading up to central PA this Fall. Your burgers had me at hello.  

wow - Tony Luke's looks amazing! The bread makes the sandwich, and those italian rolls look perfect for sopping up the juice from inside, but maintaining that outer integrity to hold the sandwich together.