Posted by Robyn Lee, November 21, 2008 at 10:00 AM
Two weekends ago when I visited Philadelphia I used Joy Manning's Philadelphia recommendations as a fooding guide. Of course, that meant hitting up Good Dog for one of their Roquefort-stuffed, caramelized onion-topped burgers, even if that meant dragging my vegetarian friend along (he was a good sport!). Check out this autopsy shot, after the jump.
Although a necessity for the purposes of this blog, cutting the burger in half and unleashing a river of molten cheese is probably not a good idea. I'm sad to say that I was a bit disappointed by the burger, but then it probably would've tasted better if I hadn't spent the time attempting to stuff the gooey cheese back into the meaty cavity. Considering that one of my favorite parts of a burger is the warm, juicy, pink center—which in this case is replaced with funky blue cheese—it's possible that I'm adverse to all cheese-stuffed burgers (this was my first). Don't get me wrong; I love molten cheese with meat (who doesn't?), but I think I prefer it on my burger, not inside it. The patty was cooked more done than I would've preferred; maybe I should've asked for rare instead of medium-rare.
I did like that it came with a mix of sweet potato and regular potato fries. Alas, AHT founder Adam Kuban would probably disapprove.
Maybe my not-so-succulent burger was a fluke. Food critic Craig LaBan of the Philadelphia Inquirer loves the Good Dog burger so much that he sang about it in this song (and epic video) he wrote about his favorite cheeseburgers. Watch the madness below.
'Cheeseburger, I Hold' by Craig LaBan
Good Dog Bar and Restaurant
224 South 15th Street, Philadelphia PA 19102 (map)
215-985-9600
The Good Dog burger is on point. It's one of my favorites in the city. Must have been an off day. If you like your blue cheese on top, try the South St. Burger at Grace Tavern.
Oh, no! Immediate amendment to AHT protocol -- cross-section autopsy shots suspended for any stuffed burgers. For stuffed burgers, a bite-shot with oozing cheese will suffice. I didn't even think of the ramifications of autopsying a cheese-stuffed burger. Sorta defeats the whole purpose.
Robyn, I'm sorry you weren't as crazy about the GD burger as I am! It may have been an off day, but your photo looks like a typical specimen. It is (of course) better to keep the cheese inside! Next time you're in town, let me know, and I'll give you a personalized culinary tour.
I also second johnhutch's recommendation of Pub & Kitchen's burger. I reviewed P&K for the December issue of Philly Mag. I'll post a link when it's available on line, but that place has amazing stuff in general and the burgers in particular.
@Joy: I will have to try Pub and Kitchen first! It was on my list..but I barely made a dent in my list. I didn't even get a cheesesteak!
So you're volunteering to be "the person I split my food with so we can eat more things"? :) Heeheehee. I will take you up on your offer. I wanted to get a sandwich from Dinic's but I couldn't share it with my vegetarian friend. We did share a lassi from Nanee's Kitchen, which we loved!
I just read the Philly city guide and should point out that the chef at the Ugly American and his wife (who was the pastry chef behind the awesome biscuits and other things) left recently. So it's no longer a good brunch option, though it was indeed awesome.
A great brunch option since Ugly American is out, is Carman's on 11th and Wharton. If you call ahead you can reserve the pick up truck and eat outside. The plates of food are huge! And the place is decorated with genitalia americana so you might want to avoid bring conservative family members...
Thanks for commenting! Your comment has been accepted and will appear in a moment.
Add a comment:
Previewing your comment:
HTML Hints
Some HTML is OK: <a href="URL">link</a>, <strong>strong</strong>, <em>em</em>
Comment Guidelines
Post whatever you want, just keep it pleasant. We reserve the right to delete off-topic or inflammatory comments. Learn more at our Comment Policy page.
Print
9 Comments:
The Good Dog burger is on point. It's one of my favorites in the city. Must have been an off day. If you like your blue cheese on top, try the South St. Burger at Grace Tavern.
emlfood at 10:11AM on 11/21/08
The only burger in Philly I like more than Good Dog's is Pub and Kitchen's. Definitely worth stopping and checking out next time you're down.
johnhutch at 10:46AM on 11/21/08
Oh, no! Immediate amendment to AHT protocol -- cross-section autopsy shots suspended for any stuffed burgers. For stuffed burgers, a bite-shot with oozing cheese will suffice. I didn't even think of the ramifications of autopsying a cheese-stuffed burger. Sorta defeats the whole purpose.
Adam Kuban at 11:36AM on 11/21/08
@emlfood and johnhutch: Thanks for the recs!
@Adam: Yeah, I didn't realize what a BAD IDEA it was until I...did it. And cheese splodged everywhere. Lesson learned!
roboppy at 12:32PM on 11/21/08
Robyn, I'm sorry you weren't as crazy about the GD burger as I am! It may have been an off day, but your photo looks like a typical specimen. It is (of course) better to keep the cheese inside! Next time you're in town, let me know, and I'll give you a personalized culinary tour.
I also second johnhutch's recommendation of Pub & Kitchen's burger. I reviewed P&K for the December issue of Philly Mag. I'll post a link when it's available on line, but that place has amazing stuff in general and the burgers in particular.
Joy Manning at 12:40PM on 11/21/08
@Joy: I will have to try Pub and Kitchen first! It was on my list..but I barely made a dent in my list. I didn't even get a cheesesteak!
So you're volunteering to be "the person I split my food with so we can eat more things"? :) Heeheehee. I will take you up on your offer. I wanted to get a sandwich from Dinic's but I couldn't share it with my vegetarian friend. We did share a lassi from Nanee's Kitchen, which we loved!
roboppy at 1:10PM on 11/21/08
I just read the Philly city guide and should point out that the chef at the Ugly American and his wife (who was the pastry chef behind the awesome biscuits and other things) left recently. So it's no longer a good brunch option, though it was indeed awesome.
Buckethead at 2:20PM on 11/21/08
A great brunch option since Ugly American is out, is Carman's on 11th and Wharton. If you call ahead you can reserve the pick up truck and eat outside. The plates of food are huge! And the place is decorated with genitalia americana so you might want to avoid bring conservative family members...
gingercookiewithlime at 5:37PM on 11/21/08
This burger also disappointed me too,, I'd rather sink my teeth into a Five Guys burger
dnb101 at 10:43PM on 11/21/08