Wawa Hoagie Day 2012

Yum. Free hoagies.

Wawa Hoagie Day is one of the events in the Welcome America festival (which Wawa also sponsors). Every year they've had this I've missed it for various reasons. Finally, this year I made it.

They always hype it as "everyone gets a piece of a giant hoagie" -- this year, they claimed it was 4.5 tons. Actually, it's not one big hoagie. It's a ton of small ones. But who cares? Give me a free hoagie, a bag of chips and a bottled tea/fruit drink/water and you can call it whatever you want. And even with hordes of people, the lines moved very quickly. They had a very efficient operation.

And there was a patriotic/charitable aspect as well. Police, fire and military personnel participated in a hoagie-building contest, raising funds for various charities (and I think the hoagies they made were taken to places such as homeless shelters). The USO show troupe "Liberty Bells" performed. And there was a table set up where you could write a note of thanks to be included in care packages being sent to the troops overseas.

As always, since I've given up on trying to put the slideshow right into this blog, here's a link to the album. If you want to know what I wrote in my note to the troops, go look at the pictures.

My First Shake Shack Experience

It seems lately there's more hype around here every time a new burger place opens than when any other restaurant arrives. Naturally, I tend to pay attention because, well, I like burgers. And you may remember that I waited in a line for 90 minutes in 2010 to try to get a free burger at the newly-opened 500° -- though I only got a buy one, get one free deal instead. And I compared 500° to Five Guys.


Since I wrote that post Five Guys opened a second downtown location, as well as one at Grant Ave. near Roosevelt Blvd, which is a lot closer to my house. So when I get a chance I stop in either one of these locations.


Based on the comments I've seen online from New Yorkers, where the Shake Shack chain originated, I was very excited to hear that Shake Shack was opening here, at 20th and Sansom Sts. This is right next to one of the comic book stores I regularly frequented, which would be great if I hadn't cut back on comics after DC Comics decided to have Superman wear his baby blanket as a cape.


So the other day, after it had been open long enough (almost 2 weeks) that the lines during off-peak hours (such as between lunch and dinner) pretty much dwindled, I visited the Shake Shack. At 3:20 pm, the wait in line was maybe five minutes. And also because of the time, I was able to sit at a table with no problem.


After looking over the various menu items, I decided on a single ShackBurger, which is a basic single-patty burger with lettuce, tomato and their own special sauce.  I also got an order of fries, a regular-size soda and a dessert item. They have what they call Concretes -- described on the menu as "dense frozen custard blended at high speed with mix-ins." They have some that are Philly-centric, or you can just pick your own mix-in items. I ordered the "Center City Pretzel," which includes vanilla custard, "Philly-style soft pretzel," caramel sauce, marshmallow sauce and banana. I ordered the regular size instead of the half-size.

It took about ten minutes for my order to be ready. So how was everything?

Hot Dog!

On Monday, as my friend Kurt -- that singing fool :) -- was off getting ready to go onto the field to compete in a singing contest at the Camden Riversharks' Country Music Night, I was standing on the concourse at Campbell's Field with a couple of his friends when one of the team employees came up to us and asked if anyone would like to participate in a hot dog-eating contest.

Now, we've had the Wing Bowl here in Philly for almost 20 years now, and I've always wondered what it would be like to be part of something like that. We were laughing about it, and I hemmed and hawed, and she said, "You can just eat one or two and have a free meal," and finally I said, "What the hell, why not?" and signed up. I am a sucker for a free meal.

Memo to Google: Those AREN'T Tastykakes!

The Tasty Baking Company, makers of delicious Tastykake products, needs to get right on this. Check out the "sponsored link" at the top of this Google Search page for "tastykake":

This is so absolutely wrong on so many levels. Whether this heinous misinformation is due to Google or the company named in that link, it must be corrected immediately. Now, to make us all feel better, let's enjoy vicariously -- since we can't actually eat the building -- this replica of the former Tastykake bakery, made out of Tastykakes (note: if you click on the link it will be very large). We can also delight in the fact that their newly-opened plant in South Philadelphia will feature public tours starting next year. Mmmmm...wonder if there will be free samples for the touring public?

Burger Chat: Five Guys vs. 500 Degrees

If you follow me on Twitter (and if you don't, why not?) you know that on Tuesday I waited in a line for around 90 minutes trying to get a free hamburger. A new place called 500° (they're also on Twitter) opened up in Center City, and they had special promotions running all day. Opening at 11 am, the first 100 people were getting a free burger.

I was number 103, because my alarm went off at 8:30 but I didn't actually get out of bed until 9:30. Since the two people ahead of me left when they found out they weren't getting a free burger, I actually was number 101. So close and yet so far. I couldn't get an entirely free burger, but there was an additional special: buy one, get one free.

A little background: Five Guys Burgers and Fries opened up a Center City location a few years back, and I found myself eating there regularly on Wednesdays when I made my comic book run. They have very good burgers and fantastic fries. However, I had a customer service problem back in July 2008 that was not resolved to my satisfaction, so I haven't been back since. If I happen to be somewhere where another Five Guys is located (such as last year when I found one at Harborplace, at the Inner Harbor in Baltimore -- I was sooooooooo happy that day) I'll eat there, but the Center City Five Guys is off-limits to me. I've missed it.

Then I read this item at philly.com:

Rob and Maggie Wasserman, whose burgers at Rouge on Rittenhouse Square get national attention, are less than two weeks from opening a burger-only shop called 500º at 1504 Sansom St., about four blocks away.

Naturally, much R&D went into the 500º burger. Rob Wasserman explains that they don't want to replicate the Rouge burger, a 12-ouncer topped with Gruyère and caramelized onions and served on a challah roll.

At 500º, chef Matt Zagorski is going with 5½ ounces of beef, also on a challah roll...In sum, the Wassermans are aiming to serve a delicious sub-$6 burger, the culinary equivalent of the 4-minute mile.

Needless to say, I was intrigued. Could this be my replacement for Five Guys?

Merry Christmas!

I am about to shut down the computer for the night -- hard to believe, isn't it? -- to eat dinner, followed by what's become my own little annual Christmas Eve tradition: baking chocolate chip cookies for Christmas with the family tomorrow. Sorry, they're not made from scratch, just the store-brand version of Pillsbury's tubes of cookie dough. But they're still good! While baking I'll be listening to Christmas music, either on the radio or my iPod, and I'll squeeze in a few DVD or VHS recordings of holiday specials. I've watched some already the last two nights, and I won't get to everything in my collection, but I'll get the most important ones...

Watched: A Pinky & The Brain Christmas, It's A Wonderful Tiny Toons Christmas Special, Bugs Bunny's Looney Christmas Tales, Opus & Bill in A Wish For Wings That Work, The Year Without A Santa Claus (because I am a Heat Miser, as evidenced by my earlier Tweet), The Nanny Cartoon Christmas Special: Oy To The World

Plan to watch tonight: A Charlie Brown Christmas, Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas (the cartoon, not the Jim Carrey movie!), at least one of the Simpsons' Christmas-themed episodes through the first 12 seasons, the ones out on DVD (including the very first episode of the series, "Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire")

Maybe next year: A Christmas Story, Scrooge (the musical starring Albert Finney), Animaniacs: Helloooo, Holidays!, A Muppet Family Christmas

So I leave you for now with this holiday classic. The video is tacky but I love the song:



Seriously, though, I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday, whichever one you celebrate. And have some chocolate chip cookies. They're really good.

Things I learned on Saturday in NYC

1) There's a copy of the LOVE sculpture by Robert Indiana at 55th and 6th Avenue. People were climbing on -- and into -- it, between the V and E -- to get their pictures taken. I think that sucks. (Actually, there are copies in a lot of places. That definitely sucks. There should only be one, and it should only be here.)

2) After waiting in the TKTS line in Times Square for a half-price ticket to the matinee performance of "9 to 5: The Musical," I went to Union Square. There was a farmers' market, with vendors selling all sorts of produce and healthy foods and organic foods and so on. Alas, I did not partake of a healthy treat. When I saw that nearby University Place was closed to traffic with street vendors lined up and down selling all manner of trinkets, I went there -- and discovered one of the most delicious items I've ever tasted: Deep Fried Oreos. I'd never heard of this particular gourmet delicacy before, but then I haven't spent much time at fairs or carnivals recently. You dip the Oreos in batter and drop them in the fryer for a bit, then add the powdered sugar. The crunchy cookie turns soft, almost like cake. Food of the gods, I tell you!

3) I'm not sure how good an idea it was to turn the movie "9 to 5" into a musical. Perhaps it was because I started to tire after having trouble sleeping for two nights in a row, but I wasn't overwhelmed by it. Some of the musical numbers were just average, and if I remember the movie correctly, they made one or two minor changes in the plot that didn't quite sit well with me. It wasn't a bad show, the performers were quite entertaining, but it just all didn't mesh together in a spectacular way. It's closing in September, so unless you want to wait for the national tour, see it now if you're so inclined. (Also, there's an actor named Charlie Pollock who has a small role as the husband of Doralee, the character played by Dolly Parton in the movie. If anyone has a shirtless picture of him, please post it. Yum.)

4) While I was walking along University Place (although I only learned of this later, on one of the electronic boards that scroll headlines) a small plane and a tour helicopter collided over the Hudson River. Both aircraft crashed into the river, killing 9 people. It was the deadliest air crash in New York since November 12, 2001. That morning, 265 people died when an American Airlines flight crashed in Queens shortly after takeoff from JFK Airport -- and I was in New York that day as well. I was up there for the weekend and saw the TV coverage after I woke up to check out of my hotel. It's an eerie coincidence. If it happens one more time while I'm there, I may have to ban myself from the city.