Florida Dining: Jersey Dawg

Jersey Dawg Food Truck
(305) 582-8849

Web Site: http://www.jerseydawg.com

Twitter: @jerseydawg201

Jersey Dawg Food Truck, parked in the Shell Station on the corner of Cypress Creek Road and Powerline in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.

I’m frequently asked, “Is there life after Jersey?”

It was almost one year ago that Rachel and I packed up what remained of our belongings and set forth in a Volkswagen to South Florida. We got on the New Jersey Turnpike, and drove until it became I-95.

A week later, we found ourselves in the Fort Lauderdale and Pompano Beach area. Which we now call home.

I’ve made my choice and I’m very happy with it. The weather is fantastic, I have a lovely home. The food down here is great. I have no complaints.

Well, maybe one or two.

There are certain types of food items that are either difficult or impossible to find in South Florida. You either have to go to great lengths to get them, or they just plain do not exist. And there’s certain things I fully accepted I would never have again, unless I returned home.

Like New Jersey-style hot dogs and sliders.

I mean, you don’t even think such a thing would exist here, so you don’t go looking for it. Sure, we have some really good burger and dog places. We even have a food blogger down here that specializes in it. He’s practically a celeb.

But these are substitutes and not full-blown replacements. The only way you can replicate this kind of food is to have the exact ingredients and to prepare it exactly the same way. By someone who is intimately familiar with such things.

So when I heard about Jersey Dawg, a new food truck that recently started doing Jersey-style hot dogs and sliders, I couldn’t wait. I hadn’t had either one in a year.

Yes, fairy tales can come true. It can happen to you. Click on the “Read the rest of this entry” link below for more. 

New Orleans Dining: COCHON Butcher

COCHON Butcher
930 Tchoupitoulas Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
(504) 588-7675

Web Site: http://www.cochonbutcher.com

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Donald Link’s COCHON Butcher is half butcher shop, half re-invented deli with a Cajun and New Orleans twist.

Click on the “Read the rest of this entry” link below for more.

NJ Dining: Sliders (CLOSED)

4/1/2010 Sliders has closed.

Sliders
190 Franklin Turnpike, Mahwah NJ
(201) 529-1717

Sliders storefront on Franklin Turnpike in Mahwah.

Sliders is a new burger place in Mahwah which opened in August of 2009. While it’s a bit down route 17 near the Suffern NY border, I think that it’s well worth the drive now that they are offering their “Secret Menu” platters which I helped them to create. I really hope you go, because I think the burgers are excellent and they are great people too.

The new “Secret Menu Platters” at Sliders designed by Off The Broiler.

Click on the “Read the rest of this entry” link below for more.

Blogroll: Texas Weiners at SeriousEats, a History and Interactive Map

I completely missed this gem of a post on SeriousEats back in July, all about “Texas Weiners”. Texas Weiners are a genre of hot dog found not in Texas, but in New Jersey and parts of Pennsylvania, and it was created by Greek immigrants.

We’ve covered Texas Weiners on our posts about Goffle Grill and Johnny and Hanges. I’ve also created my own recipe for hot dog chili similar to Texas Weiner sauce called “Cleveland Indians Chili”, with a smoked chili bite.

Be sure to visit the SeriousEats site where they’ve been doing an entire series on regionally specialized hot dogs, including The Philly Combo, Tijuana Dogs, and the Flo’s Dog from Maine the Puka dog from Hawaii and the Slaw Dog from the Southern US.

NYC Dining: Katz’s Delicatessen (UPDATED)

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Katz’s Delicatessen Inc
205 E Houston St, New York, NY
(212) 254-2246

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There are certain institutions that for me define a particular dish or a food item — one of these is Katz’s Deli, on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. For many of us that live in the NY area, there is currently no other pastrami being served that deserves the level of praises that Katz’s receives. It is also a deli of legend, dating back to the 19th century, and has survived 2 world wars and contributed to the American victory of the second, with its “Send a salami to your boy in the army” campaign and mail order business that that continues to survive this very day.

For many who visit New York City, a Katz Pastrami on Rye is the definitive food item which represents the very best the city has to offer. It is the embodiment of culinary pride in the foods of our Jewish heritage. In my opinion, once you’ve visited Katz, the city becomes a part of you, and you become a little bit Jewish and a little bit New Yorker, no matter where you’re from or how you grew up.

Katz’s storefront on Houston Street.

From the large window facing the street, you can watch the countermen practice their dying art.

Like its pastramis, Katz’s makes its own salamis, hot dogs and sausages.

Don’t read on unless you want to be very, very hungry. Click on the “Read the rest of this entry” link below for more!

NJ Dining: Kochers Meats

Kocher’s Continental Specialty Meats
634 Bergen Blvd
Ridgefield, NJ
(201) 945-7086

I enjoy living in the New Jersey suburbs, but I envy Manhattan and NYC residents for their easy access to top specialty meat purveyors, such as Lobels, Dean and Deluca, Citarella, Schaller & Weber and Pete’s Meat (in the Arthur Avenue Retail Market). I thought we Jersey residents were seriously deficient in that department until my recent first time visit to Kocher’s Meats in Ridgefield, a long-established quality meats purveyor.

Kocher’s is a German-style butcher and makes ALL of its sausages and charcuterie onsite.

They’ve got many varieties of sausages, including their own hot dogs, bratwursts, weisswursts, kielbasas, and also Italian-style sausages as well. Everything is made in-house.

Cocktail franks. These are nice and smoky and are great grilled.

Kocher’s makes its own hams, bolognas, salamis and other cold cuts under the Continental brand. Oh yeah, their own bacon too.

In addition to top quality pork, Kocher’s also carries Prime beef cuts.

Ground Beef grinded to order.

Thick Cut Bacon

Frickadels, huge, meatloaf-like meatballs intended for use on sandwiches.

If the cuts on display don’t exactly fit your specifications, Kocher’s will cut your meat to order. Here are some thick-cut Pork Chops I bought for tonight’s dinner.

In addition to meats, Kochers also sells other gourmet food items, including great breads (like Eastern European style Lithuanian Ryes) and dried noodles such as Spaetzle.