Please consider clicking the image above and making a small donation to help cover the cost of tuition associated with attending Hot Dog University.
So far with your help, I've raised $3.00 of the $700.00 needed.
Posted at 08:26 AM in Chicago, Film, Hot Dogs, Travel, Wisconsin | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
UPDATE:
Several days after posting this review, I was contacted by George Motz who informed me that the original South 21 Drive-In in Charlotte, North Carolina was and is very much open for business. George writes:
"Andrew - Thanks for your praise for my book. It's always great to hear when real burger lovers are using the book to find real burger joints. Unfortunately it sounds like you went to the wrong South 21 in Charlotte. The family business split up a few decades back and the only original location is on Independence Ave. It looks like you visited the Matthews location which is not owned by the Housiadas family. I just spoke to George at South 21 and he said they are doing great and that Fieri was just there and they are going to be on the Food Network next month...
Visit south21drivein and make sure you get to this location next time you are in Charlotte.
George"
I'm quite embarrassed by this error on my part - the research I did indicated the original location was indeed closed, leaving only the Matthews shop. In any event, I will head over to the original on my next trip to Charlotte and thanks to George for keeping me honest.
Kind Regards
amv
ORIGINAL REVIEW:
In his book "Hamburger America" George Motz does an admirable job waxing nostalgic about classic roadside burger joints like South 21, located in Charlotte, North Carolina. I pick through George's book before I travel for work and lug it in the car for road trips with my family. However, I don't covet this book just for the amazing burgers and photography, I also love they way George has captured the stories behind these small, family run businesses.
The concept of highlighting these gems of Americana, and in many cases the American Dream, is not a new one although it seems to be enjoying a renaissance of sorts. From Guy Fieri's show "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" to Alton Brown's "Feasting on Asphalt" and Adam Richman's "Man v. Food", basic cable offers a regularly scheduled smorgasbord of quirky and uniquely American eateries. Web sites like Roadfood add to the mix, acting as an archive of great road trip eats, frequented by folks who are looking for a bit more than a "Number 2, Large with a Coke".
Interestingly enough the act of cataloguing and making recommendations on American roadfood can be traced back at least in part to Duncan Hines, who out of necessity created a whole category of the foods we should seek out and the ones we should avoid when traveling. In a way, he created the first food blog, and that DNA resides within all food writing and the shows we watch today.
Many times the thread that connects these food resources, people and places are roads like Route 66 that have long since been replaced by our national highway system. We relish sharing the stories of our favorite roadside gems, located on well worn but sometimes forgotten paths. However, when the proverbial rubber its the road, how often do we take the extra time needed to visit these vintage finds? Instead we opt for the convenience of the homogenized taste that is modern America - available with a quick on and off, bus parking and clean bathrooms just up ahead at the next exit - or if you miss that exit - the one right after that.
I had this in mind when I visited the last of the South 21 Drive-in's in Charlotte. Sadly the restaurant George Motz describes has been shuttered since he published his book. Gone is the curb side service, the carhops in black fedora hats and the neon signage that separated South 21 from its competition for over 50 years.
In its place is a nondescript white building brimming with memorabilia from the original location. The sign on Independence Boulevard does not light up to invite wayward travelers in, instead it shows a graphic of the original sign which sits darkened several miles away. Instead of drive up and in car eating, customers park between the building and a strip mall. Once inside you can view pictures of the classic cars and hot rods that one time filled the car stalls of this Charlotte institution.
In almost every way, the packaging of this burger joint has changed, even as the actual food packaging and menu remains the same. Instead of being one of the 100 best burger joints in America, it has become an homage to what it once was.
However enough with the lecture, lets get on to the food.
The Dog:
To start I opted for a hot dog complete with a house made chili, mustard and a healthy addition of raw onions. The chili was a great partner for the dog, consisting almost completely of loose meat and containing just enough spice. All in all it was a well rounded dog that held up to its toppings and lasted all of about 5 bites. Being the south the bun was fresh from the bag and not steamed or warmed on a flat top. All in all it was a good drive-in dog.
What was missing from this dog? Slaw. We are in North Carolina folks, where is the slaw dog?
The Burger:
The signature burger at 21 South is the Super Boy - two 4 oz beef patties, mustard, onions, lettuce and tomato with a pickle speared through the top, which my brother (whom you might remember from my post Matt vs. Food) gamely ordered and took down like a champ. But as you can see, he was duly impressed by my order (pictured above and below), the 21 Xpress Special.
Consisting of three 4 oz beef patties, mustard, onions, lettuce and tomato, the Xpress Special towered over the Super Boy - a monster pile of beef resting atop a fistful of roughage.
Sizable? Yes. Tasty? Well, its easy for me to say that this is not one of the 100 best burgers in America.
The veggies seemed old and wilted for the volume of business South 21 does. With that much turnover you would expect crisp lettuce. A bad tomato in the late fall can be expected, but a crisp bed of lettuce would have made for a fantastic foundation to this burger. Instead of a crisp snap to break up the sandwich, it was hard to tell where the bun stopped and the lettuce began.
The patties are all beef, sourced from the same butcher for over 45 years, and cooked to well, which for their thinness is probably unavoidable. The burger is charred, but does not come close to that of a good smashed burger, which in all honesty was what I was expecting. Caramelization is so important to a burger and these patties were missing it. All told, it was a pretty standard burger - again - hardly one of the 100 best in America.
With all due respect Mr. Motz, South 21 is not what it used to be.
The Takedown:
In the end I think what made South 21 so very standard was not the food, its clear that over 50 years, the owners of South 21 have found a formula that works well for them. For me, what is missing is the experience; the neon, the uniforms and the throwback to a car culture that is sadly long gone. In its place is a shadow of what once was, a great burger joint.
For the kind folks of Charlotte, I'm sure they are happy that some vestige of their burger culture remains. The pictures and the packaging mean something to them and for this I am sure they are grateful. Sadly they left me wanting the real deal, not full size photographs and scale models.
I am positive the same 21 Xpress Special, served in wax paper and sitting on a tray hanging from the window of my old 1997 M-Edition Miata would be an almost religious burger experience. I can imagine visiting on a Saturday night, hanging out in the glow of neon and communing with a killer burger. And that burger would be great, because the place that it was served was so special it could not help but make a standard burger a fantastic one.
Posted at 07:31 PM in Charlotte, Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, North Carolina, Travel | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)
Thanksgiving found me at my parents home in Charlotte, North Carolina visiting with family and taking some time away from the stress of moving and finding a new home. And while these things are important, it was also a chance to follow up on some of the great eats that Charlotte has to offer. Long time readers may remember the amazing burger I took down at the Penguin Drive-In in 2008.
This year I found myself sitting at the counter with family members at a burger joint in South Park named appropriately - The Counter - which was packed with a well healed lunch time crowd of business people and families who were taking a lunch break from shopping at the nearby mall. We opted for the counter due to the wait for a table and I was immediately reminded of this great scene from one of the greatest Seinfeld episodes ever - The Maid.
The concept behind The Counter is a customizable burger with enough combinations of burger, toppings, sauces and buns to result in over 300,000 different flavor combinations.
With mini-pencil in hand I began to work this menu with the ultimate goal of creating the famous Aussie Burger, but I was quickly distracted by the lack of pickled beets on the menu. With over 300k + combinations available, you would think a pickled beet would be found someplace.
Undaunted I created the Andrew burger, a 1/3 pound patty topped with dill pickle chips, grilled onions, grilled pineapple, roasted red peppers, honey cured bacon and a roasted garlic aioli. Ridiculous is size and scope, I quickly added a tall chocolate shake to my order and the turned my attention to the first round of appetizers, ordered by my sister at the end of the counter.
First up we had a shallow plate of fried pickle chips, a staple of southern bar menus and a treat that I find largely missing here in St. Louis. I've had fried pickles across a broad swath of the south - from the Carolina's to Texas, and while all fried pickles are good, some are just better. They are the best when they have a light, almost tempura coating and are paired with a tangy ranch dressing. They are even better when instead of pickle chips - they are made from dill pickle spears - like they make at The Alamo Drafthouse in Austin.
Sadly, the pickles at The Counter have a heavy breading that the pickles can't really compete with and it was more like biting into a poorly executed fried zucchini than a crisp fried pickle.
Next up we dug into a plate of sweet potato fries coated liberally in sea salt. The fries were perfectly cooked, crisp on the outside and waiting for a pairing with mayo or the ranch dressing from the fried pickles. For the most part I watched these fries from my end of the counter, tasting once but not really getting to dig in. Everyone seemed to enjoy them, I know I would have had I been sitting more towards the center of the counter. Bummer - such is life when you are eating at a counter with a crowd.
As the apps were swept up and carried away my shake appeared - a picture of ice cream, whole milk and whipped cream in a tall glass. As a good shake should be, this one was way to thick to pull through a straw until you hold it in your hand for a while, allowing your body heat to melt the drink just enough to begin sipping. I moved the shake to my side and leaned forward to hide it from my wife's roving hands with my arm - alas she never orders her own shake - opting instead to "tax" mine at will - the cost for ordering such a decadent burger side.
After some good natured ribbing of my little brother and a few quick scans of the burgers that were making their way out of the kitchen and too waiting tables, my burger appeared on the counter before me. My first thought was amazement at the construction of this burger as it was obvious that there is forethought given to which toppings ride under the patty and which ride on top.
My burger came with a solid foundation of dill pickle chips and then a liberal coating of roasted red peppers, forming a nest for the 1/3rd pound (after cooking) burger, charred in a manner that suggested it was broiled instead of grilled or smashed out on a flat top.
On top of the patty came a layer of thick cut and grilled onion, several slices of grilled pineapple and then some crisp bacon. Roasted garlic aioli came on the side and I applied a healthy coating to the grilled bun before placing it atop this monstrosity.
What did it look like? Well I'll show you.
The burger lasted in this state for only a moment before I attacked it in the only way I know how - for a burger this tall you can only knife it down the center, pick it up side ways and eat your way to the other side.
The burger was moist and cooked to a perfect medium. I found myself trying to get a taste of pineapple into every bite as it played so well with each ingredient, especially the grilled onions and the bacon.
Delicious.
Here are some of the other burgers my family tried that day. I didn't bother to ask them what they put on them because I was to busy focusing on my own.
Distraction - its a five inch tall burger.
My brother in law took down a onion rich western burger.
Posted at 09:40 AM in Austin, Bacon, Charlotte, Hamburgers, North Carolina, Texas, Travel | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
For some time now I've been pestering friends who always seem to be traveling around the country to contribute accounts of the food they run into on their trips. I'm very excited to share the first of what I hope are many contributions - from Jeff Lash - unfiltered and in the proverbial raw:
Posted at 05:43 PM in California, Grilling, Hamburgers, Indiana, Jeff, St. Louis, Travel | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Posted at 01:53 PM in Film, Food and Drink, Games, Grilling, Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, Photography, Pickles, Pizza Making, St. Louis, Steak, Travel | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
This has been a great year of travel and eating, discovering new tools and techniques for cooking, experiencing great slices of Americana and time spent with friends and family. I thought it would be a good idea to capture a few of my favorites for the past year.
One of my favorite burgers of the past year. From my post "Llywelyn's Pub".
Posted at 08:07 PM in Austin, Buffalo, Charlotte, Chicken, Grilling, Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, New York, North Carolina, Photography, Sandwiches, St. Louis, Steak, Texas, Travel | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Posted at 07:47 AM in Charlotte, Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, North Carolina, Pickles, Sandwiches, Travel | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
At one time there was an old tool shed in the shadow of the Peace Bridge that was used to sell sandwiches to the iron workers constructing the international roadway connecting Buffalo, New York and For Erie, Ontario.
Posted at 03:48 PM in Buffalo, History, Hot Dogs, New York, Travel | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
Posted at 03:32 PM in Food and Drink, New York, Travel, Wine | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Posted at 08:22 PM in Buffalo, New York, Sandwiches, Steak, Travel | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
Since 1967, the Robert's family have owned and operated The Salt Lick Barbeque on their family ranch in Driftwood, Texas, using a recipe handed down from generation to generation since the Civil War. I recently got a chance to enjoy a family style dinner at The Salt Lick as we celebrated the rehearsal dinner for friends getting married in Austin.
Very good barbeque is both an art and science; skill in the application of heat and smoke, showmanship in how your wares are displayed to waiting guests. After all, we do eat with our eyes as much as anything else. From buildings built of limestone quarried from the family ranch, long wooden tables and benches to accommodate family style meals and the stone holding pit within eyeshot of a framed picture of the owners daughters and Bobby Flay, the atmosphere of the restaurant is well executed and welcoming.
The staff was very friendly and allowed me to check out the holding pit, which is the centerpiece of the restaurant, and the smokers which are hidden from view and the dining areas. Both were impressive in their design and evidence of day in and day out usage, but it was the holding pit that captured my attention. The limestone theme is continued with the pits construction, which is laid out in a horseshoe shape. The pit was a source of great pride folks tending to its fire, and they welcomed all my questions with a smile. Flanked by stacks of seasoned hickory wood, the fire in the pit is fed slowly all day, adding a last dose of flavor to the beef brisket, pork ribs, chicken and smoked sausage hung from above.
Where the pit is the art and showmanship, the science and skill is evident in the outstanding meats The Salt Lick prepares. Slow cooked to perfection with ample evidence of smoke ring, the Salt Lick is a perfect example of what is commonly thought of as Texas barbeque - dry rubbed and slow cooked. This is not to do a disservice to the different barbeque styles found across Texas, which actually consist of at least four main regional styles, all with different flavors, cooking methods, ingredients, and cultural origins. It is only to say that when people discuss the barbeque of the United States, The Salt Lick is what people are referencing when they compare Texas to Memphis, St. Louis, Kansas City or North Carolina.
Whole chickens, racks of ribs and beef brisket are rubbed with house seasoning and cooked slow and low to perfection, leaving the aforementioned smoke ring and interiors that are among the most moist I've ever had the chance to sample. Meats are mopped with a version of The Salt Lick's barbeque sauce as they smoke, but for the most part are left to reflect the unadulterated balance of spice and smoke that can only come after hours and hours over slow and low heat.
The family style dinner at The Salt Lick includes cornbread, a platter or smoked beef brisket, pork ribs, chicken and smoked sausage, baked beans, potatoes, cole slaw, sweet tea, and a cobbler for desert. All the sides were tasty, but did not steal the spotlight from the barbeque. A sauce that has a hint of Hawaiian flare in the background is provided on the table for those wishing to smother their barbeque. While the house barbeque sauce complements everything well, I found it unnecessary.
The Salt Lick does not serve alcohol, but our hosts provided coolers filled to the brim with ice and Shiner Bock, which is available here in St. Louis, but for me has never tasted as good as it did that night, with its intended pairing - Texas barbeque.
Opinion: Recommended
18001 FM 1826
Driftwood, Texas 78619
512-858-4959
Posted at 04:14 PM in Austin, Barbecue, Grilling, Steak, Texas, Travel | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
I recently got back from Austin, Texas were I attended a wedding and generally ate my way around the city and the outlying areas. Austin is an interesting city with a vibe that reminds me of Madison, Wisconsin and Burlington, Vermont.
Posted at 09:28 PM in Austin, Texas, Travel | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Posted at 04:26 PM in Chicago, Hot Dogs, Travel | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
My wife and I recently visited Chicago for our 1st anniversary and to tour the Smart Home at the Museum of Science and Industry. From an environmental perspective, I’m sure the greenest thing to do would have been to stay home and read about the Smart House online. However, we wanted a chance to see the technology and materials up close so we decided that we would try to travel in the most environmentally friendly way we could - the train.
For the round trip of 602 miles, how did the train stack up against taking a plane or our car:
Airline = .458 Tons or 916 LBS of CO2
Automobile (Avg 25mpg) = .234 Tons or 468 LBS of CO2
Train = .12 Tons or 240 LBS of CO2
Via calculator at Native Energy.
Given that we are Americans and are creatures of speed and convenience, we would have loved to take the hour long flight between St. Louis and Chicago. Taking our car would have been quicker as well given the track work that delayed us on both legs of our trip. However, we saved hundreds of dollars by not flying, as well as avoiding the hassles and delays that come with trips to the airport. With gas and parking in downtown Chicago for the long weekend it’s realistic that we would have spent around $200 for transportation. Instead on the train we traveled business class to Chicago and home in a private sleeper room with a meal for the same $200. We also had time to talk and relax, watch a movie, read several magazines and enjoy the rolling Illinois countryside.
Chicago is a great city and my list of places to see and more importantly eat at was as long as our weekend was short. We walked where we could and utilized the train system to cover our adventures from Lincoln Square to Hyde Park. Highlights included the Smart House, an architectural river tour, an outstanding meal and bottle of 1999 Marques de Riscal Baron de Chirel Reserva at Café Iberico, and the morning coffee at the W Chicago City Center. A major disappointment was our brunch at Kitsch’n which can be summed up as pretty food that tastes pretty bad and the W Chicago City Center in general. Missed and saved for another day were Superdawg Drive-in, The Frontera Grill, Lou Malnati's Pizzeria and Gene & Georgetti.
Summer 2008 Chicago Trip: A Photo Essay
Inspired by tales of many friends who have traveled around Europe by train, Sara and I packed a light picnic of grapes, crackers and cheese and wine for our trip to Chicago.
Sara and I at the Navy Pier celebrating our 1st wedding anniversary. Interestingly enough, our wedding was recently included in the Missouri/Kansas print edition of The Knot Wedding Magazine.
A thunderstorm rolls across Illinois farmland.
Our return trip included accommodations in a sleeper room as the train was on its way to LA. As part of our ticket, we were invited to a meal in the dining car, which was a pleasant surprise. Sara and I each had a Flat Iron Steak and enjoyed our meal with a nice German man by way of Toronto who travels the rails around the world as a way to enjoy his retirement.
Things Discovered and More Information:
Posted at 06:48 PM in Architecture, Chicago, Environmental Issues, Green Technology, History, Photography, Science, Steak, Technology, Travel | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)











