When news surfaced about the Cheesesteak Pretzel, there was really no doubt we had to cover it. This is a Philadelphia-based sandwich blog after all, and a sandwich-like creation capturing and combining the essence of two of Philly’s most iconic foods is a completely undeniable force. The Cheesesteak Pretzel is the creation of the Philly (Soft) Pretzel Factory (PPF). A franchised company that began with humble beginnings in Northeast Philadelphia just 12 years ago, but today has well over 100 stores that stretch the length of the east coast from upper New York down to Georgia.

I met with Marty Ferrill, VP of Operations at the corporate headquarters in Mayfair and he gave me a bit of insight to the company’s origins and its owners Dan DiZio and Len Lehman. DiZio and Lehman started the first Philly Soft Pretzel Factory on Frankford Ave., in the base of the building where headquarters is currently located. The business model was simple back then, their intention was to provide fresh baked pretzels for delivery like other companies at the time. The walk-in availability of pretzels in a retail environment that has become their mainstay was only a secondary consideration. Though, after the first full day and consistently long lines of people waiting for their fresh baked, hand-twisted pretzels, the business model had to adapt.

The first franchise didn’t actually open up until 2004. The business prior to then focused on the products and the overall company vision while pushing forward with the established vision of fresh pretzels available just about any time of day. From 2004 onward however, the company experienced exponential growth until about two years ago when they decided to once again focus on products and the company itself. That’s about the time when PPF started experimenting with various sandwich-like creations. For lack of a better comparison, they’re essentially Hot Pocket-like. The notable difference would be the fact that PPF uses the same exact pretzel recipe we’ve all come to love and enjoy.

Billed as “As Philly As It Gets” the Cheesesteak Pretzel was the clear winner after trial runs of other less successful/interesting sandwich varieties (turkey and cheese, ham and cheese). The Cheesesteak Pretzel debuted on May 17, with a free giveaway day on May 24. Thousands were given out among the 100+ locations, with over 800 alone in under 3 hours at the corporate store. The novelty of the item is surely enough to entice people to try the item, but its existence as a decent lunch offering will probably get folks to try it again and again.

As stated, it starts out using the exact pretzel recipe, though unsalted. And within, it contains some lightly seasoned beef and American cheese. The total product weighs in at 5.5oz and makes for a great lunch meal. It’d be easy to eat two and still be under what some cheesesteak shops have for their portions. Nutrition-wise they stand at a decent, approximate 340 calories and 8 grams of fat per Cheesesteak Pretzel. The cheesesteak pretzels are available now at every PPF and priced between $3-$3.50 each, though many stores have a 2 for $5 special. We’d recommend adding some ketchup to the inside of the cheesesteak pretzel, but we wouldn’t mind a squirt of mustard on the outside as well.

After the initial success of the Cheesesteak Pretzel, PPF is on its way to considering other stuffed pretzel varieties and even the potential for breakfast-sandwich inspired ones. With an entry into quick, satisfying sandwich-like offerings such as this one, PPF has proven itself to be a capable contender in quick and affordable lunch bites.

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When we sat down with chef Rich Landau of Horizons, we knew what to expect: incredibly current, creative, fresh, full and layered flavors in food that just so happens to be vegan. The only thing we didn’t know is how exactly we’d be tickled.  If you don’t know Rich and Horizons, you need to get yourself an education.  Rich is a pioneer in the vegan scene, but is also breaking ground among the top chefs ever in America, earning the historic distinction of being the first chef honored to cook a full vegan menu for the James Beard House. That’s why we were so excited when Rich accepted our invitation to create a burger for National Hamburger Month.

Full Disclosure:  I am a recovering (relapsed?) vegetarian that is currently considering the transition back to plates of beans and grains, greens and roasted tomatoes.  See, the problem that I have is the same one that inspired Rich’s culinary journey into ethical food.  Vegetarian food at restaurants is usually so very bland, utilitarian and lacking in character.  Rich didn’t choose not to eat meat because of his disgust for flavor, in fact he still is inspired by meat dishes that he encounters during weekly discovery at local restaurants.  He and his wife pastry chef Kate Jacoby are always devouring new food knowledge and encouraging one another to push flavor and creativity further.  He certainly flexed his culinary muscles for us with his Seitan Banh Mi Sliders.

The sandwich starts with seitan made especially for the restaurant by Ray’s Seitan, which the chef infuses with lemongrass and kafir lime stock and red chili.  The seitan is browned on a flat-top grill before being ground and formed into burger patties.  After griddling the burger, it’s topped with a pickled diakon slaw made with carrot, green chili, cilantro and scallions with a bit of rice-wine vinegar.  The burger is served on baguette rounds spread with vegan sriracha-infused mayonnaise and a bit of cumin oil.

Together the sharp spice of Sriracha and fresh green chili, the sweet of lemongrass and cilantro, the crunch and oil brought by the grilled Seitan, the tangy daikon slaw and my “carnivorous” ripping into the chewy homemade baguette left me grinning that food smile from the first bite.  In my mind I’m not eating vegan food, and I’m not necessarily eating a burger: I’m eating a delicious flavor and texture combination that I wish there were more of (perhaps it’s the free glutamates/Umami in Seitan?).  In essence, my reaction is exactly what Rich is going for, as evidenced with his proclamation that “it’s all about reaching out to the mainstream.  I want the suit and tie wearing, motorcycle riding, family raising, aspiring, thriving community to eat these ingredients and enjoy fresh food.”  While everything that goes into Horizon’s food is ethical, environmental and healthy – none of it works unless the food is this dang good.

The Banh Mi Sliders will appear on the weekday, weather permitting Happy Hour menu which starts Tuesday, 5/18, served between 5-6 pm outside and are an absolute bargain at $4 for two.  We expect this to become one of Philly’s staple happy hour foods.  Go here. Eat this. Expand your horizons with some food that does no harm and tastes so fine.  With meals this delicious, I could definitely look past meat again, even with all the ridiculous meaty treats Philadelphia has to offer.

Horizons
611 South 7th Street – Philadelphia, PA 19147 (Google Map)

We just received this awesome news from Poses’ people:

Frög Commissary is rolling its latest project right out onto the front lawn. Frög Burger, a no-frills hamburger and ‘shake stand, will open this June outside the Franklin Institute on the Parkway, the home of its catering division for decades. They aim to be known as much for what they aren’t (chic and overpriced) as much as what they are (burgers “so juicy you might want a bib”).

The Franklin Institute has long been a family place – the Parkway, too – and what Steve Poses and his team, which includes his son, are working on is informal and homegrown, a simple burger “shack” with grills and picnic tables and kids playing. It will all be on the grass beneath the gleaming Budd BB-1 Pioneer, the stainless steel airplane on display since the mid-1930s.

The logo, like the menu and details of the burgers themselves, is still a work in progress, but Unbreaded has an exclusive first look – four of them, in fact. Following are the concepts currently under consideration, designed by a democratic combination of chefs and graphic designers and they want your feedback!

Hit the jump to find out how you can help choose Frög Burger’s logo and a chance to win free lunch!

Below you’ll find the four logos under consideration. Leave a comment telling us which you like best (1, 2, 3 or 4) and we’ll pick two winners at random to receive a $20 gift card each when Frög Burger opens in June! Voting ends at 11:59pm on Monday, May 17th.

Be sure to sign up on their e-mail list to be notified when the official menu and opening date are revealed!

I never did get to experience the old Twenty Manning. However, after a complete interior redesign and the introduction of an almost-entirely new, affordable, American bistro menu and a variety of burgers, I had to go. I met with Chef Kiong Banh, who has spent 10 years within these walls, and is excited for some change.

Taking feedback from over the past year, Banh and owner Audrey Claire Taichman re-invented the concept of Twenty Manning from the ground up. Banh invested a lot of time in receiving feedback to create a selection of dishes at a price that would keep customers coming back, adding a bistro feel and a slight modification to the name. Though his background is a mix of Chinese and Vietnamese, Banh’s culinary focus is primarily French and Italian. He’s truly excited about the breath of fresh air that has been introduced to the restaurant and looks forward to serving the neighborhood as a destination with a focus on local, fresh and organic ingredients.

As we’re celebrating National Hamburger Month here at Unbreaded, I decided to go with the flagship (namesake) TMG Burger. Featuring a generously sized half-pound organic patty made from a combination of sirloin, tenderloin and beef chuck cuts, it’s no small sandwich, but a bit sized down from the 9.5oz Bison burger (Twenty Manning’s only burger in its past life). Although the Bison burger did have a good run, it was just a little too big, said Banh. And with the nature of it being sourced from Colorado, it simply doesn’t have a natural fit with the new local flavor of TMG. The TMG Burger is formed from grass-fed and pasture raised local beef. The produce is sourced locally as well: iceberg lettuce, juicy garden tomato and raw purple onion. Naturally, I opted to add the optional Kentucky bacon and Vermont cheddar to my TMG, which sits atop a fluffy bun, designed by Banh and baked at George Perrier’s commissary in Wayne. The accompanying shoestring fries and pure kosher dill pickle round off the experience.

Though the menu is very new, TMG has already set a record of selling an excess of over seventy burgers. Though half of these are the TMG Burger, the remaining Turkey Burger (half-pound patty sourced from pineland farms free range gobblers, goes well with pepperjack cheese), Ahi Tuna Burger (thick slab of tuna with ginger-soy marinade and avocado-wasabi mayo), Veggie Burger (whole lot of local market veggies: onion, mushroom, roasted peppers and even avocado all held together by a white bean puree and some oil) are all strong performers as well.

So, head over to the Rittenhouse Square area and check out the brand new Twenty Manning Grill. Be sure not to miss it; a new bright white facade shines as a beacon, in stark contrast to its old one.

Twenty Manning Grill
59 South 20th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103 (Google Map)

There’s certainly no shortage of fatty-tastic burgers in the city, nor a shortage of great, innovative kitchens. In honor of National Hamburger Month, we took a look at some burgerless menus and decided to challenge some of Philly’s best chefs to create a unique burger worthy of their menu space. Each week in May we’ll hit you with an exclusive interview and review of each handcrafted burger.

Up first: Chef David Katz, owner of rustic-casual restaurant Mémé (2201 Spruce Street).

Katz, a self-described American hamburger traditionalist, accepted his mission and turned out an out-of-the-ordinary Middle Eastern style sandwich, inspired by ingredients left over from a recent Moroccan barbecue. He said he’d recently invited some friends over for a cookout in his upstairs digs, resulting in a few odds and ends. After throwing a quick dinner together with the remaining bits the next day, inspiration struck.

The Moccocan Burger starts with a 6oz meat patty called kefta, a mix of ground beef and lamb traditionally grilled over charcoals. The ground meat is blended with cumin, coriander, parsley, cilantro, cinnamon and cayenne pepper, adding some deep and complex Middle Eastern flavors.

Using recipes passed down through his family, Katz finished it off a hot pepper tomato paste (“an all-purpose Moroccan condiment”) and a cold traditional carrot salad, dressed with lemon and olive oil. This burger plays with flavors and textures well; in one bite you have the warm and distinct flavor of the kefta, in another the cool acidic crunch of carrots. We loved the pepper spread the most, which was spicy and robust enough that it left our lips tingling long after we had finished.

“It’s not entirely traditional,” said Katz. “But this is pretty damn good.”

Notice something different about these photos? That’s right – no glossy, egg-heavy brioche globes here. Everything is nestled between a soft, flour-dusted Snowflake bun, at the chef’s insistence.

“It’s an old school American bun,” he said. “Brioche is bullshit. Just because something is the most trendy doesn’t make it the best.”

You can catch the Moroccan Burger on the Mémé menu all week, for about $8.

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Mémé
2201 Spruce Street Philadelphia, PA 19103 (Google Map)

Since the opening of The Wishing Well on 9^th and Catharine early this month, we have been receiving emails directing us to the burger that got kicked out of Atlanta for being too rib sticking.

The SHAME burger was invented by chef Carmen Cappello at his southern location, where he improvised on Pennsylvania tradition in creating this enigmatic creation.  A bit of background- the restaurant is part of the Slow Food Movement – meaning that they pledge to bring ingredients in that are grown within 100 miles of their location, contributing to the local economy and respecting the environment.  The Burger is made of local Lancaster sirloin, bought fresh right down the street in the Italian Market.  It is topped with house-made scrapple, American cheese and a runny fried farm fresh egg. Yep. It’s ridiculous.  Carmen calls it a “gluttonous treat that you can feel good about eating” and we definitely agree.

The burger is cooked well-done because the gooey cheese and fried egg provide all the juiciness you need. The fresh scrapple is well spiced with thyme and sage, and is both creamy and crispy – it’s fried, as it should be.  The multiple textures and contrasting breakfast and lunch flavors, shifting back and forth depending upon the ratio of what you get in each bite, together make this a fascinating sandwich.

We speculate that another reason that they belong to the Slow Food movement is because you ain’t moving so fast after you eat one of these.   Next time we head to Wishing Well, we’re going to get the appetizer version of this burger, which comes topped with a fried quail egg, so that we can save room for the fresh fish, inventive meat dishes and seasonal vegetables that they actually work directly with farmers to source.  Wishing Well is a welcome addition to the Italian market.  Co-owner and GM Chris Martino is already seeing repeat customers at the bar, which carries over 50 bottled beers.  Final verdict: do this burger at least once, it’s delicious, it supports the local economy and is definitely something to talk about.

The Wishing Well
767 S. 9th St. – Philadelphia, PA 19147 (Google Map)
(215) 238-6555

We don’t typically post about fast food here on Unbreaded. This post will be atypical and unusual. Full disclosure: I have an odd fascination with fast food unicorns. They’re the mythical creatures of the commercial dining world. I enjoy the novelty of limited or rare offerings. I remember going out on Burger King crawls just so I could catch the remaining Western Whopper or Rodeo Cheeseburger before they reached the end of their limited runs. By the time Homer Simpson was chasing down the Krusty Ribwich, I had already lived a whole lifetime of chasing down limited, rare or new fast food offerings. Even when I was in LA a few months ago, I had to snag a McRib after being delighted by it’s return to the menu.

When news started surfacing about the reality of KFC’s Double Down, I knew I’d be trying it. There was no question. Touted as “man’s greatest achievement or evidence of our civilization’s impending doom” by The Consumerist, the Double Down employs humanity’s own curiosity as a passive marketing tool.

The sandwich is simple. It’s bacon, pepper jack and swiss cheese and “Colonel’s Sauce.” The game changer? Instead of bread, customers have the option for either fried or grilled chicken patties of the Colonel’s Original Recipe.

Casting aside the validity of this item really being a sandwich or not, I’ll just give a summation of the experience. The chicken taste was a bit overpowering to the point where it actually contested the bacon’s inherent supreme power. Pepper Jack is a favorite cheese of mine, and coupled with the Colonel’s Sauce (likely to be just mayonnaise with random spices), I was able to bear the swiss cheese – which is one I simply don’t really enjoy. I did miss the bread though. Without it, there was absolutely no veil for the obviously expected greasiness and saltiness.

In summation, I’ll quote my friend Mikey Doc (who actually beat me in trying the sandwich out even before I did), “My god, that was the most American thing I’ve ever eaten.”

Now I wonder, is this ‘sandwich’ the first of its kind to be marketed as unbreaded?

When hunting for a great salad at lunch time, we’re usually stuck with the run of the mill chain that offers bland lettuce and overripe tomatoes grown on the other side of the country. That won’t be the case for much longer. Although there’s been reports that Garces Restaurant Group had inked a lease transaction deal for two floors of the Cira Centre, we’ve just been informed that another project will sideline that one for now.

Our tipster has informed us that Garces is personally focusing all of his energies on a salad cafe concept. The name: Lechuga.  After studying recent lease filings at the Philadelphia Department of Records, we’ve found that Garces Restaurant Group has obtained the space at 1760 Market Street, ironically the former location of Salad Works. Lechuga will feature a long list of salads, taking inspiration from all the far corners of the globe. Based on Garces’ previous work, we’re likely to see incarnations based on Spanish, Asian/Latin American fusion, European and New American cuisine. In honor of his Chicago roots, we’re most looking forward to the “Deep Dish Pizza Salad” we’ve been briefed about.

Along with the expansive, all you can eat salad bar, we’re told that GRG is working with a world renowned mixologist to develop an awe inspiring cocktail menu. Much like the salads, all drinks will be made with fresh local herbs and produce; a pickled beet martini is said to be the crown jewel of the bar.

Check back here on Untossed for more details, and an exhaustive review of Lechuga’s salad offerings.

In celebration of our relaunch, Untossed teamed up with PYT’s Tommy Up to introduce what might just be the finest salad creation Philly has ever seen. It’s the PYT Bacon Cheeseburger Slider Salad and we had a chance to stop in yesterday for an exclusive bite.

The basis for this salad is fresh, never frozen, chopped iceberg lettuce. Mixed into the greens are diced onions, pickles and tomatoes, with shredded cheddar cheese and plentiful crispy bites of bacon. All of this is topped with miniature versions of PYT’s signature burger, cooked to a perfect medium-well and draped in melted cheddar. A drizzle of the housemade mustard vinaigrette, seals the deal; but next time around, I think I’ll add some ketchup to really round off that burger experience.

“This salad is pretty healthy” said Up, standing alongside Kimberly Malcolm, who helped develop the dish. PYT has really done it again and with a salad offering like this, we’re expecting to see a Up tweeting about a “Salad of the Week” in no time.

PYT
1050 N. Hancock Street – Philadelphia, PA 19123 (Google Map)

It’s been just over a year since Jeff Vogel and I launched Unbreaded. We’ve put a lot of hard work into the site, reviewing some of the best sandwiches in Philadelphia, Chicago, and NYC, and have built a brand that is easily identifiable by sandwich lovers everywhere.

So it is with great excitement that I announce that Unbreaded has been acquired by Kraft Foods! Why? Dedicated to bringing delicious, high quality products to people across the globe, Kraft is making an effort to build a community for consumers. A place where they can connect with other foodies, stay at home mom’s, and the millions of other people who buy Kraft products every day.

Our readers will be happy to know that the entire Unbreaded staff will be staying on full time but, there will be some exciting changes taking place immediately. To align ourselves with the Kraft brand and their focus and investment in making America healthier, Unbreaded will now and forever be rebranded as Untossed. Our focus will shift from carbohydrate-laden sandwiches to the craft of  fine salads. We’ll be on the scene with the nations’ greatest chefs as they toss fresh, and delicious salads every day.

- Ben Kessler, Editor in Chief