1507 Wilmington Pike West Chester, PA
Total: $10 for 2 specials, 2 small fries and 2 black and white shakes; $4 for 2 junior dogs
He Said:
Mmmm...hot dogs. Who doesn't love hot dogs? I know that She and I do and that has set us on a life long quest to find the perfect wiener. The next contender was a place that I have seen about a thousand times in my life but never stopped in - Jimmy John's out in West Chester, PA. The place has been there since 1940 and it (charmingly) shows. Wooden booths that look like they have about 100 coats of paint on them, black and white photos of customers from years gone by and trains. Man, do they have a cool bunch of trains, many of which cost a quarter to see them run. Very fun.
Ahh, but what about the hot dogs, you ask? Well, I think that the life long quest continues as these were not the best I've ever tasted, but they certainly weren't bad. I knew that we were in my kind of place when we were served by a slightly surly girl who yelled out our order to the cooks in the back. We ended up getting two kinds of dogs, the "Special Frankfurter" which had a pretty substantial casing (which took a little getting used to - POP!) and the "skinless" hot dog, which surly girl called a "Junior". Both dogs were good (I liked the "Special" a little more than the "Skinless" and I think that She was the opposite) but the rolls were great. Very soft and fresh.
Worth the trip? I think so, but probably as much to just see the joint as to eat the dogs. Chooo-chooooo!
Heh. I love trains.
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She Said:
There are few things in this world that I like more than hot dogs. Any kind - steamed, grilled, fried - whatever. I love 'em. We took a trip to Jimmy John's 'Pipin' Hot Sandwiches today for lunch. I was really looking forward to their "Special Frankfurter," as reviewed at HollyEats.com.
Naturally, we were shy as we'd never been here before and it sure gave off the air of being one of those local places where everyone knows how to order since they've been eating here since 1940. But we muddled through and ordered two special frankfurters, two small fries and two small black-and-white shakes. Our order was ready in less than 3 minutes, I swear. We looked down at these squat, plump hot dogs in their interesting-looking bun and wondered what made them "special." There was nothing on them. Nothing. These were two naked dogs! We walked to the fixin's bar and fixed them. I opted for mustard and sauerkraut.
We sat down in a booth at the back of the place and took a bite. POP! Seriously - they popped. These hot dogs are in natural casings and I suppose I'm just not used to that. Every bite popped and it sort of unnerved me. The hot dogs were very tasty and my choice of mustard and sauerkraut was perfect but I couldn't really get past the popping skin.
We weren't completely full at the end of our meal so I headed back up to the counter to try something different. I ordered two skinless dogs - one with chili and cheese for Him and one with just cheese for me. These are their junior dogs. They are split down the middle and filled with whatever you ordered. Still served on these terrific rolls, they were quite a bit different than the Specials. It's all about the texture, baby! I added ketchup, mustard and fried onions to my dog and enjoyed it thoroughly. Everything was very soft and tasty.
The place itself is worth mentioning. It's full of trains - they're all over the place! And while the tiny children who were in there were initially quite annoying, it was something else to see them watching the trains and model airplanes in the cases (25 cents to set them in motion). The booths and tables are very 60s old-fashioned - lots of coats of paint on everything but I don't think they've been updated in a very long time. It's charming and there's something fun to look at no matter where you rest your eyes.
But was it worth the 45-minute drive? Nah. The food was good but I'll keep on looking for the hot dog to end all hot dogs.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Jimmy John's 'Pipin' Hot Sandwiches
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9 comments:
Living in a German town, I'm pretty used to natural sausage casings. These dogs sound pretty good, but I'd probably be too busy giggling every time one of them entered a tunnel.
Yeah, I'm 12.
We went there about a year ago and I did NOT like it at all! The thick skin and snapping sound grossed me out. (CJH)
JImmy Johns is an awesome place! We ALWAYS go when we visit Longwood Gardens. Not only is it an authentic eatery from way back, BUT more importantly it is a shrine to Tom Mix! Check out the hugh B&W photos of Jimmy John in his white outfit with white bow tie standing next to one of the gods of the cowboys from radio and film. The photo was taken shortly before Jimmy John died in a car accident. I LOVE this place!
see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Mix
Jimmy John's is an American institution that ALSO sells great hotdogs! It's nice that some places don't change and this is a great remembrance of my childhood. I hope it never changes. The place has character. You don't get that anymore. Pretty much all you see is fast food places that all look the same or some artsy schmaltzy phony decor. The food at JImmy John's is GREAT. The hotdogs pop? I always thought they were wonderful. I go back every chance I get. JJ's has inspired me to do a similar hotdog down here in the south. I did a little festival last Sunday and had some Jimmy John souvenir placemats that I proudly hung on the wall for inspiration. Thanks Jimmy John's for all the good food and great memories.
I am an employe at "Jimmy Johns Pipin' Hot". And working there we get a variety of different orders from our customers. We have our normal's who are dedicated enough to us to come in everyday and order there normal. Although there are people out there who don't like how our dogs "snap" we are very popular. And yes our booths have many coats of paint from them because we have been in the same area for almost 69 years now. We also have multiple trains for the children to play on when they come in which are just 25 cents. And when we get our roders we memorize them because we do it all old fashion and we yell it back to the cooks in our special language way. Such as our skinless hotdogs are called "juniors". Thank you for all your comments to whom reviewed it good.
To clear up one thing - Jimmy John did not die in a car accident, he passed away of old age a few yrs ago. Jimmy John's is a Chester County landmark! The hotdogs are famous, as featured on BEST OF on The Food Network. These hot dogs rock!
I know you are hot dog folks but the burgers at Jimmy John's are what keep us coming back. That, and the trains. Totally worth the trip if you have kids in tow who enjoy trains even a teeny bit!
Ive been going there for 40 years and everytime is as good as the first.
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