Diggity Diggity...

Hot Diggity

630 South Street

Philadelphia, PA 19147

www.thehotdiggity.com/ 

When my girlfriend’s dad came into town to move her for the third time in three years, we needed to grab something to eat after we had moved all her stuff. We had dinner reservations with my aunt and uncle that night though, so we didn’t want to have anything too heavy. My girlfriend suggested Hot Diggity, a hot dog shop down the street that had been getting lots of good press. Her dad okayed it and we strolled down the street to get some lunch.

When you walk in you immediately take notice of the crazy artwork on the walls. There are all kinds of artwork of people’s interpretations of hot dogs around the world. It is really pretty cool to see some of them. Once you get in further you notice the blackboard with all the dogs on it, and the offering of housemade sodas that they have for the day. That’s right I said housemade sodas. Unfortunately, the one that I wanted was already out by the time we got there, but it was ok because they have an extensive selection of craft sodas to choose from. I grabbed a Boylan’s Cream soda and was completely content with it. We all ordered our food, for me a Saigon Fusion dog, and we split some fries and their wasabi mayo to dip in and we sat down at the nearby tables and waited.

While we waited I couldn’t figure out what the holes in the table were for. They looked reminiscent of Swiss cheese, but nothing really fit in them. Our sodas were too small, as was the dipping sauce that we got. When the food came out it all made complete sense. The fries were served in cones that fit directly into the holes! So cool! They were incredibly delicious. Crunchy, salty, and comforting, they were only kicked up to another level by the addition of the wasabi mayo. The mayo had quite a kick, but it was an amazing complement to the crispy fries.

My hot dog, the Saigon Fusion, was topped with cucumbers, shredded vegetables including carrots and jalapenos, and doused with a sweet and spicy chili sauce. The dog was thin and long, a touch longer than the roll that it was housed in, and the condiments were piled high on top. The crunch of the vegetables and the sweet and spicy kick of the sauce were incredible. I never though that my usual hot dogs were missing an element of crunch, but now I am convinced that they were! I devoured my hot dog, and quite a bit of the fries dipped in wasabi dipping sauce, and then washed it all down with that delicious cream soda.

3 delicious pints of beer for Hot Diggity. An amazing concept done right, everything scratch made and delicious results make Hot Diggity a homerun. I have yet to make a decision as to which hot dog experience I have had in the past few weeks was better, but I can tell you that I have now found two incredible new hot dog places to stuff my face at. I will have to do quite a bit more market research a.k.a. eating to figure it out! Hot Diggity is borderline perfect, and you should definitely try it as soon as possible! Cheers!