Bootsie's

I tried out Bootsie's (on 19th St. between Chestnut and Market) over the weekend, and enjoyed the experience.

When Bootsie's opened, we were eager to try hot dogs from a place that seemed to care about the types of meat that was going into its hamburgers and hot dogs (that's basically all they offer). I had an organic hot dog and my companion had a kobe beef hot dog. Although there were an overwhelming number of toppings (many of them gourmet-sounding) to choose from, we got ours plain in order to enjoy the meat.

I have to admit that it took a while to get our food. That was probably the only negative aspect of this trip. The food, though, was great. The hot dogs were served on what appeared to be hearty multi-grain rolls, and the kobe beef hot dog actually spanned the whole length of the roll. (The organic hot dog didn't, but it was still larger than the average hot dog.) The taste and texture were outstanding and really something to be experienced.

We noticed some people walking into the place, looking at the menu, and then walking out. Too bad for them...maybe they didn't understand the significance of eating specialty hamburgers and hot dogs, and thought the price was too high. Or maybe the concept just seemed strange.