Tommy DiNic's, located in Reading Terminal, is catching all the press right now after it's famous Roast Pork sandwich being crowned America's Best Sandwich, beating out Katz's pastrami sandwich of New York City. Being a pastrami & cheese on rye kinda girl, this was reason enough to try out the newly crowned king. So we walked on over to Reading Terminal and found a line wrapped around the countertop, typical for almost any stand in RT. The beau was quick enough to notice that if you sat at the counter, you'd get table service and thus bypass the line. So my eagle eyes scouted and hopped on the first counter stool available and we ordered our sandwiches shortly after. I legitimately think everyone sitting around had ordered "the" sandwich, so I closely watched for reactions, additions (i.e. the banana peppers in jars on the counters), whether or not people were finishing these gigantic things, etc. From the looks of it, I almost considered ordering the beef brisket, that way we could swap halves of the huge sandwiches, but he wasn't too keen on the idea. So we both ordered our own Roast Pork sandwiches with provolone & broccoli rabe, for the sake of experience.
The sandwiches arrived, and I was a little confused, thinking we must have ordered incorrectly because the Roast Pork is supposed to be covered in gravy and this was looking a little dry. But all I needed to do was pick my sandwich up to find that it was sitting in what looked more like the greasy liquid that's left in the pan after cooking meat, but I guess it was just a thinner gravy then I expected. After the first bite, I thought it was a nice combination of tart greens and the gooey sharp provolone on a fresh and soft roll. Thinking I must have just taken a topping heavy bite, let's try and get more meat the second time, I took another bite, hoping from some flavorful, juicy roast pork, and....I was completely underwhelmed. Don't get me wrong, it was juicy and everything was fresh and piping hot, but honestly it was kind of bland. A dude sat next to us and ordered the roast pork without any toppings, and it took all sorts of constrain for me not to whisper, "Wrong move, my friend, wrong move." I just couldn't fathom that this could beat out any good cut of pastrami, let alone the Katz sandwich. I began to think that this must of been some publicity stunt, because while it was good, it certainly wasn't a rager for my taste buds. Sorry Tommy DiNic's, maybe I'll try the beef brisket next time, if there is a next time...
Later in the week, it was late, and neither of us had eaten, so I figured, per other reviews I'd read, we should try Shake Shack and hope there wouldn't be much of a line. And I assumed correctly. There were a few people milling about outside, but just enough people ahead of me to provide enough time to thoroughly peruse the menu.
I decided to go with the SmokeStack, an order of cheese fries, and a sprite. For a moment, I considered getting a milkshake, but $5 for what looked like a size smedium, I decided to stick to the food. We got a little buzzer, a la Red Lobster & Olive Garden, and scoped the scene for seating. We found a cozy little window seat, and before I knew it my little buzzer was glowing like fireworks on the 4th of July. Excitedly, I scurried up the counter and got my tray, stopped at the condiments bar for a little cup of ketchup and headed back to the table.
First impressions on sight - the burger was a little on the smaller side. I had considered getting a double and thought while this is a cheat day for clean eating, I didn't really need to take it that far, and thought let's see what the single has to offer first anyway. Anyway, the SmokeShack consists of a "Cheeseburger topped with Niman Ranch all-natural applewood smoked bacon, chopped cherry pepper and Shake sauce." And with all the hype, lines consistently out the door and down the block, again I was ready to bite into something life changing and...I was underwhelmed. But the beau reminded me that after all it was a fast food joint, what was I really expecting? Because when you put that way, it was pretty good for a fast food meal. The burger was a well cooked medium, juicy and a little pink on the inside. The toppings well suited one another, and I couldn't quite put my finger on or describe the affect of the Shake sauce, as any good special secret sauce should leave you stumped. Honestly, I was surprisingly impressed with the cheese fries, despite their appearance, they were a nice departure from the gross Whiz "cheese topping" that this city loves so much, and instead an interesting blend of cheddar and american cheese sauce.
Now the real question is, would I walk past 500 Degrees and their burger of the day specials and awesome truffle fries for Shake Shack....? Oh and spend $13 on fast food...? Ehhh, at this point, I don't think so. Maybe I'll go back to Shake Shack for one of those infamous concrete things, and when I'm in the area, but not going out my way nor EVER standing in one of those crazy lines for it.
Glad I got it out the way though. :)
Have you guys tried the Roast Pork @ Tommy DiNic's or the infamous Shake Shack (NYC or Philly)? Different perspective or experience? I'd love to hear about it, so comment or inbox me if so.
xox
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