Today VisitPhilly announced a partnership with Foodspotting, the incredibly addictive local food guide application for iOS and Android devices.

Now Philly regulars and tourists can easily find the most delicious food items hand picked by the VisitPhilly team in sandwich focused guides like “Cheesesteak 101” and “Philadelphia’s Burger Bonanza.” There are a slew of other food adventures as well including a guide to local craft breweries, vegetarian eateries, Tastykake-inspired dishes, and a whole lot more!

To make things exciting, VisitPhilly will award one lucky foodspotter who completes the “Famous Philly Flavors” guide by May 25th with an overnight stay at a luxury hotel, a $100 Garces Restaurant Group gift card, and two tickets to the City Food Tours “Flavors of Philly” excursion. Another 10 winners, chosen at random will receive free passes to the “Flavors of Philly” food excursion as well.

What are you waiting for? Explore Philly through its amazing food at Foodspotting!

We’re not entirely sure of the origin of this video, but a YouTube user that goes by the handle “handsomedonkey” posted this on Friday. In it you’ll find some, but not all of cinema’s most celebrated sandwiches.

Hit the jump for a full list of the sandwiches, films, and actors who enjoyed them.

• Robert Deniro, Turkey on Rye – “Copland” (1997)
• Denzel Washington, Pastrami – “Philadelphia” (1993)
• Chevy Chase, Unknown, “National Lampoon’s Vacation” (1983)
• Barrett Oliver, Peanut Butter & Jelly – “The NeverEnding Story” (1984)
• Brendan Frasier, Ham & Cheese – “With Honors” (1994)
• Karen Allen, Not a sandwich – “Raiders of the Lost Ark” (1981)
• Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, Katz’s deli sandwiches – “When Harry Met Sally” (1989)
• Adam Sandler, Impossible Egg Sandwich – “Spanglish” (2004)
• Gary Busey, Meatball sub – “Point Break” (1991)
• Kevin Kline, Secret sub – “Dave” (1993)

YouTube commenters are dropping movie sandwiches left and right including Rodney Dangerfield’s in “Back to School” and the huge sandwiches in “Saving Private Ryan.”

What’s your favorite cinema sandwich moment? Let us know in the comments below, or on Twitter @unbreaded!

The Eagles’ best quarterback over the last 50 years? I’ll consider WIP’s Glen Macnow’s take. Who builds the best sandwich – not so much. For the past three years, Glen and his band of merry eaters have saddled up and chowed down in search of Philadelphia’s greatest eating traditions. Two years ago it was John’s Roast Pork for cheesesteaks; last year, Paesanos their hoagie. Close both times, but not out of the park. Steve’s Prince of Steaks rules cheesesteaks and Sarcone’s Deli wins over Paesanos by inches.

This year Macnow strikes out on a “Sandwich Safari” and is really mucking it up. He has grouped Philadelphia pork sandwiches with basic sandwiches. Philadelphia serves more great pork sandwiches than cheesesteaks or hoagies. If ever a sandwich deserves its own annual contest.

Odder still, Macnow’s Sandwich Safari rating system. The top rating is “To die for.” Kinda metrosexual for a sports guy. You don’t hear, “ Yo, the roast pork with broccoli rabe is to die for” all that often in the line at Tony Luke’s. Sort of like a couple of regulars at Dirty Frank’s comparing Philadelphia sandwich “genres” over bottles of Rolling Rock.

The eat-off finals for the sandwich challenge is Thursday, July 22, at the Fieldhouse at 11th and Filbert. As of now, Nick’s Roast Beef at 20th and Jackson heads the list. Can’t argue with that. The Schmitter is a sound second. Then it gets murky. Along with pork sandwiches – meatball, chicken parm, even Vietnamese bahn mi. Macnow is comparing apples to oranges to ‘57 Chevies.

Sandwiches are missing from Macnow’s list. Little Pete’s spectacular Reuben – oozing more grease per bite than any other Philadelphia sandwich; Cajun Kate’s brisket po boy, maybe the best sandwich this side of Bourbon Street; even Sam’s Morning Glory Diner’s perfectly balanced BLT.

It is probably a little late to salvage the Sandwich Safari’s credibility. At least, take the pork sandwiches of the list. That should be next year’s competition. And if it was my call, I’d put one of the pros from Unbreaded.com on the judging panel.

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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In early April, Citizens Bank Park challenged local fans to pick a signature hot dog from three gourmet choices (all of which are far too good to be placed into an air powered hot dog launcher). The winner, the South Philly Dog, consists of broccoli rabe, spicy roasted peppers, sharp provolone and a grilled, juicy Nathan’s dog in an Italian roll.

Bridget Foy’s hosted its own in-house hot dog contest using the same choices and the South Philly Dog was again a clear frontrunner. Originally offered as a special during home games only, due to popular demand you can now get the South Philly dog, fries and a Kenzinger draft for $8 during all Phils games this season. All of the flavors are balanced wonderfully – the rabe is not at all bitter and the spicy roasted peppers add just enough kick. Most enjoyably, the entire thing is slightly toasted allowing the cheese to melt and cover the rest of the ingredients.

What’s also delicious are each and every one of the new burgers offerings on the menu. All of the burgers are made from a generous half-pound Angus beef patty. Traditionalists can enjoy the Standard Burger with Wisconsin cheese, shaved romaine, tomato and red onion. For veggie lovers, the house-made veg burger is a solid choice with black beans, mushrooms and spinach, topped with gruyere and pesto aioli.

We specifically sought out the Head House Market Burger, which has herb mayo, gruyere and sauteed mushrooms, indulgently topped with a fried egg. Truth be told, gruyere simply isn’t one of my favorite cheeses and I honestly do not even like mushrooms. However, this burger had flavor unlike many.

Unfortunately waiting for a repeat visit, the New Mexico Burger (roasted green chilies, pepperjack, chipotle aioli) and Turkey Burger (cranberry relish, avocado aioli, gruyere, alfalfa sprouts) each sound like winning decisions. All of the burgers can come with a side of greens and of course fries. The hand-cut fries can be paired with two of several house-made dipping sauces: house mayo, chipotle aioli, jalapeno ketchup, bourbon dijon and my personal favorite, garlic cumin ranch. One of those repeat visits might just have to happen on a Wednesday night for Bridget Foy’s Beer & A Burger $10 special, available on their 2nd floor Copper Bar from 7-10pm. Watching a Wednesday night Phillies game with friends and prefacing the burger special with a South Philly Hot Dog as an appetizer might just be the recipe for a fantastic evening.

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Bridget Foy’s
200 South St., Philadelphia, PA 19147 (Google Map)

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!

Looking for a healthy way to celebrate National Hamburger Month? We were sent this recipe by Michael Scipione, fitness/lifestyle consultant and owner/personal trainer of Absolute Definition in Philadelphia. Most recently Scipione decided to combine his passion for cooking and provide a private/personal catering/cooking service for his clients named Sano, meaning healthy in Italian.

The Sano Burger, made with 100% ground turkey breast, served on a whole-wheat roll is a Greek/French fusion, with Sano’s own eggplant/sun-dried tomato yogurt spread in lieu of mayonnaise. This low fat, low glycemic, high protein burger creation is accompanied by oven roasted yam fries. Scipione proves that “eating healthy does not have to be boring with his flavorful burger.” Hit the jump for the recipe.

The Turkey Burger
- 1 LB of ground turkey breast
- ¼ LB of French Feta Cheese
- ¼ cup of 2% milk
- 1 Tbsp. of Dijon mustard
- 1 Tbsp. of catsup
- ½ tsp. Sea salt
- ¼ tsp. course ground black pepper
- 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ cup of the prepared sautéed eggplant mixture (see recipe below)

Directions
1. Combine all the ingredients into a bowl and hand mix
2. Form the turkey into 4 patties about 1½ inch thick
3, Add a couple of drops of olive oil onto each patty before placing on the grill pan
4. Cook on high for approx. 4 – 4 ½ min per side, flipping once, until medium well or until juices run clear

Sautéed Eggplant and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
- 2 Tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lg. eggplant (purple) cut into ¼ inch rounds approx. 1/8 inch thick
- 1 medium red onion (cut into thinly sliced halves)
- 1 cup of fresh spinach
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp. of dried oregano
- 1 handful sun-dried tomatoes (finely chopped)
- zest and juice of ½ of a lemon
- ¼ cup of pitted kalamata olives (finely chopped)
- ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
- 2 Tbsp. of red wine vinegar
- 8 oz fat and sodium free chicken stock
- ½ tsp. Sea salt
- ¼ tsp. course ground black pepper

Directions
1. In a large heated pan add 2 Tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil, along with the red onion, bay leaf, salt, black and red pepper flakes, sauté for approx. 2 min
2. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, lemon zest, sauté another 2-3min add the eggplant and sauté’ an additional 3-4 minutes
3. Clear off a hot spot in your pan, add the Dijon mustard into the center of it, then a minute later add the red wine vinegar, lower the flame to medium-high heat, stir to coat the rest of the ingredients
4, When the vinegar smell dissipates, add the chicken stock and reduce until almost all of the liquid is gone
remove from flame and wilt in the spinach

Greek Mayo
- 8 oz fat free Greek yogurt
- 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
- ½ tsp. dried oregano
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice
- zest of ½ lemon
- 1 ladle of the sautéed eggplant mixture

Directions
1. Combine all of the ingredient into a food processor for approximately 45 sec to a minute, mixture should be thick in consistency

Oven Roasted Orange Coriander/Sage Yam Fries
- 2 lbs yams
- ½ lb shallots (sliced thin)
- 1 tsp. ground sage
- 1 tsp. ground coriander
- zest of 1 large orange
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- ½ tsp. Sea salt
- ¼ taps course ground black pepper

Directions
1. Peel the yams and cut into ½ inch strips lengthwise
2. Place into large bowl and add the shallots and the rest of the remaining ingredients, mix with hands
4. Be sure to coat all of the fries with the herbs and spices and place in a single layer on a baking sheet (mix with your hands for the best results
5. Place on middle oven rack in a pre-heated oven at 425 degrees for 30 – 40 minutes

Plating Your Burger
1. First, remove most of the dough from the roll and spread the topping on both sides of a whole-wheat roll. 2. Place fresh spinach on the bottom of the roll, add the burger and the sautéed vegetables for the topping
3. Place the yam fries and the Greek yogurt eggplant spread in lieu of catsup for a dipping sauce

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)

Apparently eating 40 cheesesteaks, and 60 Italian hoagies wasn’t enough for 610 WIP’s Glen Macnow. This morning “The Professor” announced his Hot Specialty Sandwich Safari, an adventure to take down as many sandwiches as possible by June.

So what constitutes a “hot specialty sandwich”? In Glen’s eyes it’s anything besides cheesesteaks, grinders, burgers and hot dogs – roast beef, roast pork, meatball or chicken cutlet and others are all game. Macnow has already kicked it off with eight sandwiches; including some of our favorites like Paesano’s Arista, Bubby’s Brisket at Honey’s Sit N’ Eat, and the Chicken Cutlet from Tony Luke’s.

Macnow is taking user submissions, so head over to the official Sandwich Safari page and lend him your sandwich expertise. We’d love to know in the comments here what sandwich you submitted!