Peng's Palate

Being a child of immigrant parents I wonder what it was like for my parents when they first arrived to the United States and had their first taste of American food. Was it something repugnant or delicious?  Were the textures different?  My parents nowadays have formed a very strict and discriminatory palate. They know what they like and they are always “right” when it comes to things tasting a certain way. With regards to American food, they seldom enjoy any of it. The exceptions include a random burger craving by my mother (particularly for pastrami burgers), sausage of any types, usually because we fusionize it with asian pickles and rice, and most of all, my parents love steak. To them, there is nothing better than a rib-eye or new york steak loaded with sauteed mushrooms and onions.  Yet, when I speak of other foods or delve into my monthly cooking excursions, my parents often remark, “Why do you want to eat so much American food?” or  my mom reacting in her best I Love Lucy impersonation “Ewwww! That’s gross!”  When it comes to the comfort food I love so much (Casseroles, Meatloaf, Turkey Dinner, Friend Foods) I always get the same reaction. But there is one food, that  has stood the test of time against the prejudice of my parent’s palate. This food is what I call quintessential and firmly supplanted in the palates of all immigrants, travelers, visitors, patriots, and Americans. The food is hot dog.

While there are sausages of every type  across the world, from Italian to Chinese red sausage, to chorizo, kielbasa and brats, hot dogs to me are uniquely American. Part of this is the story of the hot dog and it’s immigrant beginnings and part of it is the association of hot dogs with America’s original pastime, baseball. I love hot dogs and sausages of all flavors from across the world. I recently took a trip to Denver to visit family and catch a much anticipated baseball game at Coors field between the Mets and the Rockies. While there, I had some of the best hot dogs ever and enjoyed  a slew of different American and American Fusion palate pleasers.

This is not a used-car lot

Steve’s Snappin Dogs – Thanks to Magazine 5820 for recommending this spot. Over half a year ago, I bought a magazine that had the peculiar name 5280 while shopping for some fresh foods in the Sunflower market. The magazine which I later learned was basically like SLC Mag, had a feature on the “best of Denver.” Many of the spots I visited while in Denver were because of this locale. Before the 2nd game of the Mets-Rockies series, my friends and I had a chance to go to the Body Worlds exhibit near Coors Field and grab a bite to eat. It wasn’t the best idea since the exhibit shocked me a bit by it’s display of plastinized human bodies, fetuses, and embryos. Yes, you read that right; there was an exhibit all about fetuses.  It was an “interesting” exhibit and educational for anyone able to stomach the realities of our bodies. I on the other hand was scarred by the obese cutaway. Following the Body Worlds, I somehow had a strange hankering for grub and by happenstance crossed roads with Steve’s Snappin Dogs. Voted as the “Top Hot Dog” by both editors and readers of 5280,  I had to try this supposed pantheon of pork pleasures. 5280 gives a brief review in their top lists:

“We’ve been all over the metro area to see if anyone can unseat this purveyor of hot dogs, but let’s face it, there’s no better dog in the city. Order it Chicago-Style (spicy mustard, green reslish, red onions, sliced tomato, celery salt, dill pickle spear, peppers), or do it up like Dallas (with chili con carne and cheddar-jack cheese), or eat it with nothing more than kethcup.” Well, let’s say that I tried those three suggestions and went the extra mile by ordering 6 different types of dogs, split between the three of us.

Mmmmmm, Hot Dog assembly line...

The pictures don’t it justice since you can’t taste the actual dog and take a bite into the special made dogs with the appropriate “snap” that gives Steve’s hot dog shop it’s name.  The dogs are shipped in from a company called Thumann’s in New Jersey, (making this dog even more authentic in my opinion) who uses the highest quality of seasonings and pork and beef that have that perfect balance of snap, meatiness, and a subtle salty flavor. There are so many different types of dogs. Here are the ones we had:

• Dallas Dog (Chili Cheese Dog)
  Chili con carne, cheddar jack cheese, (For NY Coney style, add yellow mustard & grilled red onion).
• Jersey Dog
  Spicy mustard, green relish, caraway sauerkraut, red onions and bacon.
• Atlanta “Slaw Dog”
  Chili con carne, cheddar jack cheese, coleslaw and red onions.
• California Dog
  Fried red and green peppers, lettuce, spicy mustard, cheddar jack cheese, sliced tomatoes.
• Memphis Dog
  BBQ sauce, bacon, grilled red onion and coleslaw.
• Chicago “Style” Dog
  Spicy mustard, green relish, red onions, sliced tomato, celery salt, dill pickle spear, sport peppers.

McCormicks– I must say that this was a pure surprise.  On our third day, we had planned to visit the Buckhorn Exchange, Denver’s oldest restaurant, but after walking in and seeing the walls adorned with animal heads and smelling a robust wildlife smell, we decided to go elsewhere. 5820 to the rescue. We found the corner pub just down the street from Coors Field and were just in time for happy hour.  What followed was a series of exceptional and well price meals that were an excellent prelude to the best day of our trip.  Here’s a gallery of our meals with the definitely cost conscious prices! :

Baby Back Ribs with Coleslaw x 2 - $3.95

Black Mussels with Coconut Milk, Fresh Ginger and Curry - $4.95

Crispy Calimari - $4.95

Seafood Cakes w/ Sriracha Aioli - $1.95

Stadium Food – Coor field is perhaps my newest favorite baseball stadium because of one thing and no it’s not Rocky Mountain Oysters. The reason ? COORS LETS YOU BRING IN OUTSIDE FOOD! Never have I heard of any pro sports or even minor league complex, allowing their guests to bring in outside food. Here I was during game 1 sneaking in sunflower seeds and then seeing some drunkards with a costco-size bag of peanuts thinking  “How on earth did they fit that bag of nuts in their pants?” (No Pun intended).  If only the Energy Solutions Areana, Spring Mobile Park, and The E-Center allowed such lenient food rules. I wouldn’t have to sneak a foot long hot dog or Moochies Sandwich in my pants to later see the grease stain soak through my 100$ jeans! Cheers to you Coors!

Now, to the food. Somehow I didn’t take any pictures of the entire offerings that Coors had. True they had their pretzel stick, also named the Tornadoughs, they had steak, ribs, and nachos. But best of all though was their Rockies Dog. A foot long Hebrew National dog (One of the best), this dog came loaded with all the fixins you’d want. They also have a foot long brat that is good but needs the help of mustard and less kraut.  Each baseball stadium in America has their own special food. At Fenway, they have the Lobster roll. What is Colorado’s unique culinary contribution? Bull Testicle. Yes, Rocky Mountain Oysters are their specialty. Found only in one section, (no one seemed to know where to find them when we asked) these overcooked and battered messes had no flavor. Sure it’s cow balls but honestly, it’s nothing to squirm or elate over.  Trust me.

Food purest beware! Balls and a long dog.

Pho So 1 – A nice pho shop on Federal Blvd in Lakewood. They have absolutely some of the best Pho in Colorado. Best of all, they serve my favorite Hu Tieu Nam Vang : Phnom Penh Style noodles. No pictures for this one but it was a great place that you should stop by when in the area!

Popeyes – One of the reasons I love going to Colorado and pretty much anywhere outside of Utah to eat is because of the opportunity to find franchises you can’t find here in Utah. Until recently,  Utahns had to go south towards Vegas to get their In-N-Out fill. I have countless friends now who eat  at one of the many recently opened Utah Locations  on a weekly if not daily basis.  I feel the same with Popeyes and would probably be there every day if there was a franchise in Utah (There is one on Hill Air Force Base but it’s restricted).  When I visit Nevada or California to see my family, Popeye’s is on the list. I’ll keep the infatuation brief in this blog since it’s a franchise but the reason why I love Popeyes is because they simply have the best chain fried chicken. You have to get the Spicy Chicken to really appreciate how flavorful it is compared to KFC and the greasy Church’s chicken.

So that concludes one of the best food trips I’ve had in a while.  It’s taken me a month or so to complete this but looking back on the food and experiences, I have to say Denver is a city with so much to offer when it comes to food, entertainment and palate loving plates. I still love Utah though.

Friend Meter: Everyone!