Shank's At Pier 40

Need a plumber? How about an electrician? Stand in line at the new Pier 40 location of Shank's, and you can easily find a repairman to fix your sink. Or your lights. Or probably anything that's broken.

The South Philly location of Shanks Original (original location near the Italian Market closed and reopened on 15th St. in Center City last summer, and they added a second location at Pier 40 along Columbus Blvd. at the end of 2009) appears to be a great location for working men and their trucks to easily pull in for a traditional Philly hoagie lunch break.Not quite as mod and glam as the architect's rendering, this small box on the side of the road has little indoor space for placing orders, but smartly has a window that opens up to take orders from the long lunch lines that form outside. When warm weather arrives, perhaps the patio area will be filled with tables and seats, as the architect envisioned.There are two veggie hoagies on the Shank's menu (not counting the breakfast hoagies, which I'll have to return for — egg, cheese, potato, and spinach sounds like a good combo to me), and I tackled them both.
The Eggplant sandwich can be ordered Shank's Style (pan-fried, lightly breaded eggplant with greens and homemade gravy) or Parmagiana Style (pan-fried, lightly breaded eggplant with homemade gravy and Provolone).

I went Shank's Style with spinach instead of broccoli rabe. Every thing — eggplant, spinach, and a mound of tomato gravy — goes on the grill to get heated before being tucked into the long Italian roll. What I liked about this sandwich were the ultra thin slices of eggplant with crispy fried edges. No thick-cut spongy eggplant here.
The Veggie with pan-fried, lightly breaded eggplant, broccoli rabe, roasted peppers and Sharp Provolone was not different enough from the Eggplant to really warrant another listing in the sandwich column, in my opinion; it's all just a fried eggplant hoagie. Slap some gravy on The Veggie and you've essentially got the Eggplant.

Always a fan of sauce, though, I preferred the Eggplant. And bitter broccoli rabe is not a favorite of mine, but I braved it just in case they laid their hands on a mild bunch. They didn't.

While these are great hoagies (the thin-sliced eggplant is a revelation) from an iconic Philly hoagie maker, this non-native Philadelphian will never be head over heals for the Philly-style veggie hoagie with fried eggplant, broccoli rabe, and Sharp Provolone that can be found at Chickie's and other Philly hoagie institutions. It's just not in my blood.

Shank's Original at Pier 40
901 S. Columbus Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19147
215-218-4000
Mon-Sat, 7:30am-4pm

Chickie's

Chickie's, the tiny sub shop near the intersection of Federal and 10th in South Philly has won numerous local awards for best veggie hoagie, and even claims to be the "originator of the veggie hoagie." I'm not sure anyone can claim to be the first to stick veggies in a roll, but I certainly can't resist sampling an award-winning hoagie, especially when it resides so close to home.What exactly is in Chickie's famous veggie hoagie that even meat-eaters love? Broccoli rabe sauteed with garlic, baked eggplant, roasted red peppers, and sharp Provolone cheese nestled in a seeded Sarcone's roll. Very Italian.

But wait. What's that on the menu? A fried tomato hoagie? Aw, I just went ahead and got one of those, too.

You see, I know what I like, and I don't like broccoli rabe (too bitter) or slabs of baked eggplant (mushy) on hoagies -- but I tried one anyway. I've actually had a sandwich similar to Chickie's veggie hoagie elsewhere (not nearly as good, for sure), and it's not for me. Maybe it's the Southern in me and the absence of any Italian, but fried tomato hoagie with roasted peppers, lettuce, cheese, and mayo (hold the bacon and turkey) sounded just right. Yep, I know what I like, and I liked the fried tomato sandwich better. The curious part is that the tomatoes were ripe. I was fully expecting fried green tomatoes, but this ain't no Southern sandwich; it's South Philly, yo. I can't help but think a firm green tomato would hold up better to frying, though, and add a bit of tartness. At any rate, I ate the whole thing, and enjoyed it very much.

While both hoagies are good, you'll know if you like Chickie's veggie hoagie or their fried tomato hoagie best before you order. You might even prefer one of their other specialty hoagies.

Chickie's fried tomato hoagie might be my second favorite sandwich from an Italian hoagie shop, but the veggie turkey hoagie at Capriotti's still remains number one for my taste buds.

Chickie's Italian Deli
1014 Federal St., Philadelphia, PA 19147
215-462-8040

Baba Ganoush

It's eggplant season! How about some baba ganoush?

But first, let me warn you that there are going to be two camps with this recipe: you either love mayonnaise and are open-minded; or you hate mayonnaise and are going to call foul. Either way is cool, 'cause I love mayonnaise and am open-minded enough to accept mayonnaise-haters and nay-sayers.

If you haven't guessed already, there's mayonnaise in this baba ganoush recipe. Why would I do such a thing? Because I can suck down a tub of Sabra baba ganoush through pita straws faster than you can say falafel with all the works.Sabra's baba ganough is creamy, tangy, slightly sweet, and has no trace of bitterness from tahini which is usually in this Mediterranean roasted eggplant dip (tahini is my friend, but not my bff). I turned Sabra's container around to read the ingredients, and, who'd a thunk it, there's mayonnaise in there! No wonder I love the stuff.

You either like Sabra's or you don't; like tahini, or you don't; like mayonnaise or you dont. Such is life.

Going straight from Sabra's ingredient list (minus those weird words that don't reside in my kitchen), I tried to recreate Sabra's baba ganoush. Pretty close! Baba Ganoush

2 large Italian eggplants
1 large garlic clove, chopped
1/2 -3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoon salt

• Half eggplants lengthwise, place cut side down on an oiled baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes in a preheated 375 degree oven. Cool until can be handled. Scrape out pulp from skin, and drain pulp in a colander for 10 minutes.
• Add eggplant pulp, garlic, mayonnaise, sugar, lemon juice, and salt in food processor, and pulse a few times until blended. Transfer to a bowl, and serve.
• Note - if using a mayonnaise with sugar in the ingredients, cut back or omit the sugar in the recipe.