You know how you can simply sign a form at the doctor’s office to make your whole medical history an open book to pretty much anyone who asks? And how if you don’t want to sign it you get to have a big argument with the office manager and the HIPAA compliance officer?
But Chow, Baby, who by the way won that tussle, digresses. The point is that it’s so easy these days to share your personal info, whether you want to or not, that Chow, Baby wonders why this can’t extend to condiments and toppings. Think of it: Instead of enduring endless cross-examinations – or worse yet, not being asked at all – you could simply swipe your food-preferences card to inform your server that you hate mustard on your burger, lettuce is OK on cold sandwiches but never on hot, onions are fine as long as they’re grilled instead of raw, and on down the list. To reduce error possibility, this could even bypass the server and be transmitted straight to the kitchen. That would be so cool.
On your hot sandwich or hoagie at Billadelphia’s (4105 Airport Fwy, Bedford), you can ask for cheese (white American, provolone, or Cheese Whiz), onions (grilled or raw), peppers (hot or sweet), pickles (sliced or relish), mustard (yellow or spicy), hot sauce (assorted), oil & vinegar, oregano, ketchup, mushrooms, pepperoni, lettuce, and/or tomato. Chow, Baby was not aware of this, though, until long after it had ordered “a real Philly cheese-steak, yes, with Whiz” ($6.95). Now this was a good sandwich – shaved, mildly seasoned rib-eye and a goodly amount of Whiz on a flown-in-from-Philly squashy Italian roll that nicely soaked up the meat grease – but something was missing. It just didn’t pop. So Chow, Baby got another one (still $6.95), this time specifying the necessary extras – and though this is one of those statements you never imagine coming out of your mouth, the grilled onions and sweet peppers really brought out the flavor of the Whiz. Goosebumps rose to the occasion.
Stuffed but still under budget, Chow, Baby hit the walk-up window for a couple of go-hoagies with enunciated add-ons. (This Billadelphia’s, near the intersection of Highways 157 and 183, is a little stand-alone building in a parking lot, with picnic benches on the side; the newer but still small location at 1112 N. Collins St. offers inside dining, a big-screen TV, and walls spackled with Philly memorabilia.) All that the fennel-and-herb-flecked Philly roast pork ($6.50) needed was provolone and small-extra-charge mushrooms, though even peppers and (bleh) mustard wouldn’t have drowned out this meat’s incredible juicy flavor. Oil and oregano perfected the Italian hoagie ($7.05) of classic Philly-deli meats: ham, pepperoni, salami, and capicola, a cured shoulder ham that’s perhaps best known as Tony Soprano’s favorite cold cut. Chow, Baby also loaded up on Philly-thentic Herr’s Potato Chips, a soft pretzel, Tastykakes in three flavors, Peanut Chews, and “crab fries” – french fries with Old Bay seasoning ($2.95 for truly large). Sure, it’s all heart-attack-inducing goodness, but now that Team Health Chow, Baby is fully staffed again, Chow, Baby feels free to go with the yo.
Contact Chow, Baby at chowbaby@fwweekly.com.
