I Got a Woody

Hot dogs are a classic American food; perhaps, the reason for its beloved taste is that it is connected to so many memories, cook outs, and ball games.

In Hartford, Connecticut on Main Street, Woody's specializes in hot dogs that you won't find in any ballpark. Instead, you'll find hot dogs that have pulled pork, cheddar cheese, and barbecue sauce or coleslaw and chili.




The inside of Woody's is really cool. The memorabilia is everywhere: Hartford Whalers, Toy Story, plaques, jerseys, beer...it's like the ultimate man's basement.

It was time to order. The Belly Busters got three dogs:

1. Dog with pulled pork, cheddar, and bbq

2. Dog with coleslaw and chili

3. Dog with peppers and onions

The actually hot dog is good (fried), the bread is warm and lightly toasted, but the toppings are the selling point. The coleslaw was crisp and fresh and combined with the chili, created a great contrast between sweet and hot. The dog with the bbq, cheddar, and pulled pork was featured on Man Vs. Food and it very good as well.

VERDICT: Here's the deal...the dogs are good, they truly are. But, if you're from Connecticut, the hot dogs are very similar to that of competitor Frankies. However, where Woody's has Frankies beat is the different, fun, and fresh toppings that kick the dog up a notch. Therefore, we would recommend Woody's not because the dog is mind blowing, but what YOU CAN DO with the dog is.

3 Belly Bustins out of 4

The Meatball Shop

You eat em' with pasta. You eat em' on subs. Two questions: when have you had a really good one and when have you had one for a meal? The notion that two young dudes would turn that food group known as the Meatball into a full fledged joint in New York City, specializing in the little round suckers, is a feat that deserves to be recognized if not applauded.

One can tell much about the personality and tone of The Meatball Shop (located on 84 Stanton Street between Allan and Orchard) simply by its hours: Mon-Wed 12 p.m.-2 a.m. & Thur-Sun
12 p.m.-4.a.m. That's right suburban folk...not only is it an eatery that sells primarily nothing but dishes that involves meatballs (except for its homemade ice cream sandwiches, which we will get to), but you can indulge in them at 3 o'clock in the morning if you get that craving after a drunken night out in the club, a rush of the munchies, or other reasons that perhaps you do not wish to disclose at the moment. Whatever the case may be, the owners of the "Shop" were smart in understanding that we young adults NEED ACCEPTABLE LATE NIGHT FOOD; enough diners and taco bell. The idea was fantastic but the main test in the form of a question for the "Shop"...how's your balls?

First off, the place has the right idea aesthetically. Heavy wood and brick accents radiate the feeling of old-style butcher market. On the walls, you can see different types of meat grinders with a mixture of black and white photographs of people you don't know but it all adds to the New York feeling of the place. You can tell the restaurant wants to promote the idea of warmth and a jovial interaction. This is not the type of joint where you escape into a private booth with your love interest...instead, a large, family style table stretches down the middle of the restaurant which immediately encourages customers to let their guard down...no one is a stranger here at The Meatball Shop. The waiting staff was pleasant and wine selection was impressive. On the board above the bar, they list the different types of grapes as the various wines are presented beside it. One can tell, by the simple layout of the shop, it is meant to feel different...meant to feel like an old butcher store yet with an odd homage to Mom's kitchen table. The Belly Busters really give the atmosphere a top notch rating. Staying true to form in the indulgence of the simplistic, you order your food by marking it down with an erasable marker on a plastic laminated menu. The menu is direct...you choose the type of meatball you want (beef, pork, chicken, salmon, weekly special, or veggie) then the sauce (classic tomato, spicy meat, mushroom gravy, Parmesan cheese) and then a side or a green. For sides there were a couple of selections such as mashed potatoes, spaghetti, rigatoni, risotto, and, here's the cool thing, you can choose whether you want it UNDER or to the side of the meatballs. Now, of course, you can order a sandwich with meatballs, but we wanted to try them without the bread interfering.

Above, is what Mike ordered. It was the spicy pork balls with the spicy meat sauce over steamed spinach. Let's end any further speculation...these balls get an F for Fantastic. Truly, the quality of the meatballs comes from the hand-rolled texture and the smooth but flavorful consistency of the meat. It was not overcooked or burnt on the outside, delicate enough to cut with little pressure from your fork. The spinach was equally impressive and not only gave the dish a lovely presentation, but also, a wonderful contrast to the meat. Yet, what's great about the portions is that it represents a very European state of mind. The focus is not on the amount but on HUGE flavor. You finish your dish satisfied but not bloated.

Paul ordered the classic meatballs with the classic tomato over mashed potatoes. Although both meatballs were fantastic, the classic meatballs definitely had more flavor than the pork ones and Belly Busters would definitely recommend getting the CLASSIC MEATBALLS with CLASSIC TOMATO over spinach. Not to say that both dishes weren't excellent, but the classic meat has an edge.

Just when thinking culinary life could not get any better, The Meatball Shop also specializes in homemade ice cream sandwiches. I don't think there is a restaurant Busters has been to that has so successfully tapped into the inner-child of us all with such elegant simplicity. Mike ordered the classic chocolate chip with vanilla ice cream and it delivered. The ice cream was vanilla bean which was very good but perhaps a more creamier flavor would benefit the sandwich. Again, Busters is just nit-picking here...the dessert was absolutely wonderful. The cookies were moist and fresh with nice chocolate chunks baked right into it.

VERDICT: Overall, The Meatball Shop is a must visit if you are in the area...and by area, we mean an hour radius. First off, you won't find a joint like it...Meatballs for your entree and ice cream sandwiches for dessert. There are no appetizers, no pretentious breadbaskets, and you won't have to worry about reviewing the gauntlet of specials in your head. The only thing you have to decide is how to take your balls. That brings us to the second point of the meatballs themselves...they are delicate, beautiful, and most importantly, delicious. Plain and simple, get down to The Meatball Shop for a quick lunch, a lazy dinner, or a late night excursion with your friends and experience it for yourself.

3 1/2 Belly Bustins out of 4


For more info, check out: http://www.meatballshop.com/index.html

This Ain't a Friendly Ghost: The Ghost Pepper

Buffalo Cantina, Brooklyn, New York...we stand outside the small, empty restaurant as bikers pass by in the night and the sounds of the city echo in the background. We heard of a wing...a wing made with the hottest pepper in the world that not even the dude from Man Vs. Food dared to try.

We walk in...the place is like a Mexican restaurant, kind of weird to start with, but okay, let's roll with it. The three of us take our seat and the waitress comes over with a delicate smile on her face as if she already knows what we're going to ask...and she did. We wanted to try the wings made with the hottest pepper known to man; simply known ominously as "The Ghost Pepper".

Here's a quick rundown on the pepper:

From India
Known as the Bhut Jolokia pepper
It is over 200 times hotter than Tabasco sauce
In development to be used as a weapon (seriously)

We order the dish, not daring to even attempt the insane challenge of 12 under 10 minutes. But we still just wanted a taste of these buggers. Mike went to the bathroom to take a piss and sure enough, on the wall, a warning of the 10 things that will happen to you once eating these wings...one of them being painful diarrhea. "Just a scare tactic" Mike thought.

The wings came to our table....

You are looking at the hottest wings known to man...it pains us just looking at them.

Mike was the first one to grab them as Fusco and Paul began eating their wings that they had ordered.
Mike quickly ate one whole wing and waited...nothing...

Then, a pain like nothing he has ever felt overtook him. He began to literally sweat and indulge in eating french fries and drinking diet coke to try and stop the pain. This was just the beginning: his eyes began to tear up and his nose began to run as if he had a terrible cold. IT HURT TO BREATHE...without a doubt, this was the most painful experience he has ever had eating food in his entire life.

Fusco and Paul followed and their pain echoed Mike's. Fusco actually got some sauce in his eye and began to panic until finally, it seemed to dissipate from his contact.

This wing causes at least 20 minutes of pain before you even start to feel better and to have more than one is downright suicidal.

VERDICT: Try it...just to see your friends in pain. It definitely is worth the trip especially if you love hot wings. We would recommend doing this just to say you tasted "The Ghost". The hottest wings in the world delivers on it's promise.

4 out of 4 belly bustins'

The Battle of Philly

Okay, so look...everyone's heard of it...the Philly Cheese Steak. Yes, it did supposedly originate in Philly: it actually was first sold out of a hot dog stand by the Olivieri brothers in the Italian Markets. ANYWAY, the real reason we came down here...

GENOS vs. PATS- for years these two places (located right across the street from each other) has argued in debate over which cheese steak is better and The Belly Busters went down to settle it once and for all. Geno's is your classic, all-american, blind patriotism, speak English or die type of joint...which is cool. Pat's is kind of the same but less particular about your nationality. At these places you gotta' order it proper "A Whiz Wit!" means a Sandwich with cheese whiz and onions.

To the left of you is GENO'S. We ordered the classic sub with Cheese Wiz...a hometown favorite. If you notice Geno's does not cut up their steak but serves it in slices. The cheese steak was very good and in the middle of freezing December, a warm cheese steak at Pat's looked promising.





We got to Pat's, still trying to remember the taste of Geno's in our minds to judge properly and we ordered the regular steak sandwich. As we finished the sandwich, we determined Geno's was better but we missed one glaring difference........we didn't order it with cheese wiz like we did at Geno's.

As you can see, Pat's serves their sandwich with shredded steak. This was the first sandwich we ordered and it couldn't stand up to Geno's. However, we realized, that we needed to be fair so we ordered one wit cheese at Pat's. WOW...what a difference.

THE VERDICT: Well, Philly Fanatics, here's the deal: both sandwiches were hella good but ultimately all three Belly Buster members agreed that....

PAT'S STEAKS is the better Philly Cheese Steak due to the quality of meat and better bread. If you are going to do this taste test on your own, PLEASE make sure you order the EXACT same sandwich from each place...or else you could be making the same mistake we initially did. But anyhoo, with Philly's case finally solved, The Belly Busters crew took a long run up the Rocky Steps and shook their fist in another victory.

Mike at Pat's Fusco at Geno's

BIGGEST Pancake in the Country

Imagine a pancake the size of most medium pizzas and you somewhat have an idea of what it's like to eat a pancake at THE COUNTRY PANCAKE HOUSE in Ridgewood, New Jersey.

Paul, Mike, and Fusco walked into the pancake house when they were not so busy (on prime days, you could be waiting up to an hour plus) but there was still the bustle of college students from the local campus. The setting was nice...almost reminded us of Greenwich, Connecticut: high end shopping outlets distributed on a slanted road with lawyer's wives walking their dogs and German automobiles occupying meter spaces.

We sat down in the joint almost right away. Odd pictures of farm animals were painted on the walls. When it came time to order, Fusco, in an unprofessional move, decided to get the omelet while Paul ordered the banana pancakes and Mike just the regular pancakes to judge the quality of the batter (a pet peeve).

Sure enough, when the pancakes were served, they were as large as advertised and the smile on our faces were uncontrollable.

HOWEVER, BE WARNED---at Belly Busters were pull no punches and the honest review of this experience was a C+. All The Belly Buster members were very happy they went to the Country Pancake House just to see the large pancakes but THEY WERE NOT TASTY. The pancakes were dry (even though Paul says his was slightly more moist due to the banana) but it is our belief that they are able to sell such large pancakes at such a reasonable price (5.99 for the two) by using incredibly cheap batter.

If you are a food aficionado, you can tell when your local diner has skimped out on their pancake mix. You see excellent pancakes are ones that taste exactly like the name denotes...essentially like a light cake: a warm, moist and fluffy center. When was the last time you had a thin and dry cake and said "Oh, this was good...?"

Pancakes that are made properly? Look at DOTTIE'S DINER in Woodbury, Connecticut which has such great pancakes because they use the same batter that they have for their homemade donuts, which requires a heavier and more expensive batter. However, batters that are light and watery will create a pancake that is dry and has a cardboard like texture (almost like the bread at Church). Ultimately, the pancakes were more satisfying to play with and look at than eat.

VERDICT: Go for the size, not the taste or service.

2 belly bustins' out of 4

FOOD CHALLENGE: The Sliders Dirty Dozen

Introducing...THE DEADLY DOZEN. These are the HOTTEST wings that Sliders has to offer. On the scale of their wing chart (the hottest being SUICIDAL), The Deadly Dozen ranks above that, towering high as the hottest, most deadliest challenge it has to offer.

Jay Fusco, the Belly Buster member who decided to undertake this challenge, is no stranger to wings. In fact, this man eat, sleeps, and yes, drinks straight up buffalo wing sauce as if it were a favorite American pastime. Let's look at the rap sheet:
JAY FUSCO WING RECORD
1. Once ate 47 Hooters Wings in one sitting
2. Consistently orders Buffalo Sauce on the side of every meal
3. Has methods to wipe a wing clean in one bite.
4. Has eaten (as has all Belly Buster members) one wing made with Bhut Jolokia pepper (Ghost Pepper) THE HOTTEST PEPPER IN THE WORLD...see earlier post for update on how that went.

Fusco sat down at Sliders the same night Paul completed (or failed) the burger challenge and knew, after only eating ONE WING from the Ghost Pepper challenge, he had to bounce back like Jordan. Jay first contemplated ordering his own dozen as to not spoil his dinner, but recommendations from the waitress forced him to do otherwise.

The Deadly Dozen were served...no one was allowed to touch them...just the smell was enough to make one's nose drip...Jay was on the clock.

Jay's plan was to eat the wings fast as to not let the burning sensation linger too long. He began to eat and as he did, flashbacks of the Ghost Pepper failure in New York pushed him to complete the challenge. Finally, he devoured all the wings and was forced, in order to be crowned a victor, to wait 10 minutes without any drink.

The 10 minutes passed as the picture to the left denotes, he described the experience as "painful". Soon after he had won, Mike followed him out of the restaurant where he puked behind a dark alley (would have taken picture if lighting was better). Even though Jay puked, his picture will forever be up on the wall in Sliders Plantsville Connecticut...and that is pretty "hot".

FOOD CHALLENGE: The Sliders Burger

The Belly Busters have traveled around the East Coast experiencing tasting the HOTTEST wings in the world made with the Indian Pepper called the "Ghost Pepper" (also used as a weapon in India) however, at Sliders in Plantsville, Connecticut, Paul Blood and Jay Fusco took on two challenges, and one came out victorious.

The table was set...we sat down on a midly crowded mid-week day and realized at the end of the table lay a challenge that beckoned out to us....a challenge that even the world's best could not overtake. It was the SLIDERS BURGER CHALLENGE..included on the burger that you see to your left is:

1. Four 1/2 Pound Burger Patties
2. Eight Slices of Cheese
3. Pulled Pork
4. Chili
5. Onion Rings
6. TWO whole hamburger buns
7. TWO orders of Steak Fries
8. Lettuce/Tomato/Onion
9. Oh, and Bacon



The challenger was PAUL BLOOD...he began to devour the burger piece by piece as the waitress stood by. The rules were, you had to finish the burger in under 40 some odd minutes. Paul struggled as he neared the end but Mike's rallying and motivational taunts of looking like a failure pushed him to eat.

OUTCOME: Paul DID finish the burger...ALL OF IT...however, he could not overtake the steak fries which were dry and just plain superfluous. In Belly Buster's opinion, Paul defeated the challenge because he took down the largest burger that these three men have ever seen in person. Yet, his quest for immortality up on the Sliders' wall will have to wait. After Paul was finished he simply said, "Dude, I can't eat anything for another three days". Sometimes the greatest of champions go unnoticed....and Paul's commitment to taking down the burger beast at Sliders marks one of The Belly Buster's greatest accomplishments.