Chicky Grill in Copenhagen once again prove themselves as the only viable destination for a bøfsandwich in Copenhagen. Solid 5/5.
“The imagination of nature is far, far greater than the imagination of man.”
Back at Memphis Roadhouse in Aarhus, I went all in on the Kansas City ribs. Tender, juicy, tasty, and greasy - just how I like my ribs!
I do miss the mash with burned ends as a side, but the slaw was great and let’s be honest: Sides aren’t why you eat BBQ. A well deserved 4 out of 5 to Chris and his crew!
First grill session of the season in Denmark: Check! And that’s was a DAMN good burger. Nom nom.
“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”
Rumor had it that Karoline’s near Middelfart (yes, that IS a town name in Denmark) served a nice bøfsandwich with several homemade elements. So naturally expectations were up, when I swung by.
Yuk. How the HELL can anyone serve a beef in the shape of a baseball? Clearly this piece of beef had never been grilled. Boiled at best. And given the very chewy outside I’m wondering if they actually nuked this in a microwave?
Homemade gravy and remoulade gets you nowhere, when you’ve molested such a key piece of the sandwich. And the lack of onions doesn’t matter, as I can’t get lower than a 1 out of 5 grade. Whatever you do, DON’T go here!
No wonder my good friend, Mr. Cunningham, calls this Death’s Waiting Room…
An ode to Bacon
Don’t accept chemical knockoffs, slimmer versions, exotic variants, cheap speciments, or something that’s attempting to resemble taste the real thing!
Respect the pigs and demand your bacon to be authentic, fattening, and divinely tasting! Amen.
“The only thing that limits us, is the restriction of expectation that we allow society to put on ourselves.”
Where do you get the best hotdogs in the world?
This is a question I get asked frequently and while taste is individual, there is no doubt that I get to taste the very best hotdogs when I serve my annual duty as a hotdog judge in Denmark. But what’s more interesting - where’s your best chances of getting a good chien chaud fix?
The Hotdogjudge hard at work at the Danish championships in 2011.
My Danish hotdog roots
In Denmark, where I’m from, there is a great hotdog tradition. As in many other countries our fastfood culture has been flooded by mediocre burgers, pizzas and kebabs - and that has meant an abrupt decline in Danish hotdog stands from the 1970s and until today. However, most of those the remaining hotdog stands serve some pretty good stuff, typically in the 4 out of 5 range - a rather high average.
A classic Danish hotdog with a boiled red wiener.
Ze German influence on hotdogs
Allegedly the original hotdog tradition comes from Germany, specifically Germans immigrants in the US. However, these days hotdogs in Germany are synonymous with some very cheap and crappy versions from IKEA’s cafeterias - the Germans have rather gone all in on the currywurst as the preferred local fastfood, meaning it’s hard to get good hotdogs there as my recent travels confirm - but they do have lots of great sausages!
The United States of Hotdogs
It’s hard to argue that the hotdog has remained more popular anywhere than in the US. And while you can get great hotdogs in America, I think the general level leaves a lot to desire. Your average stadium dog or Nathan’s is 2 out of 5 in my book - and often not worth eating (fatal, even), if it wasn’t for the traditions often surrounding these venues. However, a place like Chicago keeps a strong tradition for some great hotdogs and some of the street vendors in New York have some pretty good stuff too. So it’s definitely possible to get great hotdogs - typically you just have to go out of your way to get them.
Brilliant 5 out of 5 hotdogs from Wurstküche in Los Angeles.
Copenhagen is a hotdog hub
If you want to indulge in many hotdogs of a generally high level, I recommend you visit Copenhagen - and while you don’t have to spend a weekend like I did, you’ll get your dog cravings satisfied for sure. Other than John’s Hotdog Deli as one of the most popular hotdog stands in central Copenhagen, I can recommend visiting Andersen Bakery in Tivoli for some delish gourmet dogs or get a fresh organic take on hotdogs at DØP. If you venture into the suburbs of Copenhagen, another good hotdog destintion is Bjarnes Pølser in the Ballerup area.
Homemade hotdogs at a party in Copenhagen.
What’s your recommendation?
While I’ve tried hotdogs all over the planet - from boerewors rolls in Cape Town to a sausage in a rice sausage with kimchi on top in Taipei - I still have a couple of places on the to do list, including Los Angeles, Reykjavik. and Cozumel. But I know that there are many more great hotdogs out there, that I haven’t tried yet - so my question is: Which ones should go on my ‘must visit’ list?
A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of visiting and eating lunch with the two-time Danish gourmet hotdog champion and bøfsandwich virgin, Paul Cunningham at Henne Kirkeby Kro. True to his roots, he of course had to serve the English equivalent to the hotdog in Denmark or the burger in the US: Fish and chips!
I am by no means a fish’n’chips expert - but this is the damn best I’ve ever tasted. Exquisite quality. Fresh. Simple. Crispy. Tasty. I fucking loved it, so I’ll be back for more, Paul!
“Love falls as easily on a tulip as on a turd.”
Don’t go to Köln without visiting Zülpicher Döner
Other than hotdogs, burgers, and gravy, I do like the occasional döner kebab - especially with lamb meat. In general Köln has a lot of great Turskish cuisine and naturally you also get one of the best kebabs around - the döner dürüm fom Zülpicher Döner.
Everything is homemade and fresh. Their sauces are good, excellent lamb, onions, pickled red cabbage and greens, as well as chili (optional). And you get plenty, so it’s really value for money.
The one thing that really stands out about Zülpicher Döner is their dürüm - a Turkish flatbread. Not only do they make it fresh, but they also put a coat of freshly ground vegetables and herbs on one side, before they bake it. That obviously ends on the inside of the döner, and wow it’s good!
It’s absolutely fantastic and a sure 5 out of 5, if I were to rate kebabs - which I guess I am now. But I have one question: Did anyone ever take a good mouthwatering picture of a döner kebab?
PS: The döner dürüm must inherently be the most rock’n’roll of all fastfoods, with no less than 3 heavy metal umlauts \m/
