Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Crazy Like a Fox


Corn dogs and funnel cakes are now within reach without traveling to the Jersey Shore. The just-opened Fox & Son (512 N. 12th St., 215-372-7935), has brought these fried delicacies to Philadelphia's famed Reading Terminal Market. Even better, the menu is entirely gluten free and all items are made to order.


My son and I made a quick jaunt into the city over the weekend just to check out the stand, located toward the back right of the market (intersection of aisles C and 4). For starters, there are four different kinds of dogs to choose from: pork and beef, turkey, kosher and vegan. We opted for the kosher Classic ($4.99 or two for $8), but the corn dogs also can be dressed with corned beef hash, cheddar jalapeno or sweet potato, chorizo and sour cream ($5.99). The sweet corn flour coating was the perfect complement to the salty beef stick. For early birds, Fox & Son has a breakfast corn dog, made with sausage and topped with maple syrup.


We shared orders of poutine ($6.99), fried cheese curds and, of course, funnel cake. Poutine is a Canadian staple: a basket of French fries topped with cheese curds and gravy. Fox & Son's sauce was very much to our liking, more of an au jus than what you'd find at a Thanksgiving feast. The gooey, deep-fried cheese curds ($4.99), made locally at Birchrun Hills Farm, are served with a side of addictive ranch dressing.


Ah, the funnel cake ($5.99). Topped with powdered sugar and made with rice flour, it's doughy, sweet and melt-in-your mouth delicious.

We chased our meal with organic blood-orange fountain sodas from Idaho's Tractor Soda Co.; other flavors are available, as is fresh-squeezed lemonade and Mexican Coke.


Though several other merchants at the market offer gluten-free options, none have the variety or novelty that Fox & Son brings. My son was ecstatic to be able to enjoy foods he'd never had before in the comfort of a dedicated gluten-free eatery. With its proximity to the Pennsylvania Convention Center and Old City, Reading Terminal Market attracts many out-of-town visitors, but tourists and denizens alike should make their way to Fox & Son for a taste of the boardwalk any time of year.
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