Mr. Nice Guy's Hot Box

This article was originally published in seveneightfive magazine in August 2015.

I’ve found the perfect hangover food: a Philly from Mr. Nice Guy’s Hot Box in Oakland. After a night

out, this sandwich is what my stomach needs to recover quickly for the next day ahead.

A small, hole-in-the-wall at 2601 NE Sardou Avenue, Mr. Nice Guy’s Hot Box is just that, a little hot box. There are two large booths and one smaller one along one wall, and the ordering counter and kitchen on the other wall. That’s about it and I love it. Another local favorite.

I’ve only tried the Philly Guy once before and I got one measly bite. This time, I got the entire thing to myself, and that’s the only way to do it, I don’t like sharing. It comes with a bag of chips, but chips are chips, am I right? The sandwich is on a hoagie-style bun and overflowing with beef, peppers, onions, mushrooms and white cheese sauce. Just looking at it as the waitress brought it over I began salivating and I heard my tummy rumble. It was love at first sight, (ok second sight, but I still loved it the first time!) 

The cheesesteak is served with a fork, but I like getting my hands dirty so I threw aside the fork and ate it the way a sandwich is supposed to be enjoyed -- with my hands. The cheese melted down my fingers, but that didn’t stop me and added to the experience. I think by the end it was even running down my face. There are plenty of napkins for later, so I just dug in. The cheese melts throughout the sandwich and coats the meat and the veggies, but there’s enough that some stays on top, too. It’s ooey, gooey and messy but that’s part of the fun.

I must note that I normally order items like this without peppers or onions. The first time I tried a bite, the friend’s sandwich had both of those ingredients on it, and I found I didn’t mind them. I feel like, a true Philly Cheesesteak has to have peppers and onions on it, so I went ahead and ordered it the way it’s meant to be. The peppers were cooked just to the point where they are still tender but not crunchy, so that really helped. The flavor of the sauteed green peppers, onions and mushrooms complimented the sandwich and I was appreciative that I left them on.

After a night of drinking and eating greasy food, the Philly Guy is there to comfort you. It’s not greasy but it has lots of meat and cheese, all stuffed into a soft bun. And if a Philly isn’t something that suits your fancy, breakfast is served until 11 a.m. and they have all kinds of pulled pork and barbecue items on the menu. I have to say, though, I’ll probably stay faithful to the Philly Guy every time.

Capital City Food Truck Festival -- Day 2

I returned for Day 2 and wasn't disappointed.

First, Visit Topeka fixed some of the initial problems by moving the food trucks apart and spacing

Pulled pork, Mr. Nice Guy's

everything out a bit more. There were also better markers indicating where the lines should go and end, so there was less confusion today. There were just as many people, though.

Topeka definitely turned out for this event, and organizers were not expecting the turnout. I heard over 4,000 people attended on Friday alone, and even more are coming out today, (Saturday). Some food trucks were running out of food, but that happens with food trucks. They only have a limited amount of space, so that happens.

Philly Cheesesteak, Mr. Nice Guy's

When Ryan and I first got there today, we jumped into Mr. Nice Guy's line, which didn't seem too long. We only waited about 30 minutes to order and a few more for our food which was acceptable. We got a pulled pork sandwich and a Philly cheesesteak. The pork sandwich was good, but nothing special. I think they roast the meat as opposed to smoking it, which is fine with me, it was still tender, juicy and good. My favorite barbecue sauce, Sweet Baby Ray's was available for smothering so that was a plus.

The Philly cheesesteak is what I'd write home about, though. I've heard people talk about how Mr. Nice Guy's, located in Oakland, has the best cheesesteak in town, and now I know they weren't lying. I don't even like green peppers but I could eat this sandwich without complaint. I tried a couple bites of Ryan's and couldn't get over the fact that the green peppers didn't bother me. The meat is tender, steaming hot and the melted cheese sauce makes it that much better. I would order it again, never mind the pulled pork.

Chocolate avocado smoothie,
photo courtesy of Bailey Mushok

Next, we tried the Purple Carrot Co-Op, where you can find vegan cuisine. Their line wasn't long but they always seemed to have one. We had to try one of their avocado chocolate smoothies because we kept hearing good things from other people. The smoothie was  definitely different, but still good. It was bright green with chunks of dark chocolate floating around in it. At first I wasn't sure about it, but after a few swigs I quickly realized I really liked it. I The chocolate chunks melted in your mouth and blended well with the strong avocado flavor and I thought the two flavors worked together.

As we were waiting for our shake, X-Marks the Spot showed up so I jumped in line to wait for them to open. We waited for about an hour because they were being inspected, (Blue Moose had the same thing before they could open), but then only waited about 10 minutes for our food to be cooked. I got a grilled chicken wrap and Ryan got the Wrigley Dog, which seemed like a Chicago dog just with a different name. It was a little different, but pretty much a Chicago dog.

I appreciated the chicken wrap because it featured salad greens instead of iceberg lettuce, which most

Grilled chicken wrap, X-Marks the Spot

places use. The chicken was juicy and hot, the mustard didn't overwhelm me and I liked the tomato bacon jam. It was sweet and smokey thanks to the bacon. The tortilla didn't rip and everything stayed together until the very end. I would order this wrap again, but I may try the veggie wrap next time.

X-Marks the Spot was not serving their pickle fries, (my favorite) but with good reason. The pickles were messing up the fryer and causing longer wait times I'm sure, because when you batter and fry things, much of the batter separates off and leaves little floating pieces of overcooked batter which sticks to other fried items, wreaking havoc on your fryer. I don't blame them for taking the pickles off the menu. Hopefully that is only for the festival and the pickle fries will be back on their regular, daily menu. I didn't ask.

The Wrigley Dog, X-Marks the Spot

The Wrigley Dog looked pretty amazing, probably about like an authentic Chicago dog. The only thing that stood out to me as way different was the bun. It seemed like they weren't as soft and yeasty as the buns I remember in Chicago, they were a little more dense, but that's not to say it was bad. It's not from Chicago, so of course it will be a little different.

Overall, I feel like the Capital City Food Truck Festival was a hit. New events always have kinks to be worked out, and as long as the event coordinators are open to suggestions, things will be better next year. Even this year I thought was a great turnout, good, tasty food and Topekans showed up to support the event.