The top (hot) dogs on South Street

The second annual Dogs Days of Summer Hot Dog Cook-Off brought pro and amateur chefs and nearly 1,000 attendees to the Shambles on Headhouse Square on Saturday, July 20. The event was sponsored by the South Street Headhouse District.

When the smoke had cleared, the judges and attendees happened to agree on the top three choices:

1st Place -- Bistro Romano (chef Ricardo Rodriquez and manager Anthony Santini Jr.) serving the "Osso Bucco Milanese Dog," an all natural 100-percent Angus beef hot dog wrapped in proscuitto di parma with grilled romaine,  osso bucco, homemade Kennett Square mushroom risotto, roasted Jersey tomato, fried onion strings, and shaved Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.

2nd Place -- Lucky's Last Chance chef Kyle Murphy serving the "Good Ol' Dog," a dog topped with pulled pork and Carolina-style BBQ sauce.

3rd Place -- The Twisted Tail chef Leo Forneas serving the "Shrimp & Bacon Dog," a shrimp dog with spicy bacon marmalade, pickled red onion, and shaved lettuce on a brioche bun.

Also competing were Hot Diggity, La Calaca Feliz, Alla Spina, Brauhaus Schmitz, Border Springs Lamb Farm, Bridget Foy's, and Copabanana.

In the amateur division, you'll actually be able to sample the winning dog. It was Hahri Shin's "Seoul Dog," which  featured grilled pork belly, ssamjang paste, hot sesame oil, Shiso Leaves, kimchi, onions, and pickled daikon radish. Event organizer Keith Garabedian of Hot Diggity (630 South St.) is putting it on his menu for August.

Shin deftly mixes his left brain and right brain; he's senior programmer at CenterX / Healthcare Information Technology.

Judges in the pro category were Councilman Mark Squilla, Matt Cord (WMMR), Tony Luke Jr. (Tony Luke's), journalist Drew Lazor, George Spencer (NBC10) and Amanda Nguyen (event sponsor Green Mountain Energy Company).

Judges in the amateur division were Hot Diggity's Garabedian, chef Scott Schroeder of South Philly Tap Room and American Sardine Bar, Danya Henninger of Zagat Philly, and Holly Moore of Hollyeats.com, who filed this great photo album on Facebook..

The next major South Street Headhouse District event will be hosting the next Food Trust Night Market, from 6 to 10 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 15.