Nostalgic hot dog and hamburger joint coming to Easton Public Market
“I am keeping the menu very small to focus on putting out an excellent consistent product,” Pichetto told lehighvalleylive.com. “We are not trying to reinvent the wheel with Rod’s, just sticking to the basics.”
05/10/2021
A taste of nostalgia is coming to the Easton Public Market when Rod’s Hot Dogs opens this summer.
The vendor will be serving up hamburgers, hot dogs and shakes in a space previously housed by Full of Crepe. The crepe eatery’s owners Mike and Rebecca Pichetto, of Nazareth, closed up the shop last year. Mike Pichetto is now the behind the hamburger and hot dog joint concept in the market.
“Full of Crepe was terrific and we genuinely enjoyed doing it, but it wasn’t my passion,” he said.
The Pichettos have since donated their crepe pans to Khanisa’s, a gourmet pudding shop in Easton. Owners Khanisa and Sean Darby plan to launch a crepe menu at their dessert shop, market representatives said.
Rod’s is being named after Pichetto’s late grandfather, Frank “Rod” Pichetto, who operated a hot dog cart in Rutherford, New Jersey, after World War II. Mike Pichetto wants to bring back what that cart was known for -- “rippers” -- which are Northern Jersey-style hot dogs fried until plump and crisp and then, split either at the ends or down the middle.
Patrons, however, will have a choice in how their dog is prepared during the frying process. Aside from the “rippers,” there’s “sinkers,” which are warmed through but not split or browned; and “ripper-crisp,” which are cooked two to three minutes longer than regular “rippers” so the dog becomes very crisp and brown.
Also on the menu will be bratwurst, chicken dogs, and vegan hot dogs. Burgers will be crafted from fresh ground beef delivered by Hellertown-based Saylors & Co. Scratch-made toppings will run the gamut from chili and onions to relish and cheese sauce. There also will be waffle fries and onion rings. Birch beer will be available to wash it all down, as well as milkshakes made from various ice cream flavors delivered by Bank Street Creamery in Easton.
Specialty shakes are expected to include a black-and-white and a malted version. Prices will be line with major fast-casual hamburger chains, such as Five Guys and Wayback Burgers, Pichetto said.
“I am keeping the menu very small to focus on putting out an excellent consistent product,” Pichetto told lehighvalleylive.com. “We are not trying to reinvent the wheel with Rod’s, just sticking to the basics.”
Megan McBride, Easton Public Market district director, said the market is thrilled to have the culinary talents of the Pichettos once again. The couple has been involved with the market since its doors opened in April 2016.
A North Jersey native, Mike Pichetto began his culinary background out of high school in what he describes as the “hard knocks,” meaning through the guidance of mentors. He worked at various mom-and-pop restaurants, moving up from washing dishes to bussing tables to eventually learning side-by-side by experienced chefs in the kitchen.
By 1993, Pichetto was working the kitchens of the Marriott Hotels & Resorts chain, where he was employed for more than a decade. Rebecca Pichetto, is a Belvidere, Warren County native, who earned a bachelor’s degree in business from Penn State University. She worked for various restaurants and country clubs across New Jersey. The couple met when Rebecca worked in event sales and Mike Pichetto served as banquet chef at the Bridgewater Marriott in Somerset County, New Jersey.
The couple moved to Easton in 2004 to open Vintage Restaurant in the Club at Morgan Hill in Williams Township. The Pichettos tried their luck with a few other restaurant projects after that before eventually opening 3rd & Ferry Fish Market, 56 S. Third St., in Downtown Easton, in 2013.
Asked if there are any plans for a fourth restaurant, Pichetto said he’s tapped out from operating eateries but not opposed to a retail concept. The retail project could happen in late 2021 or early 2022, he said. The couple’s three children remain young but their time working for the family businesses could happen in the near future.
“Their time in the dish room is fast coming,” Pichetto added.
Rod’s Hot Dogs will be open at the Easton Public Market, 325 Northampton St., from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.
The public market is now full with the addition of Rod’s.
Green Vida Co. Downtown held a soft opening last month in space that previously housed Olive With a Twist, which shuttered its market location this past summer. Green Vida’s market neighbors, ThreeBirds Nest, opened by fall 2020, replacing Fieldstone Coffee Roasters + Tea. Saylors & Co., a Hellertown butcher, opened in summer 2020, replacing Dundore & Heister. Dundore & Heister closed in January 2020.
Easton Public Market also currently includes Chocodiem, Highmark Farmstand, Mercantile Outpost, Mister Lee’s Noodles, Modern Crumb Bakeshop, More Than Q Barbecue, Scratch, Silvershell Counter + Kitchen, Taylor Taco Shop and Tolino Vineyards.
Credit: Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Updated Apr 15, 2021; Posted Apr 15, 2021 (www.lehighvalleylive.com)
