hGMUB

34TH STREET Magazine February 13, 2013 Dining Guide
SEE SPOT YUM
On a block crowded with food trucks, Josh Kim’s SPOT Burgers stands out
BY JACK LAVIOLETTE | PHOTOS BY SARAH TSE
"Let me tell you something…
it’s the hardest
job I’ve ever had, but it’s
by far the most fun job I’ve
ever had.”
That’s what owner Josh
Kim had to say when I called
him to ask about SPOT
Burgers, his food truck located
at 33rd and Arch Streets.
When he opened up shop
there a year ago, it was the
only gourmet food truck in
the area. Faced with the challenge
of selling burgers from
$6.50 so close to cheaper,
greasier alternatives, Kim
knew the only way to succeed
was to create a product whose
superiority was undeniable.
And, as Zagat, USA Today
and others have proclaimed,
he’s done just that.
Kim’s background helps to
explain the uncompromising
approach SPOT takes with
its burgers, cheesesteaks and
pork sandwiches. Just a few
years ago, Kim, who holds
both an arts and a culinary
degree, was making six figures
at a security firm. “Sure,
it paid the bills, but it just
wasn’t gratifying,” he told
me. Fleeing the corporate
ladder, he sought a job that
could provide both money
and happiness. The result? A
six–foot long food truck.
The Whartonites among
us might scoff at such a decision;
Kim would scoff back.
“There’s no end to what you
can do with a burger. It’s ordinary
but the possibilities
are endless,” he said over the
phone. Take a gander at the
menu, and you’ll see what
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he means. Drawing on his
artistic creativity, both in
and out of the kitchen, Kim
dishes up unusual, unstoppable
sandwiches like a burger
(cooked perfectly medium
rare, with 100% sirloin he
butchered himself), covered
in lettuce, pickled daikon,
grilled onion, mushrooms,
gochujang and teriyaki, all
atop a toasted–golden bun.
Or perhaps you’d prefer a
pork sandwich, also butchered
in–house, covered in
slaw and barbecue sauce. Or
maybe a cheesesteak, among
the best in Philly, according
to his cadre of regulars. The
best part? Unlike most artists,
Kim is perfectly willing
to relinquish control and let
you build your own burger—
with unlimited free toppings.
I went for the Butcher Burger,
topped with crisp onion,
thick tomato slices with surprising
flavor for February,
Russian dressing and homemade
horseradish. Compared
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