79 replies to this topic

[hotdoglover]

I am a hot dog fanatic from N.J. I believe that we have the best and widest variety of hot dogs in the country. Everything from Italian Hot Dogs and Texas Weiners (both originated in North Jersey) to kosher style all beef dogs, German style pork and beef, deep fried rippers, dirty water dogs; N.J. has it all.

Connecticut runs a close second. Hummel and Grote & Weigel make excellent all beef dogs in the kosher style. Grote & Weigel makes great beef and pork franks; many of which are served in Jersey hot dog joints. My favorite Conn. frank is the deep fried dog at S****y Franks. A tasty Hummel dog. I've tried Super Duper Weenie. A beef/pork mix that is good; but I prefer the Grote & Weigel beef/pork frank and Thumann's (the best beef/pork frank in my opinion). Rawley's was ok; I prefer the other 2 Conn. places. If you like a pork based deep fried dog, nowhere beats Rutt's Hut. They use a Thumann's dog that is specially made for deep frying. It rips open when cooked long enough. Their relish is the best hot dog condiment there is. See the Sterns reviews of these places elsewhere on Roadfood.

My favorite dogs of each type, which I highly reccomend are:

1) Italain Hot Dog: Charlies Famous in Kenilworth, N.J. An Italian Hot Dog is 1 or 2 deep fried all beef dogs (usually Best's from Newark, N.J.) in circular Italian pizza bread topped with deep fried peppers, potatoes, and onions. Charlies has better peppers and gives you more vegetables and bigger dogs than Jimmy Buff's which is the originator of this type of sandwich. Jimmy Buff's (many locations) and Tommy's in Elizabeth are also good.

2) Kosher style grilled all beef dog: Syd's in Union, N.J. A big (5 to a lb) Best's all beef dog simmerred in water than charbroiled. Best all beef dog I've had. Father & Son in Linden (Grote & Weigel all beef) slow cooked on a griddle, and Boulevard Drinks in Jersey City (Sabrett) griddled, are good too.

3) German Style Pork/Beef: Galloping Hill Inn in Union (Grote & Weigel) has a flavorfull but subtle flavor. Made specially for them by G&W, it is different than other G&W dogs. A big, sturdy football shaped bun makes this a unique dog. Max's (Schickhaus) and the Windmill (Sabrett beef and pork) are also good.

4) Texas Weiner. This is a dog covered with chili sauce, mustard and onions. The "Hot" Texas Weiner is a deep fried dog with thinner and spicier chili. The "Plainfield area" Texas Weiner is griddled and served with thicker chili sauce. The best "hot" Texas Weiner is from the Hot Grill in Clifton. Libby's and the Goffle Grill are good also. For a great "Plainfield area" Texas Weiner, go to Texas Weiner ll on rt 22 in Greenbrook.

5) Deep Fried: Rutt's Hut. Cooked to different degrees of doneness. In and out (cooked just enough to eat) Ripper (cooked till the skin rips) Weller (more well done) and cremator (black). The best homemade relish. Hiram's (same Thumann's dog) and Callahan's (Sabrett beef and pork) are also good.

6) Dirty Water: Jerry's in Elizabeth. A best brand dog boiled and then finished off on a grill for extra crunchiness. Dees truck in Roselle Park is good also.

If you need directions to any of these places, feel free to cntact me. Oh, and for cooking at home, Usinger's from Milwaukee (usinger.com) and Best's from Newark, N.J. make the best all beef dogs. Sabrett, Grote & Weigle, and Hummel are very good too. For beef and pork, Thumann's makes the best dog. Schickhaus and Grote & Weigel are also very good. The Union Pork Store makes good home made German Franks and the best bratwurst you will ever taste. Forgive the long post, but hot dogs are one of my passions.

[yvonne johnson]

hot dogs are one of my passions.

You don't say

Welcome!

[mongo_jones]

what does "hot do glover" mean?

[Rail Paul]

Goffle Grill (Goffle Road in Wycoff, just south of NJ 208) plates a superb hot dog, I've been very impressed with it. The sit-down area is often packed from early in the morning until late night

Syd's in Union makes a good dog, but the recent construction on Vaux Hall Road makes it almost impossible to reach. If they finish the construction before I die, I'll stop by for another helping...

[hotdoglover]

The Goffle Grill serves a very good hot dog. North Jersey style Texas Weiner. They use the same Thumann's dog for deep frying that Rutt's Hut, Hiram's, Johnny & Hanges, and others use. Syd's is one of my favorite, if not the favorite Jersey dog. You can get there from Vauxhall Rd. in Union rather than by coming from Millburn where the road is blocked. Better yet, get off the Parkway at the McDonald's just before exit 142, go around behind it, and make a right onto Vauxhall rd. Take that about 2 miles to the Millburn Mall and Syd's.

[Rose]

john?

[Rail Paul]

There's a picture in the Star-Ledger today of politicos shaking hands on the newly-opened bridge at Vaux Hall Road on the Essex Union border. That's right in front of Syd's, so the road should be open now. Might get down to Syd's later today, if I'm lucky.

Rose - sounds like him...

[hotdoglover]

john?

I am that man!

[Rail Paul]

what does "hot do glover" mean?

hot...dog...lover

one who is amorous about frankfurter sausages

[hotdoglover]

Today I went to the Grand Opening of a new hot dog restaurant. Called Amazing Hot Dog, it is located in a small strip mall at 148A Bloomfield Ave. in Verona. http://www.amazinghotdog.com.

The serve natural casing 1/4 lb Best's all beef dogs. The dogs are quickly flash fried and pulled from the oil before the skin rips. This is a well seasoned beef frank that doesn't need to be in the oil for as long as a milder pork based dog. This place specializes in toppings. You can get cream cheese and scallions on your dog as well as a fried egg and bacon wrapped around it. There are many other toppings as well. They also serve hamburgers which are good, although a little small for the price ($4.25) and french fries that might be the best that I've had. Thin, boardwalk style fires that are fried twice and well seasoned.

I had a plain dog with mustard that was juicy, beefy, and tasty. I prefer the 5 to a lb dog from Best's which is longer and thinner, but the shorter, thicker quarter pounder is actually a better choice if you're going to serve a lot of toppings. The other dog I had was wrapped with a slice of bacon and topped with delicious chili and coleslaw which was much better than average. The chili might be the best I've had on a hot dog. There wasn't much on mine, plus it was topped with coleslaw. Next time I'll get a dog with just mustard and chili in order to better evaluate the chili.

A great new place; clean, great dogs, friendly owners. My first choice for a great tasting fried beef dog.

[glenn]

Sounds great and can't wait to get my fat butt over there. I love Best, but I'm partial to the 1/4 pounder, what AD serves. We started out serving the foot long Best at Melt but switched over to the 1/4 pounder. I felt the foot dog was simply a novelty and a real mess once you put a topping or 2 on it if you used a regular size bun. John, did you know that anyone can buy these at the Best store in Newark? I think the 1/4 pounder comes out to just over $1 and the foot long is just under $1.

[hotdoglover]

Glenn,

I've been buying these dogs from Best for years. They come out to about 70 cents a dog. $7.00 for 2 pounds (might have went up since) which comes to 10 dogs for $7.00. I like this size better because the quarter pounders are a little too fat and meaty. When I grill the 5's, I put just mustard on them. And I like when the dog hangs over the bun. I agree, the quarter pounders are better if you're going to put toppings on. Sorry I never got to Melt. Hope you open in a new location.

[glenn]

Jeez, you're right about the price, or closer than me. I have the total cost implanted in my brain - dog plus bun plus free topings. If I recall, the 5 lb. bag of 1/4 pounders (20 dogs) was $18.50, which comes out to under $1 a dog. Do you know what kind of bun AD uses? Rockland?

[hotdoglover]

They use a Martins roll, but not the potato roll. This one is a little wider when opened in order to hold the thicker 1/4 pound dog. They steam the roll before the dog is put in it.

[Rail Paul]

Today I went to the Grand Opening of a new hot dog restaurant. Called Amazing Hot Dog, it is located in a small strip mall at 148A Bloomfield Ave. in Verona. http://www.amazinghotdog.com.

The serve natural casing 1/4 lb Best's all beef dogs. The dogs are quickly flash fried and pulled from the oil before the skin rips. This is a well seasoned beef frank that doesn't need to be in the oil for as long as a milder pork based dog. This place specializes in toppings. You can get cream cheese and scallions on your dog as well as a fried egg and bacon wrapped around it. There are many other toppings as well. They also serve hamburgers which are good, although a little small for the price ($4.25) and french fries that might be the best that I've had. Thin, boardwalk style fires that are fried twice and well seasoned.

I had a plain dog with mustard that was juicy, beefy, and tasty. I prefer the 5 to a lb dog from Best's which is longer and thinner, but the shorter, thicker quarter pounder is actually a better choice if you're going to serve a lot of toppings. The other dog I had was wrapped with a slice of bacon and topped with delicious chili and coleslaw which was much better than average. The chili might be the best I've had on a hot dog. There wasn't much on mine, plus it was topped with coleslaw. Next time I'll get a dog with just mustard and chili in order to better evaluate the chili.

A great new place; clean, great dogs, friendly owners. My first choice for a great tasting fried beef dog.

The cheese, relish, and chili dog is The Caped Crusader, it's pretty good. I had mine with a small helping of cole slaw on top.

There's another dog called the Nacho Salsa dog, or something like that. Bun, dog, nachos, chunk guacomole, red salsa - that's also quite good. The unadorned dog ($3.75, I think) is good. As John noted, it's very peppery

The fries are very good, although I think they will need to maintain oil temp control. Several big basket orders (maybe 3 large sizes) will change the temp.


I've stopped by several times in the past few days. They've had people waiting for completion each time, and some of the orders are impressive. Tonight, two gentlemen ahead of me picked up $80 worth of dogs every which way. The majority of orders I saw were for 2-3-4 people

Based on their order numbering system, I was #107 at 4:43 this afternoon and number 155 at 6:30 tonight. For the middle of the day into dinner, that's pretty good, I'd think.