John

There's a place on Lake Ave. in Colonia that serves a great Italian Hot Dog. It's called Mijo's Pizzeria and it's been around forever. Just recently I began eating their Italian Hot Dogs. I usually get these sandwiches from a place that specializes in them rather than a pizzeria because I like the pizza bread and thin sliced potatoes rather than a sub or hoagie roll and french fries or potato chunks, which is usually what you get at a pizzeria. Mijo's is close to where I work, so when I'm in the mood for an Italian Hot Dog, it is one of my few choices. They do serve it on a sub roll, but the bread is good, and, as Holly observed,being served on a roll rather than pizza bread allows you to get everything (hot dog, potatoes and peppers) in one bite. I don't get onions on mine. They use Best's dogs as do almost all places. But these dogs are much bigger than the 12 or 10 to a lb dogs used elsewhere. Charlies uses 8 to a lb. Mijo's are even bigger. 6 or 7 to a lb. There are plenty of peppers, and the potatoes are small and blend in perfectly. As much as I like potatoes, peppers, and bread, these should compliment the hot dogs rather than overwhelm them. Everything is sauteed in a frying pan and tastes great. Perfect ratio of hot dog, bread, potatoes, and peppers. And it's a big sandwich for only $4.50. Everywhere else it's close to $6.00 for a double. With smaller dogs. Tommy's is now $7.00. Definitely give Mijo's a try.

True, hot dogs and pizza may not be the best things to eat healthwise, but they sure do taste good! New Jersey and Connecticut along with New York have great pizza and dogs; that in part explains the fanaticism.

Gee, that's too bad. Because Rosco's Big Dog on Franklin Ave. serves one of the best hot dogs that I've had. I made the trip from Jersey to sample their dogs. Maybe I can get you to reconsider?

My wife and I went for a late lunch/early dinner yesterday. We ran into rooftop 1000, Eric Eisenbud, and a couple of other E-Gulleteers and their families. We also met Bruce Cain, one of the owners. Great atmosphere, great people, and great food. Lucky for me, I live only about 5 miles away. Definitely will be back soon and often. Since this was our first time, we wanted to try everything. So between the 2 of us, we got a chance to sample all of the meats. I haven't eaten much barbecue, so I really don't have anything to compare what we had to, unless you count Tiffany's, Famous Dave's, and Charlie Browns. As you might expect, Front Street is head and shoulders above all of them. As a barbecue novice, all I can say is that everything was delicious. I particularly enjoyed the beef ribs, beef brisket, and chili. I've never had beef brisket before. Next time, I'll get the brisket sandwich with a bowl of chili. I was surprised that I preferred the beef ribs to the pork. And the chili was fantastic! All kinds of things in there. It all blended together well. Good luck Bruce and the other owners. You have a great place here. We're lucky to have authentic barbecue in Union County, and for me, so close to home.

I've just learned that Father & Son Luncheonette will be closing. There was a rumor on another forum about it, so I called to ask. They will be closing in June sometime and hope to relocate. Their lease is up, and the woman I spoke with didn't know if they were being kicked out or if the owner chose to leave. They are known for their fine grilled hot dogs (Grote & Weigel all beef) as well as their spicy chili. One of my favorite places to get a hot dog. Hopefully they will open again. Make sure that you make it over there between now and June. They sell chili by the pint, quart, or gallon.

Hot Dogs.

I know ejebud's too polite to say so, but dem's fightin' words, bgut! Have you been to Amazing Hot Dog yet? If not, I'd hold off on that statement... Then again, I don't think the AHD dogs grow on trees, as they originate from Best's in Newark! ← No I haven't tried AHD. Its a little out of my way from Monmouth County, but I look forward to trying them when they re-open. BTW, I make the best dogs on my grill with these puppies from Delicious Orchards. No offense ejebud. ← bgut1, Which of the dogs do you buy from Delicious Orchards?

Delicious Orchards carries hot dogs from Thumann's and Schaller & Weber, which make 2 of the best German style franks. They also carry Boar's Head beef dogs. But what makes them exceptional in my opinion, is that they also sell franks from Gaisers and Lutz's; 2 small, but high quality German butcher shops in Union. Gaiser's supplied the Galloping Hill Inn with their hot dogs up until 1988 when Galloping Hill took the recipe and had it made by Grote & Weigel of Conn., a larger company better equipped to produce a larger quantity of dogs in order to meet the high demand required by the GHI.

They also have a great selection of hot dogs.

Do you make hot dogs? They're my favorite sausage. Bratwurst is a distant second.

Guys, Keep your heads up and look at this as a temporary setback. Hopefully the time will go by quickly and you can get some rest.

Thanks to this thread, I decided to take my wife to White Castle also. I had a tough time getting a reservation since the hours were 5 to 8 and my wife works until 9 on Tuesday. I was able to talk someone into letting us come late, in part by saying that our first date was at White Castle, and that I had proposed there. My wife was unaware that I was taking her there. I had only said that we were going somewhere casual. She replied that it was fine as long as I wasn't dragging her to a hot dog joint again. I assured her that I was not. She was quite surprised, but thought it was funny, as long as I agreed to take her out somewhere nice soon. All in all, we had a blast. We've eaten at White Castle many times before, but would you believe my wife got sick a few hours after we got home? Then she didn't think the whole thing was so funny. I had a few beers while waiting for her to get home before we went, so I can only chalk it up to being her first time eating White Castle burgers without first drinking.

Jason, Thanks for the thread on Valentine's Day at White Castle. I made reservations today. It was awfully tough because the hours are 5 to 8 and my wife works until 9 Mondays and Tuesdays. I was able to talk a bigshot from White Castle into extending the hours for us. I have about an hour and a half until we are seated. My wife has no idea where we are going. I did tell her that we will be going somewhere "casual". She said that she didn't care, "as long as you don't take me to another hot dog joint". I assured her that I won't be.

I love to go to the Tap Room at Rutt's Hut, have more than a few beers, then order a couple of well done deep fried hot dogs topped with their unique relish. On the way home I stop for an ice cream cone, then straight to bed for a nap. I wake up feeling better (and worse).

Thanks to a woman from Chicago, I was finally able to sample hot dogs from the Romanian Kosher Sausage Co. She mailed me a package that I received Saturday. I had some of these franks Sunday and today along with some others for the sake of comparison. Too many in fact. It will be awhile before I have hot dogs again. But I was happy to finally taste these dogs. And they are top of the line. A little over a pound, there was 8 short fairly thick franks. I simmerred one in water along with a Hebrew National and an Abeles & Heyman. While I was comparing these, I threw another Romanian on the backyard grill. Although one of the owners of Romanian told me that his franks are often compared to Abeles & Heymann, they taste nothing alike. A&H has a distinct spicy (herbal) flavor. I can see how some like this dog; it's distinctive, but the more I have it, the more I don't like the spicing. The Romanian kosher dog had a balanced subtle flavor. The salt and spices were there, but not overpowering. Nice and meaty, and fresh. Chicago dogs aren't as intense in flavor as New York/New Jersey beef dogs, but they are of the same high quality. The Hebrew National dog had more bite and the intense flavor. I liked both better than Abeles & Heymann. I'm not sure which of the 2 I liked better. My wife had all 3 and preferred the Romanian kosher frank. I then had the dog that was grilled, and this was the best of the bunch. I think that grilling imparts more flavor. Even though this was a skinless frank, the outer layer of meat was slightly charred, giving it a bit of crunch. Excellent. For dinner tonight I had a Romanian frank, a Best's (N.J.), and an Empire National. All approx. 8 to a lb. All skinless. I simmerred them in water, and then finished them off on the backyard grill. Best's is my favorite beef frank. I like the spicing. But the Romanian was right up there with it. Both better than Empire National in my opinion. I'd have to say that Romanain Kosher franks are one of the best I've had. And one of my favorite beef franks along with Best's, Usinger's, Sabrett, and Hebrew National, which I am liking more and more. I also like Nathan's and Boar's Head

BTW -- my father (who was a kosher butcher, at a kosher meat-packing factory) would never eat frankfurters. "They make them where I work," he'd say. "You know what goes in those things?" ← What goes in those things is quality kosher beef. From the front part of the cow. If you see "variety meats" on the label, then you will be getting undesirable parts of the cow, or pig if the dog contains pork. Do you know what your father may be referring to?

Hot dogs are popular first and foremost because they taste good. For many mothers, it's a quick and easy to prepare meal that kids love. Hot dogs are great at the ballpark, carnival, or street fair as well. Although many people look at them as cheap food, quality franks are made from good cuts of meat. In the case of kosher hot dogs, only certain parts of the animal may be used. And there are no fillers. You are actually eating a good piece of meat. The better beef dogs use choice beef; some, like Lobel's use prime. While hot dogs are very popular on the East Coast, they're also popular in other parts of the country; Chicago, LA, and the South. While eating a sausage in a bun is not a European tradition, it's certainly an American one. In Germany, they steam or boil a frank consisting of beef, pork, and veal. They eat it plain, dipping it in mustard with a semmel roll on the side. In America, there are many ways to prepare a hot dog. Deep frying, steaming, boiling, char grilling, griddle frying, roller grilling, and combinations of these. And there are many toppings that show up on hot dogs. People who are fortunate enough to be able to travel like to discover and enjoy the many different regional versions of hot dogs. Although sausage making may have it's origin in Europe, hot dogs (the combination of a sausage on a bun) are an American phenomenon. My interest was sparked when a local newspaper reviewed hot dog joints around New Jersey (where I live). I was curious to see if my local place would be included. It was, but I was surprised when the place that was picked as the best in the state was also located in my hometown and I had never heard of it! I went to sample their dogs, which I loved. I then went to the dozen places that were reviewed, and became interested in the brands used, methods of preparation, and house specialty toppings. There's a lot more to hot dogs than what you might think. It seems that everyone has their own favorite hot dog place. And there are really no nation wide chains where everything is the same like McDonald's or Burger King. Each hot dog joint is unique and has it's own character, just as each quality frankfurter has it's own special mix of spices and cuts of meats. I enjoy sampling and comparing dogs at home and at the fun places that serve them.

Oh, it be. She doesn't really like fried hot dogs and didn't want to have a big quarter pounder. She had some of my Classic Dog and liked it though. I don't think she dislikes fried dogs as much as it is that she dislikes Rutt's Hut, which contains mostly pork. She prefers grilled all beef dogs.

I was fortunate to have a rare day off, so I was able to get to Amazing Hot Dog on opening day. I was there before noon, so I'm sorry that I didn't get to meet the other e-gulleteers. But I did get to meet Eric and Matt and have a wonderful lunch. I knew beforehand that I would like this place. I love Best's natural casing beef franks. They are, in my opinion, the best beef frank in this area, and along with Usinger's, one of the best beef dogs anywhere. Out of the many fine hot dog restaurants in the state, besides all of the Italian Hot Dog joints (almost all use Best) few use the Best frank. Some carts do, but most of the North Jersey places use a beef/pork frank. Syd's and Jerry's, 2 of my favorites, use the natural casing Best dog. Add Amazing Hot Dog to the list. And they are the only place I know of specializing in a fried beef dog. Again, I'm not counting Italian Hot Dog restaurants, which offer a product that is more like a sandwich. The Best dog tastes great fried, which is one reason why they are the choice of over 90% of the places serving Italian style dogs which are fried. Amazing Hot Dog uses the 1/4 lb natural casing dog. I prefer the thinner, longer 5 to a lb dog used at Syd's; but the quarter pounder is actually a better choice if you're going to offer a wide variety of toppings like they do here. I ordered a Classic with brown deli mustard in order to sample the dog itself, and a dog with chili, coleslaw, and wrapped with bacon. My wife had a cheeseburger; we split a big order of fries, and washed it all down with a Boylan's Birch Beer. The Classic was fried just the right amount of time. Since it's a well seasoned kosher style beef dog, it doesn't need to be in the fryer as long as a milder pork based dog. When I go to Rutt's, I order well done, since the extra time seems to add more flavor. No need to do this with the Classic. It was juicy, meaty, and tasty. A good roll (steamed I think) that was the right size for the hot dog, and a good spicy deli mustard. Simple and good. While Syd's has a great charbroiled dog, and Jerry's has a great dirty water dog, this is the place to go for the best fried dog. My second dog had the toppings. I anticipated that they would be good just by reading this thread and seeing all of the enthusiasm and preparation that went into creating Amazing Hot Dog. Not to mention seeing Jason's excellent pictures. But they were better than anticipated. The bacon was a good addition (I never had a dog wrapped with bacon. Crif's in N.Y. does this). The coleslaw was much better than average, and the chili was one of the best I've had on a hot dog. Maybe even the best. Only problem was that there wasn't much on it and it had the coleslaw on top. Next time I'm going to order a dog with just mustard and chili, so I can better taste the chili and have coleslaw on the side. The fries were fantastic. Cut thin, boardwalk style, twice fried and well seasoned. I don't recall having any I enjoyed more than these. The hamburger was good; a little small for the price. All in all, it was a great lunch. Amazing Hot Dog is a fun place that should do well. The food is great and the place is clean. Already in the upper echelon of N.J. hot dog establishments.

What time is Amazing Hot Dog set to open? Luckily, I have the day off and want to make it up there.

Sandy, Every product that you see labelled Black Bear is actually made by Dietz & Watson for Shop Rite under a private label agreement. The Black Bear franks are Dietz & Watson. This was confirmed to me by someone from D&W as well as a few people from Shop Rite. Look at the ingredients listing. Identical. I once compared the 2 before I knew that they were the same and remarked that I couldn't tell the difference. In the summer, Black Bear franks are usually on sale at the Shop Rite, so they will be cheaper than the Dietz and Watson. Another interesting bit of information. I don't know if you have Pathmark in Philadelphia, but they sell 3 different franks under their own label. Two of them have Chefmark on the package as well as Pathmark. The natural casing Chefmark dogs are Dietz and Watson beef franks. The skinless dogs are Best's from Newark. Both are 6 to a lb. The smaller size (8 or 10 to a lb) which just have Pathmark on the label (and not Chefmark) are Sabrett's. Before I discovered this, I remember people remarking on another forum how good the Pathmark dogs are. Well, you're either getting Best, Sabrett, or Dietz and Watson. And usually at a better price. In the case of Dietz and Watson and Best, you're also getting their dogs in a size that is not available under their regular name.

Good luck, Eric. And great pictures Jason. Will you be open on Sundays?

Maybe the sample that was included in the tasting wasn't their all beef frank? I've had the beef/pork dog and it was nothing special.

I've also tried to get my local Trader Joe's to stock Usinger's. A manager went into a long explanation about why they couldn't. I forget what he said, but it had to do with how well the product sold, what the company was willing to sell them at what price, etc. I didn't mention Usinger's here because they are generally not available in supermarkets in this area. I did see them at Foodtowns a few years ago. They were discontinued after awhile. There is one supermarket, a Super Stop & Shop in Madison, N.J. that carries skinless, 6 to a lb Usinger Angus beef franks. But they are low fat and not as good as the regular dogs.

Check any kosher butcher shop or deli. They may carry Hebrew National with casings. I don't know about Philly, but New York and New Jersey have a few places where you can get them. Goldberg's Kosher Meats on rt 516 in Old Bridge is one place that I know of.