Hot Grill -- going downhill?

[jtraceynj]

I know someone -- a real fan of The Hot Grill -- who after two recent visits says the magic is gone.

She thought that it was a different dog, and that the new dog was -- nasty.

Anyone else been there lately? Holly, you out there?

[Double 0]

I was therec last Fri. Everything seemed the same to me. The only drag about Hot Grill is that since they finished Rt 21 its a real pain in the ass to get there.

[Holly Moore]

I haven't been there for a while. Where's Hot Dog John when we need him?

[John]

I've been going to the Hot Grill the last couple of years. I buy their chili sauce to use at home, so I'm there every couple of weeks, and I usually have a dog or 2 while I'm there. I haven't noticed any difference in taste or quality. However, I know they get their franks from 2 different sources. Before about 2 or 3 years ago, they used a dog from Sabrett exclusively. This dog is approximately 50% beef and 50% pork. The same dog (recipe wise) is used at Callahan's and the Windmill, although the dogs at these 2 places are bigger.

A couple of years ago, I was talking with the New Jersey distributor of Grote and Weigel, a Connecticut hot dog and cold cut manufacturer. A salesman was there also, and he told me that he often goes to hot dog restaurants and tries to get them to switch to his brand. He usually doesn't have much success because these restaurants often have long term business relationships and are reluctant to change. Plus it would turn off a lot of customers who are used to what they have been eating over the years. Anyway, this salesman happenned to show up on a day when one of the owners was angry at the Sabrett distributor because there was a problem with their supplies getting there, as they do a lot of business at the Hot Grill. The owner put in a large order for a similar product from Grote & Weigle. He continues to order from both Grote & Weigel and Sabrett. This was confirmed to me by someone at Sabrett as well as someone from the Hot Grill. Shortly after they began ordering dogs from Grote & Weigel, they took off a sentence from their website that stated that they use Sabrett franks. I can't really notice a difference. The dog is mildly spiced, even a little bland. It tastes good deep fried with the excellent chili sauce. I think the dog is intentionally blander, as the focus is on the chili here.

For anyone interesyed, there will be an article in Sunday's New York Times (N.J. section) about some nut's passion for hot dogs. Word has it that there will be a mention of Egullet.

[tommy]

and there's Hot Dog John, just in the nick of time.

so you'll be in the times! that's very cool. i'm looking forward to reading about a nut's passion for hotdogs.

[NJ2FLA]

I went to the Hot Grill the other night and had 2 all the way and some fries with gravy. Everything was status quo for me.