Father & Son Luncheonette

[John]

Father & Son luncheonette on Wood and Blancke St. in Linden serves up some of the best hot dogs around. Went there yesterday for the first time in a couple of months and the hot dogs tasted slightly different. They switched brands from a Connecticut dog (Grote & Weigle) to Best's. Which do you like better? The newer dog has a slightly less tougher casing which I like, and a better blend of spices in my opinion. Same great chili, and I like the way they cook the dogs; slowly on low heat on the griddle. Really brings out the flavor. One of the best all beef dogs in the state, along with Syd's, Jerry's, and Boulevard Drinks. This place is an old fashioned luncheonette that has been around since the 1920's or 30's. Featured recently in the Star Ledger's Munchmobile series, it is a great place to grab a quick lunch. A horseshoe shaped lunch counter with tables inside the horseshoe! Good fries, burgers and shakes. A real spicy chili that they sell to go.

[Rosie]

Thanks John. I know we can always count on you to find the best of the best! Keep the hot dog reports coming.

[rockhopper]

So who serves Grote & Weigle now?

I like Best. The ones you buy at Shop rite are a little different from what you get at a joint but are still good. Not telling you anything you don't know though John!

[John]

Rockhopper,

I really hope I don't make you sorry you asked, but..... I grabbed a dog from Father & Son the other day after work to eat in the car on the way home. It tasted different than their regular dog, similar to Best. I thought I might be imagining it, but when I got home, I called Father & Son. Most of the older women working there have no idea what they use, so I insisted that they find out for me. One of the women in the background yelled that they switched to Best about a month ago. Now I know that this place originally used Sabrett, then switched to Best, then a few years ago (around the time I discovered Father & Son) started using Grote & Weigel beef franks. G&W has a distributor in N.J. called Three Star Beef that supplies all of the hot dog places in N.J. that use their franks. And they make a number of different kinds including private label. They make Schickhaus Franks. I've bought franks from Three Star (a 5 lb minimum) at wholesale, and happenned to speak to a Grote & Weigel salesman. They try to get business by offering better service (and a comparable product) than their competitors. For example, Sabrett provides a beef and pork dog to The Hot Grill. The same frank (recipe wise, but in differing sizes) is used by The Windmill and Callahan's. The G&W salesman happenned to go in The Hot Grill to solicit some business on a day that the owner was angry at the Sabrett distributor for not getting his dogs to them quick enough at a time they were running low and almost ran out. As a result, The Hot Grill placed a large order for a similar frank made by G&W. To this day The Hot Grill uses franks from both places.

I called the distributor and asked about the G&W beef franks. He told me that Father & Son had them made for them only, and since they switched brands, they are no longer available unless I want a special order of 300 pounds or if some other hot dog joint wants them ressurected. He told me the reason for the switch. The company mistakenly added a wrong spice to a batch of franks for Father & Son. The owner was so angry that he said he wouldn't be buying from them anymore. Grote & Weigel makes a beef frank that they sell in Conn. But it is not what was made for Father & Son, and is not available at the N.J. distributor. You can get any frank that he carries as long as you are willing to buy 5 lbs. At $2.99/per lb last time I bought the Father & Son franks, it comes to roughly $15.00. Which is what the hot dog places pay. You can get the franks sold at the many Texas Weiner places in Central Jersey including Texas Weiner l in Plainfield, Red Tower (North Plainfield) Texas Weiner ll (Greenbrook) Middlesex Texas Weiner, Manny's Texas Weiner (Union), J&G (Dunellen), and others. They use the Grote & Weigle Griddle Frank which is about 3/4 pork to 1/4 beef. You can also buy the hot dog sold at The Galloping Hill Inn which is the only place that buys this particular dog which is about 65% beef to 35% pork and has a different spicing. I like this one better than the others listed previously.

The beef frank that has been discontinued was maybe a little saltier/smokier than Best, although Best franks are naturally smoked while the G&W had liquid smoke added. Along with Best, Sabrett, and Usinger's, it was right at the top in terms of quality and taste for an all beef frank. Father & Son has an old stainless steel griddle, and cooks their franks slowly on low heat (150-160). Because of the cooking method, there is a similarity in the franks, even though they are different brands. Three of the four best all beef dogs in Jersey (Syd's, Father & Son, and Jerry's) use Best. Boulevard Drinks in Jersey City uses a small Sabrett. The same one that is used at Gray's and Papaya King. But the 3 places using the Best dogs are somewhat different due to the cooking methods. Syd's is simmered in hot water than charbroiled, Jerry's is boiled, than put on a steel griddle for a minute or so to add crunch (basically a dirty water dog) and Father & Son is griddled slowly.

Each has it's own unique taste, although you might be able to tell that the brand is Best. Likewise, the deep fried Best dogs used at the Italian Hot Dog places have their own unique taste.

The Best dogs that you buy at the Shop Rite are different only in that they are skinless. Best has just one recipe for their dogs (and only make an all beef). Sabrett has one recipe for beef dogs and one for the pork/beef. Grote & Weigle now has only the one recipe for their store bought beef franks that are avaialble in Conn. and several recipes for their beef and pork franks. All three make franks in different sizes and either skinless or with casing.

[John]

As of about 2 months ago, Father & Son switched back to Grote & Weigel. The owner, who is a tough person to both work for and do business with, has switched franks numerous times. He used Sabrett originally, then switched to Best, which he used for years. A salesman for Grote & Weigel came in a few years ago and promised better service from their distributor along with a comparable dog, so he switched to G&W. About a year and a half ago, G&W made a mistake while producing a batch of franks by adding hot (cajun?) spices. They offerred to send a replacement batch at no charge, but the owner refused and switched back to Best.

I think I prefer Best, but I liked being able to have the G&W franks available at a place near me. The owner perceived (wrongly in my opinion) that Best leaves too much grease on the griddle, so he switched back to Grote & Weigel. Most customers can't tell the difference because the dogs are somewhat similar. Father & Son does have a wonderfully spicy chili that I buy to take home. Worth a stop if you are in or near Linden.

[John]

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.