Our Munchmobile Man

[rlibkind]

From Peter Genovese's May 12 piece, announcing the Munchmobile schedule for this season:

The S.W.A.T. Dog Team is ready to roll! The Star-Ledger's blue-ribbon panel of hot dog lovers will prowl the state all summer tasting, evaluating and rating hot dogs. Every week, we'll visit a handful of hot dog joints in a mission of the highest importance: to find Jersey's best hot dog.

The team will be headed up by John Fox of Union, who, it is safe to say, knows more about hot dogs in this state than anyone. Other team members will include a cross-section of frank fanatics. We'll be rating all kinds of dogs -- dirty water, grilled, chili, Italian, and so on. There will be weekly reports in the Friday Munchmobile package, starting May 26.

Way to go John! The sacrifices you'll make for the advancement of science!

[Rich Pawlak]

From Peter Genovese's May 12 piece, announcing the Munchmobile schedule for this season:

The S.W.A.T. Dog Team is ready to roll! The Star-Ledger's blue-ribbon panel of hot dog lovers will prowl the state all summer tasting, evaluating and rating hot dogs. Every week, we'll visit a handful of hot dog joints in a mission of the highest importance: to find Jersey's best hot dog.

The team will be headed up by John Fox of Union, who, it is safe to say, knows more about hot dogs in this state than anyone. Other team members will include a cross-section of frank fanatics. We'll be rating all kinds of dogs -- dirty water, grilled, chili, Italian, and so on. There will be weekly reports in the Friday Munchmobile package, starting May 26.

Way to go John! The sacrifices you'll make for the advancement of science!

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Pete is good people, and John, well, is easily the most knowledgable hot dog aficionado in the country. Now I have a great reason to start buying the Star-Ledger again on Fridays.

[John]

The Munchmobile trips will be featured every Friday in the Ledger. There will actually be 2 excursions. The regular Munchmobile, which will highlight a different food each week (hamburgers today, donuts next week, subs the following, etc.) and have different people going each time, and the S.W.A.T. dog team, which will only review hot dogs, and be made up of the same people. Today's ledger just briefly mentioned the S.W.A.T. dog team. Our pictures and profiles will be in next week's paper. Starting next week, they will have a separate column recapping our adventures. We will be going to close to 70 hot dog joints this summer.

[Rosie]

John--Have a wonderful summer. I look forward to reading about your eating experiences in the paper. Pete writes a "must read" column with lots of useful information.

[howard88]

Johnny, You are one lucky dude.

[Holly Moore]

Neat John. Sounds like a hot dog-rific summer.

[John]

I can't think of a better way to spend the summer. I would be doing a lot of this anyway, but now I don't have to drive (or pay). Looking forward to hitting some of the places that I've never been to. Mauis Dog House for one.

[rockhopper]

From Peter Genovese's May 12 piece, announcing the Munchmobile schedule for this season:

...

The team will be headed up by John Fox of Union, who, it is safe to say, knows more about hot dogs in this state than anyone. 

Pardon me but that should read: "knows more about hot dogs in this country than anyone".

John, Maui's is both on the boardwalk and at its original location which is on the way in if you come through Anglesea. Try the original.

[John]

We will be going to the original. Have you been there? What did you think of the dogs?

[rockhopper]

We will be going to the original. Have you been there? What did you think of the dogs?

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I think being served food in a dog dish is a bit kitschy but besides that I like them.

Every time I drive into town I stop. (I live SNJ so I go freqently but not yet this year with the rain). It's on the right hand side if you're driving in through Anglesea. Just a few picnic tables outside and you order through a window.

With your schmoozing abilities I'm sure we'll hear who manufactures them etc.

Have fun!

[rockhopper]

We will be going to the original. Have you been there? What did you think of the dogs?

←

I think being served food in a dog dish is a bit kitschy but besides that I like them.

Every time I drive into town I stop. (I live SNJ so I go freqently but not yet this year with the rain). It's on the right hand side if you're driving in through Anglesea. Just a few picnic tables outside and you order through a window.

With your schmoozing abilities I'm sure we'll hear who manufactures them etc.

Have fun!

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Just went this weekend. It's on New Jersey Avenue between 8th and 9th. On the right had side if you're driving in through anglesea via exit 6 on the parkway.

Here is the outside:

Here is the "dressed dog". A dryish chili sauce and onions. I left off the mustard.

Salty balls. These are good. Actual toothsome potatoes brined - not too salty - and served with drawn butter.

Italian hot dogs. The same bun and the other dogs. The toppings weren't as greasy as in nort jersey.

Mrs Rockhopper slightly irritated that i interrupted her dog eating. It's really just

a few picnic tables.

The dogs grilled and are "homemade" with a blend of beef,pork and veal. the owner suggested I

try the veal dogs next time. Same menu of toppings (extensive list) available on the veal dog. I was stuffed so Ill try the veal next time.

There were grill marks. The dogs are not mushy but are not natural casing so there's no snap. I'd eat them again though.

The buns are fairly large and fluffy. Any bigger and I'd not like them. But I think they are good.

[John]

We will definitely be going to Maui's. We aren't told much as far as when we will be hitting what particular places in order to keep it a secret. The goal is to go somewhere and have an idea of what the normal experience is. People have contacted me (usually the owner) and asked if or when we were going, and even requested that we go a certain day when the owner/manager will be there in order to give us top of the line treatment. This would give them an unfair advantage and sort of defeats the purpose. I mean, what good is it if we go and get better treatment and a better dog, they get a good writeup, and then the reader goes and gets subpar service? But that said, Pete has told us some of the places that we will be going to. It is based on popular, established places as well as reader recommendations. We have gone to new places (J's Beef) and fairly new places (Amazing Hot Dog).

Since space in the column is limited, only a fraction of our comments gets printed. The Munchmobile does a different food every week and devotes most of it's attention to that. There is a small column on where we went, and there will be a bigger one at the end of the year. I have a lot of comments about each dog, but as I said, not everything goes into print. I'll be happy to share some of them after the series runs. But a few places I did not like; and my comments were not included, making it seem that all my opinions are positive. This was not the case. And someone else, whose comments are mostly critical, had some good things to say about a few places that weren't included. But Pete does a great job picking the places and reporting on them. I will tell you that I've been to most of these places many times, and know what to expect. Sometimes we are recognized, and sometimes not. One particular Italian Hot Dog restaurant that I have been critical of for their stinginess with peppers (sometimes throwing on only 1 or 2) made sure to pile em on when they recognized us and knew that they would be reviewed. But such is human nature. And we can only report on our experience on the particular day we visit rather than on past experiences. I'm sure when I go back next time, I'll get the same skimpy sandwich I've gotten in the past.

But it's been great so far, and I look forward to going every week. Thanks for the pictures! I spoke via e-mail with the owner of Maui's a few years back. He claimed to make the dogs on premise, but I know this isn't true. I read an article somewhere that mentioned he uses a meat packer, but he wouldn't say who it was; only that it wasn't Hatfield. I'm surprised that the dogs are skinless. I know that Boars Head makes a beef/pork/veal dog that is used at Walter's in Mamaronek, N.Y. Maybe Maui's uses this dog. I'll try to find out.

[Rail Paul]

I have a lot of comments about each dog, but as I said, not everything goes into print. I'll be happy to share some of them after the series runs. But a few places I did not like; and my comments were not included, making it seem that all my opinions are positive. This was not the case. And someone else, whose comments are mostly critical, had some good things to say about a few places that weren't included.

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Thanks for sharing this, John

It seems that the Ledger tries to convey a sense of each place reviewed in the hot dog segment, with some negatives and positives for each but letting the bulk of comments suggest a viewpoint

[zoe b]

john said--

I have a lot of comments about each dog, but as I said, not everything goes into print. I'll be happy to share some of them after the series runs. But a few places I did not like; and my comments were not included, making it seem that all my opinions are positive. This was not the case.

this has been my complaint about the whole Munchmobile thing--that there aren't really reviews or ratings of the restaurants visited--so it's almost impossible to decide if a particular place is worth a jaunt.

however, the columns are fun, and it would be a dream job to HAVE to try all that food!

[Benzee]

Hello all ,

This is my first post on e gullets .

Want to know if a place is worth the trip just ask John , he will tell you all he knows.

I'm glad I found you over here from the other foodie site and will keep posted on munchmobile happenings in the future.

Can't wait to see the review on Charlies Pool Room , looking to do a little visit out to Alpha , NJ myself .

Benzee

PS -Jersey Hot Dog Tour Sept 16th

[John]

This past Sunday we went to 9 places, including Maui's. For me and everyone else except Pete, it was the first time. They serve 2 dogs; a German style dog containing beef, pork, and veal, and a veal dog or bockwurst which contains veal and pork. I had both. The veal dog was fairly mild, and shaped like a regular hot dog, rather than a fatter sausage, which is what you usually get when you order a bockwurst. The German style dog is the one that they sell the most of. You can get them with a variety of homemade toppings, which were enjoyed by the team. Since I've never had this dog before, I had it with just mustard. Both dogs have a natural casing and are prepared on a griddle. The German dog was prepared the right way, spending enough time on the griddle. Good snap and texture. The taste was fine, but again, a little on the mild side. It is a quality dog using quality meats. I remarked that it tasted just like Hofmann's of Syracuse. Hofmann's products are available at Wegmans.

I then spent awhile talking to Maui, the owner. When I asked about the dogs, he told me that they were homemade. When I expressed doubt that they could be made on the premises (since you need to have sausage making equipment) he told me that they were made at a nearby pork store by his brother, who is using the same recipe that was passed down by their grandfather. I asked him about using a meatpacker, which I had read about somewhere. He told me that they were considering doing that at the start, but opted to have the dogs made at a pork store.

Afterwards, I spent some time reading the articles about the place that were posted on the outside. It turns out that his grandfather was from Syracuse, and used a plant there (Hofmann's?) to make his dogs. So that accounts for the similarity in taste to Hofmann's. Some of my fellow S.W.A.T. members think there is a possibility that the dogs are indeed Hofmann's. Maui also told me that he ships his dogs all over the world. People order them from his website, which I'll try to find and post.

[John]

As a follow up to the last post, I found out that Maui's indeed uses Hofmann's German style franks. It's been a long time since we visited Maui's, and in the interim have gone to a bunch of places. 87 overall. And it would have been close to 100 if some weren't closed due to rain (hot dog trucks and carts) or vacations.

In any event, the final article of the Munchmobile series will be in Friday's paper, Sept. 8th.

[John]

Link to the article: http://www.nj.com/living/ledger/index.ssf?...2550.xml&coll=1