Posts Tagged ‘hot dogs’

Pat’s Hubba Hubba Re-Opens

Wednesday, October 8th, 2008

I have a guest blogger today.  Jose and a few of my former Stamford colleagues (sniff) had the nerve to go to Pat’s Hubba Hubba without me, and then they emailed the pics just to rub salt in the wound.  

In the spirit of relaying important hot dog information, I will post what Jose wrote about the place.  Here’s what I know: There seems to be a Pat’s Hubba Hubba on Main St. in Port Chester (can anyone verify this?); the Stamford location had been closed since May due to a fire.  But to the delight of hot dog lovers everywhere, they’ve just re-opened!

Here are Jose’s Hubba Hubba thoughts:

By far the best hot dog experience I’ve had since I got involved in this little hot dog quest of yours. I ordered 2 with ketchup and onions (I know boring) and loved them. First they split the dogs and grill them which gives them a nice snap when you bite into them, and secondly they grill the onions which gives you an interesting snap, crunch thing.  At first I thought they looked kind of small but I couldn’t finish them off (I noticed Matt had the same problem — you can probably eat four). The only problem was they don’t have dogs pre-grilling so It took a little longer than I would have liked but all in all two thumbs up. One thing that Bryan commented on was they don’t have as big a selection as the other places we’ve eaten at, but I would rather have five things cooked to perfection than twenty things cooked adequately. I’m all about the Hubba Hubba.

Pat’s Hubba Hubba
820 Cove Rd.
Stamford, CT 06902
203-325-9928 

24 N. Main St.
Port Chester, NY 10573
914-939-7271 

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Seven Thoughts for Tuesday

Tuesday, September 9th, 2008

Food ponderings and observations while mourning the loss of Tom Brady for the season. Devastating.  Just devastating.

1.  What happened to The Lighthouse Coffee Company in Sleepy Hollow?  I thought they were renovating, but now it looks like they might have packed up and closed shop?   I really hope not, because after peeking in through the window, I fell in love with the coziness and planned on spending lots of time there this winter. 

2.  Next door to the Boston Market in Mamaroneck, there’s a “Coming Soon” sign for a new store called Harvest Market on the Sound.  

3.  Also in Mamaroneck, Jolly Trolley Bar & Grill has closed its doors.  Taking its place will be Barnacle BBQ Seafood Shack. Sounds intriguing (if it’s anything like the old Crab Shanty in Mamaroneck, my dad will be thrilled.  I felt bad telling him Crab Shanty’s now a bank).  

4.  Need something to do this Sunday?  “A Taste of White Plains” looks like a good bet.

5. I’m looking for restaurant suggestions in the Bronxville/Tuckahoe area.  Any ideas?  Also, what do you think about Ripe Kitchen & Bar in Mt. Vernon?  And where’s a good place for fish and chips?

6.  When my parents were in town I took them to Walter’s Hot Dog Stand.  I waxed poetic about Walter’s earlier in the summer, but hmm, disappointing this time around.  There was a long line so I think they were rushing to serve the food quickly.  The hot dogs didn’t have the normal crispy crust and the bun was mushy; I think the prices went up too.  The dogs seemed very ordinary and I know mom was longing for sauerkraut— maybe I spoke too soon about Walter’s being better than Super Duper Weenie.

7.  Only a few more weeks until apple picking season gets into full gear — yeah!  That means a trip to Wilkens Farm for apples, cider and donuts.  Nothing will ever top my childhood memories of Schultz’s cider donuts in Armonk, but if you can stand waiting on the long line, Wilkens’s donuts are excellent, especially if you get ‘em while they’re hot.  If it were socially acceptable I would go apple picking every weekend.  

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Hot Dog! Walter’s vs. Super Duper Weenie

Tuesday, July 1st, 2008

I was driving on I-95 in Connecticut a few weeks ago and saw a sign for the hot dog joint, Super Duper Weenie.  Now there’s a name you don’t forget.  It’s been stuck in my head ever since I first watched the 1999 PBS documentary, A Hot Dog Program.  I’m sure you’ve seen it; PBS trots the show out every summer during pledge drives.   

We all know Walter’s Hot Dog Stand is the king of hot dogs in Westchester (and according to devotees, the world), but I was curious: How would a Super Duper Weenie dog compare? For the sake of the blog, I threw calorie concerns aside and did a taste test.  Let’s break it down:

SUPER DUPER WEENIE

A little back story: Super Duper Weenie (let’s call it SDW) used to be operated out of a truck parked off I-95, until owner Gary Zemola ditched the truck in 2000 and moved the digs into a small house in Fairfield.  Gary trained at the Culinary Institute of America and is known for his homemade condiments like hot relish, onion sauce and chili.  

SDW names its dogs after regions of the country.  I’m ashamed to report that as a former Bostonian, I ordered a “New Yorker” over a “New Englander” (but you better believe that had the hot dogs been called “Red Sox” and “Yankees”, I would have ordered a “Red Sox” on principle alone). The New Yorker comes loaded with sauerkraut, mustard, onion sauce and hot relish. My friend Jose ordered the same and then told me he’d never had sauerkraut before. (That bit of information blew my mind… a born and bred New York guy with no sauerkraut experience?)

Here’s my New Yorker.

I love that the hot dog is split before being grilled.  It also has a casing with a nice snap to it (some people hate the snap, but I like it).   The hot relish is fantastic — sweet and spicy and clearly homemade. The onion sauce is tasty, but maybe unnecessary; I would have been happy with fresh chopped onion.  And as good as the condiments are, they make the top of the bun soggy.  But it’s a perfect combination of flavors and a seriously top-notch dog.

Oh, and the fries were excellent— hand cut and sprinkled with salt and pepper.


WALTER’S HOT DOG STAND

What’s left to say about Walter’s?  This venerable hot dog landmark has been serving up weenies in Mamaroneck since 1919.  Clearly they’re doing something right.   The dogs are split down the middle, grilled in a “secret sauce” (butter?), placed in a toasted bun and topped with a homemade mustard relish mix.  That’s it.  Hot dog simplicity.

And what a beautiful hot dog it is.  It’s perfectly grilled until golden brown and crusty; I’ve never had one anywhere else with a crisp crust like that.  And the dog (skinless and made of beef, pork and veal) is light as air— I actually wrote “fluffy” in my notes.   Paired with a toasted bun, slightly sweet mustard relish and a cost of $1.90, and you can’t do much better.  You really can’t.  It does bum me out that Walter’s doesn’t serve sauerkraut, but I know they’re all about hot dog purity.  More a minor quibble than a complaint, really.  

Super Duper Weenie and Walter’s are both so good and so completely different in style, that trying to decide which hot dog is better is like trying to choose a favorite child.  So it comes down to this… Given the choice of one hot dog at this very moment, which one pops into my head first?

THE WINNER: Walter’s (by a hair)

But you know what?  There are no losers here.  They’re both great, and you better believe I’m doing another taste test.  For the purposes of the blog of course.   

Super Duper Weenie
306 Black Rock Turnpike
Fairfield, CT 06825
203-334-DOGS

Walter’s Hot Dog Stand
937 Palmer Ave.
Mamaroneck, NY 10543

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Meeting an Eating Legend

Sunday, April 27th, 2008

Here’s a recent pic at Coney Island with competitive eating legend Eric “Badlands” Booker (the big guy pointing).  We were shooting a piece on hot dogs for History.com and Badlands was nice enough to meet up with us at Nathan’s for an interview and mock hot dog eating contest.  The dude can pound them down; I watched him devour 11 dogs in 3 minutes.  We took this pic after the contest and he looked no worse for the wear. He’s also one of the nicest guys you’ll meet.

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