Overrated hot dog joints Part 3
This sauce is put on your dog along with mayonaise. I love mayonaise, but not on a hot dog. I hate onions alltogether, so I didn't even have the sauce. Just the hot dog and some mustard. The dog is a beef/pork blend that was absolutely tasteless. Beyond bland. The brand was Schutz, a small company in Maine that has since gone out of business. When I returned to Maine on vacation, Flo's was using a different dog, but it was as bland as the previous one. I believe it is Old Neighborhood brand. The dog is put on a steamed New England bun. I prefer a traditional hot dog bun, but a New England style is ok if it is toasted, put on the grill, and/or lightly buttered. When steamed, it just tastes like 2 pieces of white bread. Put the whole thing together and you have not just an overrated dog but a mediocre one as well. The hot dogs you get at a 7-11 or gas station are better than this one. I realize that some people like the unique sauce, or more accurately relish, which accounts in part for Flo's popularity. It's sold in stores and quite expensive from what I hear.
These are my opinions and more than likely yours will be different if you visit or have visited these places. I urge everyone to seek out these places and form your own opinions. As I stated, much of the fun is going to these places for the first time and satisfying my curiosity after having read and heard the many opinions from people on forums like these. Remember, one man's trash is another man's treasure. And vice versa.
What are your opinions and where are the places that you find to be overrated?
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15 Comments:
I'm sure no expert and I'm also sure this will sound trite, but the best hot dogs to be had are at the ball game, camping trips or state fairs. I'm usually disappointed when I get dogs at the grocery and expect them to taste like the ones at the ball game. The only brands that come to mind are Oscar Mayer and Ball Park. I bought a pack of Nathan's once and I really DIDN'T like them one bit.....too much garlic maybe?
tusti at 11:19AM on 08/21/09
From when I was growing up until about a couple of years ago the hot dogs I ate at Shea Stadium were some of the same ones that you could get at the supermarket. They were Kahn's, which are popular in Cinncinati, but in my opinion not a great dog. Nathan's is garlicky and overwhelming if you are used to milder dogs. The reason the hot dogs taste better to you is because you are at the ballpark enjoying yourself.
I even enjoyed Kahn's, Oscar Mayer, and the other cheap hot dogs while attending a game. But what you get at the supermarket is the same. I remember being at Yankee Stadium a few years ago and having a Nathan's there for the first time. I consider Nathan's (even the skinless version I had) to be so much better than what used to be available at Shea and Yankee Stadiums years ago.
hotdoglover at 11:47AM on 08/21/09
Well I live in Milwaukee and everyone seems loves the hotdogs with the "Secret Stadium Sauce" over here at Miller Park. They even sell the stuff at area grocery stores so you can have a "Miller Park Hot Dog" right at home any time you want. Personally I find the sauce to be the most repugnant thing you could put on a hot dog or any food item for that matter. It's thin and has a really bad taste. It's like they made a 50/50 mixture of ketchup and Worsecheshire sauce. Yucko.
Martini Me at 12:17PM on 08/21/09
Yeah, that sounds pretty bad. Most of the time I prefer mustard only. That way you can really taste the flavor and quality of the frankfurter which is supposed to be the focus of the experience. I'm pretty sure that they use very good hot dogs at Miller Park. Either Usinger's or Klements. Do you know which?
hotdoglover at 12:21PM on 08/21/09
OK, so as a Canadian, I find that our hotdog brands are vastly different from those sold in the U.S. In your opinion, what is the best brand of "supermarket" brand to buy? I don't like a garlicky hot dog, but I LOVE grilled hot dogs with yellow mustard, onions & sauerkraut - we are in South Carolina a couple of times a year and I would like to know what to buy. Someone said recently in a thread (can't remember what it was about) that Costco puts out a good hotdog, so, @hotdoglover, do you have any advice on which brand to purchase when we are state side?
bareneed at 12:22PM on 08/21/09
Gee, that's a tough one. I live in New Jersey which is quite a distance from South Carolina. I could give you many recommendations, but for South Carolina I can't. I had a taste of a Carolina Packers dog which I wouldn't recommend, but perhaps that was a bad sample. Hebrew National and Boars Head are almost national in their distribution, but they are quite garlicky. If you can find Boars Head beef and pork (with the blue rather than red in the label), I would go with that. A decent dog. I don't know if there are small butcher shops or Pork Stores in Carolina that make their own dogs, but if there are, try them. They tend to use better ingredients and are generally better made than most supermarket brands. Costco uses either a Hebrew National (which I like) or the Kirkland brand which eventually all Costco's will switch over to. I haven't had this dog, but have heard that it is all beef and somewhat spicy. Most do not like it judging from the overwhelming amount of negative posts I've read.
Sorry I couldn't be of more help. What do you think of Shopsy's hot dogs? I know they are popular in parts of Canada.
hotdoglover at 12:36PM on 08/21/09
I have a couple of hot dog criteria.
1 - Natural Casings
2 - Nitrate free (there's no need for it since the hot dogs are refrigerated and the don't sit that long either on the shelf or in my fridge)
3 - Grilled or Pan Fried with lightly charred outsides - no hot dog water for me
4 - Toasted warm bun
5 - whatever toppings you choose you should still be able to see the hot dog in the bun.
6 - when drunk throw all those rules out the window and get as many hot dogs and toppings as you can for $5.
joeqboo at 12:51PM on 08/21/09
@hotdoglover - thanks for your reply. I am not a Shopsy fan. We used to get an all beef hotdog called Kwinter's and they were terrific. I haven't seen them for sale for a couple of years at least. I do have a package of the Kirkland hotdogs in the fridge now which I will try out soon. Hotdogs up here tend to be very bland. I like spicier ones so trying the Kirklands will be interesting.
bareneed at 2:47PM on 08/21/09
@hotdoglover - Yes - they use good dogs - Usingers, we are also home to the famous Usinger's Racing Sausages. I cheer for the Polish Sausage everytime.
Martini Me at 5:36PM on 08/21/09
Remember the time someone from the Pittsburgh Pirates hit one of the sausages with a bat?
hotdoglover at 6:32PM on 08/21/09
Hoffys' 1/4 lb extra lean DinnerDawgs 110 calories, 5 grams fat.
Pan seared. Delicious, I don't know how they do it. I blind taste tested
these several times & many guests preferred over Hebrew National
jumbo dogs (31 grams fat)
If nobody's looking then no bun,just rake it thru some ketchup & devour!
tinytim at 7:52PM on 08/21/09
I'm with you on Flo's .... Blech! WAAAAAY OVERRATED!
Rutt's hut I thought was ok, but i'd prefer the concept of charing on the grill rather than in the deep fryer.
The Varsity... well no beating around the bush here...SUCKS! Horrid hotdog and oversteamed bun.... I just don't get the hype.
The same could be said at a number of venerated southern establishments IMHO such as Gus' and Sneaky Petes. It is never about the dog itself, it's all about some awful overcooked "sauce" resembling chili but tasting like grease off the top of high school spaghetti sauce.
The beloved Fenway frank I believe is more a nostalgia thing, because they are awful, although that being said the green monster dog is awful in another way.... awful good! only because there is just so much of it(not a flavor thing as much as a quantity thing), how can someone not like getting a value like that!
Pavlov at 10:15AM on 08/23/09
The Fenway Frank prior to this year was a bland pork frank that was cheaply made. The Red Sox made much of the fact that this year they upgraded the Fenway Frank. It is now made by Kayem and has much more flavor than the cheap dog they served prior to this year. Kayem makes quality hot dogs. I've had them in Maine and Connecticut.
hotdoglover at 10:25AM on 08/23/09
I grew up eating Essem's Which is a brand now owned by Kayem, don't much care for Kayem's but still love essem's. I buy them in 5 lb. bxs. then ship them to my home, as I can't find a good dog in AL. hard to find natural casing dogs there.
Pavlov at 10:33AM on 08/23/09
@ hotdoglover - Absolutely. That is a sore spot for us Milwaukeeans. I still have my tee shirt from the incident. "Don't whack our weiners". Seriously.
Martini Me at 12:02PM on 08/24/09