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Take away the condiments and fancy buns and one hot dog stands alone, the Kogel Vienna from Flint, Michigan period.

I'm sure if you like bland tomatoes, plain yellow mustard, and raw onion, etc etc... then Chicago dogs are fine. I personally don't like drowning a good beef hotdog with all those condiments. Give me a delectable grilled Hebrew National topped with a slightly spicy mustard and some homemade relish...absolute perfection! If you go this route with a Vienna dog, you will soon realize where it pales in comparison to the much superior Hebrew National dog. Sauerkraut can also be a good option, but it's an acquired taste. I find tomatoes and yellow mustard to be a clash of flavors in any situation. Long live Hebrew National, king of the hotdogs!!!!

I second the opinion on Hot Doug's. Absolutely a must stop place, especially when they have the French Fries cooked in duck fat. *Sorry, I'm salivating on my keyboard*. Rabbit hot dogs with blueberrys and creme fraiche. Worth the wait.

Pink's hot dog in LA is, by far, the best hot dog I've ever eaten. I was in Kat'z last night but I didn't try their dogs. They looked tempting but that pastrami is too hard to forgo.

Amazing Hot Dog is just one of many fine places in North Jersey. In my previous post, I only named a few. Amazing does use a natural casing Best, and has the widest array of toppings I've seen at a hot dog establishment. Personally, I prefer just a good deli mustard on a quality all beef dog, in order to enjoy the flavor and spices of the dog itself, though sometimes I have one with chili. I do prefer the other sizes (long and thin) of the Best dog to the thick quarter pounder at Amazing. Jerry's in Elizabeth makes a great dog. Eight to a lb natural casing Best that is boiled then finished off on a grill. It is snappy, fresh and delicious.

For German style dogs prepared on a grill, Galloping Hill Inn, Karl Ehmer's cart, and the Weenie Wagon (grilled Thumann's) are three of the best.

jungman, you really shouldn't judge New York hot dogs based
on the fact that you can get dirty water dogs on the streets of
NYC. Gray's Papaya, Katz's, and Papaya King all serve superb
hot dogs. I wrote about New York hot dogs in the NYT a couple
of years ago, and beginning Friday you'll be able to access
some of my times stories (hot dogs included) on ed levine eats

Another vote for Buffalo here. When you have a well-grilled (charcoal only!), good quality hot dog on a fresh roll, there's no need to pile a pickled salad on top of it.