Quote:
Originally Posted by LASam
I had once heard it was the NYC water that made them special... but that could be completely wrong.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gtownoe
No offense, but I call BS on whoever told you that.
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agree 100% with gtownoe. water has zero bearing on the quality of nyc hot dogs. furthermore, many nyc dogs aren't even boiled. most of the notable spots grill their dogs (e.g. nathan's, papaya king, and gray's papaya), some serve them "dirty water style" (primarily the street cart vendors), and at least one deep-fries them jersey style (crif dogs).
anyway, i said this earlier in the thread, but nyc isn't really a notable hot dog town. i know that's hard for the nyc homers to believe, but it's true. and before anyone questions my "credentials", they should know that i spent the great majority of my life in the nyc metro, with about half that time in the city proper (mainly the post-college years, but also some of my childhood) and the other half in the inner suburbs. just to put things in perspective, i never lived more than 10 miles from times square during my many years in the nyc metro. and eating is one of my major passions, so i've sampled all sorts of ethnic and street foods around the city and region - not just one little hot dog stand on the coney island boardwalk.
is nyc a great city for pizza? absolutely.
bagels? sure.
steaks? you betcha.
ethnic food? one of the best for variety and scope.
but hot dogs aren't really anything special in nyc proper. most of those street carts you see all over manhattan are pretty lousy, to be honest. nathan's is pretty good (only the coney island location - don't bother with their satellite branches), but i've certainly had better in chicago, even if you factor out the toppings. papaya king and gray's papaya get lots of hype, and i've eaten plenty of both over the years, but they're just not in the league of the top chicago places. they hit the spot when you're hungry, and are perfectly fine dogs, but they don't "wow" you. and crif dogs in the east village is fun - mainly for their bacon-wrapped, deep-fried dogs and funky toppings like baked beans or a fried egg - but their plain "snappy" dog is nothing special. and as i mentioned in my earlier post, the owner grew up in the north jersey suburbs and was inspired by rutt's hut in clifton, nj, so it's more of a jersey dog than anything else; it isn't really representative of the typical hot dog in nyc proper.
on that note, the nyc hot dog boosters would have a much better argument if they were to include some of the top hot dog places outside of the city limits, especially in northeastern nj. remember, most of the best places in north jersey are no more than 10-15 miles from manhattan. and there are numerous places there that blow away the best that nyc proper has to offer. in fact, north jersey by itself is a much more interesting comparison with chicago than nyc proper.
and for those who claim that nyc's hot dogs are inherently "better" than the dogs elsewhere...
well, you should know that MANY of the city's hot dog vendors get their wieners from the
same hot dog maker in northern nj, about 7 miles from midtown manhattan in east rutherford. marathon enterprises, the maker of sabrett's hot dogs, supplies their meat to hot dog vendors throughout the greater nyc area, including a number of places that are rivals, such as papaya king and gray's papaya (yes, they use the exact same hot dog!).
some places request hot dogs that are suitable for being grilled, others for dirty water boiling, and some for deep-frying. but in the end, the great majority of hot dogs originate from the same warehouse in the new jersey meadowlands, NOT from within the nyc city limits.
as for the question of what makes a nyc dog:
while the chicago hot dog is really unique and easy to describe due to its toppings and bun, there isn't any one, single, defining feature of the nyc dog. there just isn't - too many different styles, preparations, and toppings to make a broad generalization of the "archetypal" nyc dog.
if we're only talking about those middling street vendors, then the typical dog would feature a skinny, snappy "dirty water style" (boiled) frankfurter, served on a generic, unseeded, side-load hot dog bun, and topped with your choice of ketchup, mustard, grilled or spicy sauteed onions, relish, and sauerkraut. personally, i can't think of a single hot dog vendor in nyc proper that serves a memorable dirty water dog or has really excellent toppings; some places serve decent spicy onions, but the sauerkraut and relish at most places are bland and the ketchup and mustard are, well, generic commercial brands. nothing special at all, and certainly not unique.
the best dirty water dogs in the nyc region can actually be found in the much-maligned city of newark, nj. even the so-so places there blow away nyc's dirty water hot dog carts due to better preparation and superior toppings, especially the spicy sauteed onions. the frankfurters themselves are the same as most places on either side of the hudson river, though, so it just goes to show that it isn't a matter of the nyc hot dog guys using an inferior product.
one place i really like in newark is tony's all-beef hot dogs, which is a lunchtime truck perched next to branch brook park:
Tony's Hot Dogs: Deliciousness Delivered by Truck - General Topics Digest - CHOW
for that matter, here are some other interesting posts and articles about north jersey's hot dogs, for those who are interested:
New Jersey, not Los Angeles, the hot dog capital of the world. - Tristate Region - Chowhound
New Jersey Hot Dogs (note: syd's is closed)
New Jersey Hot Dogs - Mouthfuls (http://mouthfulsfood.com/forums//index.php?showtopic=2141http://www.northjersey.com/food_dining/food_news/In_search_of_the_perfect_dog_.html - broken link)
http://www.northjersey.com/food_dini...fect_dog_.html
if you'll notice, the poster named "hotdoglover" on the chowhound/roadfood/mouthfuls boards is quite the authority on nyc/nj hot dogs. he probably knows the intricacies of the nyc/north jersey region's hot dog scene way better than anyone alive.
getting back to nyc proper, there are several other hot dog styles besides the dirty water dog. as mentioned, many stands and storefront eateries serve grilled hot dogs, which is probably the most common style in the city. generally speaking, the toppings and bun are the same as the street cart vendors, and usually just as unremarkable. the wiener itself is also snappy and skinny, although there are also spots that use a fatter, beefier, "softer" dog, such as crif dogs' deep-fried variety (which is bland unless you order the bacon-wrapped style).
to be honest, some of the latin-style hot dogs in the city are much more interesting.
for example, there are colombian places like los chuzos y algo mas on roosevelt ave in jackson heights, queens. this place is open all night and serves colombian-style dogs, which are topped with pineapple, crumbled potato chips(!), cheese, mustard, and thousand island dressing. i find it interesting more than good, but i'd say it's definitely worth a try.
there are also mexican-style dogs (guacamole, crema, chiles, and a bit of crumbled potato chips), chilean-style dogs (avocado, diced tomatoes, onions, mayo, and salsa), and so forth. the thing is, these ethnic varieties should be available in heavily latin neighborhoods across the country - after all, these are not nyc latin inventions.
check out this link for a quick overview of the various latin hot dogs:
Latino Hot Dog Roadtrip | Serious Eats : New York (note: mazorca is closed)
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