2008 NJ Hot Dog Tour.. REPORT COMPLETED 9-27

Sept. 20th, 2008... We met up at the Galloping Hill Inn for the 5th annual Roadfood "NJ Hot Dog Tour".
front row:Ellen & Harriet; back row: Benzee, John Fox, and Uncle Buck

Uncle Buck is from WTBQ radio, and is a radio talk show host.
Benzee is a co-host on his show once a week. (Orange County, NY area)

GALLOPING HILL uses a beef/pork dog.
This next hot dogs' for YOU, ROOSY 90!! Screenbear had a hot dog with RELISH dedicated to YOU, ROOSY, since you could'nt be with us!
You can see it in his face; he's saying "This one's for YOU!"


(note the "Papaya King T-shirt Screenbear is wearing. That was one of last years hot dog tour stops, the first Papaya King in NJ, (in Clifton). The owner gave us all T-shirts.

The mood is light, as we get ready to take off in our buses..
l-r: my wonderful sister, Nancy, Harriet, Screenbear, and Brian (proud BF of Harriet)

My sis really enjoyed her GALLOPING HILL hot dog. She also loved the soft, fresh Italian bread roll it came on. She gave me a few bites, and I agreed that it was tasty. (I tend to stay away from porky dogs, so I did'nt order one of my own. But I have to admit, this one tasted much better than I expected)
SIS is very pleased with her GALLOPING HILL INN dog (beef/pork mix).

As an added bonus,when she got out her money to pay for it, she was told "ON THE HOUSE".... what a pleasant, unexpected surprise!
Apparently the owners son, decided to comp all of us! Wow, thanks!

Harriet and her BF, Brian...celebrating 10 months together.
Brian was about to experience his FIRST Italian Hot Dog later on

Harriet has turned Brian on to all sorts of good ROADFOOD...

Next stop, DEE'S TRUCK in Roselle Park, NJ
Brooklyn Bill is on the left, and my sis is on the right. March on!!

What in the sky? What's everyone looking at?
l-r: Tami, Dave, Howard (Signman), Todd, Brooklyn Bill, and my sis

We're still on line for DEE'S TRUCK...in the front, JOHN SAGI (from thegourmetchilidog.com fame) is talking to John Fox.

John Sagi was nice enough to give out sample size containers of his
chili when our day ended. Thanks, John!

Menu from DEE'S TRUCK, Roselle Park

They have only one item, a SABRETT'S "dirty water" hot dog.
My DEE'S HOT DOG with onions...good and hot and juicy!

My sis loved the dog so much that she went back in line for another!

The playground across the street provided a nice backdrop for some more pics. Here's HARRIET with BRIAN again

It was nice "meating up" with JOE ROGO, a food and WINE enthusiast, who joined us from the SCRANTON,PA area
JOE ROGO

Another highlight was when KEN8038 joined us! He was only able to make it to a few of the stops, due to work contraints. He drove over to Dee's Truck on his own, and also met up with us at the Windmill
KEN8038 (last year we had the pleasure of having Ken on the BUS)


MUCH MORE to come! We've still gotta cover the Windmill, Manny's, Jimmy Buff's and Bubba's!

COMMENTS please, thus far?!?!?

Two Ellens - one with glasses!

Good work Ellen4642 (I gave you a promotion). It's great to be able to connect some faces with the Roadfood.com screen names. Is "Harriet" Harriet1954?

I can't believe how big an event this was. I had envisioned a half dozen Roadfoodies in a van or something. You folks must have really surprised some of the other customers!

As always a great post!

quote:

Originally posted by MiamiDon

Two Ellens - one with glasses!

Good work Ellen4642 (I gave you a promotion). It's great to be able to connect some faces with the Roadfood.com screen names. Is "Harriet" Harriet1954?

I had envisioned a half dozen Roadfoodies in a van or something. You folks must have really surprised some of the other customers!

Hi MiamiDon,
Wish YOU could've been "meating" with us! (but I'm confident you and I I will be meating up in Florida within the next bunch of months..!)

It was nice to see my sisters carefree side coming out!
This was her 1st Roadfood.com tour. She loves a good hot dog, but her life is way busier than mine .....being she's married with 4 kids, she can't go places "on a whim" nowhere near as much as I can.
(however, we are going to VEGAS next month!!)

YES, that Harriet is the same "Harriet 1954". I was thrilled to meet her on last years tour, as we had built up a good e-mail connection over the course of a few months or so.
However, I had not seen her since that last September, a year ago, as she is so busy working, etc. So it was a THRILL to see her again.
We SCHMOOZE so well together!

Benzee had said we were expecting 60 people, on our 2 buses.
It became a little more manageable, as there must have been at least a dozen no-shows, right Benzee?!? (What was our final head count, BENZEE?) . On our "narrated by John Fox" bus, there were only 17 of us on our schoolbus. (no bathroom, so we had to try and plan accordingly)

My sis had the same concern you did, that we may be scaring away and surprising the "normal" customers...
Each place had a different way of handling it...a few of the places , like the Windmill, just had us in the regular line.

However, at Jimmy Buff's, Jimmy quickly shooed us all in their special adjoining party room, where Jimmy took all our orders. He even let us help ourselves to the fountain soda machine, AND the beer barrel. (thank you again, Jimmy!). We were definitely away from public view, and Jimmy kept the party room door shut tight. Any customers walking in were able to be at the front of THEIR OWN normal line at the take out window. It was good to keep us separated, cause this way they did'nt get scared away by seeing our huge Roadfood line.................of course, most places don't have the space to do this. The lines at all the places tended to move fairly fast, as John Fox made sure to let all the joints know in advance we were coming, so they had those extra dogs on the grill!!!

ellen4641, The dogs we shared were great, but the company was better. It was a pleasure to meat all the Roadfooders I came to know online.

Meeting you was like meeting an old friend. As I said I felt like I already knew you. Your posting style really shows what a fun and sincere person you are (in person).

And how about Benzee, what a great guy and great trip organizer. I left the food pics to the professionals, but here is my favorite. Benzee, who did we trust to take this one?

[img]

It can't be Uncle Buck because that's his butt in the photo

The Galloping Hill is to be commended for their hospitality. Free dogs for everyone! They served a very tasty dog, well prepared with an excellent onion sauce. I know I am in the minority on this, but I didn't like the bun. Too big, I believe it hid the great flavor of the dog. All the other menu items looked great also. I will be stopping here again.

The line looks long at Dee's Hut but it moved quickly. And that was because of good planning, Thank You John Fox. John's descriptions of the menu at each place we stopped was priceless.

Dee's was my favorite of the day. A simple boiled dog with raw onion and hot onion sauce. Excellent!!![/img]

Besides the hot dogs-good looking legs and butts!!!

Other than that last pic (oy!), it all looks great! Great group, great stops, great dogs, great job by the organizers, and great pics by Ellen (whose pics I always checkout but rarely comment on).

I'm gonna' go one of these years!

Looks like a great time with great company...wish I could have been there...next year!!!

quote:

Originally posted by CheeseWit

Other than that last pic (oy!), it all looks great! Great group, great stops, great dogs, great job by the organizers, and great pics by Ellen (whose pics I always checkout but rarely comment on).

I'm gonna' go one of these years!

ME TOO!!

Thanks Ellen - Great pictures!

Next stop, the WINDMILL in Westfield, NJ... this place is only about 10 minutes from where I grew up, in Springfield, NJ. I've been to various Windmill locations before, but I like their charbroiled burgers better than the hot dogs...(cause I prefer an all beef dog, and the Windmill is a beef/pork mix) I do love their griddle preparation of the hot dogs, however.
WINDMILL, Westfield, NJ

Westfield has a great little downtown area, no need to go to the mall as there's a Banana Republic, and even a Victoria's Secret right there. I love the Funk and Standard store; they have a 2nd location in Red Bank , as well...(like a higher end Spencer Gift store, with lots of cute magnets, notepads, shirts with cute sayings, etc)

The WINDMILL had lots of dogs waiting for us !

Here's my sis showing off her WINDMILL hot dog; it's a SABRETT'S

She's had them before, also, and we seem to be in the minority for not being in love with these dogs. (and she likes her PORK way more than I do!)

MANNY'S TEXAS WEINERS, Union, NJ (where I lived till 10th grade)
(moved to the next town Springfield, NJ for my high school days)

On the way from the Windmill to Manny's we even went right by my former Springfield neighborhood... (I was like "there's my house, 3rd one on the right!"

Here's MANNY and his "weiner girls" ...

As you can see from the menu, there's WAY MORE than hot dogs

Our Roadfood "paparazzi" snapped up a few pics of the lovely gals.

I don't care for the real PORKY kind of hot dog that Manny has,
(I've tried it once before). I wanted to buy a side of CHILI, but Manny insisted it would be "on the house". (thanks again, Manny!)
MANNY'S CHILI( nice and spicy, but a little too heavy on the cinnamon and nutmeg for my personal tastes.

Here's JOHN SAGI and CONEY ISLAND LOU about to enjoy their weiners,
as SIGNMAN (Howard) ponders the menu

My sis had a weiner; it did'nt do that much for her, though..
not much taste, IHO (in her opinion)

Here's JIMMY, a fellow postal carrier buddy of John Fox's..
he was on last years' tour , as well....
he's got an infectious LAUGH!
JIMMY on way out of Manny's Texas Weiners

Here's HARRIET1954 showing off her complimentary MANNY'S T-shirt!

Looks like it's a "one size fits all" type!
Manny was an AMAZING host!

JIMMY'S BUFF'S, Hanover, NJ
ITALIAN HOT DOG (double; one on each side of roll)

I'm finally realizing that these Italian hot dogs are hard to photograph, as I've got to take off lots of the potatoes, cause I want the hot dog to be VISIBLE!

Signman's wiener.. JIMMY BUFF'S

Signman had the Best's charbroiled dog(Syd's style, rip)... his only minor complaint was "There's too much relish on here!!"..
Coney Island Lou gave me a bite of his..(same dog), and I loved it!

I also had an all beef "DEEP FRIED DOG" at JIMMY BUFF'S

I was expecting more like a "ripper dog", a real crispy one; this one did'nt really do much for me..I just had a few bites..

JIMMY BUFF'S grill


BENZEE, JIMMY BUFF, JOHN FOX, and UNCLE BUCK


Jimmy's grandfather started the Jimmy Buff's Italian hot dog joint in Newark in 1932! So glad you are there to carry on the tradition,
JR! And you were an amazing host! You let us help ourselves to the fountain soda machine, and even a beer barrel...

Back on the bus, Howard shows off his "PROTECTION"

PEPTO BISMOL tablets!

Roadfooder Todd shows off his PEPTO BISMOL AND ROLAIDS !

These guys really came PREPARED!

Our LAST stop , BUBBA'S DOG HOUSE in Lyndhurst,NJ (near Meadowlands)


I had 2 hot dogs there(technically 3, as one was a double Italian dog
This is their BEST'S charbroiled (Syd's style,Union,NJ)(RIP)
Their homemade fries were great!

That was my favorite dog of the trip!! (Jimmy Buff's serves it , too)
Double Italian Hot Dog, BUBBA'S, Lyndhurst

"DECONSTRUCTED" form, so you can see the bright red and green peppers..credit goes out to MIAMI DON for coining that term for me.

Joe Rogo, my sis, and Coney Island Lou inside Bubbba's.
I loved the clean, modern, set up, and my favorite "order at the counter style". Perfect!!

The final march back to the bus after the last stop.


And this Roadfooder, loved chanting "HARR-I-ET" !!!
(a few too many beers, I guess)(he was on that "other bus")



Group pic outside Galloping Hill Inn, Union at the tours end

I love the pictures and the comments and opinions. Keep em coming! I'm glad that this thread is on the hot dog forum. For those of you who might not know, some other reports and reviews are on the Miscellaneous and Food Related Forum.

Great pictures Ellen thank you. I'm glad that I'm reading some of the responses.
For only 6 places they all had something different to offer. I love the chili and
had trouble deciding.

1. Galloping Hill very tasty chili good Hot Dog To much bread
2. Dee's Hut chili very good best dirty water dog you could ask for.
3. WindMill - I didn't have one but have had them from all the other locations.
Their chili is very tasty large dog average bun.
4. Manny's chili was very tasty, a little spicy for me. Great dog and service
5. Jimmy Buffs chili was out of sight. very tasty hot dog and bun.
6. Bubba's very good chili tasty hot dog and bun.

My choice for the best chili would go to Jimmy Buffs

Thanks John Fox and Benzee

Ellen, thanks for posting the pictures and doing the trip report, great job as usual! And thanks for getting me in one of the pictures even though I was only able to make the 2nd and 3rd stops. As I said on the other thread, it was great seeing you and the other friends I made on the last tour, even if it was just for two stops this year.

Next year I will be retired (heck, next WEEK I will be retired, although I'll be back as a consultant for a few months), so I should be able to make the full Tour next year. No off site testing from home for me any more!

Interesting that some people have commented on the buns at the Galloping Hill Inn. That has always been my complaint also. The buns are too big, and are more like sub rolls than Hot Dog rolls.

A few people mentioned an informal west Jersey hot dog trip this fall. Sounds like a great idea! I'll be looking out for the details on the forums.

ken8038, Sorry our paths didn't cross on the tour.

I have solved the bun problem at Galloping Hill Inn. Next time I will simply order two dogs on one bun.

i was at the Windmill in Brick last week to give rthem another try(had a two for one coupon)...the new dogs seem much milder than I remember.....I prwefer the Schikhaus dog served at many other places...sure it's bigger and nice and crisp...it just seemed bland...what did you guys think???

quote:

Originally posted by leethebard

i was at the Windmill in Brick last week to give rthem another try(had a two for one coupon)...the new dogs seem much milder than I remember.....I prwefer the Schikhaus dog served at many other places...sure it's bigger and nice and crisp...it just seemed bland...what did you guys think???

I'm with you, Lee......but it seems like me, you, and my sis are in the minority, I only seem to hear Roadfooders RAVE about the Windmill dog.( I prefer a nice, all beef, garlicy dog..opposite of the Windmill...) They used to use Shickhaus, now they use Sabrett, beef/pork mix.... like you say it's nice and crisp, but the taste does'nt do much for me! (to each own, right!) (as long as nobody's gettin' hurt!) (LOL)

Thanks Ellen ... You are a great Roadfooder to be sure.

(Wish I was there.)

quote:

Originally posted by ellen4641

quote:

Originally posted by leethebard

i was at the Windmill in Brick last week to give rthem another try(had a two for one coupon)...the new dogs seem much milder than I remember.....I prwefer the Schikhaus dog served at many other places...sure it's bigger and nice and crisp...it just seemed bland...what did you guys think???

I'm with you, Lee......but it seems like me, you, and my sis are in the minority, I only seem to hear Roadfooders RAVE about the Windmill dog.( I prefer a nice, all beef, garlicy dog..opposite of the Windmill...) They used to use Shickhaus, now they use Sabrett, beef/pork mix.... like you say it's nice and crisp, but the taste does'nt do much for me! (to each own, right!) (as long as nobody's gettin' hurt!) (LOL)

Thanks Ellen,glad someone noticed the change too....I guess the Sabrett vs Shickhaus debate is a matter of taste,but I wish they had never changed...I prefer Thumann's also over the Sabrett, but Shickhaus ,to me, is the best dog around these parts...my favorite local hotdog place,Boardwalk Hotdogs in Brick uses them...and they're great!!!

I did finally get a good pic with benzee and Signman.

[img]Signman aslo won the prize for traveling the furthest.(Baltimore)

I got to spend some time with harriet at the Windmill. What a great person, funny as hell.

[img]

I also got to break bread with Coney Island Lou and Screenbear, two more great Roadfooders.[/img][/img]

Great report and pics, guys!! Excellent putting names with faces...just wish i could be closer(or richer) to join along!

Hello all ,

As always a great trip report from Ellen and additions from Joe Rogo .
Glad the second photo came out good , I do not remember who we asked to take the first one Joe , but it looks like we lost our head there for a moment enjoying ourselves so much .
I must add that it is always a pleasure to spend time with an original Hot Dog Tour attendee . One that comes every year from the longest distance , Baltimore MD . One that attends many events and always keeps us on the list .
Signman !!!!!
Great picture of An original and a first time attendee in Joe sandwiched between me one of the coordinators .
Some other thoughts
Harriet and Brian sure do look good together and it was a lot of fun talking to them .
Nice pic also of the line at Dees truck , but it went fast and all were served within 15 minutes.

Benzee

Great report, Ellen!!

Looks like a fun time, had by all.

How big are those Windmill hot dogs? They look GIGANTIC!

Love, love, love this report!!! Sorry I couldn't make it. You all have me jonesing for hot dogs now!

Ellen, so far so great. Very solid mix of memories, facts and humanity... nicely paced, spaced and edited...never inundative, always entertaining, down to Earth and yet also whimsical. But next year, make me a little thinner.

The Bear

Benzee, thanks for the kind words. But it is you, my friend, who deserves the kudos along with CI Lou and John Fox for all the effort you put into this each year. We hadn't even said our good-byes, and you were already planning for next year and taking into consideration potential conflicts on certain dates.

Ellen, great job as always.

What a fun report and great, fun looking group!!!Bravo to all!

Ellen, Great trip report. I laughed at the last pic at Bubba's. Remember your sister was on strike. "Please, No more hot dogs".

quote:

Originally posted by joerogo

Ellen, Great trip report. I laughed at the last pic at Bubba's. Remember your sister was on strike. "Please, No more hot dogs".

Yeah, that's right! (thanks for reminding me; she had to put her "red flag up"! NO MORE!)
It was a shame, cause she missed my favorite dogs of the day!

One more Pic. Benzee's radio sidekick, Uncle Buck. To say he is a great guy is an understatement. He is a National Treasure!

[img]

That's a Jimmy Buff's Italian Hot Dog he's holding. I believe he said it's his first.[/img]