9th Annual Jersey Hot Dog Tour - Sept 22th , 2012 - past trip reports

quote:

Originally posted by Hot Dog King

Benzee, I don't think you can say anymore than that!

Yes, I was thinking of an Upper Hudson Valley Hot Dog Tour, this would include the following:

1. Tommy's Hot Dog truck on Rte. 32 north, Tillson. Serves a Sabrett 8/1 n/c with various toppings including a baked bean and slaw dog.
2. Lickers Ice Cream and Texas Weiners, Kinston. The main item here is ice cream and coffee however the owner has a thing for hot dogs like some other people around here. I thought they were ok but I'll let everyone else be the judge.
3. Dallas Hot Weiners II, Broadway, Kinston. There are three in the area, all owned by the same family. This one has easier parking.
Hop on the NYS Thruway north to Troy NY to check out:
4. Gus's Hot Dogs
5. Hot Dog Charlies
6. Famous Lunch

All three (4, 5 and 6) serve the infamous 3" n/c hot dogs par-boiled and then griddled. Each one has a special chili sauce which can be purchased in jars if one wishes. Hot Dog Charlies is a bit spicier than most, similar to Father and Son.
The three are also very close to each other. The Troy Pork Store, open since 1920, is just around the corner from Famous Lunch.

Everyone... let me know what you think.

The one on North Front Street has a municipal parking lot about one minute away. The guys that run it told me they are the grandsons of the original DHW owner. It's now in a different location on NFS but the dogs are pretty much the same as they were 50 + years ago.

Great reports and pics from everyone, thanks for sharing.

quote:

Originally posted by ellen4641

hi again all,
miss my "hot dog tour" buddies already!

My computer has been broken , (it ran too HOT; burned out the power) but I still have some more good pics to put in my "hot dog tour" report...

I'll finish my official report from my sisters computer when I go up there Sat. night....
my pics are also stored on that computer...(till I can get mine back to life!)

(and I'm a "trip report" behind ,as I still want to do my Syracuse NY State Fair Labor Day weekend report...)

looking forward to more hot dog tours, mini-meets, Nashville type tours, etc, etc...

fondly,
ellen

No WONDER you have been so quiet! You were missed Ellen!

quote:

Originally posted by John Fox

Hot Dog King,

I just had a Hofmann's a few days ago. I compared one to a Thumann's and a dog from John's Meat Market in Scotch Plains, N.J. which I found out sells the dogs made by Kocher's butcher shop. Kocher's is a popular butcher shop in Bergen County who sells hot dogs to between 30 and 40 different establishments. One of which is the Karl Ehmer's Hillsdale location. This place actually sells from their store and serves (at their outdoor cart) Kocher's German franks rather than Karl Ehmer's own German franks which are made in College Point N.Y. As you can imagine, the people at the main office are not pleased. I spoke to one of them recently. But anyway, Hofmann is a good frank, but a little milder than Thumann's and Kocher's, which are my 2 favorite German style franks. I also like Sahlen's from Buffalo, N.Y. and the special recipe Grote & Weigel frank made for the Galloping Hill Inn. These are my favorites in this style.

For anyone interested there are still some Sahlen's franks available at the Bridgewater Wegmans. Ken8038 posted about these. It's the only place I know of in Jersey that carries them. I called the store and was told that they only carry them in the summer months. Currently, they have 12 lbs left and will not be restocking until next summer. They come in 3 lb packages, but I was able to have the deli manager open a package and put aside a pound for me which I will pick up tomorrow. The rest of the franks in that package will be sold loose in the deli. If you've never had a Sahlen's, let me suggest that you get down to Wegmans (Bridgewater location only) before they run out. This is the dog that is served at the popular Ted's restaurants in and around Buffalo. These dogs have a somewhat tight casing and are great on the backyard grill. They are charbroiled till well done at Ted's.

It would be interesting to do a Sahlen's/Zweigles/Hoffman's taste test someday - a 'Thruway Series' of dogdom - the three AAA ballclubs in Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse annually 'compete' for what is called the Thruway Cup - whichever team has the best record head to head against the other two wins. I believe all three produce a white hot, so it would be possible to have two divisions - white and red.

Ever have a Zweigles Texas Hot John? Your local Wegman's should have those in the regular case next to all the Ball Park/Oscar Meyer slime. They also sell combo packs of both red and white dogs.

Never had the Texas Hots. A few weeks ago I was in the Woodbridge Wegmans and they only had their brand of White Hots. I was told that they discontinued Zweigles White Hots. Last Tuesday I went and they had them again along with the Texas or Red Hots. I was there for Thumanns and Hofmanns. I'll try Zweigels soon though. The woman at the deli counter told me that that the Hoffmann's outsells everything, even Thumanns.

some places for consideration for the max's/windmill trip:

boardwalk hot dog in brick (schikhaus i believe)

jo-jos in toms river

joyces in brick (i do not know if they are still open)

there was also a place in brick on mantoloking road called the hut, but i think it closed up.

hope this helps

Bill

Joyces Place is closed. No one's been there in months.

Good luck in Vegas and hope to see you soon at a Crabfest tour or another dog tour in the future.

what about the truck that serves Sabretts by the railroad station in Red Bank or That Hot Dog Place also in Red Bank. I also heard the chain 5 Guys Burgers and Fries does a good dog and they have a location in Brick. Bill M, where in Brick is Boardwalk Hot Dog?

DPuro329

quote:

Originally posted by ConeyIslandLou

If anyone remembers, I was shooting video along with my stills during the trip. I was successful in downloading it on my DVR recorder/burner! So if anyone wants a copy of the slideshow with the video portions, just shoot me an email! It really came out cool!

Folks,

Lou did a great job with this! I got my copy and it makes an excellent memento of a fun day. Just e-mail him and he will send you one. I know the guys I work with want one.

quote:

Originally posted by John Fox

Hot Dog King,

I just had a Hofmann's a few days ago. I compared one to a Thumann's and a dog from John's Meat Market in Scotch Plains, N.J. which I found out sells the dogs made by Kocher's butcher shop. Kocher's is a popular butcher shop in Bergen County who sells hot dogs to between 30 and 40 different establishments. One of which is the Karl Ehmer's Hillsdale location. This place actually sells from their store and serves (at their outdoor cart) Kocher's German franks rather than Karl Ehmer's own German franks which are made in College Point N.Y. As you can imagine, the people at the main office are not pleased. I spoke to one of them recently. But anyway, Hofmann is a good frank, but a little milder than Thumann's and Kocher's, which are my 2 favorite German style franks. I also like Sahlen's from Buffalo, N.Y. and the special recipe Grote & Weigel frank made for the Galloping Hill Inn. These are my favorites in this style.

For anyone interested there are still some Sahlen's franks available at the Bridgewater Wegmans. Ken8038 posted about these. It's the only place I know of in Jersey that carries them. I called the store and was told that they only carry them in the summer months. Currently, they have 12 lbs left and will not be restocking until next summer. They come in 3 lb packages, but I was able to have the deli manager open a package and put aside a pound for me which I will pick up tomorrow. The rest of the franks in that package will be sold loose in the deli. If you've never had a Sahlen's, let me suggest that you get down to Wegmans (Bridgewater location only) before they run out. This is the dog that is served at the popular Ted's restaurants in and around Buffalo. These dogs have a somewhat tight casing and are great on the backyard grill. They are charbroiled till well done at Ted's.

I have business up in Newark, NY in the next week or two and since it is a three hour drive for me I might as well stop by Hofmann's and check things out. If anyone wants anything, I'll bring a cooler along. Which by the way isn't a bad idea for the next tour!
Saturday I visited Helmbolds in Troy, NY. The dogs there are beef and pork with natural casing. I picked up some 10/1 and some of their chili sauce. I would say they are similar to a Thumann's and the way they are served is similar to a michigan... onions, mustard and a spicy meat sauce.

HDK: while you are in the Newark do not miss the opportunity to visit some of the wineries along Seneca and Keuka Lakes (especially, do not miss Konstantin Frank on Keuka and Herman Wiemer on Seneca).

BTW: We''l be up there, 10/8- 10/11, staying at the Inn at Glenora, enjoying some outstanding wines and replenishing the cellar . If you are still in the area maybe we could get together...

cheers, John

hi again, buds..

my hot dog trip report is finally completed....

(page 15).......take a look ! Benzee, John, Ken, Mike, Lou, and enjoy!!

ellen

quote:

Originally posted by ellen4641

hi again, buds..

my hot dog trip report is finally completed....

(page 15).......take a look ! Benzee, John, Ken, Lou, and enjoy!!

ellen

Great report Ellen!

Did you want a DVD?

Ellen,
It was a fine tour, and you did an excellent job of capturing its essence in photographs.
Good work.

The Bear

<<my hot dog trip report is finally completed....

(page 15).......take a look ! Benzee, John, Ken, Mike, Lou, and enjoy!!>>

Hey Ellen, I took several looks and I sure enjoyed! Thanks so much for posting the pictures and the great report. You're one of the main reasons why this site is as good as it is. The fact that you were able to eat yet more Hot Dogs the next day is amazing. Me, I took one look at that tub of Chili from Father & Son in my fridge the next morning and stuck it in the freezer (right next to the Sahlen's Hot Dogs) for another day.

General Note to all: This weekend I'm off on a 3 day trip to Albany and then Cooperstown. I'm finally ready for more Hot Dogs and I've got my Albany/Troy Hot Dog places all lined up for Saturday, along with the Orchard Tavern for Pizza, and my BrewPubs all lined up for later in the day. Thanks to all who have posted about that area on this board, it's where most of my tips come from. ---Ken

boardwalk hot dog is on drumpoint road in brick. not too far from the 5 guys and one of the windmills. their hot dog is comparable to max's, also less expensive than max's. The truck in red bank is also good as well.

Bill M

Hello all ,

Great trip report Ellen !!
John Fox and I are trying to coordinate a mini Hot Dog Meet at Charlies Pool Room in Alpha NJ on Veterans Day Monday Nov. 12th.

They would open specifically for our group .
I'm thinking if we get 8-10 that want to meet at Galloping Hill Inn we can take a 10 passenger Executive Van that one of my coworkers operates . Probably would cost about $20 each for the roundtrip.

We would look at about a 2 hour stay at Charlies , or visit one or two others in the area also .
Monday being a holiday John is off from work and I gather many of you are also . I'm willing to take a VAC day if we can get this off the ground .

Friends from west Jersey and PA could meet us there .

Give us an idea everyone what you think .

Benzee

You can count me in.

Hit the Hot Grill or Rutts Hut on the way down the GS Pkwy?

wish I could be there, Benzee......I'm leaving on Nov. 11th for 10 days in Vegas !
I help my sis escape from her domestic life with hubby and the 4 kids...

Benzee: Gail and I are a tentative YES- will be more definite soon. We'd love to visit that place after the great write-up we saw on these pages a while ago.

Cheers, John

I wouldn't miss it for the world.
Out-of-staters and Jerseyans still not familiar with the rare Hot Dog Experience that is Charlie's Pool Room may understand my zeal after clicking the below blurb from HollyEats.

The Bear

http://www.hollyeats.com/CharliesPoolRoom.htm

Or here:

http://www.pha.jhu.edu/~mspecian/links/crazylinks/cpr.htm

I wonder if Toby's Cup will be on the itinerary. When I lived in NJ, I'd make a stop at this roadside hotdog hut, which is right on Rt 22 in Phillipsburg. Its frontage almost touches the road. I remember them being unique in that they served their hotdogs with a wedge of sliced pickles.

Toby's is close to Charlie's Pool Room. Also close by is Jimmy's on the Delaware.

Is there any interest in my bringing a box of Yocco's Hot Dogs?
I live in the area.

Hello all ,

The Hot Dog Mini Meet is confirmed !!

Date : Monday November 12th Noon - 2 pm

Place : Charlies Pool Room
1122 East Boulevard
Alpha NJ

Meeting Point : A few of us will carpool from Upstate NY to Galloping Hill Inn in Union NJ at 1100am
We will have a 10 pass. Executive Van to take us to Charlies from there . ( Est. cost $20 per )
For those that want to drive feel free , also the PA and West Jersey folks should meet us there .

Charlies is opening that day just for us so we would like to get a head count of attendees and who needs transportation .

So far
Benzee
John Fox
Coney Island Lou
Hot Dog King
Screenbear
Seafarer John and Gail
Fontaine ( no transp.)

For further info feel free to email me
benzee95@hotmail.com

Benzee

I'll be at Charlie's - I live across the river so I don't need transportation.

Hello Fontaine ,
Very good see you then .
I will change the heading to the mini meet and after it change back to the tours

Benzee

Hey Everyone,
If the weather is nice on the 12th, maybe consider stopping at Aunt T's dog pound, a Sabrett cart just off Route 22 Westbound, by Phillipsburg High School. I work in the area so I'll try to stop by to join you.

DPuro329

Hello all ,

The meet is shaping up nicely everyone .
DPuro , I do not know the area well but will have to see .
I will be in Charlotte and Disney World next two weeks on VAC so any questions or posts I will get to when I return .
Had a nice mini meet with CI Lou at Coney Island Rest. yesterday to discuss upcoming meets and dog tours .
I will be sending out flyers to all on my list when I get back about the meet at Charlies .

Benzee

I spoke with one of the owners of Charlies Pool Room. They will be open just for us and will be happy to see us on Monday Nov. 12th. Anyone who wants to join us is welcome.

Someone I know who lives in Florida for most of the year will be returning to Jersey for a few days. He expressed a desire to go to Jimmy Buff's in East Hanover. He's never been there before. I will be meeting him for a dog and maybe a few beers. Anyone wishing to join us, please feel free to stop by. It will be Saturday Oct. 27th between 12:00 and 1:00. The back room will be available.

Hello all ,
Just returned from a two week VAC .
Anyone else interested in attending let us know

Benzee

Hello all ,

The attendees so far for the Hot Dog Meet at Charlies Pool Room on Mon Nov 12th are

Benzee
Coney Island Lou
John Fox
Screenbear
Hot Dog King
Seafarer John and Gail
Fontaine

anyone else feel free to let me know

Charlies is opening specifically for us that day so we would like to give them an approx. number a few days before at least.

Remember that this is Veterans Day , a Holiday so many will be off from work .

Benzee

Benzee

I'll bring the pickles!

Helllo all ,

Got an email from Akavar and he will be joining us also

Benzee

count me in for one possibly two (It will be on my lunch hour so I can't stay the whole time)

Hello all,

Brookquarry you are added to the list

Updated is now

Benzee
Coney Island Lou
John Fox
Screenbear
Hot Dog King
Seafarer John and gail
Fontaine
Akavar
Brookquarry and Gordy
DPuro
Brooklyn Bill and Ginny

I know there are more that will confirm in the next week .

Benzee

Hi Benzee,
Don't know if you got my email or not, but I'm going to try and join you guys too. I'll be working in the area and should be able to stop by for a bit.

Dave

Hi all ,

Added Brooklyn Bill and his wife Ginny and Dave Puro to the list

Should put as at 13 so far.

Benzee

Hello all ,

We have a few more possibles that emailed me and I will post them if they become definites .

Benzee

Put me down for 2 instead of one. My friend Gordy will be joining us. Since both of us are from Pa we will meet you at Charlies.

Hello all ,

Brookquarry got you down for two buddy .
Looks like we are at 14 .
Anyone need transportation from Galloping Hill Inn email me or you can meet us at Charlies Pool Room .
We needed 8 to ten for the van service from GHI. Have 5 so far. John, Screen, Benzee, Lou and the King .

Benzee

Hooray,
It's only one week away.
The Bear

Benzee: Brooklyn Bill, Ginny, Gail, and me will meet you folks at Charlies Pool Room around noon on the 12th. Can someone provide specific directions from I-84 ?

Cheers, John

Hi Seafarer John,

I would take I 87 to 287 to 78 west . I believe the last exit in New Jersey is Alpha .
We will get exact directions and post them before the meet.

Benzee

PS - Yes Hurray one week away !!!!

Benzee -

It can get a little difficult to find Charlie's. If you want to meet up at the exit from I-78, I will be happy to lead the convoy to Charlie's. I can also help out with directions from the Middletown area.

benzee I'd suggest you take akavars advise and follow him. Alpha is a confusing town and several turns are needed to get to Charlie's

at this point it will just be me- my friend now cant make it

Akavar , and all,

We will have John Fox with us and he has been there before .
Sounds like a good idea to meet at the exit though .
I would suggest 1145 am at the exit to Alpha for those that need to be guided in .
I also changed the heading until after the meet to let everyone know its coming up.

Benzee

The last exit in New Jersey on I-78 West is Phillipsburg, which is next to Alpha

I live in the area and can bring hot dogs from Pott's and Yocco's for a taste challenge, if enough people are interested. I'll ask a contribution of $1 a dog - I will pay the extra change.

For both places, a dog with everything is raw onions, chili, and mustard. You can also get cheese dogs. They both also have relish available. You can send your orders to me at daveeaston@yahoo.com.

Fontaine -

Thanks for the offer. Please note that Charlie's has signs posted that request no food or beverages be brought into their place. I suggest that you take this into account as you plan your taste comparison.

Akavar ,

We will be five strong in John Foxs van .
John , Screenbear , Benzee , Hot Dog King and CI Lou
I can give you my cell # if you like to be in contact day of .

Benzee

Benzee -

FWIW, here is my suggestion for Monday.

Rendezvous
We should rendezvous at 11:45 in front of the Staples in Alpha. Since most people will be traveling west on I-78, I will describe how to get there.

Traveling west on I-78 get off at exit 3. This is clearly as marked the last exit in NJ before the toll bridge. As you get off I-78 stay in the far right lane. There will be a traffic light almost immediately after you get off I-78. Turn right at this traffic light and you will see a Staples store about a block in front of you. We will meet in the parking lot in front of the store.

Directions to Charlie's
If you are traveling directly to Charlie's or do not make the rendezvous on time, here are the directions to take you directly to Charlies.

Traveling west on I-78 get off at exit 3. This is clearly marked as the last exit in NJ before the toll bridge. As you get off I-78 stay in the far right lane. There will be a traffic light almost immediately after you get off I-78.

At this light you will see signs to Rt. 122 west. Go through the light and follow the ramp around to your right. You will now be on Rt. 122 going west.

Travel 1.0 miles on Rt. 122 to 3rd Ave. There is a Quick Check on the corner and there is a traffic light at the intersection.

Turn left on 3rd Ave. and travel .4 miles to the first traffic light. This is High Street. Turn right on High Street.

Travel for .1 mile on High Street to Lee Ave. Lee Ave. is the first street on your left after the bridge. Turn left on Lee Ave.

Travel .2 mile on Lee Ave. to the fire house. Just before the fire house turn right on West Central.

Go 1 block on West Central and turn left on East Blvd. Charlie's Pool Room will be about half way down the block on your left.

Telephone for Charlie's: 908-454-1364

Benzee -

Why don't you send me your cell # directly to my email.

I think that most everyone is communicating with you for this trip. Why don't you stay as point of contact. I will send you my # once you send me yours. That way you can stay as primary and can contact me if you need anything.

Hello all ,

Akavar I emailed you my cell number . Anyone else need it just send me an email.
Excellent directions for everyone , thanks for posting them .
We are at 14 or 15 strong for the meet . Anyone else interested let us know . still time and room for a few more for this rare opportunity to eat and meet with some of roadfoods finest Hot Dog fans .

Remember that Charlies is normaly closed on Mondays and is opening for the day for our group only.
If you think you may be able to join us let me know and you will be put on the list . Do not worry if you are a no show , this will not reflect your good standing among the hot dog afficionados of the tri state area .

We may also visit Tobys Cup after Charlies meet as per Johns suggestion , everyone is invited to continue the meet and follow us from Charlies if we decide to stop there also .

Benzee

Pott's vs. Yocco's -

I would do it outside. It would not be fair to bring other food into Charlie's

I won't be able to bring Potts and Yocco dogs after all. I still hope to come to the meet, however.

Hello all ,

Hope you can still make it Fontaine .!!
Charlies is all prepared for us .
Anyone else interested email me before Mon morning so we can put you on the list.

Benzee

Hi everyone,
Looking forward to the meet at Charlie's. Based on the postings above I'll shoot to meet you guys around noonish.

See you all tomorrow

Dave

Y'all need to try one of the Jimmy Buff's locations in north Jersey for a killer Italian dog.