Amazing Hot Dogs in Bound Brook, NJ

It's 1pm and mom gets her coat and tells me we need to get some hot dogs. I wanted to talk to Matt at Amazing Hot Dogs, so we're off. We get there and I got my chili dog and mom wanted a hamberger.

The Hot Dog a 1/4 lb Sabrett grilled. The chili is very tasty, the type of chili I enjoy. After finishing my hot dog I told Matt the one thing I still haven't been able to do is the slaw chili dog. Matt asked if I liked slaw, I said most of them. He gave me a sample, great creamy slaw. I told Matt when I come back with the group on Sunday in a couple weeks my first bite, will be with chili and slaw.

Mom liked her hamberger, but when I went for a drink



mom took a bite to taste the hot dog. I'll get a picture of a complete dog when I go back.

Then Matt wanted my opinion of a new side order deep fried mac & cheese,



They were great I'll definately order some on the return trip.


Next was



a mini sausage with cooked onions. Very good and tasty.


And for desert



deep fried cheesecake and chocolate fudge. There were three of each, but went to talk to Matt and mom got loose.



Mom and I had a great time and Matt was a super host.

While at Amazing Hot Dogs Mom and I also witnessed the 11th winner of their Super Hero Challenge which I'll post a seperate on it's own.



This plus an large order of fries and at least one drink to be finished with in one hour.

I'm not sure about that dog with mac and cheese...but I'll try anything once...or twice...or....

I hear you, I'm still trying to take a bite of a slaw chili dog. I will
will do it at Amazing Hot Dogs on the 23rd. It will be the first bite so
if I don't like it I won't waste the rest of the dog.

quote:

Originally posted by John Sagi

I hear you, I'm still trying to take a bite of a slaw chili dog. I will
will do it at Amazing Hot Dogs on the 23rd. It will be the first bite so
if I don't like it I won't waste the rest of the dog.

Oh you must try a chili dog with slaw...it's a super way to have a dog!!!!!

quote:

Originally posted by leethebard

I'm not sure about that dog with mac and cheese...but I'll try anything once...or twice...or....

I'm not crazy about mac and cheese on its own; I definitely don't like it on a hot dog, but for those who do........

I'll prbably have one dog with just mustard (this is how I had it last time) and one with chili and slaw or a reuben dog. Can't wait.

What is the address?

quote:

Originally posted by leethebard

I'm not sure about that dog with mac and cheese...but I'll try anything once...or twice...or....

It's even better with chili and cole slaw. Go for the gusto.

mark

Hey John, Nice report on Amazing Hot Dogs. Jersey never runs out of hot dog joints. And I want to try them all.

No mac n' cheese or slaw for me. Chili and raw onion is all I need.

John ,

Again nice trip report , and photos .
The 23rd is looking good for a meet at Amazing Hot Dogs .
I will pass along to CI Lou and Uncle Buck to see if they are interested in coming

Benzee

The dogs look very good!

Amazing Hot Dog
600 West Union Avenue
Bound Brook, NJ
Somerset County

I love chili slaw dogs and a mac and cheese dog...wow what a great idea!

Dave

I can honestly saw I've never seen or even contemplated a mac & cheese dog before.

For what it’s worth, Ditch Plains, 29 Bedford Street, NYC, is generally given credit for originating the mac and cheese-topped hot dog.

As lore goes, the owner of the chi chi NYC spot was out at another restaurant one day and ordered a hot dog and a side order of macaroni and cheese. The server and chef, combining to misunderstand the order, delivered unto him a hot dog topped with mac and cheese.

But, rather than send it back, the Ditch Plains owner mused, “Hmm…not bad,” and hence decided to add it to his bill of fare. However, the resultantly named “Ditch Dog” now exists therein not on the menu, but as an in-the-know, off-the menu item.


The Bear

I love chili/slaw dogs! yummi. Love to eatthem. But i could never sell them.
Try it John it is very good. (depending on the slaw).

Thanks Shelly

Matt let me taste his slaw. It's how I like it creamy. 23rd at Amazing will be my first
slaw dog.

We are planning a get together this coming Sunday. See Misc and Food Related forum under the Hot Dog Tour thread for details. http://roadfood.com/Forums/topic.asp?whichpage=25&TOPIC_ID=10337#471256

See ya all at Amazing Hot Dogs this Sunday 23rd of November at 12:00 noon

John

Looking forward to seeing your Amazing Hot Dog pics! I was with you guys in spirit!!!!

speaking of bound brook, years ago there was aplace called dowds or dodd's for icecream burgers and stuff..also there was a little amusuement park - wonder if its there or has been pulled down?

quote:

Originally posted by ellen4641

Looking forward to seeing your Amazing Hot Dog pics! I was with you guys in spirit!!!!

Me, too, and believe me, Brian and I discussed this. Unfortunately, he was starting to catch a cold midweek (just in time for our anniversary...but we still went out!), and is now home sick. That's right, I'm actually alone on a Sunday, and it's weird. But I just didn't want to make that trip by myself today, although I may be sorry when I hear how GREAT it was.

And John, all my best to you and your beautiful wife and your brother, and of course my heartfelt MAZEL TOV to Daddy Benzee!

Thank you, Harriet. Too bad you couldn't make it. We had a wonderful time. Matt was a great and generous host. The dogs were some of the best I've ever had. John Sagi has some pictures and I'll post about our little trip tomorrow when I have some time on the Hot Dog Tour Thread.

Hello all ,

Hope you all had a good time , we I could've made it . Looking forward to the report

Benzee

The Trip to Amazing Hot Dogs

There was only four of us and the hot dogs were great. Matt out did himself. Matt wanted to join us,
but had to work. They opened at 12 noon and was busy by 12:15.

I had a Chili & Mustard Dog:



ScreenBear had a Mac & Cheese Dog and a Slaw Dog:



BadDog had a Hot Relish & Mustard Dog didn't get what the second Dog was:



As for John Fox he had a Hot Dog wit mustard & a Hot Dog. Sorry there are no pictures because they
look naked with nothing on them.

Because they were busy we did a quick chili tasting. John Fox, Doug (BadDog), Matt, and his two helpers
tasted as they worked and never missed a beat.

I had three different chilis that were completely different. I wanted opinions and comparisons between the three.

My first chili was my 85+ year old recipe with a few tweeks. The same chili I gave out at the 2008 Tour.
I made two small additions and thought it was better. Without knowing John Fox said it was close to the
other chili, but had a little more flavor. The man is good and knew there were changes. Of the five tasting
this was picked the best, rated 5.

The second was a basic chili with some tweeking. It got a fair rating, One remark was tatse a little like
a spaghetti. I tried for a sweet sauce.

The third was a beef and saugage chili complete opposite tatse. I liked it but it was different. I was supprised when it got a rating of 4.

I also had an Onion Sauce that Doug tasted and said it was great.

Tell me if this picture describes contentment. Left to right ScreenBear, BadDog & John Fox.




I like to thank Matt and his help. Had a great time with good people.

John Sagi






Short jump to Middlesex Texas Weiners


John Fox, ScreenBear and I also stopped at Middlesex Texas Weiners.

John and I had chili & mustard and ScreenBear had onions, chili & mustard.



The chili was very good and the hot dog was tasty, but could have been a little warmer inside.

Well worth going back.

John

We had a great time yesterday at Amazing Hot Dog. It's always nice to have pictures included. Thanks John Sagi. Too bad more people didn't show up. I know that you would have enjoyed it. Hopefully, we can have these mini meets every month or every other month. Sunday is good for me since I work Saturdays. Matt mentioned that he may be closing soon on Sundays and he would like to join us.

Speaking for myself personally, I like the different styles of hot dogs and the different ways of preparing them. At times I crave one type of dog. And sometimes I'm in the mood to have it prepared a certain way. Like deep fried, or grilled, or in the water. This is why it's impossible to say what the best dog is. There's different hot dogs for different moods. I also find that if I eat one type of dog (beef/pork) 2 or 3 times in a row, I look for another type (spicy all beef) next time. I had been craving a big deep fried beef dog from Amazing for quite awhile and was glad to be able to satisfy this craving yesterday. I had a dog with just mustard and a second (Caped Crusader) with mustard, the bacon strip it comes wrapped in, chili, and coleslaw. I omitted the jalepeno peppers that come with this dog.

Let me say that I strive to be honest in my opinions. It's hard sometimes to say something negative, especially if I know or am friends with the owner. And sometimes it's hard to say something positive when I am treated poorly, or even cursed at and told my business wasn't appreciated. Yes, this has happenned to me.

I mention this because Amazing Hot Dog, since they opened their first location in Verona a little over 2 years ago has been one of the premier hot dog restaurants in N.J. in my opinion. And the opinions of others. Those on the Star Ledger's panel. Many on Roadfood. NJ Monthly (whose editors picked AHD as the best hot dog joint in Jersey), AOL City Search, and others. I voted for them for best fried dog and best toppings when I was a member of the Star Ledger's S.W.A.T. Dog Team where we reviewed hot dogs all summer and judged them in 5 categories.

I respect the fact that the original owners took a chance and opened a new restaurant in North Jersey (the hot dog capital of the world) where there would be fierce competition. They had a vision of what they wanted to be and worked hard to reach their goal. AHD was different in many respects. They have the widest variety (and best) toppings you can find at a hot dog restaurant. I enjoy them which is high praise coming from a "traditionalist" who prefers a quality dog with just mustard most of the time. Other places serving a mild or bland dog need something to liven up their dogs. Amazing's dogs are excellent plain. But their homemade toppings are so good that I have to get at least one dog with either their fantastic chili and slaw, or their reuben dog.

Amazing in Verona was succesful, and despite a setback (they had a fire) they gained a steady base of customers and a good reputation. They decided to open a second location in Bound Brook. Prior to this, I had a few experiences where my dog wasn't hot enough for my taste. This is tough to do with a large quarter pound dog when you want to achieve the perfect temperature while not creating a "ripper" where the skin rips apart. I don't mind a ripper, but the guys wanted their dogs fried to the point where they were hot, but the juices stayed in. They guys corrected this problem and on subsequent visits, I almost burnt the roof of my mouth! I saw Matt laughing and wondered if he did this on purpose.

Late last year Amazing went through a tough transitional period. Eric, the other owner left to pursue other opportunities. They switched brands of hot dogs. Verona closed and Matt had to work 15 hours a day 7 days a week. When he couldn't be at the store one day, service sufferred. Unfortunately, sometimes it only takes one bad experience to turn someone off and lose them as a customer. They come on forums like this and post about their bad experience and then there is the possibility of losing other customers.

But I'm happy to say that the transition is over and Matt has Amazing Hot Dog up and running as good or better than it ever did. He's there most of the time and has a good core of trusted employees.

My lunch yesterday was one of the best hot dog experiences ever. Matt uses a big 1/4 lb natural casing Sabrett all beef dog that he deep fries. I've had this dog on 3 occasions including yesterday. Because of it's size and method of preparation, the resulting spicing of this dog is better than on the smaller dogs that are boiled or grilled. It is a little less garlicky and more balanced. My dogs were prepared perfectly; well done without requesting it (I would ask for this anyway) perfect snap, piping hot, excellent balance and flavor, and juicy. Perfection in a deep fried dog! Since this is the biggest dog made at the factory, they use a tougher casing. Heated in hot oil for a sufficient amount of time results in a tasty, juicy dog with a good snap and casing that keeps in the flavorful juices. Put on a fresh roll big enough for the dog and topped with a spicy brown mustard, I would give this dog a 10 out of 10. The flavor and level of spicyness makes this particular beef dog as good as any I've had. I love Best, but this one is just as good. You won't find a better beef dog than the Sabrett used here. In the same league as Best, Usinger's, and Boars Head. And prepared the way it was yesterday makes this dog as good a dog as I ever had. It was that good.

I eagerly awaited my second dog. Again prepared perfectly. Hot, tasty, juicy, and great snap. The chili is one of the 5 or so best that I've had. The cole slaw was excellent as well, sweet, creamy, and chopped small. I told Matt that in my opinion he shouldn't change a thing. The dog, the casing, and the preparation were outstanding.

We got to speak with Matt early, but soon after quite a little crowd wandered in, so they were busy. Which was good for Matt. I saw a kid of about 12 or 13 walk past me with a tray containing a drink and a beautiful, shiny, well done hot dog plain. He walked over to one of the dispensers and desecrated this masterpiece with ketchup. I started to yell at him to stop, but then remembered where I was. Kids!

It was fun hanging out with John Sagi, ScreenBear, and BadDog. And sampling John's chili, the first of which might be THE best chili I ever tasted. So today I had 2 great hot dogs with 2 of the finest chilis available. I'm glad that Matt has Amazing Hot Dog up and running well. I would only ask him not to change a thing. He was generous and fun to talk to before he was inundated with customers. Hopefully he will be joining us on future get togethers.

Afterwards we went to Middlesex Texas Weiners located a mile or 2 away on Union Ave. It's been 2 or 3 years for me. I remember this place as serving a very good Plainfield area (grilled dog with thicker chili as opposed to Paterson area with fried dog and thinner chili) Texas Weiner. A 6 to a lb grilled beef and pork dog. The places serving this type of dog use the Grote & Weigel Griddle frank. The woman working there told me that they use Schickhaus. Many of these places did use Schickhaus until they discontinued making the smaller dogs. I didn't know whether to believe her, but the dog did taste different than the G&W Griddle frank. So maybe Schickhaus does make a 6 to a lb. The dog was good, but as John said, wasn't as hot as we would have liked. And they were brought to us right after being taken off the griddle and dressed with mustard and chili; onions also for ScreenBear. I also noticed that the chili is much hotter (spicier) than in the past. I preferred their milder chili.

All in all a good dog, but paled in comparison to the outstanding dogs that we enjoyed at Amazing Hot Dog.

Just a note here to thank Matt at Amazing for his hospitality and courtesy and acknowledge the fine hot dog companionship of Bad Dog and both Johns. More mini meets are most certainly suggested.

And, while Messrs. Fox and Sagi covered it all in swell fashion, I’d just like to gild the lily a tad by noting that whilst biting into the dogs at AHD I was astonished by how juicy these big ¼ lb. Sabretts were. “Juicy!” I kept remarking.

I once opined, and it bears repeating, that Amazing Hot Dog, while still a relative newcomer to the NJ Hot Dog Scene and continuing rising star, reminds me of stories I would hear about the great little nightclubs that gained favor among true devotees during the Jazz Age. Almost every city had a place where, after a night of playing at various different clubs, the best musicians would gather to jam... to be amongst the greats and do the real thing.

The analogy is that at Amazing you get the feeling that Hot Dog is Spoken Here. They aspire to hitting the high note. They know the deal. There is attention to detail, from the brand and style chosen to the optimum method of preparing it.

The caring attitude, a culinary sense of respect, ennobles aficionado and casual weenie imbiber alike. While there are some truly superb hot dogs being served in NJ, not all frank emporiums reach this rare pinnacle with such aplomb and consistency.

Granted, the topping craze of the last decade or so in N.J. has seen many places rush to offer a plethora of adornments. But what distinguishes and sets apart Amazing is the quality of these tasty embellishments. With too many other places it’s just the novelty and not a serious attempt to wow our gustatory senses, as is so satisfyingly achieved at Amazing.

The Bear

WOW !!!

How can I give my personal opinion after reading John Fox and
ScreenBear.

I'm not much of a writer but this mini meeting of the minds gave me more knowledge than a Semester in College.

I'm new at the tasting game. In the past I was just a chili dog taster. I did my first one bite of a slawdog. Not bad, but don't want to take away from the chili.

As John said Amazing is one of five best chili he's tasted.

For me the best one of three chilis. Jimmy Buffs is on this list. What I wanted to prove for myself is: I could have a few favorites. Matt put it in the right perspective. He tasted my number one chili and said it was very good and was surprised how completely different the taste from his. If I was to rate Amazings chili with Jimmy uff's chili and my chili. they would all get top rating number 5. I truthfully couldn't give you a best because they are three ompletely different chilis.

As for the hot dog, I also think Best is my favorite. I now put 1/4 lb Sabrett deep fried next to Best. The way it was prepared in my opinion at this time the best hot dog I've ever eaten.

MY LESSON FOR THE DAY

What I learned from the group and Matt is that the old days are in the past and it is great to experiment beyond your pass beliefs.

When I first heard John Fox talk about the Reuben Dog I cringed. I love Reubens, didn't have the nerve to try. It will happen

I wouldn't have ever thought eating eggs on a hot dog. I watched Matt make the egg dog and how he nestled the egg on the roll then the hot dog and follow with the chili. This will be my next adventure to Amazing Hot Dogs. I will challenge Matt to make the egg over easy. I want the explosion of the yolk when biting the hot dog.

Matt definately has the talent with the grill and frier.

John Fox has convinced me to expand my horizon of the hot dog.

And thanks to BadDog for his expert opions of my chilis and onion sauce. You are needed on our tours.

I would also like to meet once a month to keep up with what's happening in the hot dog world.

While talking with ScreenBear he said it would be great to have more
mini groups (all you need is a few) to meet once a month at a different place to mind meld and then report it on the Roadfood. This way will learn the different cultures of the hot dog.



John Sagi

Hey, let me see some naked dogs next time! You DO have an audience for them! (at least me, anyway)
I acutally like the way they look, so I can see the meat real good!
(one thing I remember is that John Fox hates onions! So naked it is, in this case)

I was lucky to have tried John Sagi's chili . I was one of the lucky recipients of nice sized samples of chili he was giving out at the Hot Dog tour in Sept.

Glad you liked your Amazing Hot Dogs so much , John...
remember when I went to the RIP one in Verona, but their hot dog did'nt do that much for me..
turns out, you said they had changed to a much milder dog at the time..

Yes, everyone looked real content! Nice pics, guys! boys day out!

Ellen

Next time I promise you the naked dog. I've always had the dog covered with chili or something. I never knew what the dog looked like. I'm new, but learning. The lesson to be learned today is everyone has their opinion which should be repected.

I would have had more pictures, but we hurried up to do the tasting, and give Matt the tables.

John,

Don't get me wrong. It's always good to try new things, but I have limits. You can never go wrong with a quality dog and mustard. Even if the toppings are as good as what you get at Amazing. You are tasting a great product unencumbered. That's why I get one that way and one with toppings. But many, if not most combinations I don't like. And I've tried some of them. Cream cheese? Not for me. Eggs? I'll have them on the side. Onions? Never. Chili? Definitely! Coleslaw on top? Ok, I'm a convert. But everyone is different, and as you say, everyone has their opinion which should be respected. Except when it comes to ketchup.