Hot Dog Tour 04 Recap

Just got back from the HOT DOG TOUR 04 and I wanted to say My wife (aleswench) and I had a great time with great food and great people.

A hugeTHANK YOU to Mr John Fox for organizing this tour it was great!!!!(Jeez Bob how many times can you type great you are starting to sound like Tony the tiger )

Pictures to follow.

Amen!! We had a great (uh, I mean fantastic) time as well -- huge thanks to John for organizing, leading, narrating, etc. Sorry we had to skip Rutt's Hut (the last stop) but we were stuffed and had just been there a couple weeks prior. Hope those of you who were first-timers enjoyed it!

On to Connecticut!

quote:

Originally posted by alesrus

Just got back from the HOT DOG TOUR 04 and I wanted to say My wife (aleswench) and I had a great time with great food and great people.

A huge THANK YOU to Mr John Fox for organizing this tour it was great!!!!(Jeez Bob how many times can you type great you are starting to sound like Tony the tiger )

Pictures to follow.

What an AMAZING day...thanks to:

Seafarer John and friend Bill-For picking me up..and putting up with my nutsy navagating!

John Fox- For being our organizer and guide...BIGTHUMBS UP GUY!

aleswench- for the WAY cool hot dog pins!!

and everyone else who came and joined in with he fun! it was nice to see that folks brought family along-get them interested in the idea that REAL food can be twice as fun as that boring franchised plastic...

all I can ask is what's next-perhaps a tour of Connecticuts finer Roadfood spots??? HINT HINT Michael & Jane....

Thanks to everyone who came! I've been to these places many times myself, usually alone, but as I often say, half the enjoyment for me when it comes to hot dogs is getting the opinions and feedback of others. Today was extra special in that I was able to get to meet and hang out with so many wonderful people. I love hot dogs and sharing opinions about them, but today would have been a great time even if we were just sitting around having a couple of sodas (or beers). I truly enjoyed meeting and talking with everyone. Looking forward to Connecticut. And hopefully future roadfood trips. I'd love to do a Cheesesteak tour in the future since I missed out on the last one. I really appreciate everyones honesty when it comes to their opinions. We all have differing tastes and today we sampled 5 different types of hot dogs. There are many other places in Jersey to get a hot dog, but I wanted to include at least one good example of each type or style of dog available in Jersey. Hopefully everyone found at least 1 dog that they really liked. Thanks again for a great time.

What a great day!! Hank and I such a good time meeting everyone and enjoying terrific hot dogs. John, I want to reiterate everyone's feelings about what a great job you did. You certainly picked out examples of 5 different kinds of hot dogs that were all delicious in their own way. We couldn't get over how well organized the day was and how knowlegable you are about Jersy dogs. Thanks again. Looking forard to seeing the pictures and seeing everyone again at the next tour. By the way, we brought home sandwiches from the deli in the same shopping center as Syd's. They were great. Never thought I'd be eating again today, though.

ConeyIslandLou,
Thanks much for the name tags. They came in real handy. It was great to meet the people behind the names.

Aleswench,
Love the pin! I'll be wearing it when I wear my many hot dog tee shirts.

Big thanks to John Fox for making it happen, choosing the places, giving directions, coaching on ordering, and sharing all that knowledge. For instance: Who knew that some hot dog casings are made from collagen?
Thanks aleswench for the adorable hot dog pins. Do people know that aleswench made all those pins herself?
Thanks also to the man who made up the name tags.
Mr and Mrs Howard88 it was nice to meet you and chat about bayshore area chow. If you try the pho at Pho Am Dao, let me know how you like it.

My hubby and I wimped out after three hot dog places. (We did not heed John’s advice to pace ourselves and ate too much too soon.)

Comments:

Galloping Hill Inn, Union
Very tasty juicy dog on a steamed chewy roll. I liked the roll, but I think it overwhelmed the hot dog a bit. The place is pleasant with plenty of outdoor seating.

Syds, Union
Syd’s is located in an old strip mall with 2 kosher delis and a bakery. Syd’s a luncheonette with lots of stuff on the menu. We couldn’t resist ordering a chocolate milk shake and it was delicious – the old-fashioned thin kind of shake.
Syd’s dogs are kosher beef, thin, and very tasty with somewhat crisp skin. Served on a standard hot dog moistened with grill grease. I thought the bun was denser and sweeter than a supermarket bun.

Charlie’s, Kenilworth
By the time I got this dog, I wasn’t hungry enough. It’s great meal. A folded bread with a dog with mustard, piled with onions, peppers, and really good fried sliced potatoes. Each of the elements was top notch and they taste great together. It was inexpensive… about $2.50.
But I also think the toppings overwhelm the dog… it depends on whether you want a hot dog or an Italian sandwich.

Just wanted to chime in too on what a wonderful day we had. It was great (sorry alesrus) meeting all of you. John, Thanks for leading us on this tour, your information, organization and enthusiasm helped to make this a great day. To echo John's thoughts, ConeyIslandLou and Aleswench thank you both for your generous contributions to the tour. I think it helped to break the ice. Lastly it was really generous of the owner of the Hot Grill to hand out so much chili to the group. I know I'll be using it on many hot dogs to come.

See you all in CT!

Sounds like you had a great day! John, sorry I couldn't make it. I'm planning on another Cheesesteak Tour this fall. Hope it works with with your schedule.

This is "Roadfood" at its best: With me driving and my friends Bill and Coney Island Lou navigating we got lost in Passaic (not exactly Paradise). So Lou got on the cell phone (John Fox had the foresight to give all of us his cell phone # - he knew some of us would get lost) and called for help.
Here's the dirctions we got from John Fox, "Drive to the White Castle and turn left". Now that's directions any Roadfooder has no trouble following!

We had a great time, JF did a great job organizing the tour, and thanks to CILou and Aleswench for the stickers and pins. Met a lot of very nice people and enjoyed five very different hot dogs. The very best was the first, Galloping Hill Inn, an old fashioned "German
butcher" type dog that reminded me of what we ate when I was a kid- all it needs is mustard and a little sauerkraut, and to make it even better the roll was outstanding - one of the best I've ever had. It would be an insult to put chili on this dog!

Equally as good, but an entirely different experience was the Chili dog at "Hot Grill". This is a super chili sauce, just a little hot, and it blends perfectly with the dog and the onions and the mustard. This place is worth the trip! As a bonus the owners were very welcoming,
and passed out what must have been several gallons of sauce for us to take home!!

The other three dogs were also fine, a great contrast to each other, and a really nice introduction to the possibilities of eating hot dogs in North Jersey. I'm going back !

We met and had a nice talk with Steve, the Nathan's World champion hot dog eater, he's a low keyed very modest guy who, BTW, has lost about 200 pounds since 1999. When we asked him how he trained for the contest, he said, "I skipped breakfast that morning"!

John Fox was a wonderful considerate unflappable and always helpful host. But then, the 25 or so of us turned out to be a happy easygoing convivial bunch- Roadfooders are the best!

Cheers, John

This is "Roadfood" at its best: With me driving and my friends Bill and Coney Island Lou navigating we got lost in Passaic (not exactly Paradise). So Lou got on the cell phone (John Fox had the foresight to give all of us his cell phone # - he knew some of us would get lost) and called for help.
Here's the dirctions we got from John Fox, "Drive to the White Castle and turn left". Now that's directions any Roadfooder has no trouble following!

We had a great time, JF did a great job organizing the tour, and thanks to CILou and Aleswench for the stickers and pins. Met a lot of very nice people and enjoyed five very different hot dogs. The very best was the first, Galloping Hill Inn, an old fashioned "German
butcher" type dog that reminded me of what we ate when I was a kid- all it needs is mustard and a little sauerkraut, and to make it even better the roll was outstanding - one of the best I've ever had. It would be an insult to put chili on this dog!

Equally as good, but an entirely different experience was the Chili dog at "Hot Grill". This is a super chili sauce, just a little hot, and it blends perfectly with the dog and the onions and the mustard. This place is worth the trip! As a bonus the owners were very welcoming,
and passed out what must have been several gallons of sauce for us to take home!!

The other three dogs were also fine, a great contrast to each other, and a really nice introduction to the possibilities of eating hot dogs in North Jersey. I'm going back !

We met and had a nice talk with Steve, the Nathan's World champion hot dog eater, he's a low keyed very modest guy who, BTW, has lost about 200 pounds since 1999. When we asked him how he trained for the contest, he said, "I skipped breakfast that morning"!

John Fox was a wonderful considerate unflappable and always helpful host. But then, the 25 or so of us turned out to be a happy easygoing convivial bunch- Roadfooders are the best!

Cheers, John

Thanks for the Hot Dog report! Y'all are carrying on the "Roadfood Mini-Convention" tradition.

Sounds like it was fun; so much fun that Seafarer had to say it twice!

Bushie,
It was just another example of John's Double-talk !!

quote:

Originally posted by Al-The Mayor-Bowen

Bushie,
It was just another example of John's Double-talk !!

LOL!!

Keep it up you Neanderthals, and I'll post it again!

Cheers, John

I wanted to let everyone know what a great time my brother and I had on "The Hotdog Tour 2004".

It was great talking to all of you about a subject that is near and dear to my heart. Lot's of great stories and information were swapped with fellow compatriots that truly appreciate the great American Food that is the hotdog.

I think that the slogan "As American as Mom and Apple Pie", should be changed to " As American as Mom and Hotdogs".

Special thanks go out to John Fox, the coordinator of the tour, and the encylopedia of hotdogs. John, thanks for everything, let me know when you are ready to make the trip down to Maui's Dogs in Wildwood and we'll go together and pick up some of the group that would like to go.

Thanks to Aleswench for bringing those cool hotdog pins (she made them herself)!!! I'm glad she persevered and tried the Rutts Hut dog

Thanks also to ConeyIslandLou for the expertly made name tags, great job.

All the Best,

Steve " The Hotdog Terminator Keiner"

The last American Nathan's Hotdog World Champion

quote:

Originally posted by stryyk

I wanted to let everyone know what a great time my brother and I had on "The Hotdog Tour 2004".

It was great talking to all of you about a subject that is near and dear to my heart. Lot's of great stories and information were swapped with fellow compatriots that truly appreciate the great American Food that is the hotdog.

I think that the slogan "As American as Mom and Apple Pie", should be changed to " As American as Mom and Hotdogs".

Special thanks go out to John Fox, the coordinator of the tour, and the encylopedia of hotdogs. John, thanks for everything, let me know when you are ready to make the trip down to Maui's Dogs in Wildwood and we'll go together and pick up some of the group that would like to go.

Thanks to Aleswench for bringing those cool hotdog pins (she made them herself)!!! I'm glad she persevered and tried the Rutts Hut dog

Thanks also to ConeyIslandLou for the expertly made name tags, great job.

All the Best,

Steve " The Hotdog Terminator Keiner"

The last American Nathan's Hotdog World Champion

Steve! Keep hanging out with John Fox... Then maybe come Nathans 2005 you'll be able to bring the gold back to the USA!

quote:

Originally posted by stryyk

I wanted to let everyone know what a great time my brother and I had on "The Hotdog Tour 2004".

It was great talking to all of you about a subject that is near and dear to my heart. Lot's of great stories and information were swapped with fellow compatriots that truly appreciate the great American Food that is the hotdog.

I think that the slogan "As American as Mom and Apple Pie", should be changed to " As American as Mom and Hotdogs".

Special thanks go out to John Fox, the coordinator of the tour, and the encylopedia of hotdogs. John, thanks for everything, let me know when you are ready to make the trip down to Maui's Dogs in Wildwood and we'll go together and pick up some of the group that would like to go.

Thanks to Aleswench for bringing those cool hotdog pins (she made them herself)!!! I'm glad she persevered and tried the Rutts Hut dog

Thanks also to ConeyIslandLou for the expertly made name tags, great job.

All the Best,

Steve " The Hotdog Terminator Keiner"

The last American Nathan's Hotdog World Champion

To show you what kind of TRUE champion Steve is,after our second stop at Syd's,with all of us amateurs still contemplating the task of three more stops ahead,and wondering if we are up to the task of it,here comes Steve,coming out of the Kosher deli next door,with one of their hot dogs in hand!!!!! He just HAD to try a hot dog he hadn't had before! That,my friends,is what separates a professional from the rest of us (I HAVE to say it..)weenies! (especially since he went on to eat a whole sandwich at Charley's,plus the dogs at Hot Grill and Rutts!) I bow before your greatness Sir!

I'm sorry that I neglected to mention Tabatchnik's. I had been there last week and tried a hot dog. They are huge 1/3 pounders from a company in Brooklyn called Empire Kosher. A different company than the one that makes Empire Chickens and Turkeys. The dog is the best kosher dog I've tried, and some of us were able to sample a bite of Steve's.

I'm curious as to what everyone liked. Me, I like all of these dogs and I go to one based on what I'm in the mood for. Charlies is great, but more of an Italian sandwich. I love the relish at Rutt's and the chili at the Hot Grill. At Galloping Hill and Syd's, I like the dogs so much that I get them with just mustard. On this particular day I really enjoyed the Syd's dog.

Seafarer liked the Galloping Hill Inn dog. Maria, I think, from Long Island really liked the Texas Weiner from the Hot Grill. Long Dog liked Syd's and Rutt's the best, I believe, while his son Matt likes Rutt's. Signman liked Syd's best and Steve "The Hot Dog Terminator" Keiner liked the kosher dog at Tabatchnik's.

What about the rest of you?

We need to test Steve out on one of the Tennessee/Kentucky BBQ Circuit Rides ! Weinies are one thing, but let's see how Whole Hog Works!! On our ride last Winter we had 4 stops, and by the 4th one there was a lot more conversation than chowdown!
These get togethers are really great fun, I urge everyone to participate whenever you can. Next one coming is the 8-9-10 of October---The Country Ham fest in Cadiz KY. We have heard from 7 or 8 folks intrested in visiting that one. Some of you St Louis folks are close enough to make that easily, Memphis Too !
Plan ahead and we'll have a real good time !

quote:

Originally posted by John Fox

I'm sorry that I neglected to mention Tabatchnik's. I had been there last week and tried a hot dog. They are huge 1/3 pounders from a company in Brooklyn called Empire Kosher. A different company than the one that makes Empire Chickens and Turkeys. The dog is the best kosher dog I've tried, and some of us were able to sample a bite of Steve's.

I'm curious as to what everyone liked. Me, I like all of these dogs and I go to one based on what I'm in the mood for. Charlies is great, but more of an Italian sandwich. I love the relish at Rutt's and the chili at the Hot Grill. At Galloping Hill and Syd's, I like the dogs so much that I get them with just mustard. On this particular day I really enjoyed the Syd's dog.

Seafarer liked the Galloping Hill Inn dog. Maria, I think, from Long Island really liked the Texas Weiner from the Hot Grill. Long Dog liked Syd's and Rutt's the best, I believe, while his son Matt likes Rutt's. Signman liked Syd's best and Steve "The Hot Dog Terminator" Keiner liked the kosher dog at Tabatchnik's.

What about the rest of you?

My party agreed that the best dog -- just the dog -- was Galloping Hill (we did not make it to Rutt's Hut, but are huge fans). For me, the best overall taste experience was Charlie's, but that's including the mustard, peppers, onions, and many, many potatoes....

Hi Guys! It's taken me a day or two to post...think I'm suffering from a nitrate induced hangover. But seriously- both Bob & I had a great time. It was so nice meeting everyone! I was nervous about it and from the second we got to the Galloping Hill in I felt at ease. And I'm so happy everyone liked the pins - it was nothing really - just wanted to "break the ice" so to speak. And your welcome I enjoyed doing it!

I think my favorite was the Galloping Hill dog, of course it was the first one and I was starving! They all were great, but very different from each other so you can't really compare. I would go back to each place.

Thanks again to John Fox for such a wonderful tour. You are truly amazing in your wealth of information. Coney Island Lou thanks for making us laugh at Syd's and for the cool name tags- Seafarer John you are such a gentleman and so interesting to talk to. I promise to get the wine tour info soon - maybe we'll have some interest!

Mr. Keiner it was great talking with you and your brother (that was your brother right?)and thanks for the autograph! The nephew got a HUGE kick out of it!!

Val, where'd you guys go?!?!? Didn't even get to say goodbye! I hope we meet again on another tour!

Oh who else to say thanks to?? (I feel like I am at the Academy Awards!!) Signman, Red Head, Phil and Maria, Long Dog & Short Dog, Flat Top - thanks for helping to make the day so much fun! And I think the award should go to Short Dog - he was still eating crackers after Rutt's!! I couldn't have fit one "wafer thin mint" (for those that know their Monty Python humor)

It was a blast. I hope to get the pictures up either tonight or tomorrow after work - so check back!
Off to the in-laws for a visit and steak - hope everyone had a great labor day weekend!! Sue

OH!! And Hillbilly!! Where did you go!?!? We wanted to see alot more of you! We were so disappointed!

quote:

Originally posted by aleswench

Hi Guys! It's taken me a day or two to post...think I'm suffering from a nitrate induced hangover. But seriously- both Bob & I had a great time. It was so nice meeting everyone! I was nervous about it and from the second we got to the Galloping Hill in I felt at ease. And I'm so happy everyone liked the pins - it was nothing really - just wanted to "break the ice" so to speak. And your welcome I enjoyed doing it!

I think my favorite was the Galloping Hill dog, of course it was the first one and I was starving! They all were great, but very different from each other so you can't really compare. I would go back to each place.

Thanks again to John Fox for such a wonderful tour. You are truly amazing in your wealth of information. Coney Island Lou thanks for making us laugh at Syd's and for the cool name tags- Seafarer John you are such a gentleman and so interesting to talk to. I promise to get the wine tour info soon - maybe we'll have some interest!

Mr. Keiner it was great talking with you and your brother (that was your brother right?)and thanks for the autograph! The nephew got a HUGE kick out of it!!

Val, where'd you guys go?!?!? Didn't even get to say goodbye! I hope we meet again on another tour!

Oh who else to say thanks to?? (I feel like I am at the Academy Awards!!) Signman, Red Head, Phil and Maria, Long Dog & Short Dog, Flat Top - thanks for helping to make the day so much fun! And I think the award should go to Short Dog - he was still eating crackers after Rutt's!! I couldn't have fit one "wafer thin mint" (for those that know their Monty Python humor)

It was a blast. I hope to get the pictures up either tonight or tomorrow after work - so check back!
Off to the in-laws for a visit and steak - hope everyone had a great labor day weekend!! Sue

I've been reading all these good things about the Tour Pin! Hope someone posts a picture for rest of us to enjoy! As Mr. Pink & Floyd once said, "Wish I was there".

quote:

Originally posted by aleswench


Val, where'd you guys go?!?!? Didn't even get to say goodbye! I hope we meet again on another tour!

aleswench and all the hot dog tour people... Sorry we left without a proper good-bye. After Charlies, we got in the car and realized we didn't have an inch of room for a chili dog. So we took the parkway south towards home. Stopped at Trader Joes in Westfield.

It was great to talk chow with such a nice group of people. If there's another cheesesteak tour, we'd love to join in.

Val

Sue -

I'll have to tell Matt that you came up with another name for him, but I think he kind of likes "little dog" over the moniker that Signman gave him at the Hot Grill - "long dog jr."

I was proud of my boy - not wimping out and hanging strong.

We both like Rutt's Thumann's dog having been there numerous times before, but Syd's beef Best's dog was my favorite "new" place, with the Sabrett's beef/pork dog at the Hot Grill just slightly ahead of the Grote & Wiegel beef/pork at the GHI.

He and I went back south with John, and went to two more places over in Elizabeth!
All told, he had FIVE dogs by himself, and had bites of mine from the two places that he skipped.

The nutmeg in the chili is a very unique taste.

For those interested, the Connecticut leg of the tour is scheduled forOCTOBER 30TH.

When you come to CT, be ready for beef/pork dogs.


I have 10 places in mind (easily), covering the state from Hartford to Norwalk.

Five was a nice number on Saturday, but it'll be tough for me to whittle it down that far.

Finally, a blanket "NICE MEETING YOU ALL" to the Jersey tour participants, and looking forward to seeing you all again next month.

anybody have a site to host some pics from the tour ?

Hey long dog,

Were you able to get some good hot dogs at the A&P? I happenned to be there today and I noticed that in addition to Thumann's, they had Schaller & Weber, (which they rarely have) Schickhaus, (1/4lb Grote & Weigel) and Sabrett's with the casing.

John -

I bought the Thumann's beef, and one package of each of the Schaller & Weber.

Didn't notice any Sabrett's with casings or Schickhaus on Saturday.

I passed on the blue & white Thumann's.
I can get a 5 lb. bag at BJ's here for $17, as opposed to the $5.50 for a one lb. package that A&P had.

Everything else I can get up here at either ShopRite, Stop & Shop, or Big Y.