New Jersey Hot Dogs

John Fox,
 
I’m glad that you and ken8038 liked it
 
Since Walt’s closed in ’67 or ’68, I don’t know if you’re old enough to have gone to Walt’s.
 
I never heard of Syd’s before reading this thread and I’m sorry that I never had a chance to sample their dogs. I think that we tend to go to our local stores and don’t realize that there is a world of vendors to sample. I had the benefit of being on the road in NJ for years and because of my passion for hot dogs, was able to sample many hot dog joints. Others with the same passion have the wonderful opportunity to join in the hot dog tours that you organize. In that regard I give you my utmost respect and applause!!
 
To repeat a previously tendered query, did the Star Ledger team ever visit George’s on Elmora Ave. in Elizabeth? If not, I have prepared a brief history – with the same kind of historical aerial photos – describing a place that deserves a place in NJ hot dog history.
 
Don’t worry; it’s shorter than my small essay on Walt’s.
 
I’ve also done the same thing with Peterson’s Galloping Hill Inn. (As I knew it)

ken8038,
 
Regarding that aerial photo site where I got those pics:
 
You must “activate” the pointer function by clicking the buttons on the upper left of the photo. I found that if you go more than around 3 miles, you run out of available photos. It says that they are not available or something to that effect. To overcome this feature of the application, all you need to do is go back to “Search” and enter the name of the town & state where the drop-off occurs. You will then have that area available for further investigation.
 
I really like the their presentation of the various years that go back to 1931.
 
I use the free software Screen Hunter for screen captures. It’s a very nice program.
 
Also, I read your post of your family’s tour of S. Jersey. It’s too bad you didn’t have a chance to visit Olga’s Diner. It was a famous landmark for years. They were known for their wonderful deserts. Times as they are, there is this: http://www.wcbs880.com/pages/3486156.php?
 
Predating this story is this, with a picture: http://www.wcbs880.com/pages/3486156.php?
 
In addition, if you like goofy sorts of things (Like me), there are 4 or 5 meat markets and other types of stores that have life size or larger than life size cows/bulls on their roofs or in front of the stores. As I remember they are north of Vineland along the small roads between Vineland and the AC Expressway.

Food Fan: First, please go ahead and post your memories of George's and "Petersons". I lived in Eliz for about 10 years in the late 80's thru '98, but I never went to George's. I always put it off and then it wound up closing.
 
Thanks for the tip on how to capture screen shots, I was trying to figure out how to do that. I want to send my sister the aerial shot of our childhood home in Bay Ridge Brooklyn from 1954,  (I think I see my tricycle in the picture....).
 
I was at Olga's several years ago. South Jersey has a lot of interesting food locations.
 
Keep on posting, you're a welcome addition our forums! 

Ken8038,
 
I will.
 
Since reading about Dee’s truck so many times on this thread and having found no truck on the day before Super bowl Sunday, I thought I’d try again today. The last time I had Dee’s hot dogs was probably 10 years ago and like Munce’s in Rahway I thought they were no big deal.
 
Again, Dee’s truck was not at the little park on Faitoute Ave. in Roselle Park.
 
As I was leaving I saw that Cascio’s Tavern has a sign advertising, among other things, hot dogs. Cascio’s is on Faitoute Ave. in Roselle Park a block toward W. Westfield Ave. from Dee’s spot. I stopped in and ordered one with mustard, raw onions and chili. The owner told me that it came with fries. He also told me that he knew the second owners of Peterson’s Galloping Hill Inn and that they had used Schickhaus hot dogs.
 
Cascio’s hot dog:
 
The bun is 9” long and the hot dog is 7” long. The hot dogs are homemade by Pulaski’s on Wood Ave. in Linden. The mustard is Gulden's in the squirt bottle.
 
The dog itself has a mild flavor made up with indiscernible spices (To me) and is a little salty. The chili is the oily fine ground type that is so common and has a hint of vinegar. In terms of hotness it is slightly warm. In other words, your gums will remember it for a little while.
 
This hot dog “platter” cost $7.00.
 
This is the location:
 
http://www.merchantcircle.com/business/Cascios.Tavern.908-245-9771
 
Here are some pics:







Note the lateral slices in the dog.

 

"Re:George's Chili Dogs - Where can I find your history? Thanks! - Mon, 02/16/09 12:48 PM"

I'm sorry learning, but I don't know what you mean by "my history".

Do you mean a list of the hot dog places that I've visited?

To complete my list I need the names of the places described in the following post. I hope somebody knows their names.

Can anyone help me out with the names of these places?
 
1 - The place on the corner of Westfield Ave. and Galloping Hill Rd. in Roselle Park where the original owner served lousy cheap store bought hot dogs that were just as bad as Hot Rod’s. It may have been called The Hot Dog Hut? It was there for many years. It closed and a father and daughter bought/leased it years later and served Sabrett skinless hot dogs. They didn’t last long and it closed again. It’s open again and its sort of a cheese steak whatever place that I don’t bother with. I had a cheese steak sandwich there when they opened up a while ago and it was nothing different than you can get anywhere else.
 
2 - A place on Rt. 22 E. with a big parking lot and fairly modern brick building with large windows that faces oncoming traffic. I think it’s before North Plainfield.
 
3 - A place on either Main Ave or Paulison Ave going west on the way out of Passaic.
 
4 - A tiny place on Rt. 46 W. down the hill from Hank’s (I DO mean TINY)
 
5 - A place in Connecticut west of Rt. 95 on Rt. 25 in Stepney or Upper Stepney. The hot dogs are 7” or 8” long and are cooked on a flat grill and placed in a bun that is like a very short but wide loaf of bread. In other words there is a crust on top like white bread crust. The hot dogs protrude around .75 in. on either end of the roll. They put the finished dog onto a paper cradle and slide it into a long single dog bag. They were quite a treat to eat on the way back to Jersey even though they shrivel up as they cool.

 

learning,

If you are having a problem using the forum, try contacting the admin's or moderators. They will help you. If you are getting a "script" error message, let the the script load. Don't "cancel" the script.

I have the historical  aerials of Georges uploaded and I can post them along with my personal memories of the history of Georges.

Although I don't want to monopolize this thread, if you would like to see the post I'll post it.
 

George started with a wooden hot dog cart that had wood spoked wagon wheels and was located on an empty lot with a two billboards on the corner of Elmora Ave. and Lidgerwood Ave. in Elizabeth.
 
1954 – George had his cart in front of the two billboards (located on the right) near the street in the corner empty lot on the right. The old Economy Color Card Co. parking lot is caddy-corner from it.



He eventually bought the lot and built a concrete block hot dog stand with a counter that had around 6, 7, maybe 8 round stools with a connected soft ice cream store with walk up windows. (Ala Carvel/Dairy Queen).
 
Below: Georges 1966



The ice cream never took off so either he or the people that he sold it to rebuilt the entire building to include a large dining room and concentrated on hot dogs, hamburgers and the like. After George sold it I heard that he moved back to Greece.

Below: Georges 1970



Even with the new building the hot dogs were prepared the same way as they were on the carts, rectangular stainless steel hot water box then into the empty stainless steel rectangular box then to the Pechters bun. The new owners never caught on to the manner that he did business - remember your customers and greet them with a big HELLO and a big bright smile, and treat them like gold. The new owners didn’t do that and they slowly lost the customer base that George had built over the course of 40 years. In fact they acted as if they were doing you a favor by taking your order.
 
Below: Georges 1987
 


Unfortunately, Georges has been gone for years – replaced by a donut joint. I wish that I knew that they were closing because I might have been able to get the recipe for their chili. Their chili, which was identical to the wooden cart vendor who was at the corner by the school and O’Brian Park playground (2nd Ave. & 7th St.) near the Peterstown outdoor market in Elizabeth in the 1950’s, was unique because there was no meat in it. It was a VERY tasty brownish gelatinous sauce (Corn starch) with tiny brown/reddish brown specs (Spices) in it. Chopped onions were the only solid ingredients. Believe it or not, it was the BEST chili that I have ever tasted. Although they included meat in the chili, The Majestic, Tommy’s, and Jerry’s on Elizabeth Ave, Elizabeth were much like Georges years ago but have since lost some of the similarity. A&G Texas Weiner’s on Chestnut St. in Roselle is kinda, sorta close - but no cigar winner either. Their chili is the extremely fine ground oily type that you see so often.
 
Below: Georges 2002



You can explore pictures like this at: http://www.historicaerials.com/default.aspx

<<1 - The place on the corner of Westfield Ave. and Galloping Hill Rd. in Roselle Park where the original owner served lousy cheap store bought hot dogs that were just as bad as Hot Rod’s. It may have been called The Hot Dog Hut? >>

Food_fan: I'm not sure what time frame you are talking about, but in the late 80's early 90's it was called Gary's. The one time we went there my wife was placing our order at the window, "Two Hot dogs and a cheeseburger and fries". The woman taking the order, in a sort of a nasty voice, told my wife "You have to give me the cheeseburger order first!". My wife was too flabbergasted to question this "rule".

We still laugh about it when we pass that location. The food was not memorable at all and needless to say we  never went back.

ken8038,

Funny story! The hamburger Nazi!

The original place was closed for around 5 years. I think the second owner/lessors were in it during the time period that you mentioned.

Do you remember if it had the very tall and thick hedges on the perimeter of the parking lot? I alway thought that they were a great buffer from all the passing traffic.

Were the dogs Sabrett skinless?

You know, I'm going to stop by there, see if they have hot dogs,  check out the menu and report back - you never know.

that place on route 22 by Plainfield, was it the "red apple burger", or something?
then there was also one of those texas weiner places, that may still be there, though

I think the place on Rt. 22 East is the Red Tower.

Ellen4641,
      Thanks for the response. The phrase “Red Apple Burger” somehow sounds familiar to me but it didn’t turn out to be the place.
 
John Fox,
      I had previously searched Rt. 22 E. by satellite and found a building that matched my recollection of the place. When I searched Red Tower II I found their phone number and called them and confirmed that they have the brick exterior with big windows all around. It is definitely Red Tower II Diner, Route 22 East, North Plainfield. It’s just before the football field and the overpass that will take you to the Watchung lake circle. Which reminds me of:
 
Mmmmmmmm, O’Connor’s!!!  http://www.oconnorsbeef.com/   Too bad the one on Rt. 22 E. is gone.
 
Thank you for clearing this up for me!!
 

My wife and I were on vacation 4 years ago and got caught in traffic in NYC. We got off the main road at "garfield" we laughed because it is my real name. We stopped after a while at a hot dog/sandwhich place. Looked a bit like a hole in the wall, but lots of local cars parked.
As soon as you walk in there is a counter to order, to go to the washroom you go to the left and down a long area with tables almost a corridor.
Can anyone tell me where I was. LOL
the food was amazing. Sandwhices and dogs both.

I was to two places in Garfield, one  called Danny's Dogs. Don't think this was the place you went to. From what I remember it was a tiny hole in the wall. You had to go through the cooking area to get to the bathroom. The dogs weren't that good. Other place was a truck serving dirty water Sabrett's called Ski's Weenie Bus. Decent dogs with a good chili.

Today I had a chance to try (for me) a new hot dog. It's called Hartmann's wiener and it's only available at Wegmans in Bridgewater. The company is located in Rochester, N.Y. I was told about these dogs by someone who attended one of our Hot Dog Tours and likes to travel sampling different hot dogs to prepare at home.

I was able to get a single Thumann's for the sake of comparison. I enjoyed the Hartmann's as much, perhaps more than the Thumann's, which has always been my favorite beef and pork dog. Hartmann's is a natural casing 6 to a lb beef/pork dog with a meaty, smokey flavor, somewhat reminiscent of kabanosy. Delicious, and as good a German style dog as I've had. I'll have to compare these 2 again soon to see if I have the same opinion.

http://www.hartmannssausage.com/

http://www.hartmannssausage.com/shopping_detail_view.aspx?productPacksKey=17

These are what I had.

Hartmann's is a local German corner butcher shop, literally located on a street corner just like the Forest Pork Store operation in Ridgewood, Queens. The last time I was there, I got the impression most of their business is now wholesale. Glad to hear Wegman's are bringing some of their products to Bridgewater, NJ.

Hey, Food Fan; that O'Conner's off Route 22 in Watchung was great "back in the day"...

I was always in heaven going to their salad bar, loved that old fashioned rustic look...
in my high school years, late 70's, I went with my family every month or two...

Then around the year 2000, I went back again with a bf, and discovered it was just a shell of it's former self...
and one with unmemorable food...
(unlike those great steaks we used to have!)
RIP, O'Conner's

David_NYC


Hartmann's is a local German corner butcher shop, literally located on a street corner just like the Forest Pork Store operation in Ridgewood, Queens. The last time I was there, I got the impression most of their business is now wholesale. Glad to hear Wegman's are bringing some of their products to Bridgewater, NJ.

Currently the wieners are the only Hatrmann's product sold at Wegman's.

Food Fan,

It is Red Tower II in North Plainfield on Route 22 east.  I live right by there.  Its right at the light for Wilson Avenue.  You can't miss it.  Just look for the red building and the fat boy holding a big burger over his head.

As far as O'Connors.  That place was good many years ago.  Huge salad bar, great steaks, etc.  Then it just let itself go downhill.  The last time I ate there it was terrible.  A few years back it went out of business.  I heard people were stealing all sorts of items from there as mementos. 

JohnFox,
       Do the packs of Hartmann’s wieners at Wegman’s cost $8.85/lb. too??
 
Ellen4641,
       Yeah that salad bar was terrific!! It was twice the size of the one up by Watchung Lake. The only times I went there were with a GF on the way back from Flemington for a light lunch before hitting 287 East. When I went to O’Connor’s for steak I went to the one that’s shown in the above link. The dinner food was laid out in a glass case so you could see what you were ordering before you ordered it. Since it is out of the way for me I only went to the one on Amwell Rd, 4 or 5 times during the 1980’s. I remember the steak was good. I also remember that they had Ballantine Ale on tap.
 
fatbomatty,
       Thanks for confirming that location.

As for O’Connor’s, I never ate dinner at the one on Rt. 22 East. I liked the atmosphere of the one on Amwell Rd. much better. It was more on the lets say, romantic side.

Food_Fan


JohnFox,
      Do the packs of Hartmann’s wieners at Wegman’s cost $8.85/lb. too??

They were $7.49.

Hey all,
We ate at Irving's last night and had the Corned Beef, Pastrami, and Latkes and all was great.  They are having a Hot Dog eating Contest limited to 24 contestants.  They serve a 5/lb natural casing dog that is private labeled Irving's.  Whoever eats the most in 10 minutes wins $250, one of their MASSIVE Cheescakes and Bragging rights.  It's being held on March 27th at 3PM You must pre-register for it. Those who are chosen to compete will be notified by Monday March 15th.
 
Eric 

Hi Everyone. I am a new user to this site, but not new altogether.  My name is Brent and I am the owner of Big Daddy's Dogs. I have been on here many times to read all the hot dog related posts.  I love to read all the comments about the many great hot dog places in NJ and everywhere else. And of course the ones about Big Daddy's.  I will admit that I finally signed up on this site because I recently opened a new location in Pompton Lakes and thought this would be a great forum to make that known. Some quick information for those of you that may not have been to Big Daddy's yet. We are a "dirty water" dog establishment and use 12/1 all beef Sabrett dogs. At Big Daddy's, it's really about what goes on the hot dog, and we have a lot of choices there.  I charge $1.80 (includes tax) for a plain dog. However, I also charge the same price for a dog with any combination of the following toppings: sauerkraut (regular or homemade spicy), relish (sweet or spicy), cooked red onion (sweet or homemade spicy), raw onion, cheese, and potato.  For an additional $.20 you can add a slew of other toppings, including chili, chopped bacon, and homemade coleslaw. Also, I have a list of 13 specialty dogs including the taco, slaw, and the loaded potato skin for only $2.00. Oh yeah, and don't forget about the many different bottles of hot sauce.

What are your hours at the new place?  And does the challenge exist at the new establishment?

Windmill in Belmar, NJ
Also fond memories of a California Burger.

Windmill in Belmar, NJ
Also fond memories of a California Burger.