Coney Island Mini Meet 6/8/05

Just returned from meeting Benzee,his beautiful wife and child,Seafarer John and his friend Bill (come on now Bill...POST!)at Coney Island in Middletown NY to sample CI's wonderful chili dogs..here are a few pics,and I will let Benzee and John post their reactions..nice meeting everyone!!!



two lovely dogs from Coney Island



Benzee savoring his first CI dog



Seafarer John getting a handle on his




the gang in front

Looks Good! They sure do pile on the Chili! If ya get a chance, describe the flavor and the dog...

Wow, wish I could have been there. Looks like it is worth a road trip. However, I do have a question. On mapquest it askes WHICH Mideltown, NY. Orange County or Delaware County. I probably should make sure I go to the right town!

quote:

Originally posted by pacman

Wow, wish I could have been there. Looks like it is worth a road trip. However, I do have a question. On mapquest it askes WHICH Mideltown, NY. Orange County or Delaware County. I probably should make sure I go to the right town!

Orange County.....use 14 Railroad ave for the address....

Hello all ,

What a pleasure it was to meet Coney Island Lou , Seafarer John and Bill today at Coney Island Restaurant in Middletown .
My wife Sandra , baby son Joey and I arrived about 1245 pm and I gave Lou a quick call on the cell to tell him I had arrived . I did not have my car that I told him I would be driving ( I had my wifes ) and I did not see his White Nissan in front , so I gave him a rang . Just so happened that a fellow in Coney Island picked up the phone same time . The meet was on !!!

We decided to let Coney Island Lou pick the dogs as this was his hometown restaurant , later finding out he only lives a few blocks away .
He picked the all the way dogs , called Coney Dogs I believe on the menu . CI Lou and myself ordered two each , Bill started with one and then added a second .

The controversy erupted (hahaha) when my wife was to order a chicken sandwich . " A chicken sandwich !!" I muttered . And ARRGGHS all around the table.
She then switched to a plain dog , that I tried to explain was not neccesary , we were just kidding . I still feel bad she did not get that Chicken sandwich , but she just laughed it off .

We discussed the Sept meet , pickup locations , ideas , and really had a great time talking about dogs .

Those are some great pictures that CI Lou took at the mini meet today .

I figured the shirt was as close to what I had to remind me of the real Coney Island , boardwalk , beach and all.

As far as the dog , the sauce or chili was fabulous , smothering the dog .

The location is in Downtown Middletown right next to the Shortline bus station , so a lot of traffic coming and going , no problem with the parking , but it was a Wed. .

All in all a great lunch , with some new friends , it was a pleasure.

Hope we can do again sometime soon.

Sept 17th can not come quick enough

Benzee

Looks like a crew that could put away a few dogs!!As my dear departed Dad would say---"Yes indeed--Manly Men!"

To ConeyIslandLou and all – Here I am with my first post.
Had a great time in Middletown (NY) yesterday. It was fun meeting Benzee, Sandra, and Joey. Dinning on those great dogs with the whole group was also a treat.
The directions were just about perfect. Seafarer John and I didn’t even come close to getting lost. This was quite an accomplishment for us.
Am looking forward to the Sept. dog trek.

quote:

Originally posted by ConeyIslandLou

quote:

Originally posted by pacman

Wow, wish I could have been there. Looks like it is worth a road trip. However, I do have a question. On mapquest it askes WHICH Mideltown, NY. Orange County or Delaware County. I probably should make sure I go to the right town!

Orange County.....use 14 Railroad ave for the address....

Thanks, I figured I would have a 50/50 chance of getting it right, but, when you're traveling you don't always have time for an 'adventure'. So sometimes, to keep the DW happy, I find out where it is BEFORE I try to go there.

Thank,
Dan

<hint> <hint> How where the dogs??? What'd the chili taste like... I see a chunk of onion in one, what else topped them dogs? Lets get the flavor report! (Please!)... Tnx..

quote:

Originally posted by UncleVic

<hint> <hint> How where the dogs??? What'd the chili taste like... I see a chunk of onion in one, what else topped them dogs? Lets get the flavor report! (Please!)... Tnx..

OK...I just about always have a container in my fridge this time of year to use on dogs and burgers I do up on the grill. I always warm it up in a little foil pan on the grill-drives the whole neighborhood nuts!!!

You can't actually see the onion in the sauce-but its there..what you see is the onion from the dog!

There is definitely cinnamon in there...possibly a relative touch of paprika? The local rumor is that they use tomato paste. My stepbrother was a busboy there a lonnng time ago,for a short period of time,and he says it was made in pretty large batches of course,and that it usually sits for a few days..again,the local legend is that you can supposedly taste the difference in the sauce you get on Monday,as opposed to say FRIDAY's sauce...

The dog itself is from a packer up in Albany called Tobin's..normal eight to a pounders..its called Tobin's First Prize by the way....they have been using those for as long as anyone can remember too...

We had great chili dogs in fine company. Lou knows how to pick a great spot. This Coney Island is worth a detour if you like chili dogs (or Texas hot wieners as we call them only one county further north)

The dog is a mildly flavored dog that I would guess is beef and pork- maybe 7 or 8 to the pound. The standard is mustard, chopped raw onions and chili sauce on a warm steamed roll. This place piles on the sauce - two dogs was a full lunch for me. The sauce is what a chili dog is all about : this sauce is quite meaty, mildly hot and spicy and a darker brown than what I'm used to finding around Ulster County. The restaurant is very clean and comfortable with friendly efficient service.

Oh yeah, and Benzee is good company, besides being a nice guy with a lovely family he picked up the tab! Thanks, Benzee !! And thanks very much to Lou for taking us to this great place, and thanks, BrooklynBill for the ride to Middletown.

Now I'll have to see if i can get these guys together for a Macho dog right here in little old New Paltz.

Cheerrs, John

Forgot to mention: The teeshirts Bill and I are wearing are the ones designed by Coney Island Lou after last Fall's North Jersey Hot dog tour. Lou tells me they are the only two ever made - real collectors item, maybe I'll keep mine in the safe deposit box from here on in...

cheers, John

ConeyIslandLou and SeafarerJohn... THANKS for that taste report(s)!!!! Not only the pics posted, but that taste report are well appreciated! Now it's time to jump on a Greyhound bus and venture across the country to sample these fine dogs!

I enjoyed reading about your day. Wish I could have joined you all. I'm on vacation, but was unable to make the trip on Wed. Looking forward to seeing everyone in Sept. By the way, I also have one of those tee shirts!

quote:

Originally posted by John Fox

I enjoyed reading about your day. Wish I could have joined you all. I'm on vacation, but was unable to make the trip on Wed. Looking forward to seeing everyone in Sept. By the way, I also have one of those tee shirts!

You are ALWAYS welcome to come up here John! If you know you are going to be in the area,shoot me an email,and we will get together! As another tease, I took a shot of th e 'raw' sauce for everyone to drool over.....note the red flecks in the mix...peppers perhaps? Paprika? I truly do not know!

Hey Brooklyn Bill ,

Glad you finally posted .
It was a pleasure to have lunch with you Seafarer John and Coney Island Lou last Wed.

I have no problem venturing up to New Paltz to see you and Seafarer John , perhaps CI Lou and I could even stop at CI restaurant and Petes Hot Dogs in Newburgh along the way .

Mr. Fox , you are welcome anytime to join the mini meets .
I cannot wait until Sept .

Benzee

Hello guys ,

I have two more friends interested in a little mini meet in our own backyard .

We were talking Conney Island Restaurant , than possibly Petes Hot Dogs in Newburgh and than shooting up to visit Seafarer John in New Paltz at the dog spot of his choice .

I have next 4th of July week off , so if anyone is interested , shoot me an email .

Benzee

Looks like we are going to be available any day next week, and we'd be glad to accompany you to Macho's for a very spicy Texas hotdog. Keep in mind that Macho's is very small- seats maybe ten people at most - maybewe could get takeout and eat them ina public park not far away.

You guys pick the day and hour and I'll be happy to meet you...

Cheers, John

Seafarer John ,

I will check with Coney island Lou and my friends this weekend and try to set it up for next week .

Sounds like a plan

Benzee

Hey Seafarer John ,

This week is not gonna work after all for me .
We are going away for a few days R and R . last minute deal.
We will have to try another time this summer .

Thanks for the offer and I will sure to take you up on it soon

Benzee

Hello all ,

Anyone visiting Middletown NY , be sure to hook up with Coney Island Lou at his hometown Hot Dog joint Coney Island Restaurant .

Picture of all of us outside Coney 's

L/R Brooklyn Bill , Coney Island Lou , Seafarer John and Benzee

All of us will be at the Jersey Hot Dog Tour on Sept 17th

Looking forward to seeing everyone again.

Benzee

Hello all ,


I expect Coney Island Lou to take some more great pictures on Sept . 17th during the Jersey Hot Dog Tour .

Hope everyone can join us there !!!

Benzee

Hello all ,

Just thought I would give you a quick look at four of us that will be attending the Dog Tour on the 17th .

The picture of the four of us in front of Coney Island Restaurant in Middletown at a mini meet back in June

Left to right

Brooklyn Bill

Coney Island Lou

Seafarer John

Benzee

Hi guys,
This weekend we may be driving past Middletown on our way to meeting up with some friends. Since is the only time I imagine I might be up this way for a long time, I was thinking of stopping at coney island. My wife is still "hot dogged out" from the tour, so it's just me getting anything.

What do you suggest I order, Is there a special way to order? like I saw at Hot Grill. About how many minutes off of 17 is it and should I expect problems finding parking on Sat.

Thanks!

Hello Mr Phil ,

As far as directions , I think Coney Island Lou would be better off with the street names , although if you do not hear from him by early tommorrow morn, I will give it a shot .

I may be up for a mini meet tommorrow , will know tonite if I can make the trip or not .

As far as the establishment , ithere is a Short Line bus terminal adjacent to the restaurant , so there are some busses coming and going , but should not be tooo much of a problem on a Sat.

As far as ordering , as soon as you walk in the counter is right in front of you , when I get them to go I just order right there and stand to the side , no more than two minutes and I got my dogs.

Plenty of tables , and waitress service if you want to stay awhile.

Order the " Coney Dogs" , toy will not be dissapointed .

I'm sure Coney Lou can add more .

What time are you talking about visiting ??

Benzee

LETS DO THIS!!! Mr Phil- send me an email thru the link in my profile.. Let me know what times,etc...Same for you Mr Benzee. CI has some decent other food if your wife is 'hot dogged out'- the kid who is running it now is a CIA grad! There are some MAJOR problems on 17 to deal with, so it might be best to 'detour' thru Middletown anyways! Like I said, send me an email so I can send you detailed instructions.....?

Benzee- Got ya hooked huh? [:P]

Hey CI Lou ,

Phil emailed me about today , he is not sure if he can stop or not , or what time he is coming through , so my wife and I made other plans , but anytime you want to do a mini meet , let me know .

Going out for the day but I will email you this weekend

Benzee

Count me in for your next visit to CI . I've got to see what else a CIA grad can do with diner fare.

Cheers, John

Hello John ,

I suggested to CI Lou that next Saturday would be good for me to visit CI restaurant again . During the week is difficult for me but if you guys decide to go with that , I will try to make it .

I emailed both of you , so let me know what you think

Benzee

We were able to stop aroud 3pm, My wife wasn't hungry so I went in and got one to go. I thought the chili was pretty good, but when comparing the actual dog itself to the others on the hot dog tour, I found it lacking. I don't think I could get a dog there any way other than as a chili dog. I wonder what brand it was? All in all it was worth the detour. I am glad I had a chance to try it. The place is very clean and bright, since it was later there were some people at the counter and mostly people waiting for takeout, no one getting table service.

I just wish I could have made this a mini meet, since it's doubtful I'll get up there again soon. All in all guys thanks for wanting to include me!

Hello Mr Phil ,

I'm glad you were able to stop and enjoy a dog , and congrats to you and your wife !!

As far as the brand of dog , Coney Lou can answer that question . I agree that the Coney Dog or Chili Dog is the best way to go for this place.

The place can have a lot of " atmosphere " being in the city of Middletown and a taxi and short line bus stop on the premises .

Benzee