Bethel Hot Dog Palace

44 Stony Hill Rd., Bethel, CT - (203) 790-5064

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Posted By Michael Stern on February 25, 2008 1:23 PM

The Bethel Hot Dog Palace is the old Roadside Chili House with much of the same staff and virtually the exact same menu. (The branch in Brookfield is closed.) At this point (winter, '08), nothing much has changed. The star of the show actually is not chili, but the mighty foot-long, natural-casing Hummel brand hot dog. You can get it plain, with chili or cheddar or both, or in the ultimate configuration, a Texas dog. That's cheese, bacon, chopped onions, and chili.

The chili is fine-grind beef with a tongue-tingling kick. There are no beans and frankly, I find a bowl of it with nothing else rather overwhelming. But on dogs or hamburgers, or piled onto French fries, to simply topped with lots of orange melty cheese, it's good stuff.

To drink, on the side: a milk shake, please. Available flavors include chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, and orange Creamsicle.

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Posted By Pete Maxfield on April 5, 2008 4:11 PM

Having visited a few of the local hot dog restaurants, the Bethel Hot Dog Palace still remains my favorite. The reason it does so is for one important reason: the hotdogs aren't grilled or boiled, they're fried. They have a great crunch when you bite them. The flavor is slightly different from a "normally" cooked dog but you certainly know it's a hot dog.

My favorite is just the good old-fashioned chili dog. The chili has a heat that sneaks up on you but isn't overpowering at all; it's basically all loose meat, which I also really enjoy. I've tried it with cheese as well but honestly, I couldn't taste the cheese. The buns are toasted slightly so they have a nice texture. The chili is a little bit oily so a little bit gets absorbed into the bun. The dogs are footlongs, so two chili dogs are more than enough for me without any sides (fries or onion rings).

For me, the hot dogs are good enough to stop by just for them.

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