I keep scouring the interwebs looking for new dogs or HD stands to try out in the Poconos area when we get away from the city.  I tried out Dave’s Hot Dog House in the past but am very much a fan of hunting for new stuff.  And the internet led me to a place with the great name Beav’s Long Boom Hot Dogs in East Stroudsburg, PA.  Who is Beav and what the hell is a long boom?  While we were spending the holidays nearby, I knew I had to bring Ali and her family to Beav’s and figure out what a long boom tastes like.

We had the perfect plan: stuff our faces with hot dogs and then go bowling next door.  I was joined by Ali, her brother Dean, and his sons Dean Mike and Marc.  These are three eating machines and I knew they had the potential to demolish whatever Beav’s had to offer.

Ooooooh, that's a long boom!

When we walked in, it became apparent that a long boom is a big ass crane!  I should know this since I love watching extreme construction TV shows.  After seeing different cartoons around the place of a beaver wearing a construction hat,  I made the assumption that this was the beav that operated the long booms.  More on that later.  Our first job was to figure out what we were going to eat.

Marc is pleased with the menu

Beav’s has snappy all-beef flavorful hot dogs, but I’m not exactly sure how they cook them.  They had a sheen to them which made me think deep fry, but they didn’t have that deep fry flavor.  I also saw some rollers but no dogs on them.  My  bet is that there was a flat-top in the back.  Dean Mike ordered a 3 Cheese Dog, Dean got the Chili Cheese Dog, and Ali got a basic with mustard and ketchup.  I thought I would pig out but decided to just order the Reuben Dog and the BBQ Dog.  Marc on the other hand, well, he really went for it.

"I'm only doing this for you, Alex!"

BEHOLD…Beav’s Long Boom 15 inch hot dog!  Here’s a quick backstory on Marc: he is a 14-year old freshman who plays football and wrestles on the varsity team in high school.  Marc is an incredible wrestler, but even more important, a really amazing guy, because he gave 110% to providing me some great stuff for the blog.  The Long Boom is like a NJ Italian dog, but available in both pizza bread and Italian roll.  Marc went with the latter, and also upped the man-quotient with chili as an extra topping.  He might still be a weenie wagger as well, because I only saw him put ketchup on there.  Then the most incredible thing happened…this 170 lb. machine absolutely leveled this dog.  No scraps, no scene of the crime, nothing…IN A TOTAL OF 6 MINUTES!!  ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!  Marc displayed one of the most incredible feats of eating I’ve seen in a long time, and earned a special place in my heart that day.  Dean Mike, in his own flash of brilliance, suggested we put a fork in front of the Long Boom to get an idea of the scale we’re dealing with.  Awesome!

Yeah, he ate all of that.

The journey begins with the first step.

Dean Mike, himself an awesome high jumping swimmer and amateur vinyl collector, revealed that he doesn’t really like hot dogs that much.  He did, however, like the 3 Cheese Dog he ordered, which is topped with swiss, cheddar, and mozzarella.

Dean also jumped in and got himself a Chili Chese Dog, with just the right amount of sloppy.

Ali also stepped up to the plate and got herself a Basic with ketchup and mustard.  My Reuben was cheesy and tangy, and the BBQ dog was topped with sauce, vidalia onions, and cheese.  I love my BBQ sloppy and covered in sauce, so I was very happy.

His and hers

The dogs also had a curious shape to them.  If you look closely at the photos, it looks like one end was not tied off from other links.  I think Ali suggested that maybe they take their 15″ dogs and chop them in half for the smaller dogs.  This doesn’t affect the taste, and gives it a unique shape.

The team poses in triumph!

I’m not usually one for small talk when I go out to eat, but I had to ask the cook about the Long Boom.  He said that he was the one that operated the boom, and I can’t remember his name unfortunately, so let’s just call him Beav.  Beav was a really nice guy and was excited to find out that I write about my adventures with hot dogs.  He confirmed that Dave’s is his competition, but I hope that they both do well.  I don’t think I can take sides in a hot dog battle, but I look forward to having some really great, solid dogs when we head out to the Poconos!

Beav’s Long Boom Hot Dogs  212 Eagle Valley Mall, East Stroudsburg PA

The stand they found was in some kind of shopping center in Cape Town.  It’s at a waterfront section that has a ferry to Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for many years.  Before (or after) taking in the gravity of such a tragic piece of history, they felt compelled to take a couple of pictures of a stand called The Hot Dog King!

That lady is clearly on the wrong side of the stand.

Would you like Peri-Peri or Mrs. Balls Chutney with that?

For us Americans that don’t usually get a chance to try some of these interesting sauces, Peri Peri is (according to the wikipedia) a sauce made from the very hot piri piri chile, and rates 50,000-175,000 on the Scoville rating of hot stuff.  This is at a spicy level right below habaneros and scotch bonnets.  Ok, now let’s acknowledge the fact that there’s a sauce you can buy called Mrs. Ball’s Chutney.  Let’s get the jokes out of our systems, because apparently this is a very identifiable South African condiment that’s been around for well over 100 years.  You can get it in flavors including original, hot, peach, and chilli.  Sounds awesome and I would love to try this on a dog.  I love the extra toppings you can get also including gherkins, green dhaniyah chutney, and chilli chutney.  That’s the kind of regional and/or international toppings that make my mouth water.  I don’t even really know what they are either!  (Actually, upon further research, I think that the green dhaniyah chutney is a side topping for the naan I usually get from our local Indian restaurant, which is awesome.) As for prices, these extra toppings are 1 Rand each, which works out to about 12 cents.  And the can of soda + hot dog combo appears to cost 28 Rand, which is just under $3.50.  Great deal!

My great thanks again to Jennifer and Faye for more international HD correspondence during their travels!

The Hot Dog King   Shop 24 Pier Head, Waterfront, Cape Town

Little Brother is a small space with only about 6 tables.  It looks like it was probably a converted repair shop, which is similar to its neighbor, Hot Bird.  Apparently, people drinking over at Hot Bird like to place an order at Little Brother and bring it back over to the bar.  According to the restaurant’s website, Little Brother is an “urban barbecue counter” that “features slow-smoked, all-natural, antibiotic-free, hormone-free meats.”  The main feature of the menu is the chopped beef, pork, or chicken dishes…that means no pulled bbq dishes.  My main objective for this meal were two angus Joint Dogs: one topped with their chili and the other with chopped beef.

Chopped beef up top, chili down below, and corn salad to the side

For NYC prices, these dogs are a steal at $5 each.  They could have been over $10 each somewhere else easily, especially when you source your meat from small farms and ‘artisan’ producers.  The chili dog was unlike anything I’ve had before.  I’m used to thin chili, one step away from a liquid consistency, but this was like a chunky beef brisket stew, with kidney beans, tomato, green onion, and what looks like cilantro.  The brown mustard underneath reminded you that you’re still in hot dog territory.  I don’t think the potato bun was toasted, but my taste buds usually veer away from toasted bread.  It’s a sloppy dog but delicious.  The chopped beef dog was also delicious without the sauciness that the chili dog had.  I ended up trying out a couple of their sauces, including a sweet and vinegary bbq as well as a jalepeno sauce.

Chili Dog

Chopped Beef

Piled high...beef on beef

For fans of the pulled pork dog, this is also a really great one to try.  Or try all four variations: the chopped beef, pork, chicken or chili dog.  Eat up!

Little Brother BBQ   544 Clinton Avenue, Brooklyn NY

Check out TEN brand new prints in the hawkkrall.net online store including a giant two foot tall burger print, and lots of new hot dog designs featuring dogs from Maine to Cleveland. These are high quality giclee prints, printed by Silicon Gallery Fine Art Prints in Philadelphia.

The original illustrations are gouache and ink on paper, mostly done for my hot dog of the week column on seriouseats.com. Also for the month of december shipping is free for the (already discounted) sets of four prints, and I’ll throw in a bunch of free hot dog magnets with every order!

More details on the new prints on my blog-

http://hawkkrall.blogspot.com/2011/12/new-prints-free-magnets-with-every.html

See all the prints and order here-

http://www.hawkkrall.net/prints/

We begin our journey by going all the way back to the early days of June, when men wore short shorts with abandon and sidewalk barbeques at Formaggio Kitchen were in full swing.  This also happened to be the bachelor party for my good friend Hank, who made the wise choice of allowing us to begin our day with a healthy fortification of Vitamin BBQ and HD.  These are the things that keep boys going when we’re planning to kayak the Charles and then guzzle gallons of beer while watching the unmentionable things that happen behind a door that only opens with a $10 cover.

Father and son go at the Sidewalk BBQ specialty, the Pearl-in-the-Hole.  I opted for the day’s special, which I haven’t seen before or since: the Pastrami Dog, which was a house-made dog with pastrami spices nestled in a hearty rye bun and topped with mustard and sauerkraut.  My only complaint was that I ordered the last one and nobody else in line could have had one.  Amazing!

Flash forward to early July when I went down to NOLA for that greatest gathering of librarians, the ALA Annual Meeting.  I spent my day among a cavalcade of introverts and the extroverts who love them, amazing author talks, and stampeding librarians trying to get to the latest book giveaway.  My nights were by far the highlight, however, in what may be my favorite city in the States.

I could spend a whole post talking about the great moments this city has to offer but I’ll just give you a few of the highlights like Preservation Hall . . .

the Backstreet Cultural Museum (just around the corner from where we stayed in the Treme).

Sazerac at the Roosevelt Hotel . . .

and yes, even a hot dog!  Taking a lunch break while at ALA I strolled down a few blocks to Cochon Butcher, which has found a place in my heart since a bit of cholesterol from the hot dog lodged itself.  Honestly, a restaurant that makes all of its own house-cured meats is an experience to be desired.  I, of course, got the house-made hot dog, more like a traditional German frankfurter with very subtle smoky pork flavors, topped with a black-eyed pea chili and coleslaw.  The black-eyed pea is my favorite of legumes and I honestly couldn’t get enough of the chili made with them, just jaw-droppingly amazing.  I could have eaten the spicy pickles by the handful but decided to restrain myself and use a fork to shovel them into my mouth.

In the attempt to be a little even-handed with our diet, Sam & I decided on a side of quick-pickled garden vegetables.  Sam paired these with a succulent cubano sandwich with some of the most savory pork I’ve ever tasted.  New Orleans knows how to do it right because this was one of the first meals we had an each subsequent meal seemed to outdo the one prior.

I did run into a little problem while down south however–my Whole Foods-bought deodorant seemed to throw up its hands in defeat the moment I stepped out into the 95-degree heat with 90% humidity.  I’ll warn you, don’t ever buy a deodorant that advertises itself as an “improved European formula”–bring out the big guns and get some of the extra fresh scent above.

Being superfans of David Simon and all things he does, Sam & I decided to stay in the Treme at what turned out to be the best B&B we’ve ever stayed.  If you go to New Orleans, do yourself a favor and stay at the Monrose Row and take some time to talk with Cindy; every suggestion she gave ended up turning into a highlight from our trip.  Talking about highlights, we ended up with a view of DJ Davis’s house from the Treme.  When I saw David Simon talk at ALA I got in line to get his signature and ended up telling him about how we were staying across the street from where they film; he told me where the “real” DJ Davis lives, and said “go knock on his door and piss him off!”  Turned out he was just joking; apparently Davis Rogan would have invited me in and offered a couple tokes regardless of what time it was.

Thanks to Alex, we made our way to Willie Mae’s Scotch House.  What looks like a hole in the wall in the middle of a block of half-abandoned, half-rundown houses turns out to be one of the greatest soul food restaurants in America (even garnering a James Beard award!).  The fried chicken was . . . transcendent.

We followed that up with a trip to Bullet’s for Kermit Ruffin’s standing Tuesday night gig.  It poured buckets when the band started with, appropriately enough, “Pennies From Heaven” and then rolled along into one of the most memorable shows I’ve ever seen.  After a couple of hours and one or ten Budweisers, the band wrapped up and everybody spilled out of the cramped bar.  Throughout the night the people running a food truck outside were delivering food to patrons at the bar; by the time we stepped outside and realized that the wait for a taxi was going to be a long one, I did my thing and started talking to the people milling about.  As if the hand-painted truck’s side wasn’t enough to tell you that the food is going to be interesting (I’m still trying to figure out what the heck the plate on the right is supposed to be), one man was particularly insistent that I should try the “patented hot sausage” after we got to talking about hot dogs and other ground and encased meats.

I did what I do and asked for them to make me one of them patented sausages, and top it however they usually do, and this is what I got–an alcohol-combating followup to a night well-spent dancing while the man played his horn.  Topped with cheese, lettuce, pickles, mustard and ketchup, the spicy sausage cut right through the beer-induced fog.

So what was a typical day for us in New Orleans?  In the morning we’d walk down to the French Quarter and begin with a plate of beignets and some chicory coffee at Cafe Du Monde . . .

And after escaping the heat with a trip to the museum, we’d head back into the Quarter for a couple dozen oysters at the Acme Oyster Bar . . .

Then we’d hit up a couple of bars, again under the guise of staying out of the heat, and pick out which restaurant we’d want to stop by for dinner.  I believe that Sam’s favorite meal was at Boucherie, where I finally got to experience the cajun hot sausage in the form of some fried boudin balls; the bits of finely ground pork with rice and congealed blood made me wish I grew up Creole.

Not wanting to let go, I convinced Sam that we should bring back a bit of New Orleans with us in the form of a muffaletta from Central Grocery.  We unwrapped this wheel of bread, cheese, Italian meats and marinaded olives on the airplane and dug in.  Turned out the cabin smelled of it for the rest of the trip back home, not sure if that made us any friends but I couldn’t tell because I was otherwise occupied.

After the gastro-tour of New Orleans we laid low for a little while but eventually found ourselves traveling north on Route 1 and at one of our favorite friend’s place, Yank’s Franks.

Yes, the man knows how to advertise!  If I found myself driving behind this jeep I’d follow it wherever it was going.

We sat down at a picnic table outside and tucked in.  The angry dog (pictured above) was spicy, sweet, and oh-so vinegary.  The buttered New England split-top bun smoothed out the flavor with the Hummel dog doing its best to stand out.  Yank also makes a great chili dog, with a hearty beef and bean chili with onions and spicy mustard undertones.  Again, the buttery bun won out on this dog.  Last, but certainly not least, is Yank’s answer to the Chicago Dog: Yank’s Frank.  I’m a total slave to vinegar and this one was perfect for it.  Add the angry dog sauce to it and it might just pull out ahead as one of my favorite dogs of the summer.

Other highlights from Mike’s endless summer included seeing George R. R. Martin, whom I unabashedly geeked out on . . . .  Thanks to Tyson, my wonderful librarian coworker who convinced me to start reading the Saga of Ice and Fire; he’s the guy standing in front of the camera with his back turned.  Tyson, this is your shot at internet fame!

Speaking of coworkers the next few shots are due largely in part to them.  The first set were taken at The Dog House, a small roadside stand in Medfield, Massachusetts run by Ross Scanlon.  I don’t have any reason to travel through Medfield but a few of my coworkers do on their way into work and immediately informed me of the new HDJ in our neck of the woods.  It took me a while to finally make it out there but I’m glad I did, because I met another hot dog enthusiast who knows how to put a messy set of condiments on a dog–or rather, underneath it.

Ross doesn’t just stick to hot dogs but does a swift business with breakfast as well–a smart thing, being that he’s parked in front of a hardware store.  Because he worked in construction before taking to the hot dog business a couple of years ago, I’m assuming he had the insider’s knowledge of how a pack of hungry guys tend to descend on the hardware store, looking for some cheap eats.

I went with a selection from his “loaded dogs,” which are any of the specialty dogs he makes.  Now, the hotdog man went with a Hawaiian dog when he visited but I’m just not that much into the super sweet flavors that pineapple has, so I went with the chili dog instead.

It was a fantastic dog for $5, and I’m sure it’s a bargain for all of the hungry laborers who stop by because after one I was barely tempted to eat another–but, of course, I did.  Even though the chili comes from a food vendor I thought it was pretty decent and the oversized bun really made up for it; it was fluffy on the inside but didn’t suffer from a bun collapse with all of the condiments piled underneath the dog.

Next up is one of my favorites, Snappy Dogs of Hopkinton.  I saw on their facebook page that they were going to be on a local news channel and, since I’d been promising another coworker (Jonathan, below inserting a sausage into his gob) we’d make the trek I thought it was perfect timing.

Again, I had to have two dogs because these ladies make ‘em right.  For my second dog I went with an assortment of condiments: watermelon rind chutney, Dr. Pepper BBQ sauce, and a corn relish.  AMAZING!  Teresa and Lisa knock themselves out to make a superior dog and it shows, especially in their house-made relishes and condiments.  I took a jar of the watermelon rind chutney home with me and have been enjoying it ever since.

And keeping with the theme of library-land generated hot dog quests, catching up with my good friend Sean from the Lowell Public Library led me to the Lawrence Dog Haus (formerly Lawton’s), which is the location of one of those stands that have been around for what seems like forever.  This one has a sad story, however, because it’s been falling into the river which had led to a series of closings and new ownership.  It’s a sad story that follows, but you can read more about the misfortunes of this building and its previous owners/operators here.

When Sean and I visited it was pretty quiet at the dog haus, so it gave me a bit of a chance to talk to the young woman running the frier.  She didn’t have much to say about the goings-on but did tell us that they were going to start offering more in the way of dogs–at the moment they’re only selling these long franks (below) which significantly overhang the bun.  I loved ‘em, however; they were the dogs they’ve been selling here for the past 80 years and it was great to experience the deep-fried taste of history.  Very snappy dogs with a fine sheen of grease, these frankfurters were perfectly paired with the typical New England condiments–mustard and relish.

Now this ain’t no dog, but it is a beautiful bit of meat wrapped in pastry.  While attending Hank’s wedding in Traverse City, Michigan (you’ll remember Hank from that first picture) I had a run in with my second pastie (not to be confused with the other, more popular pasties).  These were sold out of a food truck standing in the parking lot of a shuttered tire shop on the main drag, with a big sign advertising “the traditional U.P. recipe.”  For those of you not familiar with the yoopee, it’s the thumb of the hand that is the state of Michigan.  From what I could tell, the traditional U.P. recipe had some major root vegetables going on, such as turnips, carrots and potatoes, as well as onion and spices mixed in with the beef.  I stopped by there to pick up one for each guy in the groom’s wedding party, which we devoured before subjecting ourselves to a grueling hour’s worth of pre-wedding photos.  It was just the thing Hank needed before walking down the aisle, to steel himself for the big event.

Now this is a dog–in fact, it’s the dog.  I couldn’t pass up the opportunity for the obligatory cute puppy photo of Wee-Bey playing with a tennis ball.

And last, but certainly not least, I try my own hand at hot dog creation.  As an amateur I cannot hope to enter into the realm of greatness with the likes of Larry Joe, Speed’s, or Hot Doug’s, but I can at least attempt to satisfy my hunger.  The dogs below were compliments of our friends at Pearl Meats.  They’re hot dogs, alright, but in burger-like form.  Imagine a five-pound hot dog that’s sliced into disks and this is what you end up with.

I decided to try basting a couple in some spicy BBQ sauce from Blue Ribbon and leave the other two unadulterated.

I put them on a couple of rolls and and ladled on the condiments.  The dog on the right features the BBQ sauced dogs topped with Snappy Dog’s watermelon rind chutney and extra sauce; the one on the left has a New England-style piccalilli topped with mustard.  The dogs were fantastic, with the strong beef and garlic flavor that Pearl dogs are so well known for; the only thing that was missing was the snap of the casing but I found it was an even payoff for the opportunity to try a disk dog.  The piccalilli was compliments of Sam’s coworker and I gotta say, it was the best I’ve ever had.  In addition to the sweet and vinegary flavors was a nice undercurrent of ginger.  Thanks for the great relish, Ann!  The BBQ dog was excellent as well, as the sweet chutney melded with the spicy BBQ sauce and the hearty beef dog.  Thanks to Pearl for letting me have a go at making the dogs!

No sanitary concerns at the Joy Burger Bar!

I was wandering around the west village after seeing a documentary about middle aged punk stars living a double life as suburban fathers.  I needed some grub after that and wandered into a noodle shop and found out they only took cash.  I walked up 6th ave and saw a place called the Joy Burger Bar, and decided my appetite for noodles could just as easily be satisfied with a burger.

The place had a retro-classic burger joint look with a little more contemporary style.  You can create the burger of your desires including size, meat or veggie, toppings, sauces, and wheat buns on request.  They were equipped with a flat-top and a proper grill behind the counter.  The prices seemed pretty reasonable and a steady flow of patrons came in to feast. I really loved their motto: The Sauces Make The Difference.  I ordered a maxi sized 8 oz. burger with spicy mayo, chimichuri, sauteed onions, and tomato.  I ordered a side of patatas, which were puffy and soft sweet potato fries served with a side of maple syrup!  The sweet iced tea also had fresh mint leaves in the glass!  I liked this place, with its informal and step-above fast food vibe.

Saucy burger and patatas, with syrup

I was pleased with my combination of sauces and thought the burger was grilled nicely.  It’s definitely a notch above fast food Five Guys type burgers, but not like a steakhouse burger.  But with the amount of fun toppings and sauces you are bound to find something you like.  But Alex, you are saying to yourself by now, this is not The Burger I Ate.  That would be a great blog too, but where in ‘H-E-double hockey sticks’ is the hot dog?  Well, after I ate the burger, and most of the patatas with syrup, I realized that somewhere on the bottom of the menu was a listing for the Joy Dog (which I don’t actually see on the website).  The list of toppings was something I did not think I could resist: tomatoes, potato chips, cheddar cheese, and sauteed onions.  I felt that the right thing to do was to shimmy some food around in my gut and make room for the joy dog.

The portly and jolly Joy Dog

I got my dog and knew this would be tough.  The sandwich was a lot more girthy than I thought it would be, and this had the potential to cause a mess all over the place.  But then I realized I don’t have anything to prove to anyone and began turning my head at various angles to figure out how to stuff this in my face.  The dog was split down the middle and I believe was grilled on the flat-top.  The bun also had a nice char and the toppings were an interesting mix.  I’m not a huge fan of tomatoes on dogs, but the dog itself was flavorful enough to provide a good contrast to the mild veggie.  Cheddar and sauteed onions also provide salty and sharp flavors, and I like the crunchiness of chips on the dog.

I thought that there probably didn’t need to be so much bun and deep layer of toppings, and it reminded me of my Chilean dog experience.  But I enjoyed the taste overall, and was a great surprise to come across on a fun night.

Joy Burger Bar   361 6th Avenue, NYC

The Vanderbilt front entrance...at night...with no flash.

The Vanderbilt is run by chef Saul Bolton, who also runs a restaurant called Saul in the Cobble Hill neighborhood in Brooklyn, 10 minutes down the street.  Saul has one Michelin star and is an incredible place to eat.  My neighborhood, Prospect Heights, and my street in particular has seen a wild transformation over the past 10 years.  It’s now a destination for a growing dining and bar scene, and people come from other boroughs to come hang out!  The Daffodil hardware store went out of business and Bolton moved his new hot spot in to the large space.  It’s become a popular and trendy place with a beautiful marble bar and dark reclaimed wood walls.  Old timey clear filament dimly lit bulbs dangle from the ceiling.  You can also sit at another bar in front of the kitchen watching the food fly!

I should start by saying that the food has gotten a lot of critical praise.  I, however, haven’t been too crazy about the food and usually don’t go because it’s pricey.  But there are some things I really like there, like the brussels sprouts with sriracha, honey, and sesame seeds.  They also make a bunch of homemade sausages like smoked kielbasa (which is very good), weisswurst, grilled merguez, and blood sausage.  My mission on this night was to try the Bird Dog and the beef brisket dog.  The beef brisket dog is only available after 11:00 pm  but they were happy to cook one up for me.  Before I talk about the Bird Dog, I have to talk about a couple of things I tried beforehand.

The bartender must have picked up on my interest in meats and sausage, and started talking to me about the charcuterie program one of the chefs runs.  He then pulled over a glass jar filled with what looked like limp pretzel logs.  He took one out with tongs and explained that it was called a Jim’s Slims, essentially housemade Slim Jim’s, but sooooooo much better.  Soft and juicy with oil covering your fingertips.  This was really really great.  He then brought over another jar and put down a few pieces of housemade jerky, made from flank steak with a thai bbq marinade.  This was really delicious and a great counterpoint to the softer spicier Jim Slim.  He also made a great drink for me called a Hudson Buck which is bourbon, apple cider, molasses, ginger, and housemade bitters.  This was autumn in a glass, and perfect to drink down with smoked meats and dogs.

Bird Dog and Beef Brisket Dog

The Bird Dog is a chicken and foie gras hot dog with pickled slaw on a potato roll.  It’s the one on the left in the above picture.  The slaw was nicely pickled, with the seeds still roaming about.  The potato roll was toasted and tasty, soft and not too bready.  Bird Dog also appeared to be grilled on the flat top and had a bit of snap.  Then you remember that it’s a chicken dog, a meat that ain’t the most flavorful for a hot dog.  I don’t want to bash chicken dogs, though, because I’ve had some beef and pork dogs that don’t taste like much.  And I also like how they use foie gras pieces inside the dog, instead of discs as a topping.  However…if they didn’t mention foie gras on the menu, I don’t think I would know it was there.  You can see it visually but didn’t seem to add much to the overall product.  I think if they keep experimenting, and maybe change to beef or pork, this could be pretty interesting.

Grilled Bird, hidden beef brisket

I found the beef brisket dog to be the more flavorful of the two, yet still kind of mild.  This also had pickled slaw and potato bun.  There was no mustard on either of these, and I didn’t bother asking for any, since the slaw was tangy enough.

In conclusion, my vote goes to beef brisket dog.  It’s $6 and is only available after 11pm for the late night menu, and also possibly on the brunch menu.  The chicken foie gras dog is $14.  I don’t imagine I would get this again, but probably only because it’s $14.  I think they should probably change up the toppings for each dog too, but then again, they keep it simple, which I also like.  The best part of the night was the cool bartender hooking me up with some excellent snacks and a great drink.  I will most likely be going back for those Jim’s Slims and jerky.

The Vanderbilt   570 Vanderbilt Avenue, Brooklyn NY

A deli with a walk-up take-out window!

Naked Hoyt Dog before the topping of the toppings

I might be putting up a few redundant photos, but I wanted to include the one above to check out the beautiful char on the dog and bun.  First I need to say that when I took my first bite, I felt involuntarily compelled to tell one of the carvers behind the counter how incredible the whole sandwich was.  His response was “Ooooh yeah.  It actually won some kind of award for being the best hot dog in the city or something.”  I have tried to find out what the award is and can’t find it.  However, I think it deserves an award, and is my favorite of the year.  Alright, let me try to reign in my stream of consciousness and get to the dog.

Everything on this sandwich is homemade, except maybe the mustard, and I’m actually not sure about the bun.  BUT ANYWAY…and most importantly, the all-beef dog is homemade, smoked behind the counter, and then grilled up on the flat top.  I think it’s skinless because there wasn’t any snap, but it tasted so good.  The poppy seed bun was not overly bready, and was also cooked on the flat top for what seemed like a really long time.  All that time helps pick up all that flavor from the grill and chars the hell out of the bread.  It was crisp and soft in all the right places.  My brother recently said that a sandwich is nothing without good bread, and this is a delicious bun.

Dressed for success

I found the homemade toppings to be outstanding.  The sauerkraut seemed like it was sliced off the cabbage at some point that day, taking on the irregular shape of the vegetable instead of the packages of uniform kraut that most places get.  The other topping was a sweet pepper relish, sliced from green and red peppers, and marinated in pure pleasure.  And like any self-respecting deli, the only mustard in sight is brown and grainy.  So to recap: crispy and soft charred bun, smoked beef, sweet relish, tangy kraut, and spicy mustard creating a perfect confluence of flavors.

Just one more photo...

As for the side, I decided to get a plate of pletzel, which I haven’t had since eating lunch at my grandparents’ house over 15 years ago.  Pletzel is basically onion bread.  Yeah, I got a side order of bread with my sandwich.  I thought it was pretty good but my grandmother’s was way better.  I like this place and will come back again.  There’s only 19 seats and I hear that weekends are completely jammed, but I like the idea of a take-out window.  Also, the menu is a bit pricey, a fact that the owner acknowledges (in an interview I read) but also talks about the time and labor put into all their homemade items.  The hot dog has me wondering about the quality of the rest of the smoked meats, like that awesome brisket the guy was carving up in front of my face.  And I will embrace my future with man boobs and order that poutine!

Mile End   97A Hoyt Street, Brooklyn NY

A week ago I was running errands in Woburn and, just off of Cabot Road by the Calloway Labs, happened to drive by a roadside stand with a huge banner emblazoned with “hot dogs” flapping in the wind.  Those of you who have had the displeasure of riding with me when I come across a surprise HDJ know that I make a hard & quick turnaround and, with a feverish look in my eye, vault out of the car Dukes of Hazard style and line up for a dog.

Since I didn’t have anything else occupying my time I had the pleasure of a leisurely talk with Ron, who runs the stand.  He told me about how he’s been in the food business for most of his working life and has been running the Bark N Bite stand for the past few years.  Ron’s a true lifer in the culinary arts and you could tell by his easy going manner with customers and panache at the grill.

So after doing my usual thing of asking if I could take pictures, I ordered up a chili dog.  Ron pulled out a Kayem and tossed it on the grill then, dipping into a bucket of chili, put a large spoonful onto the grill.  I’ve never seen a chili keep its form like I did this, so I had to grab a shot.  From the moment it hit the grill until he put it on my dog (under the dog, as you’ll see below) it kept its shape and even thickened just a bit.

Once ready, I got to choose between several different kinds of mustard–a total bonus since most places might just have one or two options.  I went with Gulden’s, one of my favorites when it comes to eating in the rough.  The somewhat-spicy mustard blended with the velvety and mild chili sauce and the Kayem dog held it all together with a pleasing snappy casing.  There’s not too many types of dogs to choose from at Bark N Bite but Ron more than makes up for that with a wide range of sandwiches and burgers.  My only suggestion would be to expand the hot dog offerings but hey, that’s just me.

To top it all off Ron busted out a huge bucket of dog treats when he saw Wee-Bey.  I think she was looking a little guilty in this pic because not only did he give her a hot dog of her own but she had several handfuls of treats to top it all off.  Kudos and thanks to Ron and Bark N Bite!