Gray's Papaya-NYC

My favorite hot dogs on the planet. Nothing compares to the snappy crunch of a Gray's hot dog. I took my honey here for the first time (he is from Chicago and used to dogs being "dragged through the garden"). No salad toppings here, the choices are onion, sauerkraut, mustard or ketchup. I have had an aversion to sauerkraut since childhood, but decided to see what all the fuss was about and ordered one dog with sauerkraut and mustard, the other with mustard/ketchup. At Gray's you get two dogs and a drink (healthy juice drinks) for a very cheap price. Bite into a grilled dog, hear the snap and enjoy!

My order-mustard/ketchup, mustard/sauerkraut with a papaya drink.

My honey's choice-mustard/onion, mustard sauerkraut with a banana daiquiri drink. Being able to convert a die-hard Chicagoan to the dark side of NYC hot dogs was a big win!

Snap! Deliciousness!

Grinder Bash dogs

"Grinder Bash" is fan appreciation day for the Chicago White Sox. Season ticket holders are invited to free food,  access to the dugouts, bullpen, the field (not the grass!) and concourses at Cellular One. It's a lot of fun to have the stadium all to yourself. Free food included hot dogs, so I jumped right in. The dogs are Vienna Beef, the dog of choice served in Chicago and at The Cell. the condiments were serve yourself, I went with mustard and sport pepper. We were in line just in time for a fresh batch to be put out, so they were hot and the buns freshly steamed. Good as always, but the most fun was walking the field, and running and bouncing off the outfield wall.

Hot dogs and fried chicken!

Yummies!

Fun things to do. Hot dogs and baseball-I'm a happy camper!

Angus Dogs for lunch @ home

It really feels like grillin' time so let's throw on the dogs. I wanted to try Angus beef (it's everywhere!) and decided to give Oscar-Meyer Angus Beef dogs a whirl. Once home, I discovered they were pre-cooked, and claimed no "nitrates or nitrites". Ok, and on the grill they went. I was hungry, and could go for two so tried them with two different toppings. One a little "Chicago style", a homemade pickle, tomato, sport peppers and mustard. The next one was topped with tomato, sport peppers, mustard and a super-duper hot dog condiment, Sriracha hot sauce. Grilling gave them a nice snap, and good grilled flavor. Although it was advertised as no nitrites, nitrates, nightime, whatever, they did taste like it a bit. A tad salty. Longer than most dogs, but not as plump as others. I would give a chance to a different brand of Angus beef, though. Bring on the nitrates! Or nitrites. Whatever.

Chicago dogs-Wrigley Field

Wrigley Field! The best ballpark experience I have ever been to. My beloved Phillies lost to the Cubs, but that still didn't stop me from having a great day. We got a hot dog first thing, and they were really good. At Wrigley, the hot dogs are made from bison meat and really delicious. Grilled, the casing has a nice crunchy snap and are very juicy. Nice smoky flavor, juicy thick beef, mustard, sport peppers and tomatoes on a soft poppy seed bun. The condiments were serve-yourself so get busy! I really enjoyed the dog, the game and the atmosphere at Wrigley. No electronic scoreboard, old time organ player, a wandering horn band, and sunny skies...baseball at it's best. Hot dogs went perfect with this semi (Phils lost!) perfect day!

Vienna Beef Hot Dog Stand-US Cellular Field Chicago

Two of my favorite things on the planet are hot dogs and baseball. I have been going to see White Sox games with my honey since last summer and we always stop and get a hot dog at the beginning of the game. The dogs sold at the park are Vienna Beef, so they are always good, but the only toppings to choose from are mustard, relish and onion. Until the day I spotted a Vienna Beef cart vendor!!! Sport peppers! Pickle! Tomato! Relish! Onion! Celery salt! A true Chicago-style dog! I couldn't believe we had been missing this friendly site all along. Seriously, I had never spotted this cart before and if I have to fight the crowds on the concourse and possibly miss the first inning, so be it. A true Chicago-style dog at the game makes everything so much better. This guy makes a great dog. The poppy seed bun is slathered in mustard, the plump juicy dog nestled inside. Top it off with sport peppers, tomatoes, a large crunchy pickle spear and a generous helping of celery salt. Grab one and rush to your seat and enjoy the game!

Portillo's Redux

Yesterday for lunch we went to Portillo's again. I must say something for consistency. You are guaranteed a good, beefy dog and Portillo's tends to be plump and juicy. I chose the jumbo beef dog with sport peppers, mustard, tomato and pickle. The tomatoes were a bit mushy, and I tend to be a tomato snob. Having grown up in South Jersey, the lovely Garden State, we hold our noses up to inefficient tomatoes. But the pickle slice was a healthy size and had a great crunch. And some extra sport peppers were snuggled under the dog, always a happy surprise. I find Portillo's to be the standard chain but the dogs are fresh and taste good. And please get the cheese fries, crinkle cut, crispy and cheesy. Yum!

new place i can't wait to try

korean food, kimchi deliciousness and hotdogs...definitely next in hotdogland adventures..will keep you posted
http://www.nyhotdogcoffee.com/