PrintNew York's Best Hot Dog?
New York Magazine's Best-of issue hits the stands tomorrow and it's filled with lots of interesting best-of choices. Some I agree with, some I don't, and that's the fun of these kinds of issues. Here's a few of the good, the bad, and the ugly choices.
Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar and Grill Fried Chicken: It is excellent fried chicken, but what about Blue Smoke's Gus' World Famous-inspired fried chicken or even Rack & Soul or Charles Southern-style chicken, or even the rendition at the regular Blue Ribbon in Soho.
Hot Dogs: Hatfield's at the Smoke Joint? Please! Nobody wants to acknowlege that it is hard to beat the by now ubiquitous Gray's Papaya or Papaya King beauties, made by Sabrett's parent company Marathon.
Grilled Cheese: NYM chooses Resto, but what about Bouchon Bakery or Artisanal's, which includes apples, really good cheddar, and Nueske's bacon.
I'll have more to say in the coming days.
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4 Comments:
I haven't been to the Smoke Joint, but I have had the Hatfield beef dog. Hatfield's regular beef and pork dog is, in my opinion, mediocre. It is mild and appeals to the tastes of people in Pennsylvania, where it is produced. A few years ago Hatfield started producing an all beef angus dog. This is the one served at the Smoke Joint. It was made in the New York style specifically to compete with Sabrett. The first time I came across this dog was at a food warehouse. I didn't want to take a chance and buy 5 lbs, so I tried to get the owner to sell me less. He wouldn't, but told me of a few places that served this dog. I went to a few and sampled it. It is very good. At least one local hot dog cart switched from Sabrett to Hatfield.
The Hatfield dog has a tight casing; similar to Boars Head natural casing dogs. It has the spice of a Sabrett or Nathan's with a rich, beefy, smoky flavor. What stands out is the smokiness of this dog. I liked it and on occcasion have purchased a 5 lb bag. It is of the same quality as Sabrett. Just depends on the type of spicing you prefer. If pressed, I would prefer Sabrett. But 2 summers ago when I sampled over 100 hot dogs for the Newark Star Ledger, I found that the great majority of places serving boiled or "dirty water dogs" served Sabrett. A few served the Hatfield Angus dog. It was a welcome change of pace. My son likes this dog so much that it is the only one he will eat. It is very good prepared in water or on a griddle. Definitely worth checking out.
It used to be available in a few supermarkets, but I've heard it isn't anymore. It wasn't even available in Pennsylvania, the state where it is produced. I get it at Restaurant Depot and another food warehouse (the name escapes me) where I first discovered them. And a few hot dog joints that serve them. All in Jersey. But I have heard that there are places you can get them in New York. The Smoke Joint being the only one I know of.
hotdoglover at 7:13PM on 03/03/08
Gray's Papaya and Papaya King are two of the best hot dogs in the city, hands down. It's tough for me to say which is better but if pressed, I'd probably have to go with Gray's mainly because I'm an UWS resident and there's few things nicer than getting off the 1 train at 72nd street and walking with two dogs with everything up to my place on 84th.
In the end, however, Hebrew National is my top dog. Nothing beats the kosher dog. That nice balance of garlic and beef, casing with a little give, some nice spicy mustard. Perfect.
NYC Food Guy at 12:26AM on 03/05/08
sorry all...the best all beef hot dog is produced by Best Provisions in Newark, NJ. They are featured at Jimmy Buffs, and were the house brand for Syd's and Don's. They are available in most grocery stores as well as the factory in Newark. They have a natural casing, a great "snap" when you bite into them. They are a "kosher-style" dog.
Judyep at 9:02AM on 03/05/08
Agree about Best's. My favorite all beef dog. Syd's and Don's are gone, but you can get the Syd's dog at Jimmy Buff's in East Hanover, Bubba's in Lyndhurst, and Seymour's in Livingston. You cannot get the natural casing dogs at any supermarket; only the factory and the places that serve them.
Check out the Travel Channel tonight at 8PM. There will be a show aired called Hot Dog Paradises. Jimmy Buff's will be featured.
hotdoglover at 3:03PM on 03/05/08