Brooklyn: Coney Island
The original Nathan's World Famous Frankfurters shack, opened in 1916 on Coney Island, may be threatened by the ever-shifting landscape of Brooklyn zoning. One true Nathan's fan has penned an online petition to assign the building landmark status and save his beloved hot dog stand. Now that's loyalty. (And, perhaps, wishful thinking.) Read or sign the petition here.
Posted by Robyn Lee, July 5, 2009 at 2:00 PM
Yesterday morning in Coney Island, thousands of cheering people crowded the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenue. But these cheers were not for independence—no, they were for something greater. Something meatier. Something log-shaped.
Hot dogs—more specifically, lots of hot dogs being shoveled down many gullets at the same time within a ten-minute period. This is the scene of Nathan's International Hot Dog Eating Contest, the oldest (since 1916) and most famous eating competition in America.
Joey Chestnut garnered first place for the third year in a row, at the same time breaking the world record by eating 68 hot dogs, or HDBs (shorthand for hot dog and buns in the competitive eating world), in ten minutes. Takeru Kobayashi came in second with a still-nauseatingly-high 64 and a half hot dogs. In third place was Patrick Bertoletti, who ate a mere 55 hot dogs. And let's not forget about the female champion Sonya Thomas, who set a new women's world record by chowing down 41 hot dogs. (For the full results, visit nathansfamous.com.)
I just summed up the whole contest for you. Somewhat. If you don't think you'll ever make it to the big day, here a more detailed look at the contest with lots of photos, after the jump.
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Posted by Erin Zimmer, January 19, 2009 at 5:20 PM
Nathan's has stood on the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues in Coney Island since 1916, but according to the Brooklyn Paper, the mustard dispensers might disappear.
A new building with a hotel, amusement park, and retail stores may be more profitable in the same space. It's all part of Mayor Bloomberg’s vision for a 27-acre amusement zone in the so-called “People’s Playground,” which would cost taypayers tens, if not hundreds, of millions of dollars. Before any construction can begin, though, the project must be reviewed and voted on by the local community board, Borough President Marty Markowitz, City Planning, and the City Council. Let's hope Markowitz and his crew are pro-frankfurter. The full impact statement is available at nyc.gov/oec.
Posted by Zach Brooks, September 9, 2008 at 6:00 PM
Photograph by luluinnyc
Now that Phillips Candy has moved to Staten Island, Williams Candy is the last old candy place near the Coney Island boardwalk. From the looks of this caramel and nut covered mashmallow, maybe one is all we need. In the words of the photographer: "Yum doesn't cover it."
Williams Candy
1318 Surf Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11224 (map)
718-372-0302
candytreats.com
Posted by Adam Kuban, August 27, 2008 at 1:00 PM
Of all the New York City lines I've waited in, Nathan's, in Coney Island, has to be the worst.
The line at the Shake Shack is long but efficient, though in the end, you get a damn fine burger.
Di Fara's "line" (which is really more of a "crush") is long and inefficient, but at least you get the Dom DeMarco Show while waiting and some damn fine pizza as a result.
Lines at Magnolia? Whatever. For all its charms, Sex and the City never held that much sway with me, and I refuse to wait even two minutes for a cupcake.
Lines at Nathan's are something else entirely. There are multiple queues, and you never seem to pick the right one. Some are long, and some are short. They are all inefficient. The view is unremarkable at best (a dirty and shuttered Surf Avenue) and unpleasant at worst (a shirtless guy's sweaty back). And in the end, you get a nothing-special hot dog that costs $3.25.
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Posted by Jenn Sit, July 23, 2008 at 3:00 PM
Meeting up with friends for food and drinks in the city always seems to end with me bemoaning the state of my ATM balance the next morning. Last weekend, my solution to going out without going broke was to skip the wine bars and take advantage of the beautiful weather by having a wine and cheese outing in Central Park. With wine from Trader Joe's and cheese and bread from East Village Cheese, it was a great way to catch up with friends, people watch, and most of all, relax.
Trader Joe's love is not an unknown sentiment on the pages of Serious Eats, but you can never sound enough praise for their three-buck-chuck. If you've never had it before, go out and buy a case—now. It goes for cheap, but doesn't taste like it, and will put your $10 Barefoot wine to shame. I met my friend in front of the NYU dorms on 14th Street, conveniently located next to the Trader Joe's Wine Shop. After picking up a bottle or two, we turned the corner at 3rd Ave and headed down to East Village Cheese to complete our Friday afternoon picnic.
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Posted by Adam Kuban, May 13, 2008 at 9:00 AM
File under: Ignorance Is Bliss. New York mainstay Nathan's has complied with the Department of Health's mandate that calorie counts be added to the menus of chain restaurants with at least 15 outlets. It's interesting to note that, for about half the menu, the calorie count of a dog corresponds almost to the penny with the price of a wiener—until you get into chili and chili-cheese territory. The new information adds dramatic punctuation to competitive eater Joey Chestnut's 66-dog record in last year's frankfurter frightfest, as Gothamist points out: 19,602 calories in 12 minutes.
And a tip to those heading to Coney this summer: You can avoid some of the long lines at the original Nathan's location by heading up to the boardwalk stand just off Stillwell Avenue.
