Great Hot Dogs of Connecticut

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Berlin Pizza

Berlin Pizza 196 Berlin Turnpike Berlin, Ct (860) 828-1321

So this place is called Berlin Pizza, but they have a picture of a hot dog on their sign and they have a variety of hot dogs on their menu, so we are including them. I had the Berlin Dog that was a footlong dog in a grilled New England style roll with cheese, onions and chilli. Very tasty dog. Simple no frills diner type place. Quick service. They use the local Martin Rosignol's hot dogs. Zoey had a grilled cheese and fries, which she enjoyed.

Sunday, June 22, 2014

Fenway Park

Fenway Park
Boston, MA

Okay, so Fenway Park is in Massachusetts not Connecticut, but Red Sox fans in Connecticut can claim Fenway as their home park, so it counts. Went with the daughters and Zoey had her first Fenway frank -- a steamed Kayem hot dog in a hot New England Style Bun. A must for any hot dog lover's list. I get one every time I go to the ballpark.

Saturday, March 29, 2014

Gold Burgers

1096 Main Street, Newington, Ct 06111

(860) 665-0478

http://www.goldburgers.com/

Monday to Tuesday 11-8

Wednesday to Thursday 11-9

Friday to Saturday 11-10

Sunday 12-8

Went to Gold Burgers with the girls today. While they are Gold Burgers, they could easily be called Gold Burgers and Dogs. They have a hot dog specialty menu, and their dogs are excellent. You get your choice of either an all beef dog or a pork and beef dog. They use traditional rolls and grill and then split their dogs.

I ordered the New England Style Dog without mustard. The dog had chilli, onions and celery salt. The celery salt, which is traditional in Rhode Island, is an excellent addition that leaves a lasting flavor in your mouth.

I also ordered the P.B.R. without the pickles and ranch dressing. So that means I had grilled onions, bacon and jack cheese. It was good, but not as good as the Jack cheese dogs i am making at home.

They also have excellent fries here.

Zoey and Lauren had hamburgers and grilled cheese.

Here is the menu:

http://www.goldburgers.com/menu.html

Sunday, March 16, 2014

Frankie's of Bristol

Frankie's Hot Dogs of Bristol
1195 Farmington Avenue
Bristol, CT 06010
(860) 584-9026

http://frankieshotdogs.com/our-locations/frankies-of-bristol/

Went to Frankie's of Bristol after Lauren's basketball game. Frankie's has several locations in Connecticut. They serve the basic New England style grilled foot-long hot dogs on New England style buns. I got the bacon dog. Lauren got a cheese burger and Zoey, the fried Mac and Cheese. We also got steak fries, which were very good and curly fries. Forgot to take a picture of the outside, so I will use a stock photo above until I can get back there.

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Five Guys-West Hartford

So Five Guys is a national chain, but they still serve a pretty good hot dog. It is grilled and sliced. They use Hebrew National, which is one of my favorite brands of hot dogs. I took the girls there because they wanted burgers. Lauren had a cheese burger, Zoey got the grilled cheese, and I ordered a hot dog with grilled onions. They also have fantastic fries here as well as help yourself salted peanuts.

Saturday, February 8, 2014

Woody's

Woody's
915 Main Street
Hartford
(860) 278-5499
Woody's Hot Dogs

Monday -Wednesday 11:30-3:00 PM
Thursday, Friday- 11:30 AM-6:00 PM
Saturday 12:00-7:00 PM
Sunday During Football Season at 12:00 noon.
Open late and Sundays on event nights.

This is an outstanding hot dog restaurant located in the office building at 915 Main in Hartford.
Walk in and keep going and you will see Woody's on your left.

We went to Woody's today. Woody's has a "posse" of 12 specialty dawgs.

I had the Deputy Dawg, the same hot dog Adam Richman of Man versus Food said, "I can tell you without question or pause and I really want you to know that I mean this from the bottom of my heart I think this may be one of my absolute favorite hot dawgs I've ever ever eaten. Ever!"

It was also one of the best dawgs I've ever had. The Deputy Dawg is a foot long grilled all beef hot dog with barbecue pork and melted cheddar cheese and barbecue sauce. It was great! Lauren had the baked bean dog, whcih she wasn't crazy about. She didn't like the hot dog much itself. The beans were fine. Zoey had the Mac and Cheese Dog, with bacon. She thought it was very good because she loves Mac and cheese, and she ate most of it.

Woody's also offers a wide variety of specialty hot dogs, as well as burgers and other sandwiches.

Saturday, February 1, 2014

Best Hot Dog Joke of All Time

My father told me this one when I was little. At the time, you couldn't go a day without hearing the Oscar Meyer Weiner jingle on the radio or TV.

Here's the joke:

So this guy finds a magic lantern. He rubs it and out pops a genie, who promises three wishes.

So the guy gets in his car and starts driving home and starts thinking about what three wishes he's going to wish for.

Well, for starters, he says, "I wish instead of this little VW bug, I'm driving, I wish this were a Cadillac."

And Wha-La! He is driving a brand new Cadillac.

He gets really excited, and then thinks of what his wife will say when she sees his new Caddy. And he thinks of her standing out there to greet him with curlers in her hair and wearing an old kitchen apron, and he then he says, "And I wish that my wife was the most beautiful woman in the world."

And he gets even more excited by the prospect of seeing her in all her new beauty, and he starts thinking about what he will do with his last wish, thinking maybe he will ask to be the richest man in the world.

In the meantime, he's got the radio on and a familiar jingle comes on. He's in such a good mood, he starts singing along:

"OH, I WISH I WERE AN OSCAR MEYER WEINER..."

Augie and Ray's Drive In

Augie and Ray's Drive Inn
314 Main Street
East Hartford, CT
(860) 568-3770

Open Monday-Saturday
6:00 AM - 6:30 PM

This place has been around since 1946. If you want a basic grilled hot dog served in a grilled New England style bun, you will find it here. It comes, plain or with chili. They have a small fixin's station that has the basics -- onions, relish, mustard, ketchup.

I had two chili dogs, Lauren had a plain one and Zoey had a cheese burger.

We split a side of fries.

Good basic food at a cheap price, and friendly service with no waiting time.

Lauren tries to get the last of the fries from Zoey.

A definite must stop on any hot dog tour of the Greater Hartford area.

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Doogie's

Doogie's Hot Dogs
2525 Berlin Turnpike
Newington, CT
(860) 666-DOGS

Doogie's Hot Dogs has been named the Best Hot Dog in Hartford Country 9 times in a row, according to their web site. Rachael Ray says, Doogies is the # 1 grilled hot dog in America. It has also been featured on Man versus Food. Their sign says "Home of the Two-Foot Hot Dog."

They sell hot dogs in three sizes. Regular, sixteen inch and two feet. I prefer the regular or sixteen inch to the two foot. The two foot dog has a regular roll, not the grilled New England style roll. Or at least that's how it was several years ago when I had it. I am looking forward to trying it again one day. The two foot dog used to be made by Grote and Weigel until they went out of business and after a temprary hiatus, Doogie's returned the two footer to the menu, now made by Martin Rosol's Frankfurters which are made near bye in New Britain, CT.

I took the girls there today, and ordered "The Turnpike Dog" in honor of the Berlin Turnpike where Doogie's makes its home. The "Turnpike Dog" has cheese, onions, peppers and bacon. (I didn't realize until after I had eaten it that they left the bacon off). Lauren had "The Boston Dog," which is a hot dog topped with baked beans and bacon. Zoey had the grilled cheese.

When you walk in the door there is a sign for an all-you-can eat competition. You have to eat two foot long dogs with your choice of four toppings, an order of fries and a drink in 20 minutes to get your photo on their wall of fame.

I decided to test myself in a trial run to see if I could eat the 16 inch Turnpike dog in 5 minutes. I managed this feat in 4:57, and did not feel stuffed or bloated.

On my next trip, I will try a two foot dog in 8 minutes, and see how I can handle it. If I do it, I may go for the challenge. If not I will just come back and enjoy some great hot dogs.

Lauren raved about the Boston Dog. I liked mine and Zoey said the grilled cheese was great, along with their fries.

***

Two Foot Long Turnpike Dog - February 18, 2014

Lauren couldn't join us today, so Zoey and I went to Doogie's so I could take a crack at the 2 foot Doogie Turnpike Dog as part of my training to ultimately attempt the Doogie's Hot Dog Challenge where you have 20 minutes to eat 2 two foot hot dogs with 4 toppings on each, as well as a side of fries. Previously I ate a 16 incher in 5 minutes. My goal today, eat a 2 footer in 8 minutes. If I could achieve that, then I might have chance at winning the challenge. The Turnpike Dog by the way has cheese, peppers, onions and bacon.

Here was the challenge today:

Here's what it looked like after 10 minutes.

It wasn't until 13:55 that the Dog went down.

Bottom line: I was humbled and know I will never attempt the 2 2- Foot Dog challenge, which I am fine with.

I felt the 2 footer in my belly for a good couple hours afterwards.

Some technical comments on the 2 Foot Dog. The bun is a regular hot dog bun, not the grilled New England style I love. It was heated and fairly light, but I think overall, the extra bread helped do me in. Also, they did not forget the bacon this time, and the bacon-- three strips of if it --was chewy and took longer to eat that I would have thought.

***

Zoey, by the way, had the Mac and Cheese, which she thought was great!

***

Back to Doogie's March 8, 2014

Doogie's is really the go to hot dog place for us. We had Ashley with us today so since she hadn't been in awhile, we went there. I had the Man versus Food Dog 16 incher, Zoey had the Mac and Cheese Burger, and I can't remember what Lauren and Ashley had. We had three types of fries and ate all of them.

Saturday, January 11, 2014

Chef's Dog House

Chef's Dog House
337 Willard Avenue
Newington, CT 06111
(860) 667-3700

Monday-Friday 7am-8pm
Saturday 9am-8pm
Closed Sunday

Lauren, Zoey and I went to Chef's Dog House in Newington for our inaugural hot dog stop on our quest
to find the best hot dogs in the state. Chef's has been around since 2010 and is located behind the 7-11
on Willard Avenue. I had the Prairie Dog and the Junkyard Dog, which is their most famous hot dog.
Lauren had a Southern Dog. Zoey opted for the grilled cheese.

Chef's uses 100% all-beef Kayem hot dogs (many of which are cooked wrapped with bacon) and cooks them on a grille.
He uses New England style hot dog rolls and the rolls are also grilled.

The place is known for its condiment bar, which features over 50 condiments, including many types of
mayo, mustard, relish and hot sauce. We skipped the condiment bar and ate the dogs as they came.

Me and the Junkyard Dog

The Junkyard Dog is a bacon-wrapped dog, topped with chili, nacho cheese and grilled onions. I have always been a plain hot dog guy so this was my first chiili cheese dog, and I have to admit that I did not know what I was missing. It was great!

Junkyard Dog

The Prairie Dog is a bacon wrapped dog, topped with Onion Dip, and frizzled Potato. I thought it was interesting. I'm not crazy for onion dip.

Prairie Dog

Lauren really liked the Southern Dog, which is a hot dog, topped with Pulled Barbecue Pork and cole slaw. I don't like cole slaw, so Lauren let me have a bit with the cole slaw taken off and I thought it was excellent. The next time I visit when I am not menu sampling, I will definitely order this minus the slaw.

Southern Dog

We went back a week later for more sampling and tried the Swiss Pastrami Dog, which was very good.

Swiss Pastrami Dog (with fries)

Zoey loved the thick stretchy cheese.

Chef's also serves hamburgers, sandwiches, soups and salads, as well as breakfast.

Lauren, what did you think?

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Our Hot Dog Checklist

We are planning to hit all the best places in Connecticut, but we are starting local in Hartford County and moving outward.

Our Hot Dog Checklist (* indicates we have been there as a family)

Hartford County

Newington

Chef's Dawg House*

Doogie's*
Gold Burgers

Hartford

Woody’s*

East Coast Dog
Toasted (food truck Bushnell Park)
Scott's Jamaica bakery

East Coast Dog's Hawaii 5-0 Dog with pinneaple, onion and terryiaki. Awesome

Scott's Jamaican Bakery

Scott’s Bakery 1344 Albany Avenue is Open Monday through Saturday 8 M to 7:30 PM and Sunday 8-5.

Scott's Coco-bite (hot dog with cheese in coconut bread.

Ranch House

East Hartford

Augie and Ray’s*

New Britain

Capitol Lunch

510 Main Street

New Britain, CT 06051

(860) 229-8237

Web Site

This place is awesome if you like hot dogs. It is a great quick stop on your way back to Hartford from New Britain. The hot dogs are all ready to go. $1.80 each and that includes the famous meat sauce. They also have hamburgers and fries.