Dog Days
While the hot dog isn’t a fundamentally seasonal treat, isn’t there something about the summer season that begs its portability, its affinity for condiments, its light and airy bun?
My favorite New York dogs, in order of appreciation:
1. Crif Dogs (113 Saint Marks Pl) – Why? Taste. You already know hot dogs clog your arteries and send your cholesterol through the roof. Crif goes the extra nine with their deep-fried dogs, and they’re sooo worth it. Better yet, they deliver late at your favorite LES dive bars.
2. F&B (269 W 23rd St) – Why? Charm. The fresh, pop-art logos, attractive menus and European food offerings bring to mind populist IKEA design, minus all the lemming-like chaos.
3. Sparky’s (135 N Fifth St, Williamsburg) Why? Sincerity. Niman Ranch raised-right dogs and soy pups, house-made condiments, cute little penny-candies on the counter, and hormone-free dairy in the oh-so-yummy milkshakes. Good dog! Gooood dog!
4. Gray’s Papaya (402 Sixth Avenue) Why? Economy. Big city thrills don’t come cheap. Thankfully, a joint like Gray’s Papaya can fill you up when your pockets run a bit light. The Recession Special, up a buck from the last recession ($2.45 gets you 2 dogs and a papaya drink), is still one of the best deals in Gotham.
5. Nathan’s (1310 Surf Ave., Coney Island) Why? History. Nathan’s opened up in 1916 selling dogs for a nickel. Today, you can eat a Nathan’s dog, cruise the boardwalk and kick the sand like generations of New Yorkers before you.
1 Comments:
Aw, man. You ain't lived 'til you've had a Pink's dog. One of the (rare) joys of living in LA was the food. Weird, I know. Raymond Chandler wrote that LA had "the most of everything and the best of nothing". I disagree. The fact that I was there alone and ate 99.9% of my meals alone allowed for me to experiment without someone stopping me from say, downing a 12" with a side of rings. And I've never had anything close to resembling the caliber of Indian or Japanese food I had in LA.
But then, I've never been to NY so I only have Toronto & Chicago as my weiner points of reference. (BTW, M says you must try Hot Doug's next time you're in Chi-town. http://www.hotdougs.com)
Argh. Now I'm hungry. And I just had Whities!
L- do they have Whities in NYC?
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