Just in case you thought Drawing For Food was getting quiet in the Hot Dog department... here's a roundup of Hot Dog Of The Week articles from the last few weeks.
Michigans • Plattsburgh, NY"Michigans" aka "Texas Red Hots" are a distinct regional style of hot dog specific to the northeastern corner of New York State and also spilling into Vermont and Montreal - although in Montreal the sauce is quite different.
A Michigan Hot Dog is a bright red natural casing frank, on a unique quasi new-england roll, with chopped onions, yellow mustard and a healthy dollop of "Michigan sauce" - related to Detroit Coney sauce but evolved over 90 years into a unique local tradition.
Clare & Carl's,
Mcsweeney's, and Gus's Red Hots are the big three but there are stands all over the area, many of which claim to use some version of the super-secret original Michigan Sauce recipe of
Mrs. Eula Otis, who moved to Plattsburgh NY from Detroit in the 1920's and opened a Hot Dog stand with her husband, but apparently also worked at competitor Clare & Carl's where she left behind a different version of the recipe.
A fascinating legend possibly involving some sort of hot-dog love triangle, complete and utter nonsense, or some combination of the two which is usually the case with regional food folklore.
I was up there this winter and unfortunately Clare & Carl's was closed as Plattsburgh is basically a frozen ghost town until May. We did stop at Gus's where the sauce is super thick & definitely unique.. the further north you get the "greek hot dog sauce" seems to taste less and less like chili, with more of an allspice/ cinnamon / clove taste to it.
Also can't forget to mention that Gus's has some amazing gravy fries and a delicious fried perch sandwich - fish pulled right outta Lake Champlain a few hundred feet away.
•
Serious Eats: Hot Dog Of The Week - Plattsburgh Michigans•
Michigan Hot Dog facebook pageA great place for recommendations on out of the way spots.
Clare & Carl'sopen 11am - 9pm, roughly May through September4729 NY-9,
Plattsburgh, NY
(518)561-1163
Gus's Red Hots3 Cumberland Head Rd
Plattsburgh, NY 12901
(518) 561-3711
•••
Bark • BrooklynFinally made it to Bark, Brooklyn's artisinal hot dog boutique which lays it on a bit thick with the shabby-chic environmentally friendly retro diner-vibe, but wins with some of the most amazing looking hot dogs I've ever seen.
Maybe the biodegradable plastic cups and reclaimed amish barn furniture have the park slope eco-yuppies feeling less guilty about devouring 3 or 4 lard-basted Hartmann's franks covered in bacon and maple syrup braised baked beans. But when you're done pondering the cognitive dissonance, you're left with classic american hot dogs executed at a level that's hard to find anywhere else. Also, great onion rings, washed down with local Brooklyn beer and/or 24 oz cans of Bud Light.
Serious Eats: Hot Dog Of The Week - BarkBark Hot Dogs474 Bergen Street
Brooklyn NY 11217
•••
Johnny's Hots • PhiladelphiaThe hot dogs are fine, but the thing to get at this stand on the side of the road along the northern edge of Delaware Ave in Philly are the Hot Sausages on a fresh Liscio roll, with some longhots or covered in sweet pepper hash. Also available is the infamous Philly Combo on either hot dog or sausage.
Johnny's Hots is open from 4:30am til 3pm every day but Sunday. Standing room only.. and apparently also a great spot for cheesesteaks.
Serious Eats: Hot Dog Of The Week - Johnny's HotsJohnny's Hots1234 N Delaware Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19125
(215) 423-2280
•••
