7th Annual A to Z Hotdog Tour

 

2022 A to Z Tour Blog

With the threat of scattered showers and/or worse, Alan and Terry Aubin, the A’s and Tom and Beth, the Zs, were not to be deterred from continuing our annual hot dog tour. This is our 7thyear coordinated by Alan, the master planner. The week prior to the trip, Alan sent out facts about hot dogs and buns. Terry added comical comments and her favorite, emoji’s. Beth replied with jokes and Tom gave us all nicknames: “All in” Alan, Battling Beth, Two-footer Terry, and Tommy Jaws. We decided that Alan

Best in Show

will be the planner and program designer for all future tours since he does an outstanding job. Whew, I’m off the hook!

Our first eatery was Best in Show in N. Grafton, MA. A bright red road side wagon proudly displaying the American Flag fitting for hot dogs being one of America’s favorite foods. Best in Show served Kayem hotdogs in a New England style bun {my favorite bun). All of their dogs were named for different breeds.

Beth had a Yorkie and Philly {check the menu Alan included for what each dog offers) Terry enjoyed a Yorkie and an American Bulldog.  Tom felt a French Bulldog was fitting in memory of Franklin, Caryn’s deceased pet and being loyal to the US he also ate an American bulldog.

Alan digested a French Bulldog also and a Hula Dog because he loves pineapple not only on hotdogs but pizza.

We met the owners Justin and Shannon who bought the business a year ago when Shannon lost her job due to COVID and they have had great success coming in 6" place of the Worcester Hotdog Safari.

They have a fire hydrant painted in polka dots and
a dog statue next to tables with umbrellas for roadside dining. Our little troupe polished off 8 dogs which is usually the normal amount for our first stop.

Second stop was Snappy Dogs in Hopkinton, MA. This roadside trailer was built by the two female owners with help from friends. They have operated in Hopkinton for 12 years and have a FB page on which we are featured with a short story. They use Pearl hotdogs and have different sizes and offer some very unique toppings created by them.

Snappy Dogs

They use very large buns which most of us felt overpowered the delicious dogs. The dogs are grilled after being cut into with diamond patterns. | have the Lil dog size which is your normal size hotdog. | topped one with rhubarb chutney (awesome) and my second was Dr. Pepper BBQ sauce. The quantity of the toppings was a bit skimpy but you were still able to enjoy the flavors. Tom narrowed his two dogs down to a Lil'do topped with dill and coleslaw relish. Loving all things hot, he did a Big dog % pounder with sriracha and wasabi mayo. Alan, who also enjoys spicy hot and Wasabi mayo and spicy coleslaw Big dog and again, he can’t pass up pineapple, had a Big Dog with pineapple relish . Terry copied me with a Dr. Pepper BBQ sauce but added onions on her Big Dog, followed by a Lil dog with wasabi and chipotle ketchup. As much as Terry loves her dogs and Frappes, she also enjoys her desserts. She bought a Whoopie Dog, which is a Whoopie Pie but shaped like a hot dog. She bought 3 Mom’s originals and one with salted caramel for cur end of day event in their backyard. We enjoyed our dogs at a

table covered with an umbrella and enjoyed hearing the cow bell ring when it was a customer’s first visit. The line of customers never dwindled the whole time we were there. Tom was wearing our 5" Annual Hot dog shirt which lists all the places we had eaten at in those five years. The shirt attracts many people asking how they can join the tour. LOL! Because the sizes of the dogs varied , we decided the Big Dogs were worth 1.5 dogs-eaten. So, we added 9.5 dogs consumed at Snappy’s.

Hot Doogy's

On our way to our last hot dog place, the skies opened pouring down rain for about 10 minutes but we stayed dry in the car. Hot Doogys in the Sherwood Plaza in Natick is part of a chain. We were pleasantly surprised to see we could dine outside which is our favorite place to enjoy a wiener. The inside was clean and orders were placed on a computer kiosk. The dogs came in a very cute box which the dog could slide out of and nice handled brown bags taped at each corner for safety. Nice touches and presentation but kicks up the prize. The hot dogs are long and the buns a bit larger than regular N.E buns so we decided we’d have only one dog apiece and give them a point value of 1.5 dogs. Alan went with the customer favorite of Brazilian Doogy, Terry opted for the Steak and Cheese Doogy, Tom had the Chili Doogy with extra jalapenos of course and Beth did the original Doogy with mustard relish and kraut. This brings the total dogs for Hot Doogy to 6.

Now that it was nearing close to 3 (closing time for our next stop), we had to save our scheduled fourth stop to Zippity Do Dog in Framingham for another year. But we did stop at Mad Wile's Ice Cream on Rt. § in Framingham. Terry slurped up a chocolate  Frappe, my first choice of a dish of Milky Way ice cream had to be replaced due to the flavor being not available with Death by Chocolate. | was not disappointed but maybe Tom was since | didn’t die! LOL! Tom decided on a small dish of Oreo (maybe being nostalgic for a cat we had by that name and Alan chose Blueberry Pie to convince himself he did eat something nutritious on this day.

As with most Fridays in the summer, Pike traffic was slow but steady. We were in good hands with Tom behind the wheel except for his glares at a transport van that made swerve between lanes and p***** off Tom.

We safely arrived back satiated and ready to just enjoy the early evening breeze at the Aubin’s growing Field of Flowers and Vegetable back yard. They are always generous and accommodating hosts. Chatting and enjoying libations (as Terry refers to them), it wasn’t long before someone asked “ready for some more hotdogs?” “Really?” Well, of course we were!! Alan ordered on line Brooklyn
Hot Dogs with brioche buns. He had the standard toppings and a jar of IPA pickles. We each ate two dogs topped our own ways for a total of 10 dogs. This brings our record setting total of dogs for today to 33.5. Who said it couldn’t be done??? Believe it or not, we still had room to split a Whoopie Dog for dessert.

| forgot to mention to pass the slow and steady time on the Pike, we played the “I'm going on a hot dog tour and bringing game.” Look it up! We also sang TV show songs like Gilligan's Island, Brady Bunch, Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres and Petticoat Junction.

UNTIL NEXT TIME, HAVE YOURSELF A “WEINER” OF A DAY