11th Annual Hotdog Tour - South Central Connecticut
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| Connecticut HD Plate |
Why? Because the A to Z Hot Dog Tour comprising of All in Alan, Tommy Jaws, Terry Two-footer and Battling Betty (aka Beth, me) were sitting down to our first round of hot dogs about that time on the date above.
Underneath blue skies dotted with fluffy white clouds, zero humidity and a light breeze, we sat outside
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| Dogtown, Milford CT |
Dogtown in Milford, CT ready to enjoy our first dogs of the day. Dogtown is a small building but big on friendly staff. Noticing us wearing our 10th annual hot dog tour shirts designed by Alan, Sarah knew we were not going to be her typical late morning customers. Sarah was very welcoming and answered all my questions. Alan and Terry chose the Mongo as one of their two 6” inch dogs. The Mongo dog is topped with coleslaw, bacon strips and chili. I guess as good as it looked. As Sarah answered, Dogtown uses Martin Rosolo’s beef/pork hot dogs in buns especially made for Dogtown by Chavs bakery. The buns were perfectly sized to accommodate the 6”, split and grilled dog plus the abundant toppings for each dog. Those of us who ordered a dog with bacon were pleasantly surprised to find it was not the usual bacon bits, but actual full strips of grilled bacon.
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| Mongo & Sup Dogs |
Alan and Terry chose the Sup Dog for their second dog. The Sup dog was topped with strips of bacon, grilled onions, scallions and Boom sauce. Boom sauce is their special blend of sweet and spicy mayo. Again, more oohs and aahhs! Tommy Jaws should really be “Tommy More Hotter, More Better”! Both of Tom’s dogs consisted of hot toppings. The Zephyr had a red chili pepper by its description on the menu so Tom can’t complain if it was too hot even for him. He was warned. The Zephyr was nothing like a gentle wind but more of a spicy hot tornado. It was topped with chili, American cheese, hot pepper relish and raw onions. The Devil also had a red pepper next to it because this dog was coated in chili, cheese sauce, bacon strips and jalapenos. The Devil ain’t got nothing on this dog!
Bringing up the rear as always, Beth chose one dog called the Yuppie. My dog was dressed in bacon strips, sweet relish, brown mustard, sauerkraut and grilled onions (Sarah placed the order with grilled onions rather than raw to accommodate my dislike for raw onions preferring grilled instead. We enjoyed our hot dogs outside at a picnic table under a red umbrella. Sarah gave each of us a sticker with Dogtown on it and a cute little hot dog character as parting gifts and wished us well on the rest of our tour.
Total dogs consumed at stop #1 – 7
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| Frankies |
Traveling to Stop #2, Frankies – the original 1937 location in Waterbury,CT, the GPS guided us through back roads of Woodbridge and Orange CT on Rts. 15, 313 and finally Rt. 8. These were well paved, tree lined, shaded roads populated by a blend of Colonial style homes, Capes and larger newer homes graced by stone walls and well groomed lawns. We enjoyed a very pleasant drive with beautiful scenery as we
chatted about Dogtown.
Frankies was very busy but service was fast and friendly. We weren’t in a rush since there were many signs to read and a 1953 Willy’s Jeep in pristine condition. On the side of the Willy was a saying right from the depression era. “Come in and eat..or we’ll both starve.” The price list of food for 1953 was stenciled on the Willy. All prices were cents such as hot dog 25, hamburger 30, sausage 45, fries 25, onion rings 35, clams 70, lobster roll 85, soda and coffee 10 and a milk shake 35. Frankies still has affordable prices. For a foot long hotdog the price was $5.78!!!
We were fortunate enough to meet the son of the original owner; who by an estimated age of maybe late 60’s, early 70’s was still working the counter like a teenager. Despite the number of customers outside the order window, he was eager to proudly share the story of Frankies. Behind him on the wall was a
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| Frankies Owner |
picture of his dad and uncle. Many people told us they have been coming to Frankies for most of their life; which for some was over 60 years. Family tradition of making multiple trips during the summer was a must. There is only outside seating at the Waterbury, CT location yet they are open until 11/15 and reopen on 3/15 each year. There are two other Frankies in CT which are indoor restaurants offering the same friendly service and mouthwatering dogs. So, let’s get to the dogs.
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| The Portuguese Dog |
Their hotdog brand is Hummels which makes the dogs especially for Frankies. The dogs are nestled in New England style hot dog buns toasted on both sides. The four of us fully enjoyed two Italian dogs smothered by grilled peppers and onions, one Portuguese dog blanketed with grilled mushrooms and onion and one French dog layered with hot cheddar cheese. One lady standing nearby me told me the week after Mother’s Day, Frankies sells their lobster rolls made with meat from the tail and claws buttered in a toasted roll at a reduced price. Last year, the price was $15.99. That is not a typo! She also recommended we try a sample of their hot pepper relish and sweet piccalilli She was convinced it’s the best. So,why not? Both were very good, chunky and with a gusto of flavor. We were again very pleased with our dogs and friendly service. Frank Caiazzo was right when he crafted the family slogan in 1937 – “You’re only as good as your last dog.” On all accounts, spot on, Frank. Customer service and hospitality #1!
Total dogs consumed at Frankies – 8 dogs (because they are foot long dogs, we count them as 2)
Tour Total after 2 stops – 15
Stop #3 – Riley’s on Glen St., in New Britain, CT
Riley’s has been on Glen St., for 12 years and serves pork/beef charbroiled Martin Rosolo dogs in a New England style bun. If you are wondering what makes a bun New England style, the bun is sliced on the top rather than the side. Riley’s offers a comfortable pub style décor and seating on the inside as well as outdoor seating at round tables with umbrellas. We chose to eat inside and enjoy the riddles/jokes chalked on the board. Let’s see how good you do.
Answers will follow.
#1 “Why did the hotdog go to the gym?”
#2 “A burger, hotdog and fry walked into a bar and asked for a drink…the bartender said, …
#3 “Did you see the movie about the hotdog?”
#4 “Did you hear about the burger that couldn’t stop telling jokes?”
Answer #1 – “He wanted nice buns!”
Answer #2 – “Sorry, we don’t serve food here.”
Answer #3 – “It was an Oscar Weiner.”
Answer #4 – “He was on a roll.”
LOL LOL LOL!
Back to the dog! Beth (author) chose the Classic dog covered in meat sauce, grilled onions, and mustard. Sounds rather boring, but it was really good. I think grilled onions rather than raw onions brings more flavor. Just my opinion.
Alan likes them hot and dirty! Not his women, his dogs! Sorry Terry (wife). Alan had the Jalapeno Popper dog – roasted jalapenos and bacon in a trio of melted cheeses. So much toppings you could barely see the dog. His second choice, the Dirty Mac, which Terry also ordered is Riley’s mac and cheese dog with onions, meat sauce and corn chips. Terry’s second dog was the dill pickle dog which was a special I believe and for some reason, I don’t have that in my notes. I do recall it was topped with potato sticks and she was very pleased with it. Tommy Jaws – once again strikes, like Alan, struck it hot with the Jalapeno dog. Why “All in Alan” and “Tommy Jaws” aren’t on fire is beyond my comprehension.
Again, no strike outs after 3 at bats, results in everyone being satisfied with nothing but home runs at all three stops. Well done Alan, who establishes our itinerary each year.
Side note: Driving into New Britain, I noticed the bridge had a colorful yellow/light orange design at the bottom of it with a metal sculpture of what looked like a bee. Then I spotted another colorful bee sculpture which piqued my curiosity when on Glen St. there was a beautiful mural on the side of a building which had a bee hive as the center focal point. I asked a passerby what was with the bees. He said New Britain adopted the bee as their mascot and the bridge was representing honeycomb as well as the sculptures. New Britain is also well known for their Polish influence, yearly Polish festival and many Polish stores which Alan and Terry visit yearly. So bee aware if ever there you may see our tour guide and his wife, Terry if you visit New Britski. In Polish smacznego means “May this meal be tasty. I think it is safe to say all three hot dog stops this year were very smacznego.
Total dogs at Stop #3 – 7
Total hot dog tour this year 22!
We fell short of our last year’s total. We are realizing we don’t have the capacity or inclination to keep beating our record. I think 37 will be the long time standing total.
Now, onto a surprise Alan has kept all day! Where to have ice cream as Terry says to cleanse our palate of all the fabulous flavors we’ve enjoyed on our dogs.
On our way back home to MA, we stopped in Newington, CT at Stew Leonards. This is a unique grocery store that sells just about every kind of food item, plants and flowers as well as some garden decorations all the while entertaining us and the wee folks with their automated shows featuring the singing avocado ladies playing guitars, cartons of milk singing songs of drinking their wholesome contents, mooing cows, singing chickens, trapeze artists of dolls and dogs not to mention boa wearing and feathered hat lady of cheese belting out the jazz tune about “you gotta have cheese”. They sell soft serve ice cream so we just HAD to cleanse our palates with cones or dishes of pistachio, lime, and chocolate servings for the ride home.
Well folks, I opened with facts about the number 11. We have our own master, Alan who does a great job planning our tours. We balanced the day with not only good friends but with good food. We were enlightened by learning about the New Britain bees. In the spirit of friendship and adventure, the A to Z Hotdog Tour thanks you for following Alan’s blog. Remember to eat America’s favorite food – the star of our show, the hotdog! Smacznego!
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