2011 Summer Hot Dog Tour Kick-Off: Nathan’s Famous, Coney Island, NY

This post is a long-time coming.  We actually visited Nathan’s during Memorial Day weekend, but I’m just now finding the time to sit down and write about it. 

Nathan’s Famous.  The name really sums it up.  Nathan’s truly is famous, and it’s famous for a reason: they make some fine hot dogs.  The story of Nathan’s is an American success story.  What started as a small business by a Polish immigrant has grown into a worldwide phenomenon, encompassing an empire of chain restaurants, packaged franks in supermarkets, and of course the annual 4^th of July Hot Dog Eating Contest.  All built on the foundation of the humble hot dog.

Now, we could’ve reviewed the dogs found at any one of the thousands of food-court Nathan’s, or even bought some from the market and made our own.  But in many ways, that would’ve just been having a hot dog.  Having “Nathan’s” is something more.  It’s a journey, not only through space, but through time.  Taking the N Train to Coney Island on a hot summer day, as so many millions have done before, walking down Surf Ave. to the same building where it all started almost 100 years ago, standing on line amongst all the humanity…  This is what getting a Nathan’s hot dog is all about.

The day we went was pleasantly warm and sunny, just the type of weather that originally drove the denizens of Gotham out of their crowded neighborhoods to the cool ocean breezes of Coney Island.  As always, the lines around the outdoor counters at Surf and Stillwell were long, but that’s always expected: these hot dogs are famous for a reason.

While Nathan’s has a rather extensive menu, including burgers, cheese steaks, chicken, and an impressive clam and seafood selection, we always go for the hot dogs.  Some day we’ll have to try the other menu items, but this summer is all about wieners, franks, dogs, and rippers.  We did decide to change things up slightly from our usual orders, or rather, Craig did.

Mari got two dogs with mustard and sauerkraut, and Craig got one with mustard and relish, and then decided to branch out and try a chili dog, too.  We split an order of bacon and cheese fries.  To wash it all down, Craig had a Coke (what better way to wash down one American icon than with another?) and Mari had lemonade.

The traditional-style dogs live up to expectations.  Nathan’s uses a natural casing on their all-beef franks, which makes them almost “crisp” and provides a nice “crunch” when biting into them.  The dogs are grilled on a large griddle, which only enhances the “crispness.”  I’ve known many people who don’t care for this, but to me, it’s one of the major selling points.  Biting into any dog with a natural casing is a great experience that most of the modern hot dog eating public has been robbed of due to the more cost effective use of synthetic casings used in the production of most hot dogs sold in supermarkets, such as Oscar Mayer Wieners, Hebrew National, Ballparks Franks.  Now don’t get me wrong, each of these is a fine example of the hot dog, and each probably deserves it’s own review.  But they are very different from a natural casing dog.  Nathan’s franks are flavorful, owing to the famous blend of spices developed by Mrs. Handwerker nearly a century ago.  Topped with some mustard and either sauerkraut or relish and you’ve got an American classic that simply can’t be beat.

To be perfectly frank (sorry), the chili dog was a little disappointing.  While delightfully messy and flavorful, it lacked a certain something.  The chili was just too timid.  While I’m not one for a chili dog hot enough to eat through steel, this one just didn’t have enough heat to even qualify as “chili” in my mind.  It was more like a brown, meaty gravy covering my otherwise delicious hot dog.

For both of us, the highlight of any trip to Nathan’s is the bacon and cheese fries.  Nathan’s uses large, crinkle-cut steak fries, which really stand up well to the slathering of fluorescent-yellow goo they call cheese.  Then it’s given a generous sprinkling of crumbled bacon.  And if your mouth isn’t watering, you must lead a very sad life.  While this side is probably the least healthy thing a person can eat, it is easily one of the most delicious.