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Nathan's and Wienerschnitzel have dominated the fast food chain hot dog arena for years, but now Sonic, America's Drive-In, has stepped up their game with the introduction of four new premium hot dogs -- and you don't even have to leave your car for them. Here's how they rate:
The Claims: The frankfurters in Sonic's new lineup all start with a grilled, all-beef hot dog inside a "soft, warm bakery bun," and are each differentiated by their fixings: the All-American Dog has ketchup, mustard, relish, and chopped raw onions (386 calories); the Chili Cheese Coney is topped with chili and shredded cheddar cheese (420 calories); the New York Dog has spicy mustard, grilled onions, and sauerkraut (352 calories); and the Chicago Dog is topped with a pickle spear, relish, tomatoes, hot peppers, chopped raw onions, celery salt, and mustard, with poppy seeds on the bun (435 calories).
The Price: Each hot dog sells for the introductory price of $1.99, at participating locations.
Read our review after the jump.
The Verdict: B. Sonic's press release claims they are "reinventing a ballpark classic" with their new premium hot dogs, but there's not much reinvention here. Each of them are well-established, classic hot dog and topping combinations, so don't expect something completely out of left field; Sonic is not following the recent trend of gourmet dogs with peculiar and innovative toppings. Not that I will hold this inaccurate claim against them -- they've delivered four satisfying fast food items (and right to my car, using a pair of roller-skates).
Sonic is no stranger to hot dogs, having offered the Footlong Quarter Pound Coney on the menu for quite some time now, but for this "premium" line they've reduced their franks' lengths by half and added fresh toppings. The naked hot dog itself is pretty standard; mildly salty with a firm texture and a soft casing. The bun is decent too; soft and chewy, like a good hot dog bun should be.
Some of the toppings are fresh, but not all them. For example, the raw onions and tomatoes seem freshly chopped, but the green sweet relish used on the All-American and Chicago Hot Dogs appears to be of the store-bought jarred variety, although I think that's excusable -- they're just hot dogs after all. This relish is abundant on the All-American, making it the sweetest of the four, while the seemingly store-bought, canned beef chili on the Chili Cheese Coney makes it the sloppiest. The garnish of shredded cheddar on the latter -- instead of a squeeze of gooey cheese sauce -- is a nice touch, and gives it a freshness edge over Nathan's.
As for the New York and Chicago Hot Dogs, they are formidable re-creations of each city's particular style -- only without any of the attitude. The New York is on par with the street cart variety (sans the lukewarm, questionably sanitary water they sometimes sit in) with spicy brown mustard, sauerkraut, and soft, sweated onions. As for the Chicago, it might have been on par with what I remember from the Windy City's famed The Wiener Circle, but at the particular New Jersey location I sampled it at, they forgot to serve it on a poppy seed bun (or simply ran out of them). In any case, the rest of the dog is very good; a medley of sweet, salty, sour, and spicy with the bite of sport peppers. All in all, Sonic's four new hot dogs are a tasty good value, and can be quite a mouthful -- it's a good thing you can summon someone to bring you a Cherry Limeade right to your car to wash them down with.
- Want to know how the rest of the world tops their dogs? Kitchen Daily has a roundup of hot dog toppings from around the globe.
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Fast Food Reviews
Arby's Angus Three Cheese & Bacon Sandwich
Grade B
Our tester said: Arby's is no stranger to roast beef sandwiches, so rather than introduce something completely new, they've decided to improve upon something they're already known for. The beef is sliced and piled into a decent portion that delivers a good texture per bite, without being too sloppy. The bacon is decent; chewy with a slight crispness that goes well with the soft Italian roll.
Domino's Chicken Wings
Grade: D
Our tester said: The revamped Chicken Wings are definitely not worth getting (at least the ones I got fresh at one particular New York City location), unless you really want to serve wings at a pizza party and don't feel like going to a separate place for them. They are small, subpar and not meaty at all.
Domino's Boneless Chicken
Grade: C
Our tester said: The new Boneless Chicken comes in nuggets similar to those at Wendy's -- only smaller -- and they are decent, with soft white breast meat lightly breaded in a coating of breadcrumbs, a few herbs, salt and pepper.
Wendy's Asiago Ranch Chicken Club
Grade: A
Our tester said: While these three sandwiches are merely enhancements of existing sandwiches, the new combination of toppings makes all the difference. At its core, the chicken breast fillets are as good as Wendy's gets; the Homestyle variety is breaded and seasoned like a KFC fillet, the breaded Spicy one packs decent heat for a national fast-food chain, and the Grilled version is lighter in taste and texture. All three are tender, plump and juicy. And, typical of Wendy's chicken sandwiches, the fresh tomatoes and lettuce take the edge off of the chicken's saltiness, while the soft bun complements them all.
Taco Bell's Quad Steak Burrito and Quesadilla
Grade: C+
Our tester said: This "new" burrito and quesadilla may pack more meat, but it is not inventive on any other front. It is what it is, and "what it is" is an obvious attempt at damage control, a food item to remind the public that you can get actual beef chunks -- and plenty of them -- at Taco Bell. Sure, the Quad Steak items are filling and have that familiar fast-food Mexican-inspired taste you expect from Taco Bell, with a spiciness you can control via your preference of thier Mild, Hot, or Fire Sauce. To be fair, the abundance of steak pieces does alter the texture of the burrito, with more beef per bite during your eating experience, rather than the mouthfuls of mostly rice you get with the regular steak burrito. But apart from that, this "new" burrito is nothing new at all. Taco Bell may claim to "think outside the bun," but they didn't think much further than that in this one.
McDonald's Angus Chipotle BBQ Bacon & Cheese Burger and Snack Wrap
Grade: C+
Our tester said: This "new" version of the Angus Third Pounder is really nothing new at all -- and it boasts the highest calorie count of any burger on the menu (at the time of writing). Sure, it will satisfy your hunger, and the beef is tasty, but the sauce flavor is lacking. My gripe with this sandwich is that when trying to analyze its flavor, I was searching for the chipotle taste in the BBQ sauce, but couldn't find the deep, smoky spiciness that chipotle peppers are known for. In fact, when I sampled the sauce by itself, it was rather familiar: It tasted exactly like the brown barbecue sauce served with Chicken McNuggets, and more recently, in the McRib sandwich.
Burger King's Jalapeno & Cheese Stuffed Steakhouse Burger
Grade: B-
Our tester said: For a fast-food chain known for the "heat" to come from flame-broilers, not spices, this new burger actually packs a lot of kick and is quite spicy -- when you find it, that is. The distribution of the jalapeño bits in the patty isn't always even and there is no "bite" in every bite. The saltiness of the cheese takes down the heat a tad, just as the lettuce and tomato attempt to offset the mild spiciness of the poblano cream sauce (which only has a hint of spice above what seems to be plain mayonnaise).
Chick-fil-A's Spicy Chicken Biscuit
Grade: B+
Our tester said: While we expected this breakfast biscuit to be on the way-too-buttery side, we were surprised it wasn't too salty or greasy. The biscuit is soft and firm yet moist enough that it doesn't crumble when being handled. By itself, the biscuit has the right amount of salt, and is actually a bit sweet, with the flavor of sweet cornmeal, as in a good piece of cornbread or the batter around a corn dog. The spicy chicken filet packs a bite, more than expected, with a satisfying aftertaste of pepper – and if it's not hot enough for your morning palate, you could always add a packet of Texas Pete's Hot Sauce. The chicken's spiciness is offset by the sweetness of the biscuit, giving it a nice overall balance. It's the perfect part of Chick-fil-A's complete breakfast, which also includes tater tots, plus orange juice or coffee.
Starbucks Veggie, Egg, & Monterey Jack Sandwich
Grade: B-
Our tester said: Although the sandwich was fresh, and the bread was a better quality than the Dunkin' Wake-Up Wraps' tortillas (which were kind of hard), our panelists thought there was just too much bread, not nearly enough vegetables (we only had two or three peppers buried in each sandwich's egg), and it was bland. "More salt," begged one panelist. "More flavor!" When it came to the cheese, though, the Monterey Jack of Starbucks had an edge over Dunkin's low-cal cheese, which, said one panelist, "tasted like fake cheese food." Starbucks, add more vegetables and amp up the spice, please.
Dunkin' Donuts Wake-Up Wraps
Grade: B+
Our tester said: Everyone on the panel agreed this wrap (which isn't really a wrap at all) had the kick you want in a breakfast sandwich. It was more highly spiced than the Starbucks Veggie ABS, and the sausage had good flavor. The tortilla, though, could use a remake. It tasted just a touch stale. Dunkin', we'll come back for the spice, and the low-cal ease, but freshen up the tortillas, please.
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3-07-2011 @3:57PM stefc said... Chicago hot dogs are best when topped with a particular type of neon-green jarred relish. If they had used anything besides jarred relish, it wouldn't have been authentic! However, the best Chicago-style hot dogs come from their native city, where there are no Sonics.
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3-08-2011 @11:42AM Faun said... I agree with the comment above - I'm from Chicago (I didn't realize we had "attitude" on par with New York - unless you order your dog with ketchup) but if there's no neon green relish, it's not a Chicago dog. It's a dog with some veggies on it.
3-08-2011 @3:16PM jojones5454 said... I like my hot dogs PLAIN! Http://www.singingcook.com Yup - Plain!
3-08-2011 @3:33PM vinnie said... the best hot dogs are from new jersey. Jimmy Buff's italian hot dog with onions peppers and potatoes on italian bread the best
3-08-2011 @5:43PM Linda said... I am a native Chicagoan of 44 years and now live in Texas. I guess I would consider myself an expert on the Chicago style hot dog. There is absolutely one thing that I do miss about Chicago and that is the dog. I tried the Sonic recreation and believe me it doesnt come close. They do not use the Rosen's bun or the Vienna dog that they are famous for. The vegetables well what can I say, didnt impress me either. Sorry not a dog that I would go out of my way for.
3-08-2011 @5:43PM Linda said... I am a native Chicagoan of 44 years and now live in Texas. I guess I would consider myself an expert on the Chicago style hot dog. There is absolutely one thing that I do miss about Chicago and that is the dog. I tried the Sonic recreation and believe me it doesnt come close. They do not use the Rosen's bun or the Vienna dog that they are famous for. The vegetables well what can I say, didnt impress me either. Sorry not a dog that I would go out of my way for.
3-09-2011 @7:35PM Nico Toscani said... The only TRUE Chicago style dog in Chicago is at Gene & Jude's (technically in River Grove). Plain steamed bun, rubbery natural casing Vienna dog, green relish, onion, mustard and sport pepper. All that "dragging it through the garden" and celery salt rubbish didn't come around until the 1960's.
3-08-2011 @9:35PM George said... Stefc: Sonic has recently opened stores in the Chicago suburbs, with more to come.
3-09-2011 @5:12AM Judy said... As we all know the very best hot dogs in the United States are in Mississippi. By far the best. Wonderful taste and also healthy for you too. We Love their hot dogs.
3-09-2011 @10:37AM Kristen Bradley said... The cheesy chili one looks the best to me. Our Sonic closed down though and hasn't reopened since. It's kinda sad too because there's all kinds of restaurant coupons and stuff on HttP://bIt.Ly/couponclippers so when I see them for restaurants we don't have near by I'm always wishing I could take advantage of the free shake or free fries or whatever the coupon offer is. Hope somebody's enjoying the free coupons anyway. I can at least get the freebies on the site mailed to me. At least I don't miss out completely. My favorite at Sonic was their Happy Hour!
3-08-2011 @2:07PM dickn2000b said... There's a Sonic down the street from my house. I stopped by one night and ordered a hot dog, drink and fries. The food was the most bland, tasteless I'd ever tasted. The hot dog tasted like it had been boiled for hours. The drink was watered down and had a chlorine taste, and the fries were cold and limp. That was mt first, and last visit to Sonic.
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3-08-2011 @5:45PM CEDollfus said... You should try another Sonic. Never had a bad burger or hot dog there.
3-08-2011 @3:42PM May said... It sounds to me that you went to a crappy Sonic. I don't know if it depends on the State but I know the Sonic in Illinois are horrible. While a majority of the one's in Oklahoma are really good. Though I have been to some that makes me sick. Call the Sonic and complain when you get bad food. Not all Sonic's are that bad.
3-08-2011 @5:40PM jennie said... i don't know where in illinois you to a sonic, but i live in mount vernon, il and the sonic a few minutes away from is awesome!!! and i've been to a few!! i like their bacon cheese burgers and tots with cheese. best tots around!!
3-08-2011 @5:45PM denise123 said... Welcome to Sonic Drive Ins!!! Home of the overpriced , paper thin hamburger meal! I can get a two pc. chicken dinner or Panda Express meal with plenty of meat , veggies for the same amount Sonic charges for a hamburger combo w/ onion rings instead . RIP OFF !!! These people have taken me for a ride never again!
3-08-2011 @6:56PM Betty said... I agree! The drinks at our sonic always have that wierd dirty taste and the food well, I would much rather eat anywhere else but Sonic. They are gross and this is not coming from a one-timer. I have been to Sonic numerous times giving it a chance to prove me wrong and each time Sonic has FAILED.
3-08-2011 @7:41PM Lee said... Although I'm not from Chicago (and now wonder what a true Chicago dog tastes like) I'm curious if the original poster simply has a bad franchise in their area. I love Sonic's dogs and can't find fault at all. They taste fresh, are tasty and the service is great. I used to live in Texas where Sonic was everywhere, then moved to the Northwest where there were none. FINALLY we got one and they have not disappointed me. Can't beat their dogs, or their rootbeer floats and limeades. The burgers are another topic, can't say I like them at all (IMO my husband grills the best burgers ever! :) But overall, they continue to deliver great service and great food.
3-08-2011 @2:15PM RJ said... You have to watch Sonic. They never charge according to their menu. They break the prices down per item to confuse you and if you will start watching, it is ALWAYS more than the menu price. Those dimes and quarters add up to millions my friends.
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3-08-2011 @2:37PM bobbgil said... EAT YOUR HEART OUT ''SONIC'', ''GENE AND JUDES''' WAS VOTED BEST HOT DOG
IN THE U.S.A.
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3-08-2011 @2:25PM april said... i have been to sonic twice and was overcharged and the food was just horrible, i went back a second time after 2 years hoping that it would change . but no, it was even worse then the first, the onion rings had a soapy taste to them.. I dont know how they stay in busiiness with their high prices and nasty tatsing food.
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