I've been on a tear lately for hot dogs. I started asking around and doing some Internet research about hot dogs here in Maine. One place that came to my notice was Bolleys Famous Franks in Hallowell, ME; near the state capitol Augusta. I hopped in my car and drove the 80 miles to Hallowell to see what the fuss was all about.

I finally arrived at my destination and perused the menu. I asked a few questions of the counter girl and decided to order a dog with mustard and fried onions, a chili cheese dog with mustard, small orders of both fries and onion rings, and a large chocolate milk. My order was packed up nicely in a few styrofoam clam-shells and I headed outside to plant myself at a picnic table.

The fried onion dog was mighty tasty with a nice snap to it from the natural casing. The mustard was the typical boring yellow stuff, but the onions had a nice caramelized sweetness to them. The chili cheese dog was very good, with some of the best hot dog chili I've had. It was real chili with a nice bit of cumin and a little heat. Meat, beans, maybe some onions, in a dark red sauce. Instead of that faux cheese sauce squirted on top, there were some slices of white American cheese layered under the dog and starting to melt nicely.

What'll ya have? those are the words I heard many a time when I approached the counter at the Georgia institution of hot doggery, The Varsity Drive-In. I lived in rural, middle "Joe-Ja" out on a hidden cove on Lake Sinclair near Milledgeville for two years of grad school. Broke, working on two masters degrees at the same time, my entertainment budget was nill. Cheap eats were the norm and my roommates (two pretty gals, a blonde and a redhead) raised a lot of our own food and hunted, fished, and bartered for the rest. Every now and then we'd take a road trip and go shopping and partying in Atlanta or Athens. On the way home it was almost mandatory to make a visit to The Varsity to fortify ourselves for the long drive home.

The default choice is a chili dog, if you ask for a hot dog that's what you'll get. A frank on a soft bun with mildly interesting chili meat sauce and a streak of yellar mustard along its back. Two of those, plus an order of the fries or the fantastic onion rings, a peach fried pie for dessert (I dream of those at times), and you were good to go. To wash down your chow it is a must to have an FO, a Frosted Orange, which is a super tasty and refreshing creamy orange drink that tastes sort of like a creamsicle.

There are six locations of The Varsity. The Mother Ship, which is the worlds largest drive-in at "more than two acres and can accommodate 600 cars and over 800 people inside," serves around 10,000 people a day, double or triple that on game days at Georgia Tech, handing over "two miles of hot dogs, a ton of onions, 2500 pounds of potatoes, 5000 fried pies and 300 gallons of chili... daily."

Today for lunch I'm having a local, Maine made dog, W. A. Bean & Sons Red Hot, that I'm cooking up myself for a change. Beans meats have been made in Maine since 1860. Red dyed, natural casing dogs are big up here, but this was the first time I have seen Red Hot's. Meaty pork franks, very mildly spicy at first, then with a bit of back of the mouth heat later. I wouldn't call them very spicy, but they're pretty tasty, especially with some of my spicy onion sauce. So far they are some of the best dogs I've ever had.

For those of you who can't get Sabrett's onions for your dogs at home, or want a tastier version of the sauce, here's my recipe that I've been making since I was a teen.

Foresters Spicy Hot Dog Onion Sauce
This is a spicy version of the sauce. You can leave out some or all of the hot sauce if you like it milder, or add more for some real heat

1 large yellow or sweet onion, sliced and chopped
4 tbs of Heinz Ketchup or tomato sauce
1/4 cup of water
1-2 tbs of sugar
1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon of Sriracha sauce or chili garlic paste. I like the brand with the green rooster logo best.
2 tbs of vinegar
1/4 tsp of Worchestershire sauce
1/4 tsp of salt
1/4 tsp of black pepper
1/4 tsp of oregano

Place all ingredients in a saucepan, bring to a boil and lower to a simmer and reduce until a medium thick sauce. Remove from heat and let cool. The sauce will thicken more as it cools. Serve warm on hot dogs. You can keep it in the fridge for a week.

Here's a gallery of photos of making the sauce.

I'm a big fan of Peruvian cuisine. It's considered one of the most varied in the world, with more dishes than French or any other. The reason for this is the cultural medley of Native Indians, Spanish, German, Italian, and other Europeans, African and Moors, Japanese, Chinese, Indian, and more. One dish that I first tried in a Peruvian restaurant, but is common throughout much of Central and South America is salchipapas.

Salchipapas is a relatively simple dish of cut up fried hot dogs and French fries. Simple, until you add a few condiments like chopped pickled onions, aji hot pepper sauce, etc. Then this dish becomes one of the comfort foods of the region.

Here's a gallery of photos of salchipapas.



But for some really great photos of the dish, plus recipes, visit Laylita.com where Layla, an American who spent much of her life in Ecuador, has done salchipapas proud. You won't belive how hungry you'll get or how often you'll visit her site for the great recipes, photos, and stories. If only she wasn't married...

Most of the time I like my dogs crispy and deep brown on the outside. But then there are the times I want my childhood comfort food, a dirty water dog. I remember the first one I had when i was a youngin' growing up in park Slope, Brooklyn. I was around five years old and my mom stopped by one of those small hand pushcarts, the real tiny one you don't seem much anymore where the yellow and blue Sabrett's umbrella is bigger than the cart, at the corner of Union Street and Seventh Ave.

They were a dime each, and seemed a bargain to me. My mom tried to order one for me with ketchup but they didn't have any and besides, I was already of the opinion that ketchup is for fries and burgers and would never let it dog my franks. I wanted the "other stuff," the bright yellow/brown "deli" mustard and the reddish, shiny stuff. So I had my first Sabrett's hot dog with mustard and Sabrett's onion sauce. It wasn't much to look at, kind of ugly and messy to tell you the truth, but it was mighty tasty and went down just fine, thank you. (By the way, I know that's a nasty photo. I wasn't able to take my own shot.)

I've mentioned NYC Dirty Water Dogs, but there is another big dog on the block in NYC, Nathan's Famous. First seen on the boardwalk in Coney Island at the amusement park in 1916, they later started a small chain of Nathan's with arcades and more types of food than you can shake a dog at. They make some mean pastrami and corned beef sandwiches, but it's the hot dogs that they are known for. Just ask the thousands who come out every 4th of July for the International Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Competition.

A Nathan's was just a mile or three up the road on Central Ave in Yonkers, NY; where I spent my teen years. I visited them by bus after school a few times to play some pinball, but it was when I was 16 and got my driver's license and started borrowing my folks car, that I started chowing down on Nathan's dogs on a regular basis. These are griddled dogs, fat, crisp and browned outside, and juicy. They set my standard for what a dog should be. I finally came to realize that the best part is the Nathan's mustard. Over time it has become my favorite mustard of all. I try many, my fridge is full of literally dozens of jars, but the only one I buy time and again is Nathan's.

My favorite way to have Nathan's dogs is to grab two and a small fries. The fries are fat, crinkle cut wedges that are crispy outside, fluffy inside, and the perfect complement to the dogs. At Nathan's you have a condiment bar stocked with mustard, ketchup, relish, and sauerkraut so you can help yourself and design your own dog. The sauerkraut is fresh, crunchy, tart n' tangy. I load down the dogs with mustard and kraut, fill a few small paper cups with ketchup and mustard for the fries, and dig in. First a huge bite of frank, then dip a fry first in the Nathan's spicy mustard, then a dip in the Heinz ketchup as well. A great flavor combo where they balance each other out magnificently, with a root beer to wash it all down.

Wass the deal with hot dogs in Maine? Wasses Hot Dogs that is. While I like hot dogs all year round, summer time is when I enjoy them most and lately I am having my annual summer hot dog fling. Around this time every year I go on a hot dog binge. I may drive many miles for my fix. I think that this year my mileage is even greater than ever. Just the other day I did an over 100 mile round trip so I could visit all three Wasses locations.

Wasses Hot Dogs have been an icon in Mid-Coastal Maine for over 35 years. With three outposts in Rockland, Thomaston, and Belfast; they have sold millions so far and there is no end in sight. I have been familiar with the Rockland and Thomaston locations because I lived near them the past year. I would stop by in Rockland to have one for a snack and to keep my energy up as I toured the countryside researching articles and consulting. It was only the other day that I finally made it to the Belfast location. Well, the places may be different, but the dogs are the same, great. I love the snap of the natural casing franks, grilled in peanut oil and sauteed onions until browned, and served up in a soft, steamed roll. Condiments abound: sauteed onions, regular or spicy mustard, regular or spicy relish, local Morse's sauerkraut, chili, cheese, and bacon. (There's also ketchup for your dogs, but I believe that that's kid stuff.)

One of the things I like about Wasses is the balance of condiments to the hot dog. there is just the right amount so that the condiments add to the taste and experience, but don't overwhelm it. I have several favorites. When I want a meal in one dog, I get spicy mustard, bacon, cheese, and chili (above, right.) If a light snack is called for then I order one with spicy mustard and sauteed onions (above, left.) If I need some spice it's time for spicy mustard and spicy relish (above, center), and if I need something tangy I go for the Morse's sauerkraut.

When I start talking about hot dogs I've made road trips for, one that always comes to mind is Rutt's Hut in Clifton, NJ, and their famous Rippers. These are deep fried hot dogs that are cooked until they are golden brown and starting to rip open. I spent several hours on a road trip there and back one day, and found them very interesting.

I have always liked my hot dogs well done. As a kid I wanted to improve on NYC's dirty water dogs which, while they tasted great, had just too soft a texture for me. At home I would always put my franks on a skewer and toast them over the flame on the stove until they got brown, crispy, and started to burn and split open. Well, Rutt's Hut takes this one step further with their Rippers. Personally I found the hot dog itself to be the player here. The heavy potato rolls were a bit too much for the frank, and the condiments left a lot to be desired. This was a lifetime first, where I actually just wanted a few Rippers, or even the super well done Cremators, served on a plate with some decent spicy brown mustard like Nathan's. I could go on about them, pros and cons, but so many others have that I will let you hear their views as well.. Here's some links to articles and reviews about getting Ripped at Rutt's.

Jane & Michael Stern's Roadfood on Rutt's Hut

Holly Eat's Rippers

The New York Times tried Rippers ten years ago

Wikipedia mentions them

You can watch about them on You Tube

More than once on You Tube

They got dissed on Chowhound.com

I have been eating Walter's Hot Dogs in Mamaroneck, NY ever since I worked around the corner for a few months after High School. I was a truck driver for a medical supply warehouse and delivered to hospitals all over the NYC Metro area. I was waiting for my 18th B'day to roll around so I could get a job in a wine shop, but had my hot rod to maintain, so any job was a good job, and I have always liked to drive.

I would start early in the morning, so my day would end just after what everyone else called lunchtime. For me this was great because by that time the lines for lunch were gone at most places, and it was easy to get something quick just about anywhere. One place I stopped by almost every week was Walter's.

It's situated in one of those roadfood meccas, styled like a Chinese Pagoda with a copper roof, built back in 1928. Walter's dogs are served up by the hundreds and the thousands every day since they first opened in 1919. Long lines at lunch and dinner mellow out a bit in between. The dogs themselves are a very mild frank, butterflied, the split dogs are grilled in a secret sauce on each side until they are lightly browned and starting to curl and served on a toasted bun.

The usual way to order is with the spicy relish, which is basically a mix of brown mustard and relish. On the side a small basket of fries, onion rings, or sweet potato puffs, and to drink it's mandatory to get one of Walter's famous shakes or malteds made from their own ice cream. I would usually have three or four dogs at a time, being a growing boy who was skinny as a rail and with a fast metabolism. Last time I was there a year ago I could handle two and a shake, no fries, and was full the rest of the day.