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.
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