WIENER WEDNESDAY: Microwave Hot Dogs (Date Unknown)

WIENER WEDNESDAY: Microwave Week rolls on into everybody’s favorite day, Wiener Wednesday. But I must admit. Microwave cookbooks lack imagination in two areas: titles and wiener recipes. The three books sitting on my desk are ‘Microwave Magic’, ‘More Microwave Magic’, and the source of today’s “recipe”, ‘Magic of Microwave Cookbook,’ which appears to have accompanied an MCD microwave (whatever that is). It’s literally not magic, people—the food is cooked by high frequency radio waves, like an AM/FM radio or CB. And when it comes to hot dogs, franks, and wieners, there’s a similar dearth of imagination. Oh sure, you can tell me how to whip up Turkey Italienne or $5,000 Fiesta Chicken Kiev, but the extent of their hot dog “magic” is pretty much summed up by today’s instructions: wrap your wiener in a paper towel and cook for 30 seconds. Click picture for full-size image.

#wienerwednesday #microwaveweek #vintagerecipes #microwaverecipes #vintagecookbooks #microwaves #kitsch

WIENER WEDNESDAY: Three Favorites from '80 Favorites' (1963)

WIENER WEDNESDAY – Listen, I know how you’re feeling. Sometimes the alarm goes off on Wiener Wednesday and you’re totally conflicted. You grew up thinking Wednesday was Prince Spaghetti Day, so you crave something that speaks to your inner Italian. But what if you missed Taco Tuesday and you really want to make up for it? Then again, you’re 100% red-blooded American, and you need to feed all that. Don’t fret. Our friends at Oscar Meyer have a trifecta of Italiano-Mexicali-‘Mercan wiener meals courtesy of ’80 Favorites’ (1963) to feed whatever cuisine wants to reign supreme. Choose from Pizza Wieners featuring something called “wiener wagon buns”, Mexicali Wiener Supper complete with the cornerstones of South of the Border cuisine like thyme and grated process American cheese, or a Chip ‘n Cheese Wieners recipe that has you stuffing slit wieners with a mixture of cheese, potato chips, catsup, minced onion and Worcestershire. Click picture for full-size image.

#wienerwednesday #hotdogs #hotdogrecipes #italianfood #mexicanfood #vintagecookbooks #oscarmayer #vintagerecipes #kitsch #vintage

Wiener Wednesday: Frankfurters from Betty Crocker's New Outdoor Cookbook (1967)

Wiener Wednesday: With the weather warming up (at least for a few days), I couldn’t help but let my thoughts turn to all manner of outdoor cooking—which means a trip through ‘Betty Crocker’s New Outdoor Cookbook’ (Golden Press, 1967, from the collection of The Hungover Gourmet). As Betty herself says in the introduction, “Nothing is more appetizing than the sight and aroma of food grilling over glowing coals. And no meal is more fun to prepare.” Well put, Betty, well put. And I have to tell you, this cookbook is one of the most well-styled and designed cookbooks of its era. First off, it’s spiral bound, which makes it easy to lay flat and reference. Second, the color photography jumps off the page and makes every dish look more mouth-watering than the last. And third, Frank Lacano’s simple yet evocative illustrations make you wish you were fly fishing, camping out, or barbecueing some Fruited Salami Kabobs. But, as we all know, it’s Wiener Wednesday, and Frankfurters must take center stage! So, grab some cantaloupe (?!), make some Meloned Franks, and read on. Click picture for full size image.

#wienerwednesday #frankfurters #hotdogs #hotdogrecipes #vintagerecipes

Wiener Wednesday: Bavarian Wiener Bake (1969)

WIENER WEDNESDAY: As soon as I saw the word "Bavarian" in the title I knew we were getting a) caraway seeds, and b) sauerkraut. Was not expecting the Cream of Mushroom Soup and mayo. From 'Shortcut Cooking' (Meredith Corporation, 1969), though I don't know what's so "shortcut" about this. Click image for full size picture. — Dan Taylor

#wiener #wienerwednesday #hotdogrecipes #hotdogs #vintage #vintagerecipes

Succotash 'n' Hot Dog Chowder (1966)

It's Wiener Wednesday, February 21, 2024. 

It's a chilly day and another round of wet weather is headed towards the East Coast. Why not warm your bones with a little Succotash 'n' Hot Dog Chowder from The Hot Dog Cookbook by William I. Kaufman (1966)? 

1 quart milk
1 can (1 lb.) cream-style corn
1 package (10 oz.) frozen lima beans
1 small onion, minced
1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. pepper
 2 tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
1 lb. hot dogs, sliced
1/2 cup (2 oz.) shredded processed American cheese 

Combine milk, corn, lima beans, onion, and seasonings. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Blend cornstarch and cold water and stir into succotash mixture. Add hot dogs. Cook, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens. Serve hot, sprinkled with cheese. Makes 8 servings. 

#hotdogs #wienerwednesday #vintagerecipes #midcentury #chowder #chowderlove

Frankfurters Go "High Hat" in Economy Salad from PET Milk Company (1939)

Mary Lee Taylor of the Pet Milk Experimental Kitchen makes a return appearance ... for a couple reasons. First, the holidays are coming up and we could all use a few extra pennies in our pockets. Second, I’m almost finished reading ‘Raw Dog’ by Jamie Loftus, so I’ve got frankfurters, wieners, and hot dogs dancing through my head. Granted, it was tough to pass up the “most unusual and delicious sauce” touted in the Salmon Casserole recipe, but when you introduce the Economy Salad recipe by saying “Frankfurters go ‘high hat’…”, I’m like putty in your hands. Click image for full size picture. (‘Delicious Wholesome Meals for 2 or 4 or 6’, Pet Milk Company, 1939). — Dan Taylor

#vintage #vintagerecipes #hotdogs #frankfurters #vintagecookbooks

Are Gourmet Hot Dogs the Next Big Thing?

I love a good hot dog. And recent trends in fast-casual dining may spell good news for my taste buds (and bad news for my waistline!).

With better burger concepts like Five Guys grabbing all the attention and current economic woes forcing consumers to look more closely at their dining budget, are savvy restaurant minds turning their attention to the revitalization of the humble dog?

It looks that way, according to an article in QSR Magazine. Research shows that there has been a 5% increase in hot dogs on fast-casual menus in 2011 and we're not just talking about their ubiquitous presence on Kids Menus under names like The Popeye or The Porky Pig.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this trend will bring the recognition my beloved Dip Dogs so richly deserve!

REVIEW: Oscar Meyer Premium Bun Length Hot Dogs

A couple months ago I reported on the latest in the ongoing hot dog wars and linked to an article that mentioned Kraft's reformulation of the hot dog recipe for their industry-leading Oscar-Meyer franks. While not as bold a move as, say, taking the damn cheese off the Double Cheeseburger, a reformulation for the first time in two decades is certainly newsworthy.

While grocery shopping this morning I was scanning the shelves for some good buys and spotted a 2 for $5 sale on packages of the Oscar-Meyer Premium Bun Length Beef Franks (which surprisingly ranked 15th in a recent hot dog taste test). With the package proclaiming the "Better Flavor!" I'd heard so much about I decided to give 'em a try.

As I've mentioned before, I've never been a huge fan of franks from Oscar-Meyer or Ballpark. My tastes generally lean towards Hebrew National (where I favor the Reduced Fat or 97% Fat Free blends) or, if I'm going all in, Nathan's with their spicy, meaty flavor. (Not surprisingly, these two both brands placed in the top 5 in the aforementioned taste test.)

I boiled some water and prepared my hot dogs in the preferred fashion (boil water, pop the dogs in, cover and cook for 5 minutes), then topped them with nothing more than Nathan's mustard as they nestled in an Arnold Premium Hot Dog Roll (also on sale... how thrifty of me).

Guess what? I couldn't tell you what an Oscar-Meyer Frank used to taste like, but if this is the new forulation I have to admit that I'm a fan. The all beef, no filler frank has a slightly spicy flavor not unlike Nathan's and there's a subtle smoky flavor that had me clamoring for more. Actually, that might've been the salt.

Unfortunately, they also pack a full 15 grams of fat per frank so after wolfing two down while feeding my daughter I'm a little sleepy. But that's the price you pay for a good old fashioned full fat frank.

RECESSION GOURMET FACTS: Oscar-Meyer Premium Bun Length Beef Franks ($2.50 for pkg of 8), Arnold Premium Hot Dog Rolls ($2 for pkg of 8), Nathan's Hot Dog Mustard (in the fridge).

Live Blogging the Nathan's Hot Dog Contest

12:00 PM – Trying to juggle packing for our trip, a one-year-old, putting together her high chair and flipping between the hot dog contest and Wimbledon.

12:03 PM – One of the announcers just called Joey Chestnut's win last year "a great moment in American sports." No hyperbole here!

12:06 PM – There's now a competitive eating video game? Any kid who isn't already obese now officially has no hope.

12:09 PM – A, um, voluptuous woman just walked by with a t-shirt on that reads "Save Energy, Turn ME On". Nice.

12:11 PM – Joey Chestnut has just been referred to as "the Tiger Woods of competitive eating." I'm all for a good eating contest but doesn't that sorta cheapen Woods and make a joke of this at the same time?

12:17 PM – Announcers now comparing Nathan's rule changes to rule changes in major league baseball, basketball and MMA.

12:22 PM – Kobyashi just described as a cross between Carrot Top and Amy Winehouse.

12:25 PM – List of "Great Upsets" and their rematches includes Clubber Lang against Rocky Balboa. Inspired.

12:29 PM – Contestants being introduced, including Crazy Legs Conti, a local fan favorite.

12:32 PM – Badlands Booker can't stay away from the competitive eating game and Juliet Lee from Germantown, Maryland (who looks a bit like Sonya "The Black Widow" Thomas) is also going to give it a shot.

12:36 PM – Six time champ Kobyashi is back to go head-to-head with reigning champ Joey Chestnut! Stick around, the battle is about to begin...

12:41 PM – Who will it be? I'm putting my money on Chestnut.

12:42 PM – "They attack those dogs like Lindsay Lohan attacks a mini-bar."

12:44 PM – Three minutes in and Chestnut is three dogs ahead of Kobyashi, five ahead of Eater X. I may have to rethink my hot dogs and scrambled eggs for lunch.

12:47 PM – Two dog lead for Chestnut at the halfway point.

12:48 PM – Three minutes to go and this is strictly a Chestnut vs Kobyashi contest.

12:50 PM – One minute to go and Carrot Top Winehouse is in the lead. Can Chestnut ketchup? Get it?!

12:52 PM – It's only fitting that this battle royal end in a tie... will we go to an eat off?

12:54 PM – Two men. Five dogs. One title.

12:54 PM – I despise ESPN. They just showed scores of the men's semis from Wimbledon during the eat off. Bastards.

12:55 PM – USA! USA! USA! "Like Tiger Woods just a couple of weeks ago..." Yes, Joey Chestnut prevails in a Dog Off keeping The Mustard Belt where it belongs for at least one more year!

Hot Dogs and Tennis

My wife just walked by my office and asked me if I was "still pouting."

The answer? A petulant "yes".

You'd be pouting too if you got up at 5 AM on your day off so you could wrap up a client project and then make your favorite breakfast of hot dogs and scrambled eggs to enjoy during the Roger Federer/Marat Safin men's semi at Wimbledon.

Unfortunately, the match – happening now – is embargoed by NBC so ESPN can't show it. Now I have to wait until noon and watch it while I have my lunch (whose menu is totally up in the air because I have very little in the fridge and I'm assuming nothing is going to be open because of the holiday).

Speaking of hot dogs, don't forget the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest at noon on ESPN. Billed as 'The Rematch II: This Time It's Personal', the event has been cut back to ten minutes (it's been 12 in the past) and marks the return of super-eater Kobayashi who has been away from the competitive eating scene while he recovered from a jaw injury.

In other words, this is the gluttonous equivalent of Tiger Woods' first event back after his recent knee surgery and leg fractures. But with hot dogs.

Be sure to check out MegaMunch for followups and reportage on the monumental event and I'm going to try and live blog the showdown if at all possible.

The Hungover Gourmet Talks About Zack's Hot Dogs

All this talk about hot dogs reminded me of something. About a year ago The Hungover Gourmet was approached about doing a pitch for a TV show. The timing couldn't have been worse as Ryan was a few weeks away from being born, but what the hell. They asked me to put together a quick video of me reviewing something so I picked hot dogs from Zack's, a local chain I'd previously written about. I dug out the resulting video this morning and threw it on YouTube. Nothing came of the pitch but you never know when we might start doing more videos for the web.

As Temps Heat Up, So Do the Hot Dog Wars

Personally, I've never much liked either of the nation's top two brands of hot dogs: Oscar-Meyer (Kraft) or Ball Park (Sara Lee). Some of that is probably due to a lack of hot dog brand allegiance installed in me as a kid.

With three growing boys in our house my Mom typically bought whatever was on sale that week or the brand she had a coupon for. This resulted in an overall lack of product preference as it relates to things like hot dogs, spaghetti sauce or even cola. Hell, I was often more fond of the generic-y Triple Cola than either Coke or Pepsi.

These days I like Hebrew National Kosher Franks. Their 97% fat free dogs are tasty and I don't feel like I'm giving up too much flavor for the sake of fat and calories. If I'm going whole hog, so to speak, I like Nathan's, which have a spicier kick than the bland offerings from the big two wiener-makers.

What's your go-to brand of hot dog?

Area Convenience Stores Offer Several Types of Gas

Convenience stores and convenience store food get a pretty bad rap in our country, some of it well-deserved. Just look at the portrayal of these one-stop shops in such shows as THE SIMPSONS and movies like CLERKS. Even I'm guilty of it, visibly blanching last night when a character in an episode of THE WIRE was drinking a cup of 7-11 coffee.

But convenience stores have been stepping up their efforts to offer drivers more than just petrol and potties. From coffee and doughnuts to snacks, subs and – gasp – sushi, the Wawas, BPs and Royal Farms of the world should be commended for their efforts to fill our bellies while we're filling our tanks.

Baltimore Sun reporter John Linder took off on a culinary adventure of sorts recently, and reports his findings in today's edition. Linder and his wife hit five local convenience store/gas stations, sampled their menu offerings and reported back. Though I'm not sure why you'd visit a Wawa and not have a trademark sub.

FOOD COURT: Woman Stabs Husband Over Hot Dog Dinner

From Local6.com..

A 28-year-old woman in Orange County stabbed her husband during a fight that sparked over having hot dogs for dinner, according to a sheriff's office report.

State Fair '07 Report

After working in the yard and around the house yesterday we decided to reward ourselves with a trip to the MD State Fair. We had multiple reasons for wanting to go. Naturally, after last week's second place finish Chris was curious to see how she did in the rest of the baking categories.

Me? Well, I'm a sucker for disgustingly over-the-top State Fair foods and wanted to see if there was anything new on the deep fried food front.

After parking and working our way through the throngs, we arrived at the Home Arts building where they were displaying entries in everything from quilting and photography to what we were interested in – baked goods.

As you can see from this photo, the Fair attracts a pretty decent amount of entries. What you see there represents maybe 15% of the overall entries in the baked goods categories. After perusing the displays we were very happy to see that in addition to last week's second place finish in the chocolate cake category, Chris took home an additional second place for her Cranberry Nut Bread and two third place ribbons for her Jalapeno Cheddar Corn Meal Muffins.

Frankly, I think the whole thing is more rigged than an NBA game because I don't believe there were two entries better than those muffins. But I may be biased!

After checking out her winning entries (and admiring the Homer Simpson cake that was entered in another category) we headed out to wander the grounds. With just one more day to go – and the weather about as picture perfect as you could want for a late summer day – the grounds were packed. Unfortunately, the grounds were packed with oblivious and well, just plain rude people.

We eventually fought our way through the crowd and made our way down to the Swine Judging Pavillion so we could see just what a prize-winning pig looks like. To be honest, a prize-winning pig looks just as tasty as a non-prize-winning pig, but what do I know?

My last experience with Fair Food was a few years ago when the Deep Fried Twinkie craze was just sweeping the nation. We ventured over to the Fair with WP Tandy (Smile Hon) and Davida Breier and sampled the much ballyhooed Deep Fried Twinkies (like eating melted cake batter... encased in dough). Quite frankly, the Deep Fried Oreos were far better – molten blobs of chocolate and melted sugary cream filling... encased in dough.

Unfortunately, the MD State Fair vendors are not quite as progressive or forward thinking as the vendors at other fairs. I was saddened as we walked the grounds and saw no Deep Fried Coke or even a Pork Chop on a Stick. Twinkies and Oreos seemed everywhere and I wondered if I'd have to leave the Fair, stymied on my quest to try something new.

And then I spotted the sign for the Deep Fried Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich. "Now you're talking," I said. While Chris and Ryan scoped out a spot where we could sit and eat, I stood in line and ordered up the Deep Fried PB&J and, while I was at it, a Deep Fried Three Musketeers Bar. I'm not a huge chocolate fan but figured that the fluffy, whipped center of the favorite candy bar of my youth might react well to being heated to an alarming degree.

Unfortunately, I figured wrong. The Musketeers bar was borderline disgusting, like a blob of dough filled with semi-melted chocolate and topped with powdered sugar. In fact, we each had a bite or two and left most of it untouched.

The PB&J, on the other hand, was a different story. Though the dispersal of jelly could have been more uniform, the peanuty, grape jelly insides held up perfectly during the deep frying process, resulting in something that resembled a puffed up, stuffed funnel cake.

We polished off the PB&J and tossed the remaining Musketeer bar into the trash. We made one more loop around the grounds, resisting the urge to take home one of the wonderful-smelling Smoked Turkey Legs that had a very Henry the VIII feel about them as grown men struggled to work their way through the meat-laden forerunner of food on a stick.

But, we had other dinner ideas. We had decided that while we weren't necessarily interested in eating dinner at the State Fair, there was no reason we couldn't bring the unhealthy vibe of State Fair food home with us.

In other words, we were going to make Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Hot Dogs. Details to come.

Late Summer Events and Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Hot Dogs

It's almost the end of August and that means a lot of things around THG HQ. First off, today marks the end of our extended semi-vacation as the wife returns to work after 3 months off with the baby and me. Second, the US Open tennis tournament – my favorite of all tourneys – starts later today with first round coverage beginning at 11 AM. Third, the MD State Fair is in full swing and we plan to get over there and sample some of the culinary delights – ie, food on a stick – that state fairs bring out. And, finally, Labor Day is just around the corner, which means it's time to break out those great summer barbecue/cookout recipes at least one more time.

This summer I've been doing more hot dogs and sausage on the grill, and even made some great Jalapeno and Chicken Sausages that I bought at Wegmans the other day. I meant to write it down before I opened the package but I forgot to and now I can't remember the brand. They cooked up great on the grill, just 5 minutes per side over a medium flame.

But when I opened my e-mail box this morning there was a great sounding recipe from Simply Recipes that popped up: Grilled Bacon-Wrapped Stuffed Hot Dogs. Damn, that sounds really good and I may have a hard time not making those this weekend.

Is This a Future Iron Chef?

I suppose a 14-year-old could be into worse things than deconstructing Eggs Benedict and eating a $250 meal by himself. Hopefully this story won't end with the kid being a pompous, Jeffrey Steingarten-esque food know-it-all talking down to his fellow judges on Iron Chef America 2027.

Speaking of adolescent chefs, the picture at right is yours truly grilling up some dogs for the family on some long ago holiday weekend. Hope it's a great holiday for everybody out there...

Memorial Day Favorites from The Hungover Gourmet

The arrival of Memorial Day weekend means that summer has arrived, at least in our hearts and stomachs. People everywhere will be firing up their grills and running to the supermarket to stock up on burgers, franks, beer and all the fixings needed for a swell kick-off to the season.

Unfortunately, I did not have time to pour through the huge THG Cookbook Archives to locate some fresh new vintage recipes, so I thought I'd roundup some of our summer holiday-centric faves from years past...

First up is my infamous encounter with Yocco's: The King of Hot Dogs. This column has probably received more commentary, questions and feedback than anything else I've written for THG over the last ten years. What does that say about all of us?!

A few years ago we went the extra mile for a column on Fourth of July recipes and came up with not one, but two menus packed with retro-punch for your holiday activities. Even though the Fourth is still six weeks away feel free to pick and choose or mix and match from our Beachcomber and Stars & Stripes menus.

And who can forget the Grillarama feature that kicked off our first issue of The Hungover Gourmet, published 10 years ago this summer!

Finally, I came to a realization while digging through a lot of these vintage recipe books. Instead of freeing the weekend chef, a number of these recipes make things way harder than they really need to be. Take Puppet Franks (pictured above), for instance.

Less like cooking and more like battlefield surgery, this highly involved, elaborately served dish can be summed up in one four word phrase: Hot dogs with ketchup.

Hope everybody has a great Memorial Day Weekend!

Zack's Redux

A few weeks ago I reported on my hot dog sampling from Zack's Hot Dogs here in the Baltimore area. Last week, something came up that I needed to do an on-camera food review for, and I figured it was a good opportunity to try the other Zack's location, which sits near the Loews Theater over at The Avenue in White Marsh.

So on the way home from a client meeting I swung by the small lunch spot and ordered up the same three dogs I got from the other location: Classic with Kraut, Pork BBQ Dog, and the Baltimore Dog.

The Classic still rocks and is easily my favorite on the menu. Even after sitting in my fridge and getting zapped in the microwave so I wouldn't have to eat cold dogs and kraut the wiener had a nice crunchy snap and meaty, spicy flavor. Nestled on a nice, but not overly large, potato roll and topped with kraut it's a winner.

After the debacle that accompanied my original BBQ Dog experience (a too large amount of huge BBQ chunks and a dog that seemed like an afterthought) this time was an improvement. Sort of. The pork was shredded to a finer extent which made eating much easier and the amount had been reduced to the extent that it seemed like a topping and not the main feature.

Unfortunately, instead of the roll used at the other location, this Zack's spot put the BBQ dog on something more like a hoagie roll – oversized, chewy and with a bit of a crust. In other words, I'd traded in too much BBQ for a loaf of bread. Inspired, yes. Well executed, no.

Last, but not least, I feasted upon the Baltimore Dog. I'm still not sure what grilled bologna has to do with Baltimore but okay. Many reviews of Zack's mention that the dog is "wrapped" in grilled bologna but I have yet to see that. Both times I've had it the grilled slices have been nestled atop the dog, once again pushing the "meat as condiment" envelope.

For whatever reason I liked the Baltimore Dog a little better this time. Maybe it was the fact that the bologna had been grilled longer, giving the edges and peaks a slightly blackened, charred edge that gave it a little crunch. Perhaps it was because I was sampling the dogs and hadn't already wolfed down a complete Classic plus a BBQ Dog. (And I wonder why I looked so fat in our recent baby shower pix!)

Anyway, after a second round of Zack's I can safely say that the Classsic remains my number one recommendation, but the Baltimore Dog is growing on me. I'll save the BBQ for Andy Nelson's.

All this talk of Baltimore and dogs got me thinking what I would put on a Baltimore Dog. Here's what I came up with...

– Package of Esskay Oriole Beef Franks
– Six Pack of Natty Boh
– Old Bay Seasoning
– Rolls and condiments of your choice

Pour enough Natty Boh in a pan for the number of dogs you plan to cook. I used four cans to make two dogs, but probably could have fit another 4 dogs in. Add in about a teaspoon of Old Bay and bring to a boil. Once you reach a boil, put in your dogs, cover and turn off the heat. Wait five minutes, remove the dogs, put them in buns and top accordingly.

Now that is a Baltimore Dog.

Zack's... Hot Dogs with An Attitude

Longtime readers are familiar with my encounter with "Yocco's... Hot Dogs with Personality." As former roomie and good friend Lehigh Annie once said in regards to the Yocco's tagline and logo, "Yeah... a horrible one!" Just take one look at that evil frankfurter and you'll know what she means.

While cooking up a couple Nathan's Famous Beef Franks (recently named as top, uh, dog in the Cook's Country Supermarket Hot Dog taste test) I realized that I'd neglected to weigh in on my recent visit to Zack's Hot Dogs, a local Baltimore-area chain with two locations.

I popped over to their Carney location which sits in what looks like an old convenience store, perhaps even a Wawa, and was disappointed to see the place nearly deserted on a Friday afternoon at lunchtime. I realized, however, that it was during Lent and some residents may have been more concerned with the afterlife than me.

After giving the menu a quick scan I settled in and selected a trio of offerings from their 14 dog styles. I had the Classic, a "snap" dog" topped with kraut and mustard (bottom), a BBQ Dog (all beef dog topped with pulled pork, top), and the Baltimore Dog (all beef Kosher style dog wrapped in bologna and then grilled, middle). Right off the bat I will say that your food is cooked to order and they use substantial, not wussy, hot dog rolls that stand up to the toppings.

The Classic was definitely the best of the bunch. Meaty with a slightly spicy bite and reminiscent of the dogs I had at Pink's in LA. In other words, the kind of dog that I'd have again.

The BBQ dog was a great concept (my love of meat as a condiment is well documented) but the pork needed to be more shredded – even my big mouth had problems with big hunks of pork atop a big dog – and the hot dog seemed like an afterthought. It was as if somebody had snuck a hot dog into my pork BBQ sandwich.

The Baltimore Dog was intriguing but bland. I eventually had to hit it with some Andy Nelson's Carolina Sauce for a little added kick.

A hot dog joint is a tough sell. You have to have really good dogs or do something mighty interesting with them – like Yocco's or the Greekers I used to wolf down when visiting friends at Lehigh University – to get my attention. Don't get me wrong, Zack's is good and I would definitely grab a Classic or three next time I'm in the area. But I can make a good hot dog at home, in fact I just did.