Everything but the oink
Written: Feb 21 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Best hot dogs and fries around
Cons: Restaurants could be cleaner
The Bottom Line: -
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| carnut2k4's Full Review: Nathan's Famous |
Haute cuisine
I love hot dogs. I’m not deterred by the evils of sodium and fat content. Hell, it doesn’t even bother me that they’re made of snouts and entrails. I’d eat ‘em everyday if I could. When I’m in the city (NYC) I hit just about every street corner vendor selling dirty water dogs that I come across. Growing up in Brooklyn and Queens has also left my brain hardwired in such a way that I can’t pass a Nathan’s Famous without getting a couple of franks and some fries.
Culture shock
After moving to Florida I realized that Nathan’s hadn’t made it to my little corner of the globe just yet. Strangely, most rest-areas on the Florida Turnpike did have a Nathan’s vendor mixed in to their little food courts – but that was the extent of their presence in the state. On many occasions I took that toll road for one exit just so I could swing into the rest-area and pick up a few hot dogs. I’m not proud.
Eventually a few of the local Home Depot’s had Nathan’s hot dog vendors operating from push carts in the parking lot. I went to buy one and realized that they were boiling the hot dogs! Part of what makes Nathan’s the greatest hot dogs in the world is the fact that they grill ‘em. This unholy act of boiling the franks was more than I could bear.
Imagine my jubilation a few weeks ago when a Nathan’s popped up in my local mall. With a grill, thank you very much. I ran over to conduct a quick taste test. Had to make sure it was the real deal and all. Turns out they tasted exactly as they were supposed to. Fries too. This particular Nathan’s shares space with its cousin franchises; Arthur Treacher’s and Kenny Rogers Roasters.
A simple menu
We all know the history. Man opens hot dog stand in Coney Island in 1916. Man sells hot dogs for a nickel inspiring an entire generation to relentlessly reminisce about the days when hot dogs were a nickel. Well, 89 years later they are almost three bucks a piece. The menu has expanded from franks and fries over the century. You can now get burgers, hot dog nuggets (mini corn dogs without the stick), chicken or fish sandwiches and they even started serving breakfast sandwiches. I don’t venture from fries and hot dogs at Nathan’s. I see no reason to. The other items are average I’m sure, but the real draw is the franks. To me, the thought of buying a burger here is about as appealing as buying a fish sandwich from White Castle (ooh, now I’m wishing they’d open a White Castle down here!).
The hot dogs are grilled to perfection and can be had with chili, chili and cheese or plain. I get mine with sauerkraut (victory cabbage, if you must) and mustard. I always ask them to burn ‘em pretty good. I like when the outside is charred to the point of being crunchy. The fries are out of this world too. They crinkle cut the potatoes which makes more surface area to come in contact with all that artery clogging oil and you wind up with fat, crunchy on the outside, delicious French fries (or freedom fries to go with your victory cabbage).
I read somewhere that when the term Freedom Fries gained popularity - shortly after France wouldn’t share their air space – the French took to calling American Cheese….Stupid Cheese.
A perfect lunch
I ate at Nathan’s again today. I had a combo #2 which is 2 franks, a large order of fries and a bucket of Coke. The hot dogs were exactly as I imagined they’d be on the drive over. Burnt, salty, fatty and the best tasting hot dogs I’ve ever had. The buns were a little on the stale side which I attribute to eating at a restaurant on a Monday which is also a national holiday (I’m writing this on Presidents Day). I’m sure they haven’t had a food delivery since Friday which accounts for the other than fresh bread. That’s my fault, if I thought about it I wouldn’t have gone today. The large order of fries is enormous. Easily enough for two people and even then you’d probably have some left over when you were done eating. As usual, the fries were crunchy, greasy, salty and delicious. They come with this great little red plastic fork / spear thing that you use to eat them. Their soft drinks are Coke products which I strongly prefer over Pepsi products. The large soda cup is something short of a half gallon – but probably not too much less. This combo meal set me back $6.99 plus tax and it was worth every penny.
Random thoughts
This isn’t one for the health conscious, dieters, vegetarians or those who don’t eat pork for religious reasons. For the rest of the world, this is good greasy food at its best. They literally don’t have a single item on the menu with any redeeming nutritional value. Not one! Now that’s my kinda place. Many of the locations are in food courts but there are many free standing locations as well. The fee standing locations are usually filled with kids – this is definitely a popular place for the twelve-n-under crowd. Bathrooms and table tops will be less than clean but not to the point that you need to stay away. If you’ve never been to Nathan’s, get there quick so one day you can wax nostalgic about the good old days when hot dogs were three bucks.
Irrelevant story
I just had to add this bit. This is actually my Uncle’s story and the setting is a Nathan’s restaurant in lower Manhattan in the early 1970s. A young man (ok, my Uncle) was sitting in Nathan’s with his study group eating hot dogs and studying for the Bar. A homeless man enters the building. He is unshaven, unclean and really looks to be in rough shape. Tattered clothes, army boot and fingerless gloves are what he’s wearing. As he enters, all the patrons can’t help but look up at him. The homeless man pauses. He is being stared down by the manager who has come out from behind the counter. Halfway between them is the condiments island. These two men are locked in a stare and both are still. The homeless man takes a cautious step towards the condiments. The manager responds by charging full speed towards this man. The homeless man also breaks into a run and beats the manager to the condiment island where he plunges his entire arm into the sauerkraut – fingerless glove and all. The manager is only a second too late but quickly puts the homeless man into a choke hold and drags him to the front door. The homeless man doesn’t fight back. He is docile and content and simply eats his hand full of sauerkraut while being dragged outside. The patrons are all silent and look at each other in stunned disbelief. And then a wave of understanding washed across the dining room. At the same time they all realized that there was only one way the manager could have known what the homeless man was planning to do. In sync, they all look at the hot dogs with piles of sauerkraut they were holding and dropped them in a shared splat as they all hit the floor. A few ran to the bathroom presumably to part with their stomach contents as the rest filed out in silence.
www.nathansfamous.com
Reservations..............not taken / not needed
Vegetarians...............will not want to eat here
Bathrooms.................other than clean
Kid Friendly...............absolutely
Hours.........................breakfast thru dinner, varies by location
Dress Code................none
Parking......................parking lot / free
Wheelchair Access....yes
Credit Cards...............none
Recommended:
Yes
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carnut2k4
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Muscle Shoals has got The Swampers
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