The Record (Bergen County, NJ)
06-14-2000
HOT DOG HEAVEN -- NORTH JERSEY RATES ITS FAVORITE FRANKS
By PATRICIA MACK, Food Editor
Date: 06-14-2000, Wednesday
Section: LIFESTYLE / FOOD
Edition: All Editions -- Two Star B, Two Star P, One Star B
Frankly speaking, Record readers are passionate about hot dogs.
Judging from responses to our poll of favorite hot dog hangouts, we
can only surmise that North Jerseyans are leading the nation in
consumption of the 20 billion frankfurters sold annually in America.
Stand proud. Show your chili dog stains. Write your name in
mustard.
Hot dogs rule.
Want some numbers? Rutt's Hut, which got the second highest vote
tally from our readers, is a Clifton truck-stop hot dog palace that's
been serving wieners since 1928. Currently, 1,500 hot dogs are slapped
into an equal number of fresh-baked buns at stainless steel counters
each week.
And weekly, Rutt's customers consume 30 to 40 gallons of Rutt's
signature hot dog accompaniment -- a thick, bright yellow mustardy
relish.
Longtime customers ask for a "ripper" -- so named because it is
deep-fried in hot oil until it splits, or "rips," down the center.
"No other place can hold a candle to their ripper," said Ed Reilly
of Rutherford, who has been a customer for 57 years. "Dressed with their
famous mustard relish, matched up with onion rings and a cup of their
dynamite chili -- gastronomical heaven."
But there's more to it than just love of a good hot dog. There's
just plain love.
"Memories," says owner George Sakellaris. "We have a huge parking
lot; years ago boys would bring a girl here. They'd get hot dogs, take
them out to their cars, eat, fool around, have a good time ...
Grandfathers courted here, their sons, and now their grandsons ... still
bringing a girl ..."
Rutt's Hut isn't the only popular hot dog stand where romance was
an accompaniment to great eats. Readers told us that Hiram's Roadstand
in Fort Lee, which placed eighth in our poll, holds fond memories for
more than the food.
"Back in 1964 when my husband and I were dating, we went to Hiram's
for a hot dog, fries, and Coke," said Beverly M. Harms of Wyckoff. "The
hot dogs were deep-fried and delicious, and topped with kraut and
mustard. I have a special place in my heart for Hiram's."
Although Johnny & Hanges in Fair Lawn didn't rack up the high
numbers in our unscientific survey, coming in 10th out of 51 hot dog
places nominated by readers, it did garner the most impassioned voters --
and from the farthest reaches.
Maureen McGrogan Heck faxed us from her home in Rancho Cucamonga,
Calif. Born in North Jersey in 1938, Heck says she grew up on Johnny &
Hanges hot dogs.
"Relatives who know how much I miss those dogs send me letters and
news about the place," Heck said. "Over the years, I've sent money for
T-shirts, and even got some sauce, keeping it in my freezer for years
along with a piece of Sicilian pizza, Drake's coffeecakes, and
Kinchley's [Ramsey] pizza, just to keep my N.J. memories alive.
"Occasionally, I receive pictures from my relatives," she said.
"There they are standing outside Johnny & Hanges -- just to rub it in."
Bill Schubert of Wyckoff, 70, says that he can write his
autobiography around hot dogs. His first hot dog came from Libby's, a
popular hot dog place on McBride Avenue, Paterson, in 1938. During the
1940s, all the kids in the neighborhood headed for Rutt's Hut after
basketball games.
Schubert has sampled every hot dog there is to sample, he says, and
his conclusion is that the best to be had is at Johnny & Hanges.
Clixes in Wyckoff, our ninth-place hot dog palace, has a similar
following of faithful hot dog lovers who make pilgrimages to this Goffle
Road classic.
John Golden of Wyckoff, a self-proclaimed hot dog maven, proclaims
Clixes the best.
"It's been family-run for 50 years, and makes the best sauce of any
place, anywhere," he said.
The formula for such long-running success is simple, say Nick and
Pat Sasso of Hawthorne: "Good sauce plus quality hot dogs plus great
service plus great owners."
One would think that this combination would catapult a hot dog
house to the top. Ironically, what mattered more to readers were
toppings, not the dogs, according to the votes tallied for our
first-place winner Jack's Back, a cheerful little cubbyhole of a
restaurant in Lodi, wallpapered with pictures of happy customers.
The top-selling dog there is the potato dog, said owner Joyce
Foster, who runs the place with husband Jack. The Sabrett hot dog is
topped with chopped potatoes that have been oven roasted with a little
oil and seasonings.
"You put mustard on the dog, then the potatoes on the mustard --
it's delicious," said Foster, who opened Jack's Back in 1996.
In addition to the potato dog, Jack's Back offers an array of
toppings.
"I love the hot pepper- and onion-topped hot dog," said Alan
Cirecco of Saddle Brook. "They're so hot they make my ears ache! That's
the way I like it."
For Tom McCarroll of Lodi, the biggest draw at Jack's Back is the
freshness of hot dogs and toppings. "And the chili sauce is delicious --
it's not something out of a can," he said.
Freshness is also key at readers' third-place hot dog eatery,
Cubby's BBQ Restaurant in Hackensack, says owner Robert Egan -- and it's
hot dog chef Roberto Rivera's job to cook the hot dogs just so.
"It takes a caring hand to make a good hot dog," said Egan. "People
who love hot dogs want them done right and that means you have to have
top ingredients and have to give it care and attention."
In the words of one e-mailer: "Normally I'm not a fan of hot dogs
until now. My sister told me that I absolutely had to try one, and so I
did (she was treating). To my amazement, I actually enjoyed it. I got
the dog with fried onions. So, after I had one bite, I decided that I
would treat her to another and so I did. I have been there every day
since."
Cubby's Texas wiener is the top-seller at $2.40. It's a Thumann's
natural-sheath beef and pork six-to-a-pound dog, fried and topped with
fresh chopped onions and homemade chili sauce prepared with ground chuck
and the rendered trimmings from Cubby's steaks.
While Cubby's chili sauce takes a Southwestern bent with chili and
garlic flavors, the No. 4 hot dog spot, Midtown Grill in Clifton, has a
"hot dog all the way" that features a secret sauce redolent of spices.
If olfactory nerves serve, cinnamon is key.
"It's a special recipe from 1959," said owner Jerry Dimitratos,
who has run Midtown Grill with partner Jimmy Doris since 1998. "People
love it and I wouldn't change a thing about it."
For $1.60, customers get a Thumann's eight-to-a-pound hot dog
topped with mustard, onions, and the secret recipe chili sauce.
The formula for success is simple for customer Frank Karpack of
Clifton: "The buns are steamed, and the dog is thick."
Most of The Record readers who voted did so by U.S. mail, but a
newcomer to the area received all of its votes via e-mail. Grill Street
in Teaneck earned praise from fans for its "Long Dog."
"This is a foot-long dog within a foot-long bun topped with
mustard, sauerkraut, pastrami, chili, or whatever meets your fancy -- but
not cheese, because this dog is strictly kosher," one e-mailer said.
Fifth and sixth places were tied. Goffle Grill in Hawthorne and Hot
Grill in Clifton tied for fifth, and Hot Dog House in Carlstadt and
Jolly Nick's in Dumont tied for sixth.
The Hot Dog House could have no fan more staunch than Pat
Chichizola of Lyndhurst. He grew up in Hoboken where, he says, there was
a hot dog wagon on every corner.
"I know hot dogs, and for the past seven to 10 years there has been
only one hot dog oasis -- Hot Dog House," Chichizola said. "You can have
hot dogs boiled or broiled. And they have only hot dogs. No hamburgers.
No sausages. No steak sandwiches. Just hot dogs. They get my vote."
Jolly Nick's can match Hot Dog House fan for fan. The No. 1 fan,
however, has to be David MacFarlane. Twenty-five years ago, when Jolly
Nick's was a small roadside eatery in Cresskill, he said, he adored
Jolly Nick's "Red Hot," a deep-fried hot dog with mustard and chopped
onions, topped with spicy hot relish sauce.
He mourned the loss of Jolly Nick's when it was torn down there
around 1985. And he was disappointed when Jolly Nick's reopened in a
small diner in Westwood serving hot dogs sans the original sauce.
"Then, about a year ago, Jolly Nick's appeared as a storefront
eatery-takeout on Madison Avenue in Dumont," he said. "Thank the
culinary gods, the `Red Hots' are back and just as good as ever."
Long-distance Goffle Grill lover Dorothy Donohue cast her vote from
San Diego, Calif.
"When we visit our beloved Garden State, we head for the Goffle
Grill for two dogs `all the way.' The best," she wrote. "Won't someone
open a branch in San Diego? Please?"
Equally enthusiastic about their favorite hot dog spot are Hot
Grill fans. Hot Grill has a hot dog so fresh and cooked so well that
"it snaps when you bite into it," said Judy Fomen of Wayne. "Then that
great sauce tackles your taste buds."
Food Editor Patricia Mack's e-mail address is mack(at)bergen.com
(SIDEBAR)
BEST OF THE WURSTS
Here's how Record readers scored hot dog hangouts.
1. Jack's Back (77)
216 Harrison Ave., Lodi
2. Rutt's Hut (47)
417 River Road, Clifton
3. Cubby's BBQ Restaurant (34)
249 S. River St., Hackensack
4. Midtown Grill (33)
1218 Main Ave., Clifton
5. Goffle Grill (32)
1140 Goffle Road, Hawthorne
and
Hot Grill, (32)
669 Lexington Ave., Clifton
6. Hot Dog House, (31)
510 Route 17 south, Carlstadt
and
Jolly Nicks (31)
31-C E. Madison Ave., Dumont
7. Grill Street (27)
184 W. Englewood Ave., Teaneck
8. Hiram's Roadstand (21)
1345 Palisade Ave., Fort Lee
9. Clixes (19)
529 Goffle Road, Wyckoff
10. Johnny and Hanges (17)
2320 Maple Ave., Fair Lawn
Illustrations/Photos: 5 PHOTOS 1 - COLOR PHOTO BY PETER MONSEES / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
- Toppings helped put Jack's Back in Lodi on top in the poll of The Record's
readers. 2 - COLOR PHOTO BY ED HILL / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER - Gus Chrisanfinis,
co-owner of Rutt's Hut in Clifton, with one of his winning franks. 3 - COLOR
PHOTO BY PETER MONSEES / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER - Terry Hughey of Cubby's in Hackensack,
where freshness is key to customers' hearts. 4 - COLOR PHOTO BY JIRO OSE / STAFF
PHOTOGRAPHER - Voters for fourth-place Midtown Grill in Clifton cite its steamed
buns and thick dogs. 5 - PHOTO BY KLAUS-PETER STEITZ / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER -
The potato dog is the top-seller at Jack's Back in Lodi, says owner Joyce Foster.
Keywords: FOOD. RESTAURANT. RANKING. NEW JERSEY. THE RECORD. POLL
Copyright 2000 Bergen Record Corp. All rights reserved.
HOT DOG HEAVENPATRICIA MACK, Food Editor
The Record (Bergen County, NJ)
06-14-2000
HOT DOG HEAVEN -- NORTH JERSEY RATES ITS FAVORITE FRANKS
By PATRICIA MACK, Food Editor
Date: 06-14-2000, Wednesday
Section: LIFESTYLE / FOOD
Edition: All Editions -- Two Star B, Two Star P, One Star B
Frankly speaking, Record readers are passionate about hot dogs.
Judging from responses to our poll of favorite hot dog hangouts, we
can only surmise that North Jerseyans are leading the nation in
consumption of the 20 billion frankfurters sold annually in America.
Stand proud. Show your chili dog stains. Write your name in
mustard.
Hot dogs rule.
Want some numbers? Rutt's Hut, which got the second highest vote
tally from our readers, is a Clifton truck-stop hot dog palace that's
been serving wieners since 1928. Currently, 1,500 hot dogs are slapped
into an equal number of fresh-baked buns at stainless steel counters
each week.
And weekly, Rutt's customers consume 30 to 40 gallons of Rutt's
signature hot dog accompaniment -- a thick, bright yellow mustardy
relish.
Longtime customers ask for a "ripper" -- so named because it is
deep-fried in hot oil until it splits, or "rips," down the center.
"No other place can hold a candle to their ripper," said Ed Reilly
of Rutherford, who has been a customer for 57 years. "Dressed with their
famous mustard relish, matched up with onion rings and a cup of their
dynamite chili -- gastronomical heaven."
But there's more to it than just love of a good hot dog. There's
just plain love.
"Memories," says owner George Sakellaris. "We have a huge parking
lot; years ago boys would bring a girl here. They'd get hot dogs, take
them out to their cars, eat, fool around, have a good time ...
Grandfathers courted here, their sons, and now their grandsons ... still
bringing a girl ..."
Rutt's Hut isn't the only popular hot dog stand where romance was
an accompaniment to great eats. Readers told us that Hiram's Roadstand
in Fort Lee, which placed eighth in our poll, holds fond memories for
more than the food.
"Back in 1964 when my husband and I were dating, we went to Hiram's
for a hot dog, fries, and Coke," said Beverly M. Harms of Wyckoff. "The
hot dogs were deep-fried and delicious, and topped with kraut and
mustard. I have a special place in my heart for Hiram's."
Although Johnny & Hanges in Fair Lawn didn't rack up the high
numbers in our unscientific survey, coming in 10th out of 51 hot dog
places nominated by readers, it did garner the most impassioned voters --
and from the farthest reaches.
Maureen McGrogan Heck faxed us from her home in Rancho Cucamonga,
Calif. Born in North Jersey in 1938, Heck says she grew up on Johnny &
Hanges hot dogs.
"Relatives who know how much I miss those dogs send me letters and
news about the place," Heck said. "Over the years, I've sent money for
T-shirts, and even got some sauce, keeping it in my freezer for years
along with a piece of Sicilian pizza, Drake's coffeecakes, and
Kinchley's [Ramsey] pizza, just to keep my N.J. memories alive.
"Occasionally, I receive pictures from my relatives," she said.
"There they are standing outside Johnny & Hanges -- just to rub it in."
Bill Schubert of Wyckoff, 70, says that he can write his
autobiography around hot dogs. His first hot dog came from Libby's, a
popular hot dog place on McBride Avenue, Paterson, in 1938. During the
1940s, all the kids in the neighborhood headed for Rutt's Hut after
basketball games.
Schubert has sampled every hot dog there is to sample, he says, and
his conclusion is that the best to be had is at Johnny & Hanges.
Clixes in Wyckoff, our ninth-place hot dog palace, has a similar
following of faithful hot dog lovers who make pilgrimages to this Goffle
Road classic.
John Golden of Wyckoff, a self-proclaimed hot dog maven, proclaims
Clixes the best.
"It's been family-run for 50 years, and makes the best sauce of any
place, anywhere," he said.
The formula for such long-running success is simple, say Nick and
Pat Sasso of Hawthorne: "Good sauce plus quality hot dogs plus great
service plus great owners."
One would think that this combination would catapult a hot dog
house to the top. Ironically, what mattered more to readers were
toppings, not the dogs, according to the votes tallied for our
first-place winner Jack's Back, a cheerful little cubbyhole of a
restaurant in Lodi, wallpapered with pictures of happy customers.
The top-selling dog there is the potato dog, said owner Joyce
Foster, who runs the place with husband Jack. The Sabrett hot dog is
topped with chopped potatoes that have been oven roasted with a little
oil and seasonings.
"You put mustard on the dog, then the potatoes on the mustard --
it's delicious," said Foster, who opened Jack's Back in 1996.
In addition to the potato dog, Jack's Back offers an array of
toppings.
"I love the hot pepper- and onion-topped hot dog," said Alan
Cirecco of Saddle Brook. "They're so hot they make my ears ache! That's
the way I like it."
For Tom McCarroll of Lodi, the biggest draw at Jack's Back is the
freshness of hot dogs and toppings. "And the chili sauce is delicious --
it's not something out of a can," he said.
Freshness is also key at readers' third-place hot dog eatery,
Cubby's BBQ Restaurant in Hackensack, says owner Robert Egan -- and it's
hot dog chef Roberto Rivera's job to cook the hot dogs just so.
"It takes a caring hand to make a good hot dog," said Egan. "People
who love hot dogs want them done right and that means you have to have
top ingredients and have to give it care and attention."
In the words of one e-mailer: "Normally I'm not a fan of hot dogs
until now. My sister told me that I absolutely had to try one, and so I
did (she was treating). To my amazement, I actually enjoyed it. I got
the dog with fried onions. So, after I had one bite, I decided that I
would treat her to another and so I did. I have been there every day
since."
Cubby's Texas wiener is the top-seller at $2.40. It's a Thumann's
natural-sheath beef and pork six-to-a-pound dog, fried and topped with
fresh chopped onions and homemade chili sauce prepared with ground chuck
and the rendered trimmings from Cubby's steaks.
While Cubby's chili sauce takes a Southwestern bent with chili and
garlic flavors, the No. 4 hot dog spot, Midtown Grill in Clifton, has a
"hot dog all the way" that features a secret sauce redolent of spices.
If olfactory nerves serve, cinnamon is key.
"It's a special recipe from 1959," said owner Jerry Dimitratos,
who has run Midtown Grill with partner Jimmy Doris since 1998. "People
love it and I wouldn't change a thing about it."
For $1.60, customers get a Thumann's eight-to-a-pound hot dog
topped with mustard, onions, and the secret recipe chili sauce.
The formula for success is simple for customer Frank Karpack of
Clifton: "The buns are steamed, and the dog is thick."
Most of The Record readers who voted did so by U.S. mail, but a
newcomer to the area received all of its votes via e-mail. Grill Street
in Teaneck earned praise from fans for its "Long Dog."
"This is a foot-long dog within a foot-long bun topped with
mustard, sauerkraut, pastrami, chili, or whatever meets your fancy -- but
not cheese, because this dog is strictly kosher," one e-mailer said.
Fifth and sixth places were tied. Goffle Grill in Hawthorne and Hot
Grill in Clifton tied for fifth, and Hot Dog House in Carlstadt and
Jolly Nick's in Dumont tied for sixth.
The Hot Dog House could have no fan more staunch than Pat
Chichizola of Lyndhurst. He grew up in Hoboken where, he says, there was
a hot dog wagon on every corner.
"I know hot dogs, and for the past seven to 10 years there has been
only one hot dog oasis -- Hot Dog House," Chichizola said. "You can have
hot dogs boiled or broiled. And they have only hot dogs. No hamburgers.
No sausages. No steak sandwiches. Just hot dogs. They get my vote."
Jolly Nick's can match Hot Dog House fan for fan. The No. 1 fan,
however, has to be David MacFarlane. Twenty-five years ago, when Jolly
Nick's was a small roadside eatery in Cresskill, he said, he adored
Jolly Nick's "Red Hot," a deep-fried hot dog with mustard and chopped
onions, topped with spicy hot relish sauce.
He mourned the loss of Jolly Nick's when it was torn down there
around 1985. And he was disappointed when Jolly Nick's reopened in a
small diner in Westwood serving hot dogs sans the original sauce.
"Then, about a year ago, Jolly Nick's appeared as a storefront
eatery-takeout on Madison Avenue in Dumont," he said. "Thank the
culinary gods, the `Red Hots' are back and just as good as ever."
Long-distance Goffle Grill lover Dorothy Donohue cast her vote from
San Diego, Calif.
"When we visit our beloved Garden State, we head for the Goffle
Grill for two dogs `all the way.' The best," she wrote. "Won't someone
open a branch in San Diego? Please?"
Equally enthusiastic about their favorite hot dog spot are Hot
Grill fans. Hot Grill has a hot dog so fresh and cooked so well that
"it snaps when you bite into it," said Judy Fomen of Wayne. "Then that
great sauce tackles your taste buds."
Food Editor Patricia Mack's e-mail address is mack(at)bergen.com
(SIDEBAR)
BEST OF THE WURSTS
Here's how Record readers scored hot dog hangouts.
1. Jack's Back (77)
216 Harrison Ave., Lodi
2. Rutt's Hut (47)
417 River Road, Clifton
3. Cubby's BBQ Restaurant (34)
249 S. River St., Hackensack
4. Midtown Grill (33)
1218 Main Ave., Clifton
5. Goffle Grill (32)
1140 Goffle Road, Hawthorne
and
Hot Grill, (32)
669 Lexington Ave., Clifton
6. Hot Dog House, (31)
510 Route 17 south, Carlstadt
and
Jolly Nicks (31)
31-C E. Madison Ave., Dumont
7. Grill Street (27)
184 W. Englewood Ave., Teaneck
8. Hiram's Roadstand (21)
1345 Palisade Ave., Fort Lee
9. Clixes (19)
529 Goffle Road, Wyckoff
10. Johnny and Hanges (17)
2320 Maple Ave., Fair Lawn
Illustrations/Photos: 5 PHOTOS 1 - COLOR PHOTO BY PETER MONSEES / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
- Toppings helped put Jack's Back in Lodi on top in the poll of The Record's
readers. 2 - COLOR PHOTO BY ED HILL / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER - Gus Chrisanfinis,
co-owner of Rutt's Hut in Clifton, with one of his winning franks. 3 - COLOR
PHOTO BY PETER MONSEES / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER - Terry Hughey of Cubby's in Hackensack,
where freshness is key to customers' hearts. 4 - COLOR PHOTO BY JIRO OSE / STAFF
PHOTOGRAPHER - Voters for fourth-place Midtown Grill in Clifton cite its steamed
buns and thick dogs. 5 - PHOTO BY KLAUS-PETER STEITZ / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER -
The potato dog is the top-seller at Jack's Back in Lodi, says owner Joyce Foster.
Keywords: FOOD. RESTAURANT. RANKING. NEW JERSEY. THE RECORD. POLL
Copyright 2000 Bergen Record Corp. All rights reserved.
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