Monday, March 27, 2006
Hot Dogs
Have you noticed that hot dogs can be hard to find nowadays? The other day I had a taste for a hot dog and tried to remember where I could get one. There is a multitude of restaurants near my office. All the usuals, from Macdonalds to Taco Bell to Arbys and more. However, there isn't one that sells hot dogs. In our town there is a place called Michigan Coni-Island, but it's quite a ways from work. There's also a local joint called Old Towne Drive In, but it's even further.
I did find out that Culvers had hot dogs. Pretty crappy tasting. Now I know that hot dogs aren't necessarily something of great cuisine, but these were pretty bad. They had a somewhat dried-out or over-cooked appearance and had a slightly plastic taste. Home Depot, right nearby has a guy with a steam wagon selling hot dogs. I should have eaten there. I've given up on Culvers. The main thing I hate is that after you order, you get a number and a drink cup. All the condiments are on a stand. You have to fill your drink cup, grab napkins, ketchup, etc. and haul all that to your table in your hands. There's no tray - the clerk has to bring that out - which means, once they bring it out, you have get up again to go to the condiment place. Just bad planning any way you look at it.
Speaking of hot dogs, which a lot of people don't like to, I like to eat them now and then. Yes, I know they're made out of stuff that probably barely exists in the realm of meat, but they can be tasty. The Old Towne Drive In has good hot dogs - but their onions are intense. After eating a hot dog with onions there, you have to air out your car for a day or two. By the way, the Old Towne is a real, honest-to-goodness drive-in with curb service and everything. They offer the best onion rings in town, and the hamburger is surprisingly good. Best of all, it's not a franchise.
A good local brand of hot dog to buy and take home are made by Kogel. These are very good tasting, not overly fat and with no "odd" taste to them. The skins also have a slightly crunchy feel/taste when you bite into them. Highly recommended. Those are what the Home Depot guy sells. Just stay out of Culvers if you have a hot dog urge to fill.
