national hot dog month

I cannot let this month-long celebration of America's culinary staple go without mention, considering that there are an estimated SEVEN BILLION hot dogs eaten by Americans between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Yikes.

We eat our fair share in this house, at a greater rate than I would like to admit. We are split on our favorite hot dogs to eat at home.  My favorite is Nathan's World Famous Beef Franks with Natural Casing. I love the garlicky, juicy dog, and the natural casing provides a wonderful, crisp snap.

The Husband and The Daughter's favorite is Best's Natural Casing Frank, which is sold primarily wholesale, but is available on Fridays and Saturdays, when Best Provision is open to the public. The frank is a mildly spiced, 100% beef dog, also with an excellent snap to it.  The store is located at 144 Avon Ave., Newark, NJ.

The Son does not like hot dogs.

It goes without saying that the bun (potato roll, please!) is toasted.  If we want to get all fancy, we throw some chili and cheese on it.

Here in New Jersey, there are two hot dog establishments worth mention.

The first is Rutt's Hut, which deep-fries their dogs, causing them to split.  They are known as "Rippers." Do not go for the decor, do not go for the service, ignore the sticky floor, but if you're in the neighborhood, stop by for a unique, memorable experience.

The second is Jimmy Buff's, which has four locations in the state. (One is conveniently located two miles from my house.)  They serve an Italian-style hot dog, which consists of a deep-fried hot dog, topped with potatoes, onions, and peppers, all on a quarter of a large roll of Italian "Pizza" bread.

ben's chili bowl

One of the great joys of travel is experiencing local foods. In DC, this meant a stop at Ben's Chili Bowl in the U Street Corridor.

Who can resist a good dog smothered with chili?

Plus, Obama (and Mayor Adrian Fenty) ate here!

The line out the door didn't dissuade us from having lunch at this fine establishment.

The pressing question is: did the hot dog bark?

The Chili Half-Smoke certainly did. (It tasted much better than it looked.)