Hot Dogs here! Get your hot dogs here!

The Prefect DogLeite's Culinaria

Hot Dogs! The all-American food. As American as apple pie and hamburgers. As American as a Norman Rockwell portrait sculpture. I believe you get the picture.

There are even anthems for hot dogs, like this one.

"Hot dogs, Armor hot dogs. What kind of kids eat Armor hot dogs."

Or who could forget this one?

"I wish I were an Oscar Meyer wiener. That is what I truly I'd like to be."

These are my childhood song memories that'll last a lifetime.

Oscar MeyerRipley's Believe or Not

Types of Hot Dogs

Hot dogs come in all shapes and sizes. Some are fat and short. Some are long and thin. Some stuffed and some not. Some are footlongs that don't fit in regular hot dog buns. I'm sure there are more than mentioned above; I just haven't heard of them.

Olneyville New York Hot WeinersYankee Magazine

A Rhode Island Classic

Some have their ends cut off, so they have flat ends. This syle is called a Weiner back east. There are restaurants in Rhode Island called Olnyville New York System Hot Weiners that serve this delicious hot dog with a secret hamburger sauce ( a greek secret) with mustard and onions. The gentleman who prepares these dogs lines them up along his arm with eight to ten steamed buns then adds the weiners, then the mustard, the secret hamburger sauce, and finally the onions. Then he wraps them in twos to deliver to the customer. The best weiners one can have in my book.

More Types

Ballpark franks have nothing to do with ballparks except the name, but they are in every market in the United States and don't have a song unless you sing; take me out to the ballpark. 

I haven't heard an anthem for Nathan's hot dogs, but they have their hot dog eating contest yearly. So they have that going for them.

The list of hot dogs goes on and on, from names to ingredients to types. We have hot dogs wrapped in bacon and hot dogs stuffed with cheese. I believe I even have seen a jalapeno hot dog in the stores, but don't quote me on that.

There are turkey dogs, chick dogs, beef dogs, pork dogs, and everything else dogs.

It doesn't matter what or how they come; we love our hot dogs.

Fenway ParkBoston Globe

At The Ballpark

Hot dogs rule our baseball parks around the country. Fenway Park in Boston, my hometown, and home team, has the Fenway Franks. The Arizona Diamondbacks have the Jalapeño Popper dog or the All-Day Breakfast Dog. The Dodgers have the Dodger Dog and sells over 2.5 million dogs in a season. The Giants are amongst the highest sausage sellers in the league, featuring brats, hot dogs, hot links, and kielbasas.

I could go on and on but suffice it to say each team and ballpark have their favorite hot dog or sausage they offer their fans, and their fans love them.

Let's face it; hot dogs are the food of choice for almost every kid in the world. What kid doesn't want to try or enjoy a hot dog in their lifetime? Even if their parents are opposed to serving hot dogs (a travesty in my book), kids want to try a hot dog once in their lifetime. That once-in-a-lifetime try usually turns into a love affair with hot dogs for most kids and grownups in the end.

Let's leave the baseball parks and supermarkets for right now and concentrate on the other place where you will find hot dogs for every taste, the restaurants.

In Fresno, we have a great selection of restaurants to check out and find delicious hot dogs made in various ways. You can pretty much get a hot dog any way you want. You have to use your imagination.

Let me first say that Patti and I have only been to one or two places where they serve hot dogs, but there are over ten places in Fresno where you can find them. 

I'm going to tell you about the places I've been and tasted their hot dogs and then list the other spots that you may have already tried (we'd like to hear your opinion of them) or you should check out. We're going to be checking them out soon.

A Dog at Dog House GrillYelp

Dog House Grill

Okay, I'll admit Patti, and I eat here quite often. Not as much as I would like, but pretty often, and we have always enjoyed our food. While Patti isn't quite the fan of hot dogs, I am, and I've been able to get here to try them when we've been out.

Dog House Grill's hot dog is by far the best I've had. Granted, I haven't tried all the places on the list, and I look forward to doing that, but as of right now, between the two places I've been, theirs is the best.

The hot dog is split down the middle and then grilled over an open flame. The hot dog is served on a toasted bun, making all the difference in the world for me, with whatever toppings you'd like to add.  

The taste of a toasted bun along with the grilled hot dog reminds me of grilling at home. That's what counts for me on top of the type of hot dog. In this case, it's an all-beef hot dog. 

I've had the hot dog with chili and cheese with jalapeños as an open sandwich. I have it with just lettuce, tomatoes, mustard, and relish. Never ketchup, but I know people who have to have ketchup. 

As a kid, my uncle and dad always told me you never put ketchup on your dog, only mustard and relish. Now everything goes, but I still don't use ketchup. Your taste may vary.

All in all, the hot dog experience at Dog House has been fantastic, and I always recommend their hot dog to family and friends.

Rocket DogPostmates

Rocket Dog Brats and Brew

If you're looking for the exotic and most creative use of brats, sausages, and hot dogs, then this is the place. Not only do you get your hot dog on here, but you can also enjoy a brew with it.

The list of brats, sausages, and hot dogs and the way you want them is endless. Whatever you can come up with, if they have it there, they'll make it for you.

The hot dogs, brats, and sausage are all cooked to perfection, with juices just flowing out with each bite. Be careful; you may just let a few drops hit your shirt. No worries, it cleans up fine with detergent, and it's a reminder of that great meal you just ate. 

The hot links are hot. I know what you think they should be, but sometimes hot links are not always as hot as you expect. These will meet your expectations and go beyond. Try them; they're great.

They have some great names for their sandwiches that fit the meat they are serving, like The Lucky Luciano, in homage to an old gangster. It has sweet Italian sausage combined with marinara sauce, fresh grilled onions, green peppers, melted mozzarella cheese on a soft grilled baguette.

If that doesn't do it for you, how about this? 

The Firehouse. An all-beef hot dog with their famous homemade beef chili, shredded cheddar cheese, fresh red onion, crunchy corn chips on a fresh grilled bun.

These are the two I've tried, and both were winners in my book. You'll have to try them and see.

Remember, though, they have many recipes to try, and I wouldn't try them all at once.

The Rest

As I stated above, I haven't tried any of the other places I will list. Maybe you have, and we would love to hear about them in the comments. We enjoy hearing recommendations for places we haven't tried yet. This way we can give them a try and write about our experience.

• Brown Bear's Hot Dogs
• El Gordo's Hot Dogs
• The Hangar
• Lucky Dog Hot Dogs
• Richie's Pizza and Hot Dogs
• D&G Hot Dogs
• Maury's Hot Dogs
• Roscoe's Dogs
• Dick's Dogs

These are all on our list to check out this summer and fall. We'll keep you updated as we fill our stomachs with this tremendous American food extravaganze.

Till next time,

Buon Apetito

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