The Frankfurter Chronicles

THE WEEKLY WIENER

2012-02-13T08:45:00.000-08:00

1) Courtesy of Wolfgang

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUoCZOOxgv8

2) Sauer kraut frozen to Autobahn shuts it down

http://jalopnik.com/5883342/sauerkraut-frozen-to-road-shuts-down-german-autobahn

3) A short animation clip

http://sambeeson-design.co.uk/266281/Frank-Furter

4) Hot dog trebuchet

http://vimeo.com/36002698

Big Al Jano & The Blues Mafia

2012-02-10T11:40:00.001-08:00

Big Al recently sent us this photo of him and the band.

If the name seems familiar, it's because of their song "The Hot Dog President) about Bill Clinton's sausage).

Big Al also tells us Chili Dog (center) was supposed to bring the chili dogs at the last band rehearsal but ate them all instead...

I'd like to thank the Academy...

2012-01-26T08:13:00.000-08:00

We were recently presented our 14th Hamburger Helper Award from The International Hamburger Hall Of Fame.

Our old friend Hamburger Harry presents them for contributions to his spectacular collection of burger-bilia.

As comedienne Julie Brown would say "It's an honor I'll remember as long as I can..."

TUBESTEAK TUNES:

2012-01-25T16:18:00.000-08:00

1) The Radiators - The Hot Dog Song

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_v3Cp5LgBY

2) Tripod - The Hot Dog Man

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CKK5Pw6svY&feature=related

3) Batmobile - The Hot Dog Stomp

http://www.uppercutmusic.com/artist_b/batmobile_lyrics/hot_dog_stomp_lyrics.html

4) Martini Ranch - Hot Dog

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0X5RIK-Ziw

5) The Weenie Song by Kenny Mullins

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V83qPJ--LEk

Another recent addition to the collection

2012-01-23T17:36:00.001-08:00

It's less than an inch tall (several figures also included)...

HOT DOG!

2012-01-18T07:16:00.000-08:00

Porcelain hot dog box courtesy of Hamburger Harry of The International Hamburger Hall Of Fame.

Gracias!

Mutant Wienermobiles

2012-01-15T14:23:00.001-08:00

This is one of a half a dozen made by Tony OK of Davenport, Iowa (he works at the Oscar Mayer factory)

From the internet (no details)

Uncle Frank & custom hot rod Wienermobile model

A gathering of wieners...

2012-01-07T09:51:00.000-08:00

Click on photo for larger view

Donated by my brother Jim & family (and a duplicate of the one The Boy recently gave us)

And, as you may remember,"Frankie" recipient Tammy Kaiser had sent us another of the same figure several years ago.

NOTE: We recently discovered that there are easily 50 variations of these resin figures...

Bobbie Bendie killed in street brawl

2012-01-07T09:06:00.000-08:00

Police arrested suspect with bat (extreme right) but the worst part is that no one, not even Bobbie, could stop their insane grinning...

Part of a recent acquisition, approximately 3 dozen Nathan's Franksters (bendies) including baseball players, a football player, lady tennis players, a hockey player, surfer, skaters, a skateboarder, a pair of water skiers, a couple of super hero types and Carmen Miranda...

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2012

2012-01-03T11:13:00.000-08:00

Over the past year, we've seen National Hot Dog Month and all that that entails, come and go once again.

And we've been awarded our 13th Hamburger Helper Award (in a row, no less!), presented by Hamburger Harry of The International Hamburger Hall Of Fame for contributions to Harry's great burger collection.

We've seen a few changes around La Casa Weenie, we've added a significant number of items to this wonderful collection (35 or so at last count), we've met a fair number of new people and made some new friends, we gave away the basis of The Great American Hot Dog Machine III (the VW trike), we're negotiating on several deals, nothing we can tell you about at the moment and we've added several more blogs:

About the collection: http://TheHotDogHallOfFame.blogspot.com

How we got into the weenie trade: http://TheGreatAmericanHotDogMachine.blogspot.com

That leaves us with a total of 38 blogs, 2 web sites and a couple more on the way.

On a less upbeat note, we've also seen a number of industry stalwarts (Murray Handwerker of Nathan's, Gregory Papalexis of Sabrett's) and a few personal friends (Jim Wilson, for one) go on to that great weenie stand in the sky...

Merry Christmas 2011

2011-12-25T07:54:00.001-08:00

Resin wiener dog in bun - A Christmas present from The Boy & Stacy

Kimchi Hot Dogs

2011-12-25T07:51:00.001-08:00

From "The Kimchi Chronicles" on PBS

Hot Dogs with Kimchi Relish – “My favorite American street food gets a Makeover! Add a little kimchi relish (created by Jean-Georges), turn on a baseball game and you’re good to go.”

Ingredients: 1⁄2 cup kimchi, thinly sliced, 2 teaspoons honey, 2 teaspoons rice vinegar, 4 hot dogs, 4 hot dog rolls, 4 tablespoons of Korean hot mustard

Directions: Preheat a grill to high or preheat a ridged cast iron grill pan over high heat. Mix together the kimchi, honey, and vinegar in a small bowl. Grill the hot dogs until browned and crispy, and lightly grill the rolls until they’re golden brown. Put the hot dogs in the rolls and top each one with 1 tablespoon mustard and one-quarter of the kimchi relish.

HOT DOG!

2011-12-16T16:56:00.000-08:00

We got a surprise in the mail today, Philadelphia hot dog artist extraordinaire Hawk Krall sent us a couple of cool hot dog prints (above and below) of our mutually favorite comestible.

If the name seems familiar, he's becoming famous for his wonderful hot dog posters and prints.

Mr. Krall was also kind enough to include a handful of hot dog magnets in the package.

Gracias!

New Guinness Record for hot dog - 200 meters long

2011-12-14T06:03:00.000-08:00

July 15, 2011 - A 200-meter-long hot dog is cooked on a specially built grill during the International Fair in Mariano Roque Alonso, Paraguay.

Johanna Hessling, a Guinness Records representative, measures the Paraguayan hot dog at 203.8 meters, making it the record holder.

To celebrate, everyone got a piece of the wiener to eat.

TUBESTEAK TUNES

2011-12-04T09:44:00.000-08:00

"Top Model" Pink's Photoshoot

2011-12-03T16:42:00.000-08:00

This is Sheena and she's an extremely messy eater...

A Tip O' The Hat to Hawk Krall for pointing us at this item

It's Burger Time

2011-11-30T11:10:00.000-08:00

Wendy's new "W" Burger

I don't get it.

It's a double cheeseburger with Thousand Island dressing and the same old, tired lettuce, onion and tomato.

Speaking of tomato: that was the worst slice of tomato I've ever had (I tossed it).

The wife and I both made it over to the local Wendy's this morning after seeing the new ad a couple of times the last couple of days.

To say we were disappointed is putting it mildly and the wife says that was a complete waste of $8.68.

She says she doubts she'll ever go back as the fries were lukewarm at best, the oil smelled used up and the Coke was flat (at least it didn't taste like the line cleaner this time).

I'm not supposed to have beef, so I really can't argue with her decision...

Nice shirts, though!

The employees were all wearing red T-shirts with a burger printed on them and the slogan "Hot & Juicy".

We tried to bribe one of them into selling one (for Hamburger Harry) but they couldn't.

She also said we're not the first ones to ask...

UPDATE: After seeing the commercial several more times, I think I understand.

At first, I thought they were attempting to "Big Mac" it but now realize they're emulating In-N-Out's Double- Double (minus the grilled onions)...

Gregory Papalexis RIP

2011-11-22T14:25:00.000-08:00

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/11/21/gregory-papalexis-the-man-behind-sabretts-hot-dogs-dies-at-86/

THE OLD FASHIONED HOT DOG RESTAURANT

2011-11-21T13:58:00.001-08:00

Our agent in the MidWest (my brother Jim in Cleveland Heights, actually) checks in with a photo of today's lunch.

He tells us this place is approximately 3 blocks from Steve's Lunch (the place on the Drew Carey show intro).

He also says that the chili is Cincinnati style (a hint of clove?)...

Thanks!

QUOTE DU JOUR

2011-11-20T15:44:00.000-08:00

'I'd rather have a hot dog done well than something pretentious...'

Dr. Nathan Myhrvold

Among many, many other things, Dr. Myhrvold is former Chief Technology Officer @ Microsoft, a partner in Intellectual Ventures (2000) and an author: "Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking" (2011)

THE WEEKLY WIENER

2011-11-20T15:42:00.000-08:00

1) Hot dog helps land Mansfield man in prison for 80 years

http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/11/17/3535005/mansfield-man-may-get-life-sentence.html

2) Landmark Thai Hot Dog Stand Demolished

http://la.curbed.com/archives/2011/11/thai_hot_dog_stand_at_hollywood_and_western_demolished.php

3) Daily Show Reveals Dangers Of Hot Dog Addiction With Takeru Kobayashi

http://gothamist.com/2011/11/04/video_the_daily_show_reveals_the_da.php

SAINT'S ROW - THE THIRD

2011-11-18T07:03:00.000-08:00

Saint's Row the Third - New video game featuring hot dog characters

Although old Uncle Frank long ago retired from video games, we can't help but notice this one as it features Omar Epps as a gangsta in a funny suit. See a brief video clip here: http://www.evga.com/gaming/index.php/2011/10/saints-row-the-third-hot-dog-launcher/

"Warning," it says. "Shooting hot dog mascots with a high-powered sonic rifle in a game of human baseball should not be attempted in the real world," which, frankly, is news to us. Now we'll have to cancel virtually all of tonight's plans...

TUBESTEAK TUNES

2011-11-15T14:58:00.000-08:00

1) Butterbeans & Susie: ''I Want A Hot Dog For My Roll''

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlhMPvaOe-U&feature=related

2) Bo Carter: "Please warm my wiener"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GW0M2zEx-7g&feature=related

3) Bill Haley: "Hot Dog Buddy Buddy"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIvNjhH3hwM&feature=related

4) Playing drums on an IPad with hot dogs:

http://www.youtube.com/user/hotdogguy72?blend=7&ob=5#p/a/u/2/NxoyItaNDzs

TUBESTEAK THEATER

2011-11-14T11:19:00.000-08:00

1) Drive In promo 1

http://www.archive.org/details/HotDog1

2) Drive In promo 2

http://www.archive.org/details/HotDog2

3) Felix the Cat (1924)

http://www.archive.org/details/FELIXTHECATFELIXFINDSOUT

4) West of Hot Dog (1924)

http://www.archive.org/details/westofhotdog

5) Ozzie & Harriet: The Hot Dog Stand

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpAcj5j9u20

6) The Honeymooners - Hot Dog Stand (repeat)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLaGxGb9000

THE WEEKLY WIENER

2011-11-14T10:14:00.000-08:00

1) Los Angeles is enjoying a hot dog renaissance

http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-1110-hot-dog-town-20111110,0,431105.story

2) A little late for Halloween: How to Make Severed Hot Dog Fingers

http://www.aibento.net/2011/10/severed-hot-dog-fingers/

3) Franks Anatra

http://www.franks-anatra.com/

BOWSER!

2011-11-08T15:07:00.001-08:00

My brother Jim in Cleveland Heights recently met Jon Bauman (Bowser) of Sha Na Na who was kind enough to sign this photo for us...

PINK'S FAMOUS CHILI DOGS IN THE NEWS

2011-11-08T12:52:00.000-08:00

See a great 2 minute video here:

http://ahead.bankofamerica.com/local/in-1939-paul-and-betty-pink-started-with-a-pushcart-and-a-dream-at-melrose-and-labrea/

THE BACON BRA

2011-11-07T09:45:00.001-08:00

The operant theory here is that men like both bacon and boobs...

IT'S BURGER TIME!

2011-10-30T11:02:00.000-07:00

1) Sonic's new Mushroom Swiss Toaster Melt Sandwich

Normally, these are served on Texas Toast, which is way too much bread for me so I asked to have it on a regular burger bun.

And they come in 2 sizes, one for the kids and the regular quarter pound adult configuration.

I also asked for mine plain, that is mushrooms, Swiss cheese and mayo only. There were no surprises there, a solid, workmanlike burger and reasonably good mushrooms, but we had to send the fries (no salt) back as they were cold when they were delivered.

Our total (the wife had a single burger, no cheese) was $9 and coin, an even $11 after tip, on a sunny Sunday morning in scenic Santee...

2) Burger King's new Chef's Choice Burger Meal

It's a tasteless hockey puck of generic ground meat, mediocre mystery sauce, lifeless toppings (limp bacon, romaine lettuce, tomato slices and onion slivers), stale bun and served up by clueless employees with a side order of cold onion rings.

Or, as they put it: "A flame-broiled 5.5 oz burger patty, made with USDA certified ground chuck seasoned with salt and pepper, a thick slice American cheese, Naturally-smoked thick cut bacon, Fresh cut romaine lettuce, red onions and ripe tomatoes, our original grill sauce on an artisan bun".

I don't think so (first off, I haven't been able to taste the "flame broiled" for years now)...

We walked out before they ever brought us the reheated O-rings. Don't get me started about the raw nerve of throwing something like that to a customer much less having the unmitigated gall to drop them into the deep fat fryer again and try to serve them a second time, especially at the price they charge for them...

The meal was a whopping $8.11, a complete waste of money.

3) Carl's Jr's new Steakhouse Six Dollar Burger

I have to confess that I just haven't been able to force myself to check this one out.

I got all the way up to the line at the register to order a few days ago but then walked out.

I used to love Carl's Jr way back in the early 80s but after years of seeing them almost always filthy, both here and in Squarefield (Restaurant 101 says to clean the glass on the front door, at least), I just can't force myself to eat there anymore.

THE WEEKLY WIENER

2011-10-30T09:30:00.001-07:00

1) Jordana Brewster's Hot Dog Water

http://www.hotdogwater-perfume.com/

2) Hot dog horrors

http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/hot-dog-horrors

3) Hot Dog Hot Shot: Try it for free (1 hour)

http://www.bigfishgames.com/download-games/8311/hotdog-hotshot/index.html

THE WEEKLY WIENER

2011-10-24T08:16:00.000-07:00

1) Undercover cops find guns at hot dog stand

http://www.policeone.com/bizarre/articles/4506363-Undercover-cops-find-guns-at-hot-dog-stand/

2) Fire damages Rudy's Hot Dog

http://www.toledoblade.com/Police-Fire/2011/10/21/Fire-damages-Rudy-s-Hot-Dog.html

3) RIP Virginia Knauer

http://articles.philly.com/2011-10-18/news/30292849_1_consumer-affairs-hot-dog-consumer-job

4) The Spoof

http://www.thespoof.com/search.cfm?tag=Hot%20dog

5) Wonder-How-To

http://tag.wonderhowto.com/hot-dog-holder/

6) Man pleads innocent to attacking Pasco hot dog vendor

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/10/19/1870708/man-pleads-innocent-to-attacking.html

7) New Zealand's Finest Gourmet American Hot Dogs

http://www.americanhotdogs.co.nz/

HOT DOG

2011-10-21T13:56:00.001-07:00

And speaking of my brother Jim in Cleveland Heights, Ohio...

Jim recently shot this photo at Steve's Lunch in Cleveland.

If the name seems familiar, it's the place Drew Carey chows down at when he's in town and could be seen in the opening credits of his show...

OUR LATEST ACQUISITION

2011-10-15T09:35:00.000-07:00

"Nobody, and I mean nobody, puts catsup on a hot dog..." Dirty Harry

Mrs. Uncle Frank found these at the local Walmart. They were very affordable ($7) so we picked up a couple of them; one for the collection and one for my brother Jim in Cleveland Heights. We had them here for several days before I noticed something different about the back sides (see photo), The front sides feature hot dogs with mustard while the back side shows them all in catsup...

Right: My brother Jim in Cleveland Heights modeling the very latest in hot dog haute couture / frankfurter fashion wear...

THE WEEKLY WIENER

2011-10-13T08:12:00.000-07:00

1) Ball Park Hot Dog & Beer Prices

http://bats.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/07/ballpark-beer-and-hot-dog-prices-the-good-the-bad-and-the-outrageous/

2) Fan explains why he threw a hot dog at Tiger Woods

http://www.rr.com/sports/topic/article/rr/2071/53406664/Fan_explains_why_he_threw_hot_dog_at_Tiger_Woods

3) Then there's...

http://sports.yahoo.com/golf/blog/devil_ball_golf/post/Is-Tiger-s-incident-part-of-sport-s-hot-dog-hall?urn=golf-wp6294

4) Adios, Dog Nuvo

http://www.kansascity.com/2011/10/10/3199009/upscale-hot-dog-shop-closes-in.html

5) Bite Hot Dogs

http://www.bitehotdogs.com/

6) How to calculate Pi by throwing frozen hot dogs

http://www.wikihow.com/Calculate-Pi-by-Throwing-Frozen-Hot-Dogs

THE WEEKLY WIENER

2011-10-07T14:53:00.000-07:00

1) Ohio hot dog joint from 'M.A.S.H.' stays in family

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/10/06/ap/entertainment/main20116886.shtml

2) Reel Roaster Hand-Crank Marshmallow and Hot Dog Roaster

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vQV1Ll-CAk

3) Wynder's Spiral Cut Hot Dogs

www.wyndersspiralcuthotdogs.com

4) It's Burgertime!

We checked out Wendy's latest today (Dave's Hot 'N Juicy 1/2 lb Double) and it's the same old, same old when it comes to the toppings but the meat patties appear to be bigger and the bun is toasted.

I have to confess that I used to love Wendy's when they opened up their first Silicon Valley location (late 70's / early 80's?). Unfortunately, I haven't been able to say that for many, many years now although this burger does seem to pull me back to the good old days. One more thing: the ad photos show quite a bit of cheese between the patties which just didn't seem to be the case today.

With the Coke & Fries (no salt) Combo, I spent $7.53 (it was too early for The Darla's lunch)...

ZOG'S DOGS

2011-10-01T12:14:00.000-07:00

http://www.zogs-dogs.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUgZOfI3niQ

http://costcoconnection-cdnsrc.texterity.com/connection/201110/?pg=99#pg99

GOODBYE OLD FRIEND(S)

2011-09-29T15:01:00.001-07:00

The Great American Hot Dog Machine III

Recently, we gave away most of what it would take to build a very nice VW trike, the bones of the project above and below, plus a number of brand new goodies that went with the project such as a spun aluminum gas tank, camber compensator, trick chrome starter motor, etc.

We also recently sold the fiberglass Porsche body that the Lamborweenie project was based on.

And shortly before the lawsuit started, we pulled the plug on The Woodie Weenie Wagon project and gave away a couple of reconditioned pans (for the prototype unit and the first customer's vehicle).

PS: You can still see them all on our web site: www.thehotdoghalloffame.com/

TUBESTEAK THEATER

2011-09-29T09:34:00.000-07:00

"Meet Monica Velour"

".....Tobe gets the family business: a Weenie Wiz hot dog truck. Tobe lets his grandad know that “nobody wants Donkey Dogs,” and pops tells him to sell “Broccoli Burgers or Gaysciles.” Gaysciles…brilliant! Anyway, Tobe decides to sell it but the only interested buyer is in Indiana. ...."

http://advancescreenings.com/2011/04/review-meet-monica-velour/

Incidentally, the "Weenie Wiz" hot dog truck driven throughout movie was stolen by car thieves and has not been recovered.

Available on Netflix: http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Meet_Monica_Velour/70136033?trkid=496624

NOTE: We haven't seen this yet (a Tip O' The Hat to Alan Pesetsky of New York City) but will watch it soon and tell you what we think...

UPDATE: We ordered this on Netflix and it reminds us of the good old days, when we commissioned our first (paper mache) weenie for the roof of The Great American Hot Dog Machine II...

THE WEEKLY WIENER

2011-09-27T06:55:00.001-07:00

1) Hot dog photo shoot

http://videos.nymag.com/video/ANTM-Hot-Dog-Photoshoot;recent#c=7NGNPP1VJ7DZQPY9&t=ANTM

2) Man Bites Dog

http://manbitesdogaustin.com/

3) Keep on trucking apparel - Official R. Crumb T Shirt (above)

http://www.kotapparel.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_115&products_id=134

Test driving the new Heinz catsup packet

2011-09-23T10:45:00.000-07:00

Chowing down on fast food in the car used to mean going condiment free or wrestling with a foil packet equally as likely to squirt ketchup on your lap as on your french fries. Now, Heinz is offering a solution with their "car-friendly" packet. But does it work? Let's find out.

Introduced as the Heinz Dip & Squeeze package, the sauce maker's been pitching it lately as the only way to eat in the car without getting so much ketchup on your hands it looks like you've just come from murdering a toll booth operator.

The trick that gives the packet its name is the ability to open the packet for regular dipping, or ripping off the top for squeezing.

In order to properly test the packet, I braved the greasiest burgers, sharpest fries, and crispiest onion rings I could find. Conveniently, all of these can be found at Charlottesville's Riverside Lunch. Angina be damned.

Exterior Design: Modeled after the iconic Heinz 57 bottle, the packaging is both familiar and novel. Compared to the often squished and deformed foil alternative, the new design is a revelation. Warning, it's a bit shiny and its size makes it hard to store in your pocket.

Interior Design: Like the fiction of Trollope, the ketchup reservoir is often wider than it is deep. This is fine when dipping a french fry tip, although tricker when trying to douse an onion ring completely in Ronald Reagan's favorite vegetable.

Handling: Unparalleled for dippage, with easy cover removal and storage. Clean. Neat. Simple. Removing the top for squeezing requires slightly more effort and it doesn't compress into that comforting flat sheet of foil at the end.

Acceleration: Generally, we oppose model bloat. In this case I'm behind it 100% because there's no decrease in performance. Your speed in finishing off a small packet of fries will no doubt be increased because you're no longer futzing with those pesky foil packets.

Value: The new packets are supposed to retail for $1.99 for a 10-pack. If you're paying for ketchup you're doing it wrong. If you're given the choice for free (as at Chik-Fil-A and, soon, Wendy's) it's a great deal.

More pix here: http://jalopnik.com/5843251/new-heinz-ketchup-packet-first-drive

BATMAN EATS A HOT DOG

2011-09-15T15:02:00.001-07:00

AGAINST MY BETTER JUDGEMENT...

2011-09-14T15:00:00.000-07:00

Lady Ga Ga has a hot dog at a photo shoot in The Big Apple

THE WEEKLY WIENER

2011-09-14T09:43:00.001-07:00

1) Another chapter in the the story about the kidnapped hot dog statue a couple of years ago?

http://gawker.com/5839925/recondite-hot-dog-statue-unnerves-council-bluffs-iowa

2) The Great Birmingham Hot Dog Tour

http://birminghamhotdogtour.blogspot.com/

3) That's gotta hurt!

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/hottopics/detail?entry_id=97426

A BLAST FROM THE PAST

2011-09-06T10:06:00.000-07:00

(Thanks You Tube)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LelXOOzo3Js

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USd1F_hP5WA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlLiBWUBvJQ

THE WEEKLY WIENER

2011-09-05T07:42:00.000-07:00

1) It's Official: Hot Dog Season is over...

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2091600_2091603_2091605,00.html

2) Hot Dogs For Labor Day? Here Are The Best of the Wurst!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joanna-dolgoff-md/healthier-hot-dogs_b_947390.html

3) Numerous bidders for Tony Packo's

http://www.freep.com/article/20110830/BUSINESS07/110830023/5-bids-Ohio-hot-dog-eatery-noted-M-S-H-

4) Cicero spends $120,000 at hot dog stand linked to board member

http://www.suntimes.com/7332026-417/cicero-spends-120000-at-hot-dog-stand-linked-to-board-member.html

5) Cool $25,000 for a hot dog

http://www.torontosun.com/2011/08/30/cool-25000-for-a-hot-dog

6) Cool & Crazy Hot Dog Toppings

http://www.chow.com/food-news/89355/cool-and-crazy-hot-dog-toppings/

TUBESTEAK TV:

2011-09-04T07:41:00.000-07:00

"The Car Show" (Episode 8)

Speed TV

This episode, host Adam Carolla ("The Man Show") enters the Red Bull Soap Box Derby in LA.

Team Weenie is spondored by Barney's Beanery, a well known LA area eatery.

Carolla drives a fiberglass hot dog in a bun (it looks like a much modified version one of those Willy Dog hot dog carts from Canada). It appears to be well designed but somewhat heavy with Moped wheels and tires. Co-hosts Dan Neil and Matt Farah wore hot dog costumes.

Mr. Carolla caught some air then dumped it going through a steeply banked curve, winding up with a bad case of road rash on his elbow.

No video clip available yet...

OK, NOW I've heard it all...

2011-08-31T15:58:00.000-07:00

Man seeks professional help for his 13 sausage a day habit:

http://blogs.westword.com/cafesociety/2011/06/thirteen-a-day_sausage_habit_zealot_to_seek_professional_help_for_his_porky_obession.php

NOTES:

1) They say '13 sausages a day' like it's a bad thing...

2) In all fairness, we should point out that he 'blew' almost 4 years worth of sausage money (which he estimates to be around $1150 a year), when he hired the therapist.

CHOP SUEY

2011-08-27T11:14:00.000-07:00

Definition: Chinese-style American dish consisting of small pieces of meat, chicken, etc., cooked together with bean sprouts, onions, mushrooms or other vegetables and seasoning, in a gravy, often served with rice and soy sauce. Alternative definition: Odds & ends...

1) Sonic's Chicago Dog - It took me months to get around to trying this as they seemed to always be out of poppy seed buns at the only Sonic around here (Santee). When they finally had one, it was so stale I am still having a hard time believing that the guy actually had the nerve to serve it to me (he had to have noticed while he was assembling it)...

2) Pizza Hut's P-Zone - I love a good calzone but this isn't it. The crust was so hard I threw it away without even taking a bite...

3) Burger King's new California Burger - This was semi-enjoyable but only because we went to another Burger King and had them cook it fresh, instead of slopping another one out of that vat of warm water they store them in at our local BK and then microwaving them. I used to love BK's flame broiler as it imparted a great taste to the meat but it seems like all of the fast food places use that damned vat of water to store pre-cooked patties now...

THE WEEKLY WIENER

2011-08-26T11:45:00.000-07:00

1) The Happy Hot Dog Man

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/25/happy-hot-dog-man_n_935727.html

2) Papoo's Hot Dog Show in Toluca Lake is closing

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/dailydish/2011/08/papoos-in-toluca-lake-is-closing.html

3) Hot Dog Flavored Potato Chips @ 7-11

http://gothamist.com/2011/08/24/7-eleven_introduces_the_hot_dog_fla.php

4) Senior Australian police in hot water over hot dog business

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/senior-police-in-hot-water-over-hot-dog-business-20110820-1j3x0.html

5) Dispatcher in hot pursuit "commandeers" hot dog cart

http://www.gazette.com/articles/hot-122652-dispatcher-dog.html

6) Everybody, Boner Billy; Boner Billy, Everybody...

http://bonerbillys.com/

HOT DOG!

2011-08-05T08:54:00.000-07:00

Found here: http://formicarius.tumblr.com/

ADIOS NATIONAL HOT DOG MONTH

2011-07-31T09:28:00.000-07:00

As usual, this National Hot Dog Month's activities included the Catsup Bottle soiree, The Nathan's contest and The Great Hot Dog Cookoff.

TUBESTEAK TV: And we caught a number of wiener related programs on the tube such as the Nathan's contest; "All American Food Festivals" visited The Frankfort Indiana Hot Dog Festival and "Rhett & Link: Commercial Kings" on IFC created a commercial for Vicious Dogs (LA area).

And doing our own small part here at home, we had home made corn dogs, Italian sausage sandwiches, brats in beer, 3 Weenie Salad and the always affordable $1.61 CostCo special (Kirkland hot dog with all the fixin's and a Coke).

For the second year, we did not present The Frankie Awards for Hot Dog Excellence, this time due to both of our health problems...

Finally, our latest acquisition (we bought 2 of them, actually) - large scale hot dog puzzles Mrs. Uncle Frank found online.

HAPPY NATIONAL HOT DOG MONTH

2011-07-03T08:03:00.000-07:00

Welcome!

As usual, the festivities focus on Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest at Coney Island on the 4th of July, Frankfort Indiana's Hot Dog Festival (always the last weekend of the month), The Frankie Awards for Hot Dog Excellence and our 35th anniversary in the weenie trade on the 5th.

And there's a great article in The Wall Street Journal which points at several other festivals worth checking out.

See it here: http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB10001424052702304569504576406192149091716-lMyQjAxMTAxMDAwMjEwNDIyWj.html

Finally, we apologize for not having more time to devote to this month's activities (health problems) and hope you all have a safe and glorious National Hot Dog Month.

TUBESTEAK THEATER

2011-06-12T09:09:00.000-07:00

"When in Rome"

Starring Kristen Bell, Josh Duhamel ("All My Children", "Las Vegas"), Anjelica Huston, Will Arnett (Gob on "Arrested Development"), Jon Heder, Dax Shepard ("Punk'd", Frito on "Idiocracy") & Danny DeVito

An impressive cast of characters, all in love with Bell from when she took several coins from a fountain in Rome and Danny De Vito as the Sausage King...

IT'S SAUSAGE SEASON!

2011-06-12T09:06:00.003-07:00

How the hot dog became the most American food - Eatymology - Salon.com

http://www.salon.com/food/eatymology/index.html?story=/food/feature/2011/06/11/hot_dog_history

THE WEEKLY WIENER

2011-06-11T09:34:00.000-07:00

1) Vienna has a beef with founder's grandson over hot dogs

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-0607-vienna-beef-20110606,0,3120347.story

2) Pink's @ Cedar Point (Sandusky, Ohio) location now open

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/05/14/travel/main20062941.shtml

3) Frankenart Mart's Annual Hot Dog Drawing Contest

http://sf.funcheap.com/annual-hot-dog-drawing-contest-sf/

National Hot Dog & Sausage Council's first-ever hot-dog photo contest

2011-06-10T13:49:00.000-07:00

http://www.hot-dog.org/ht/d/sp/i/69465/pid/69465

HOT DOG JIG SAW PUZZLE

2011-06-06T17:24:00.001-07:00

My best (so far) is just over 15 minutes

Enjoy!

Hot Dog Jigsaw Puzzle

THE WEEKLY WIENER

2011-06-05T10:12:00.000-07:00

1) Obama makes chili dog run in Toledo

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2011/06/obama-makes-hot-dog-run-in-toledo/1

2) 10 Off The Wall Hot Dogs

http://www.womansday.com/Articles/Food-Recipes/10-Off-the-Wall-Hot-Dogs.html

3) Wienerschnitzel celebrates 50th birthday

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/wienerschnitzel-303161-hot-says.html

ONION CRUNCH

2011-06-05T08:35:00.000-07:00

Hi,

My name is Keti Tsereteli, and I am contacting you about a possible contribution to The Frankfurter Chronicles.

My email today concerns a hot dog topping, Onion Crunch. Crispy and crunchy are the two words I use to describe this topping. It's an easy alternative to sauteed onions, and, frankly, it tastes better. Without all the mess that mustard and ketchup can cause when you're on the run, Onion Crunch is easy to handle and damage-free. I was never really a hot dog lover, but this topping has definitely tipped the scale in its favor.

You can find more information about the Onion Crunch at http://www.onioncrunch.com/ . You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook. If you would like a free sample to experience the product yourself, please contact me with your mailing address.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Keti Tsereteli
Social Media Marketing
Onion Crunch

THE WEEKLY WIENER

2011-05-26T10:39:00.000-07:00

1) Oscar Mayer launches Wienermobile food truck

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2011/05/oscar-mayer-unveils-food-truck-version-of-weinermobile/1

2) Howard Hughes hangs out with Les Paul

http://www.lespaulfoundation.org/blog/?p=977

3) Tony Packo's in the news

http://www.portclintonnewsherald.com/article/20110517/NEWS01/110517003/Bank-owed-by-OH-hot-dog-chain-forecloses-homes/

4) Everyone, Hot Dog Harry; Hot Dog Harry, everyone...

http://www.jewsingreen.com/2005/12/hot-dog-harry/

4 Hot Dog Recipes from USA Today

2011-05-23T07:36:00.000-07:00

http://www.usaweekend.com/article/20110520/FOOD04/105220316/Really-hot-dogs-?odyssey=tabtopnewstextFrontpage

R.I.P. MURRAY HANDWERKER

2011-05-17T06:22:00.001-07:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/16/nyregion/murray-handwerker-who-made-nathans-more-famous-dies-at-89.html?_r=1

THE WEEKLY WIENER

2011-05-08T09:00:00.000-07:00

1) Jury Acquits Man Of 99-Cent Hot Dog Theft

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/27/acquits-man-hot-dog-theft_n_854416.html

2) More than 60 arrests at Hot Dog Day in Alfred

http://www.wellsvilledaily.com/news/x1274365377/More-than-60-arrests-at-Hot-Dog-Day-in-Alfred

3) West Side hot dog stand can't hang 'Felony Franks' sign

http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/clout_st/2011/05/west-side-hot-dog-stand-cant-hang-felony-franks-sign.html

4) Famous LA hot-dog eateries to get competition

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/local/los_angeles&id=8110289

5) Phantom Gourmet: Hot Dog

http://boston.cbslocal.com/2011/05/06/phantom-gourmet-hot-dog/

THE WEEKLY WIENER

2011-04-22T08:33:00.000-07:00

1) Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest to sponsor ladies division

http://gothamist.com/2011/04/20/96th_annual_hot_dog_eating_contest.php

2) Kobayashi So Not Welcome at Hot Dog Hall Of Fame (actually, he is)

http://blogs.villagevoice.com/forkintheroad/2011/04/kobayashi_hall.php

3) West Coast Customs revamps hot dog cart

http://www.westcoastcustoms.com/blog/?tag=augies-doggies

THE WEEKLY WIENER

2011-04-17T08:20:00.000-07:00

1) Inventor relished the hot dog

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704843404576251132711301702.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

2) Hot Dog Water by Jordana Brewster

http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/8e0fe562aa/jordana-brewster-s-hot-dog-water

3) The Hot Dog Leash

http://www.neatorama.com/2011/04/05/hot-dog-leash/

4) Here we go again (Monroe is just across the state line from Toledo)

http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/news/region/monroe_county/would-be-hot-dog-vendor-sues-the-city-of-monroe%3B-case-mired-in-federal-court-for-nearly-two-years

5) The Last Hot Dog

http://www.funny-comercials.com/wwe-funny-commercial-hot-dog/

IT'S BURGER TIME!

2011-03-15T08:52:00.000-07:00

1) As you may be aware, I'm really not supposed to eat a number of things because of my health, such as shell fish, beef and alcohol (gout).

I'm also not supposed to have dark green leafy veggies, garlic or grapefruit (blood thinners), sweets (diabetes) or nuts, chips, etc (no teeth).

Needless to say, I still have to fulfill my obligations here so I do have a burger or cheesesteak every once in a while and I am happy to say that I recently had the best burger in ages. It started when they undercooked my burger at In-N-Out (grilled onions, mustard, pickles - hold the special sauce) in scenic Santee. When they made another one, it was marvelous. The cheese had melted nicely, it was appropriately greasy without being too much and I was one happy camper, at least then (the Mexican beef here isn't very good)...

2) After seeing the Burger King Stacker commercial several times too many lately, I just had to make it over there to try them (didn't we do this last year?). I wasn't too happy with it (limp bacon, lukewarm and room temperature onion rings) and won't be back.

3) And we're happy to report that the new Crazee Burger is open in Oldtown. We haven't stopped by yet but very likely will make it a point when I have my next appointment at the VA in La Jolla...

4) Jack-In-The-Box hits the road: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/mar/16/jack-hits-the-road-with-food-truck/

THE WEEKLY WIENER

2011-03-12T10:12:00.000-08:00

1) Charlie Sheen's Hot Dog

http://www.tmz.com/2011/03/05/charlie-sheen-hot-dog-twitter-infield-hot-dog-stand-tiger-blood-picture-ingredients-sriracha-hot-sauce/

2) Hot Dog Trick Shot

http://www.ebaumsworld.com/video/watch/81359078/

3) Call me Waldo (Woodies Chili Dogs has a new name / owner)

http://waldoschilidogs.com/

HOT DOG!

2011-03-10T09:18:00.000-08:00

Click on photo for larger view

Image courtesy of the artist, Terry Border at http://bentobjects.blogspot.com/

SONIC'S NEW SMALLER HOT DOGS

2011-03-07T16:36:00.000-08:00

Recently, I asked the guy at our local Sonic if he'd grill me their footlong hot dog, hold the chili and onions (I wanted to see what their dogs taste like when they're grilled).

When the car hop brought it out, I couldn't detect that it had ever even seen the grill but I did notice an ad saying they now serve smaller all beef hot dogs; a New York style hot dog (grilled onions, kraut and spicy mustard), Chicago style dog (with the 7 toppings in a poppy seed bun), a Coney Island (a smaller version of their footlong chili cheese dog) and an All American Dog (mustard, catsup, relish & chopped onions).

I made another trip over to scenic Santee this morning (the wife was with me after doing our weekly grocery shopping) and we ordered the New York and Chicago dogs (she had a burger), and we split the fries (no salt) and a Coke.

No sooner had they taken my order when one of the guys walked out to tell me they were out of the poppy seed buns...

When the New York dog arrived, it didn't really smell too good, it was greasy and it really didn't taste too good either, but hey, I ate it...

I wasn't impressed and although I would normally come back to taste it again just to be sure, I won't this time.

And evidently, this promotion is only available through March and April of 2011.

THE WEEKLY WIENER

2011-03-02T14:54:00.000-08:00

1) Six years prison for killer in ‘hot dog’ case

http://www.suntimes.com/news/crime/3938197-418/six-years-prison-for-killer-in-hot-dog-case.html

2) Felony Franks hot dog stand may close

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2011/02/09/felony-franks-hot-dog-stand-may-close/

3) Fan Scores in Flying Hot Dog Suit Against Royals

http://ctsportslaw.com/2011/02/15/fan-scores-in-flying-hot-dog-suit-against-royals/

4) Discovery Communications gives souped-up cart to heroic hot dog vendor

http://www.gazette.net/stories/02092011/takonew202932_32540.php

BARK HOT DOGS

2011-02-28T08:38:00.000-08:00

We caught the feature about Bark Hot Dogs on "Unique Eats" the other night and we have to admit that we're impressed!

Their approach to the food is approximately the same as our own and our only regret is that they're so far away...

If you stop by, please be sure to tell them that Uncle Frank sent you!

Their web site: http://www.barkhotdogs.com/

HOT DOG!

2011-02-24T08:56:00.001-08:00

Click on photo to enlarge it

Found on the interwebs (obviously Photo Shopped)...

TUBESTEAK TV

2011-02-18T08:43:00.000-08:00

"American Dad"

The Weiner of our Discontent (their spelling)

Season 4, Episode 18

Roger, an alien (got no clue as we don't normally watch this program) has discovered his reason for being sent to Earth. He's "The Decider" and his power is a box of toxic weenies (Death Dogs). There's a hot dog eating contest, a "Weinermobile", (Roger says "This car is an ass magnet"), Roger becomes "The President of throwing out bad weenies" at Hot Dog Haus, a yakking Dachshund and gratuitous CSI Miami impersonation...

IT'S BURGER TIME!

2011-02-15T09:45:00.000-08:00

1) Fast Food (1989)

Career college students finally get shown to the door and decide to open a burger stand in an old gas station.

With Kevin McCarthy ("Invasion of the Body Snatchers") as Judge Reinholt, Michael J Pollard as Bud, Traci Lords as Dixie Love and Jim Varney as over the top burger magnate Wrangler Bob Bundy, another lunatic in a white suit...

Burger phone, cow scooter, priapism, horny coeds, an explosion in the lab, aphrodisiac secret sauce, simulated wet T-shirt contest, undercover skullduggery, industrial espionage, FDA bust, overly dramatic courtroom theatrics, yadda, yadda, yadda...

Relevant quote: "America was built on fast food"

2) A McDonalds Wedding: http://www.cnngo.com/hong-kong/life/mcdonalds-hong-kong-offers-weddings-494226

THE WEEKLY WIENER

2011-02-07T09:33:00.000-08:00

1) Hot dog shaped diner for sale

http://amusingthezillion.com/2011/01/28/colorados-hot-dog-shaped-coney-island-boardwalk-diner-for-sale/

2) Q: How much for a coke and hot dog at the super bowl?

A: $35 for a coke and a dog.

HOT DOG!

2011-02-04T10:21:00.001-08:00

Click on photo to enlarge

Uncle Frank

Saw your site and fell in love instantly.

Me and a couple of buddies - have been long time "DOG LOVERS" - When in NY- you have an open invitation for a chauffered driven first class tour with all the toppings - starting in North Jersey - The best place for Dogs. Please feel free to contact me - when ever you get the "craving" -

My top fave is probably Hirams in Fort Lee (deep fried dog- red onions, cheese, chili, kraut, mustard,ketchup :)

And I Have a great Tattoo of Chili DOG!

Louie Max Goldstein

TUBESTEAK TV

2011-01-26T08:30:00.000-08:00

1) "You're Cut Off"

VH-1

Episode title: Do you want fries with that?

These are the women you love to hate; spoiled, rich and with no work ethic.

This episode involves the mandatory wearing of Archibald's (Ontario, California) weenie costume...

See the full episode here: http://www.vh1.com/video/youre-cut-off-2/full-episodes/do-you-want-fries-with-that/1656292/playlist.jhtml

2) Bob's Burgers

Fox TV

See the premiere episode (Sacred Cow) here: http://www.fox.com/bobsburgers/full-episodes/

Quote: "Maybe this cow is trying to communicate with us the only way it knows how - with its' feces..."

SAY CHEESE

2011-01-15T07:33:00.000-08:00

We are pleased to announce receiving our 13th Hamburger Helper Award yesterday.

The Hamburger Helper Awards are presented by Hamburger Harry of The International Hamburger Hall Of Fame for contributions to Harry's great burger collection.

Thanks!

HOT DOG!

2011-01-10T17:21:00.000-08:00

Our most recent addition to the collection...

Click on photo for larger view

Custom carved chrerry wood hot dog box by Gary Weber of Roselle, Illinois.

Gary has a number of beautiful wooden pieces on his web site (http://www.boxnmor.etsy.com/)

THE WEEKLY WIENER

2011-01-10T10:39:00.000-08:00

1) Hawk Krall - Hot Dog Artist Extraordinaire

http://hawkkrall.blogspot.com/

2) Phish is at it again...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFR76BJ1dJU

3) Hot dogs in a cold world...

http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/illinois/article_a0711512-7d29-5f82-8efb-075ecd041be1.html

4) Jerry Brown's weenie roast

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LR-owyqSJGk&NR=1

JIM WILSON - Rest in Peace

2011-01-05T14:54:00.000-08:00

We lost a good friend today.

He was a brilliant guy and made numerous contributions to the newsletter and this blog over the past 10 years or so.

Many of you may remember the review he did for us when Shake Shack opened.

Jim was a very talented guy and at various times, wrote for the National Lampoon, Penthouse, and a number of other national publications, collaborated on the book "Junk Food" and was also Art Director of the Mr. Bill series from TV's "Saturday Night Live".

Jim also had a passion for wild custom bicycles and many of you may have seen his web site: http://www.bikerodnkustom.com/

I suggest you take a look if you aren't familiar with it as it will undoubtedly be taken down soon.

Jim is survived by his wife Kas, their daughter Stephanie of New York City and the rest of the family in Baton Rouge, La.

Our condolences and deeply felt sorrow.

We'll miss you, Jim.

IT'S BURGER TIME!

2010-12-19T12:30:00.000-08:00

1) We recently tried Wendy's new natural cut fries with sea salt.

Eh...

2) And I dropped by my local Mickey D's recently to try their new Double Quarter Pound Big Mac.

It turns out that I had heard the commercial incorrectly and there's no such animal.

As Roseanne Roseannadanna would say: Nevermind...

3) And we recently discovered Nessy Burgers in North County.

We haven't visited them yet but the owners are Websters.

Their web site: http://nessyburgers.com/

4) Home Made San Francisco Sourdough Burgers

It's been a long time since I had a burger as I can't have beef (or shellfish, alcohol, garlic, dark green veggies, sweets, nuts, chips, grapefruit, etc).

We re-created the Co-Co's classic with grilled sourdough bread, sauteed onions, mustard and dill pickle slices...

It was pretty good but even the freshly ground beef from Albertson's was greasy and flavorless (the ground top sirloin experiment next).

5) And I stopped by Sonic to try their new, larger burger.

I couldn't tell the difference, other than the size...

THE WEEKLY WIENER

2010-12-19T10:06:00.000-08:00

1) 4 vendors / $700K in fines

http://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/2010/11/23/new-york-hot-dog-vendors-collectively-owe-k-fines/

2) The $50 New York hot dog

http://newsfeed.time.com/2010/12/08/50-hot-dog-comes-to-new-york-well-take-two/

3) Safety hot dogs 4 kids

http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/health/A_Safer_Hot_Dog_for_Kids__Philadelphia-111224089.html

4) The Turdoggen?

http://bensbiz.mlblogs.com/archives/2010/12/joy_to_the_world_--_its_three.html

5) Man bites dog

http://abcnews.go.com/OnCampus/video/man-bites-hot-dog-buffalo-austin-eatery-chili-toppings-oncampus-12349445

6) Berlin's Currywurst Museum

http://www.currywurstmuseum.de/en/die-currywurst-hat-ein-museum/

7) Five ways to build a better hot dog

http://manofthehouse.com/food/basics/5-ways-to-build-a-better-hot-dog

HOT DOG!

2010-12-11T10:36:00.000-08:00

Click on image for larger view

Our latest acquisition:

This was donated by my brother Jim in Cleveland Heights.

It's a cast iron replica and all it does is steal your coin!

Of course, it says "Bank" but honestly, we were expecting it to do something else...

Thanks, Bro!

TUBESTEAK TV

2010-11-30T20:11:00.000-08:00

United Tastes of America

Hot Dogs

Cooking Channel

Host Jeffrey Saad takes us on a quick tour around the US, stopping off at Coney Island, Chicago and LA.

He gives us a brief history lesson before he visits Vienna Beef, Nathan's and Fab Dogs in Reseda.

Mr. Saad also talks with Janet Reilly of The National Hot Dog & Sausage Council.

Along the way, he tastes a Mexicali Dog, a "Ripper", a Chicago style dog, a Nathan's frank, samples a "Turdoggen" made with pork, beef and duck confit and finishes off with a $70 hot dog featuring 4 forms of truffles (butter, infused oil, etc) and foie gras at Serendipity 3 in NYC...

Air times, etc here: http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/united-tastes-of-america/hot-dogs/index.html

TUBESTEAK THEATER

2010-11-29T10:09:00.001-08:00

"Underdog" (2007)

Jason Lee as Underdog, Peter Dinklage as Simon Barsinister, James Belushi, Patrick Warburton

We may have reviewed this flick before but...

There are 3 hot dog scenes in this remake of the TV series.

TUBESTEAK TV

2010-11-25T09:09:00.000-08:00

Man vs Food

Minneapolis

In this episode, host Adam Richman takes on a Minneapolis institution, the Juicy Lucy, a large, cheese stuffed burger (we'll be repeating this experiment at home soon).

He also goes for the Meterwurst Challenge; eating a meter long bratwurst and 2 side dishes, potato croquettes and red cole slaw in this case.

According to the program, 14,000 people have attempted the challenge and 2,000 have succeeded.

Various video clips, etc here: http://www.travelchannel.com/TV_Shows/Man_V_Food/Episodes_Travel_Guides/Episode_Minneapolis

THE WEEKLY WIENER

2010-11-23T08:57:00.000-08:00

1) Pink's Famous Chili Dogs comes to San Diego

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/nov/09/hot-dog-stars-heading-sd/

2) Hard times for Louie The Hot Dog King

http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/news/2010/11/02/hot-dog-king-burned-by-economy.html

3) Hot Dog Heaven in Avon closes

http://www.morningjournal.com/articles/2010/11/09/news/mj3635234.txt

4) Joey Chestnut on "Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?"

http://www.tv.com/video/10396375/are-you-smarter-than-a-5th-grader--hot-dog-challenge

YANK'S FRANKS

2010-11-15T08:08:00.001-08:00

We got an interesting email the other day.

It was from George, the owner / founder of Yank's Franks up in the great state of Maine.

George is doing a great job and we point you at his web site and blog (links below).

More soon...

http://www.yanksfranks.com/

http://www.yanksfranks.blogspot.com/

HOT DOG!

2010-11-11T08:20:00.000-08:00

Photos courtesy of Captain Ron (click to enlarge)

Our old friend Ron Russell (Captain Ron) recently visited the Henry Ford Museum and nearby Deerfield Village.

As you can see by the photo above, the museum has one of the 50's style Wienermobiles as well as a number of other hot dog related items, but we'd never seen their hot dog bed (below).

Ron says you stack various condiments on yourself and then have someone snap your photo...

THE WEEKLY WIENER

2010-11-01T10:38:00.000-07:00

1) Wienergate, too?

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/8515056/

2) A weenie stand for the Guggenheim?

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/21/arts/design/21hotdog.html?_r=1

3) Hot dog sluts?

http://hotdogsluts.tumblr.com/

IT'S BURGER TIME!

2010-10-27T15:13:00.001-07:00

1) Bob's Burgers

This animated series hasn't aired yet but you will be able to watch full episodes online...

http://www.fox.com/bobsburgers/

2) Crazee Burger makes the "D" List

Commedienne Kathy Griffin stopped by Crazee Burger the other day.

Unfortunately, the photo Wolfgang forwarded was from a cell phone so we couldn't use it...

3) Late entry:

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/10/29/con-mcdonalds-manager.html

4) Late, late entry:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/gavon/fast-food-items-not-available-in-the-us-that-sho

HOT DOG!

2010-10-21T05:44:00.000-07:00

Click on photo to enlarge

Koji of One Sixth Custom Figure (OSCF Productions of Japan) was kind enough to show us some of their smaller work. We discovered a cool resin statue of theirs recently (we'll tell you about it later as we don't want to spoil the surprise) and have been talking to them about getting a copy for our collection. Keep up the great work, guys!

THE WEEKLY WIENER

2010-10-17T09:11:00.000-07:00

IT'S BURGER TIME!

2010-10-17T09:09:00.000-07:00

Arby's Onion Rings

Several years ago, when Arby's dropped the regular french fries for curly fries only, I quit ordering fries there.

Recently, they announced they had added onion rings so I stopped by to check them out.

They are real onion rings, not that reconstituted onion powder thing you find at Burger King, for instance.

You get a total of 5 large onion rings for $1.99 plus tax which means they cost you $.40 each.

Unfortunately, when my order came up, they tried to serve me room temperature rings from the heat lamp (not at that price!)...

Sonic's New Larger Burgers

And I checked out Sonic's new, larger burgers today.

I couldn't finish the double (they are definitely much larger).

Nothing else had changed (same toppings, same fries, etc)...

THE WEEKLY WIENER

2010-10-11T10:29:00.000-07:00

1) Roast my weenie

http://roastmyweenie.com/

2) The Great Hot Dog Hoax

http://blogs.villagevoice.com/forkintheroad/archives/2010/09/the_great_hot_d.php

3) The Hot Dog Train

http://www.metro.co.uk/sport/oddballs/842621-hot-dog-train-attracting-new-fans-to-fc-st-pauli

4) Stolen hot dog cart

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39554987/ns/us_news-weird_news/

5) The 1 lb hot dog

http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/10/11/733616/mans-big-time-hot-dog-fits-his.html

6) Devo hot dog jersey

http://store.clubdevo.com/store/product/hot-dog-fresh-cycling-jersey

7) Hot dog costumes for kids, adults & dogs

http://hubpages.com/hub/hotdogcostume

8) Do it yourself solar hot dog cooker

http://www.teachervision.fen.com/tv/printables/Moutran_0876283024_174-177.pdf

FIVE GUYS BURGERS & FRIES

2010-10-08T09:37:00.000-07:00

The Darla and I made it out to Liberty Station (formely Naval Training Center San Diego - where I went to Teletype Repair School a lifetime ago) for lunch after a business meeting downtown yesterday.

As I'm now officially a gimp, it wasn't easy for me to get to the place (I had to park across the street and crawled over a low fence rather than walk around the long way).

It's fairly industrial looking inside, with 50 pound bags of potatoes, bags of peanuts in the shell (free while you wait for your order to come up) and boxes of peanut oil acting as room dividers, the large, open kitchen, the red & white tile treatment on the walls and counters (In & Out style) and how they alternate the color scheme of the hanging overhead light fixtures to match the checkerboard tile work.

We ordered 2 small burgers (the LBC - Little Bacon Cheeseburger - mushrooms, lettuce, tomato and mayo with Swiss cheese for me, everything on the wife's LHB - Little Hamburger), a small order of fries, their skinless hot dog and a Coke. By everything, they mean mayo, lettuce, tomato, pickles, grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, mustard & ketchup. Additional (free) toppings include relish, onions, jalapeno peppers, green peppers, A-1 sauce, BBQ sauce and hot sauce.

Burgers come in 2 sizes only, the only toppings for the hot dogs are cheese and bacon, fries are either regular or Cajun, small or large and there's also a grilled cheese and a veggie sammie on the extremely short menu (as it should be). They use the Coke product line (also a point in their favor) and sell bottled water (no shakes, coffee, etc).

Even the small burgers were large but when our order came up, they forgot the bacon part...

And they advertise that their meat is never frozen and there are no freezers in the place but the patty was almost flavorless and appeared to be a generic Angus burger.

The bun was only so so and with the mayo and other condiments, it was a sloppy, gloopy mess (I hated the stiff, taste free sliced tomatoes and the lettuce needed to be properly manicured).

The hot dog had good flavor (butterflied and grilled) and the bun was also grilled but it was way too much dense bread.

The fries were the high point, home made, awesome and huge!

They routinely fill the cup, put it in the bag with the rest of your order then dump another scoop on top of that.

My brother Jim in Cleveland Heights, Ohio (there's a location there too) warned us about making the rookie mistake: order a small, single order of fries which is more than enough for 2 people.

We spent $18.00 exactly and although the chain is supposedly the fastest growing company in the field (600 new locations last year), we really couldn't see the attraction despite the quotes on the wall (Zagat Survey, Boston Globe Magazine, GQ and other smaller publications such as Time Out New York, Colorado Springs Gazzette, GO Magazine, Gulfshore Life, etc )...

We will visit it again, at least once more, to be fair and to be sure we had an accurate sampling...

Their web site: http://www.fiveguys.com/

IT'S BURGER TIME!

2010-09-30T11:41:00.000-07:00

The 15 Worst Burgers

http://eatthis.menshealth.com/slideshow/15-worst-burgers?cm_mmc=ETNTNL-_-2010_09_29-_-HTML-_-1

Link courtesy of Jim Wilson

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT

2010-09-29T09:51:00.000-07:00

Jim's Big Things

http://www.jimsbigthings.com/FD.htm

HOT DOG!

2010-09-26T09:15:00.000-07:00

New dogumentary from Connecticut

See several video clips and pix here: http://ctoriginals.com/

A few Questions & Answers:

TFC: Please tell us a little about yourself and your project

MK: My name is Mark Kotlinski, and I am an independent filmmaker that has worked on a number of different projects involving music, art, and culture. The idea for A Connecticut Hot Dog Tour came about after I decided to relocate back to my home state of Connecticut, after living in NYC for many years. At the time I knew I wanted to work on something locally that was totally different from my earlier projects. One day I saw a local restaurant featured on one of those Food Network/Travel Channel shows and the idea hit me. Connecticut has always been known as a place that’s passionate about it’s food, whether it’s Burgers, Hot Dogs, Pizza, or Seafood. I thought why not do a film about Hot Dogs? I could take fans on a road trip through Connecticut’s hot dog history; highlight the state’s variety of hot dog stands, their house specialties, and local hot dog culture. Now with the release of “A Connecticut Hot Dog Tour” on DVD, people can take the trip along with us.

TFC: Got a favorite hot dog?

MK: Depends on the mood I’m in. Most days I like a hot dog with mustard, hot relish, and onions, but some days I go for a Chili Cheese dog with onions.

TFC: Got a story to tell us about putting this thing together?

MK: Yes, one Saturday morning we were in Fairfield, CT shooting at Rawley’s Drive-In, and this group came in wearing the same colored t-shirt and it read “Ask me about my wiener.” So we asked them on camera. It turned out they were on their own Hot Dog Tour, through New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, and Boston. We found out later they actually planned on stopping at two of the stands featured in “A Connecticut Hot Dog Tour.”

TFC: Got a future project in mind?

MK: I have a couple of other ideas in mind. One of which is an expanded version of the Hot Dog tour, where we visit stands in other “Hot Dog” states. We are also looking at producing a new tour of Connecticut, but this time featuring a different food as the topic.

TFC: Ever heard actor Christopher Walken's hot dog rant? He's a (Wilton) Connecticut resident and would dig your film...

MK: I had not heard of it until you asked me about it, so I looked it up. Wow! If it’s true, then he definitely needs a copy of “A Connecticut Hot Dog Tour” on DVD…