Monday, August 15, 2011

Northern NJ Hot Dog Tour is scheduled!!

The tour is on!!  We're starting our trip on Monday, August 22nd, 2011 at 11am.  The starting point is located at Genie's Weenies on Route 22 East in Somerville.  Even though we're hitting (8) of the best hot dog stands in NJ, I'm planning on limiting myself to 1 dog per stand. It's all about the adventure and the surprise, not gaining 10 pounds! Besides, I figure a few bucks left at each stand will add up so, I say: S-A-V-O-R !!

We're going a little low budget on the T-shirts... I picked up some plain cotton tees @ WalMart for a couple bucks and got Iron-On Transfer paper for my printer.  After a couple of hours in PrintShop, I now have event T-shirts for about $20-$25 for the whole family!

We're each taking responsibility for a certain style of hot dog.  My oldest son likes them naked so I'm counting on his opinion for the base comparison.  My wife is a fan of Italian hot dogs, but not every stand serves that variety.  I'm trying to talk my younger son into sampling the chili dogs, and I plan on selecting the "specialty" dog at each stop; the owner's favorite, the big seller, whatever it might be!

Look for my feedback a few days after the Tour....  I'll need at least a day or two to recover before recording my thoughts!  Pray for sunny skies on the 22nd!!!

Monday, August 8, 2011

Primary Post

To my fellow Jerseyans and welcome guests,

     My aim for this blog is to share my experiences and opinions in regard to the many purveyors of America's favorite fast food, the hot dog.  I'm not talking about the neighborhood diner who serves 124 different menu items, of which one happens to be the hot dog... I am talking about those fast food "stands" whose menu revolves around this iconic delicacy!

     I want to report my thoughts based on current visits, so I am very excited to begin my first "hot dog tour" later this month which will hit 8 of the biggest names in hot dogs that New Jersey has to offer.  At this time I will be restricting the scope of my travels to the borders of Jersey but who knows what the future will hold?  I realize that 8 locations is a little aggressive, especially for my first tour, but my excitement and my desire to have a solid base of experience from which to report is fueling this goal.  I will cover 150 miles during 3 1/2 hours of travel.  Expecting to spend at least a 1/2 hour at each stand, we're talking about a good 8 hour investment.  I can't wait!!

     The 2011 Northern NJ Hot Dog Tour (as I have affectionately called it) will include the following 8 destinations:
                       □  Genie’s Weenies, Somerville, NJ
                       □  Nathan’s Famous, Bridgewater, NJ
                       □  Galloping Hill Inn, Union, NJ
                       □  Hiram’s, Fort Lee, NJ
                         Rutt’s Hut, Clifton, NJ
                         Jimmy Buff’s, East Hanover, NJ
                         Hot Dog Johnny’s, Buttzville, NJ
                         Charlie’s Pool Room, Alpha, NJ

       More information about the actual tour will be posted as it approaches and details become more reliable.  I am considering having T-shirts printed for the event listing each destination, but this is one of the aforementioned unreliable details!  With the blog created and my intentions stated, I need to get back to planning so that this tour comes off without a hitch.  More to come!!