Sonny's Hot Dogs, Neptune

     Sonny's was the only stop on the 14th Annual NJ Hot Dog Tour that served Italian hot dogs.  Pricey at $8.25 but comes with 2 dogs, peppers, onions and potato slices.  The roll is not quite traditional, being more like a small loaf of bread than typical pizza dough.  The taste was a substantial redeeming quality however, providing a variety of flavors and textures as you work your way through your meal.

     They offer a Sabrett all beef 8:1 natural casing dog that is served "dirty water" style, but they offer the option of throwing it on the grill before serving.  Their menu offers 30+ signature dogs see below), some of which border on excessive creativity.  I ordered a grilled dog with BBQ onions.  It was tasty but not extraordinary for the $3.50 price tag.  It seems like they rely on the toppings to "Wow" their customers rather than highlighting the dawg, though I will report that many folks were hooked!

     ***  Item to note:  As of March 2018, Sonny's has closed this location as they felt the establishment was lost in the large shopping center.  They are looking for a new venue to re-open with a fresh start.  More to come as I learn details...

Goffle Grill, Hawthorne

     As you can see by the sign above the building, Goffle Grill highlights the hot dog as a key focus of their menu.  I was surprised when I entered this establishment, looked at the large menu and only saw (3) hot dog options: a Texas Weiner, a Chicken dog (zero interest!) and an Italian dog.  They will make hot dogs according to your order if the above 3 options do not tickle your fancy.

     I sampled the Texas Weiner on my visit to Hawthorne.  They serve grilled Thumann's dogs (2oz. natural casing) on a fresh, adequately stout roll, making for an excellent foundation. The chili is the cumin-based style which I thought was a bit thin for my taste, though it was quite delicious.  The raw onion was finely chopped and a bit moist, suggesting they were not prepared fresh this morning.  They tended to overpower the chili and stayed with me for about 1/2 hour!  I would suggest asking them to go easy on the onions and enjoy their fare!