Bear's Hot Dog Truck, Sayreville

     Back in the late 80's when I first visited Bear's, it was only a small stainless steel cart with the blue & yellow umbrella that you can see (above) on the far right.  The new trailer has provided the necessary room to offer many more choices.  They offer either a Sabrett 8:1 NC all beef frank or a larger Sabrett 6:1 pork/beef Griller.  Many of the folks who I visited with ordered their dogs with the chili which received very high reviews!  Other options include: cheese, Sabrett onion sauce, raw onions, relish or their homemade hot pepper relish.

     I had the all beef 8:1 NC dog with cheese and added a bit of their homemade hot pepper relish.  It was absolutely delicious!  Having the relish available for the patron to apply allows for just the right amount of heat.  You can see from the picture above that I came with a large group, and whether it was the delicious dogs, the reasonable prices or the fantastic staff, everyone had a smile on their face!  I'm hoping this hot dog truck is around for at least another 45 years!!  (hint, hint: Scott K.!)

<-- Bear himself!

Their mascot -->

Little Buffalo, Cranford (permanently closed)

     Opening in November 2017, the owners grew up in Buffalo, NY and wanted to bring some of their favorite foods to NJ.  They serve Zweigle's franks (only shop in NJ that I know of) in 3 varieties.  Red pop-open dogs are beef/pork blend and come in either 6 in. or 12 in. lengths.  Interestingly, the smaller dog (not that small, weighing in at 6/1) has a spicier flavor due to a small difference in the recipe.  They also serve white pop-opens which are a veal/pork/beef blend that retain the white color since they are neither smoked nor cured.

     Once you've selected your meat, you have a choice of 4 different sauces, each of which were inspired by one of the Buffalo area hot dog restaurants.  They offer a cumin-based meat sauce that was inspired by Nick Tohue, a spicy meat sauce similar to what you'll find at Coach Tony's, a sweet red sauce like the one at Reid's and a spicy red sauce inspired by Ted's.  With so many combinations to choose from (and I personally enjoyed every one that I tried) you'll have to make several visits to try them all!!  Thanks to Mike Maggio for such a great idea!

***  Update - Little Buffalo has closed permanently, possibly due to the 2020 COVID Pandemic

Charlie's Famous Italian Hot Dogs, Union

     Charlie's has been serving Italian hot dogs to New Jerseyans in the traditional method for decades.  They moved their main operation from Kenilworth to Union a few years back but their their focus on serving authentic IHDs has not changed.  The single or double hot dog is nestled into a 1/2 round loaf of pizza bread, doused with mustard, covered with sauteed onions and peppers, then topped with thin, deep fried potato slices and ketchup.

     Though there are many shops trying to serve Italians on sub rolls, and others that offer diced potatoes (or even french fries!!) there is definite value to be found in an authentic IHD.  Charlie's is one of the best and will have my patronage for years to come!