Steveats: Nathan’s hot dog bites (are better than a gas station’s dogs)

Sweet little hot dog bundles of joy...

Debuting a new, semi-regular feature! I tryout questionable food items so that you don’t have to in… Steveats. (Note: Title developed in about 10 seconds of brainstorming.)

A couple weeks or months ago – I can’t remember which – my friend Mary mentioned that she had always been intrigued by those bite-sized hot dogs available at Nathan’s. And if there are certain things I’d pride myself on when it comes to this blog, they would be: 1) Trying all sorts of hot dog dishes and 2) Giving the true fans what they want. In that order, of course.

A skewer helps the taste.

So, finding myself in Eastern Connecticut near the only Nathan’s, seemingly, I dove right into them mini-hot dogs. They were tasty! Just like the regular-sized dogs, which I previously tried and liked. I realize my bar for an edible hot dog is scandalously low, but still – These were better than gas station dogs, because they’re essentially mini-corn dogs. Plus, the little skewer is the perfect size for stabbing them and lowering them into a bath of ketchup and mustard.

Now of course, as with my previous Nathan’s dalliances, the biggest issue was price. It was around $5 or $6 for nine mini-dogs, and they wouldn’t have filled me up without the side of fries I also got. For $6, I can get six gas station hot dogs, or even better, like 24 from the supermarket! Mmm… Hot dogs. I could go for one of them right now… (He thought, as he was only an hour away from gorging himself on a wedding steak dinner.)

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Steveats: Nathan’s Hot Dogs (And More Importantly, Fries!)

Debuting a new, semi-regular feature! I tryout questionable food items so that you don’t have to in… Steveats. (Note: Title developed in about 10 seconds of brainstorming.)

So, this past weekend, I drove from my abode in Narragansett, Rhode Island, down to Vineland, New Jersey, and back. I did the trip mostly via Route 95, the Tappan Zee Bridge, the Garden City Parkway and the New Jersey Turnpike. I’ll have some more thoughts about the drive itself in a future entry, but for now, let’s do some Steveats about the places I stopped along the way.

A few weeks ago, I talked about my “love” of Sbarro’s pizza, which is obtained from the odd trucker stop on the border of Connecticut and Rhode Island. There are two other fast food places in that place, one of which I’m covering today – Nathan’s hot dogs. They’re also available in other fine establishments, like the service plazas along the New Jersey and Connecticut highways, and “street meat” vendor carts pretty much everywhere.

I’m a man that loves a good hot dog, and heck, I love me a boiled dog too. You don’t have to flame grill that sucker for me to enjoy it. And if you’re looking for one of those kind of waterlogged but still delicious tubular meats, then Nathan’s has you covered.

In contrast to the usual hot dogs available from the grocery store, the Nathan’s dog seems a bit smaller yet denser. This tubular meat frustratingly does not fit in the bun, but because it’s skinny, it seems to retain its meat flavor a bit better. Saugeys are still better to me, but when it comes to the cheaper dogs, Nathan’s hits the spot pretty well.

Also – dem fries! Nom nom nom. I’m a French fry connoisseur, and thick crinkle cuts are like a drug to me. I ate way too many of them, getting them two different times in a 24-hour span. My colon did not appreciate this, but my taste buds most definitely did.

Want to support Steve’s blogging? Then purchase something via the Amazon clickthru link for Your Parents Basement, Steve’s other project! If you have a request for a future Steveats, leave it in the comments on here or on my Facebook. To check out some of the past Steveats, go here!

Steveats: The Gas Station Hot Dogs

Cheese dog, steak and cheese taquito.

Debuting a new, semi-regular feature! I tryout questionable food items so that you don’t have to in… Steveats. (Note: Title developed in about 10 seconds of brainstorming.)

I started out this feature with a relatively simple item – the Burger King hot dog. At the time, I noted that it wasn’t really all that different than a gas station hot dog, except that it cost almost double, since gas station hot dogs are typically $2.50 or $3 for a pair.

Some people reacted in surprise, because they were unaware that those hot dogs were actually edible. I think I first became curious about how they tasted because I wasn’t ever allowed to get one as a kid, and because they seem like they would be the most disgusting food item of all-time. I also have a habit of liking to grab a snack while at the gas station, with a past obsession being peach rings.

Steak and cheese taquito.

Let me reassure you with today’s entry – They absolutely are edible, or at least as edible as any hot dog, even the weird varieties. Although, it’s most likely that this is the case because the hot dog is the cockroach of the meat world, or the Twinkie, if you will, given that they have similar shapes. After the nuclear holocaust of Fallout becomes reality, the only edible meat will be hot dogs.

Anyway! I mostly eat like a grown-up nowadays, except for this feature. But on the rare days I’m feeling peckish and don’t want a fast food burger, the gas station hot dog is my second or third choice, after a sandwich from various places. Cumberland Farms is usually my vendor, and it’s where these wieners come from, but 7-Eleven has OK dogs as well.

For the purposes of this entry, I picked two kind of weird hot dogs – the cheese-infused dog, and a steak-and-cheese taquito thing. The latter, you might notice, is not actually a hot dog, but it is on those heating rollers, so I definitely think it still counts. The taquito is kind of mushy, but it did taste of steak and cheese. I wouldn’t get it again, but it was fine for the price. At Cumby’s, that was two for $2. (Note: I used a bun for it, because it looked super greasy.)

Disappointing cheese dog.

The cheese dog was slightly disappointing. The cheese wasn’t all that good, and such small portions! (As the classic saying goes.) Again, it was still plenty good enough to eat, but I’d just opt for the normal hot dogs next time.

The normal dogs are your best option when it comes to the gas station meat – don’t get ensnared by the bells and whistles of the “special” flavors. This is a bit of a golden age for gas station food in general though, as both Cumberland Farms and 7-Eleven are seemingly in an arms race when it comes to offering pairings of hot dogs, pizza and soda for less and less money. Again, pretty much all of it is edible, and at least comparable to the more hyped bargain fast food (Subway’s “sandwiches,” Wendy’s and McDonald’s not-actually-a-dollar menu).

If you have a request for a future Steveats, leave it in the comments on here or on my Facebook. To check out some of the past Steveats, go here!