by ayersian
7. October 2008 00:04
The autumn sun shone kindly on five hot dog connoisseurs as we made our way around Albany, New York on Saturday for a four-stop tour of mini-dogs. Our small but enthusiastic group consisted of Seafarer John and Gail, and native guide Waltpiii and Denise—all veterans of RF eating tours. Walt’s brother Bill joined us at our first meeting point, Gus’s Hot Dogs in Watervliet, where we indulged in 60¢ dogs in tiny buns to match (pictured above). These are two-biters (three to be dainty), and I overheard people ordering no less than four at a time.
Next stop was Hot Dog Charlie’s, just up the road in Cohoes. These wieners were Sabretts and prepared in the same fashion as Gus’s, though Charlie’s sold jars of their meat sauce. Walt talked me into ordering a fish fry, which was a large strip of scrod nestled in a hot dog bun. On the side (not shown) was another sauce, a chunky, tomato-based cocktail sauce that was very savory:
A short drive over the Hudson River deposited us in downtown Troy, where we found counter stools at Famous Lunch. The prep cooks and servers offered the most authentic Roadfood experience as they shouted out orders of hot dogs in multiple numbers. They also had chocolate milk in a large refrigerated cabinet, so I had to indulge:
Our final stop was Jack’s Drive-In in Wyantskill. A favorite of Walt’s childhood, Jack’s serves up cheeseburgers with fried onions that’re very similar to the same from White Hut in West Springfield:
Again, Walt's brother Bill showed up to have a burger and shake with us. Before we parted company with full stomachs, John graciously gave us all a handful of Jonamac apples from an orchard near his home. Another wonderful RF tour with friends to places I’ve been longing to visit! Our country’s economy may be in shambles, but I’ll save my money to meet up with RFers as much as possible! (group photo courtesy of Waltpiii)
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Tags: albany, seafarer john, gail, waltpiii, denise, gus's hot dogs, watervliet, hot dog charlie's, cohoes, fish fry, famous lunch, troy, meat sauce, jack’s drive-in, wyantskill, chocolate milk, cheeseburgers, fried onions, milkshakes, jonamac apples
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