volcanogirl

Deb, I've been wanting to try it since I saw in on Seinfeld!

Waldo

I've been thinking about this post, and I gotta tell a great story. Here goes-- I have to strongly disagree that there are any better hot dogs than Nathan's. When I was much younger, in the 1940's to be exact, I used to work for Nathan's in Coney Island. I grew up on Avenue U in Brooklyn, so Coney Island was only a short walk from there. I was attending Lafayette High School, and to make some money, I worked at Nathan's. The owner, Nathan, I think I remember his last name as Lefkowitz, was a real nice old guy. He was originally an ICE MAN, one of those guys that used to deliver cakes of ice to the people who had ice boxes, before refrigerators. He would give you the shirt off his back if you worked hard (how times have changed!). One of my chores was to shovel meat from the meat locker to the bin, so that the hamburgers could be made into patties. When I originally told my kids this, they thought that this was a filthy job, but was anything but that. Nathan would not give one cent to the many inspectors that tried to shake him down for bribes, so ran an antiseptic operation. The shovel I used was stainless steel, and the boots I wore in the meat locker were disinfected many times during the day. I'm sure Nathan never paid a cent to all those inspectors. They could never find any infractions. Most of the older guys that worked there were also former ice men. There was a bond between Nathan and his employees, (my God! things really have changed!!). Nathan's Hot Dogs, at that time, were made by HYGRADE, to Nathan's specifications. The hot dog rolls and hamburger rolls were made by BOND BREAD, which was popular at the time. One great fringe benefit for me was that I could eat all the hot dogs and hamburgers I wanted-no limit. The french fries were absolutely the best in the world. One of my other chores was to peel and cut up the potatos. It was all pretty hard work, but I remember those days with a lot of nostalgia. Nathan also owned the ice cream operation next door, so I also used to gorge on ice cream. That's my story.

ekscrunchy

Thanks for sharing that piece of NYC history. I think you are talking about Nathan Handwerker.

But look at this:

http://gothamist.com/2010/01/19/last...la.php#photo-1

KRNS

And a nice story it is.

My husband is from Brooklyn, I'm upper crust, from the Bronx haha, but was expecting a nice lunch at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens on a trip we took there a few years ago. Husband had promised me a nice surprise lunch, so I was a bit disappointed when we left the gardens without having lunch. Thinking a nice place was in store, imagine how I felt when his surprise was Nathans! The thing is, I'm a vegetarian, what the #@&% did he think I was to eat?! I just had the french fries, and he still owes me that lunch in the BBG!


Karen

Karen

Aduchamp1

Nathan, I think I remember his last name as Lefkowitz, was a real nice old guy.

The family name was Handwerker. And they were extremely nice people, I went to school with his grand daughter and went Lincoln High School. Originally the family was going to sell Nathan's to Hershey's but they said the name "too ethnic." So they would selling to the Riese Bros, who are alchemists, they turn food into s--t.
_____________

A bialy is round about four inches in width made from the basic ingredients of flour, water, yeast, sugar, and salt, and when baked would emulate the best pizza dough you have eaten. There is an indent in the center where they put either garlic, onions, or poppy seeds. There is an oversized version called the pletzel which is fully covered with something usually poppy seeds and onions.

DebitNM

http://www.artisanbreadbaking.com/br...ly/bialy32.htm

ekscrunchy

<The snap of a good Kosher hot dog can revive a person, so that they may continue on to down a pastrami on rye is a joy to behold.>

So very true! But it is hard to find a good dog with skin, or casing, these days! (Three good ones that I know of, both available in NYC, are the Hebrew National sold from strings at Zabar's (not in the plastic supermarket package); Citarella's house beef hot dogs..and Schaller and Weber beef dogs in natural casing. If anyone knows of others, let me know, please! We always have at least one hot dog feast in summer..with slaw and deli mustard, of course!


A remnant of old Yorkville:

http://www.schallerweber.com/find-buy/original-store/


Agree, too, about the cheesecake...pineapple cheese cake!? Oh, the horror!

Chocolate babka...swoon worthy!

DebitNM

The best we have here in NM are Boar's Head all Beef. Not kosher, but they do snap.

Lee Ann, just ain't the same ;o(

Aduchamp1

Nathan also owned the ice cream operation next door, so I also used to gorge on ice cream. That's my story.

Actually that was owned by a Handwerker cousin who I also went to scholl with.
________
The french fries were the best, made by adults who needed skill not just set a timer. They were perfext-crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. My joke was that if you wanted extra salt, they old guys would just wipe their brow.

One of my cousins is on the board of directors of the Coney Island freak show and is on the Mermaid Parade Committee. This year the Grand Marshall was Jackie the Jokeman and my cousin went on his radio show and read the dirty jokes he was given to read. Not the best idea to propel a medical doctor's career.

panecott

The best hot dogs and the best pastrami ever were at the Hy Tulip deli on 86th St., around 19th Avenue in Brooklyn, under the El. They had good knishes too, but I was never a big knish fan.

Nathan's and Hebrew National dogs were good, but nothing compared to Hy Tulip's. Man, I loved that place. One of the great traumas of my childhood was when it closed down.

Waldo

To Aduchamp-- You are right!!!! They used to say that the guys dishing out the hot dogs used to sweat on them, and that's how they got the salty taste!
Another thing--The story was that the police wanted to get assigned to patrol near Nathan's. It was said to me that the cops used to receive $5.00 each to keep the traffic flowing on Surf Avenue, and being lax on allowing triple parking in front of the place. Oh, the good ole days.
Lincoln High, eh?
Handwerker, THAT'S IT!!
Also, I believe that Nathan also owned the place that used to sell that great corn on the cob, in the alley between the resturant and the ice cream place.
We got no places like that here in Maryland!! It has been 58 years since I left Brooklyn.

Waldo

To DebitNM- Maybe you don't have good hot dogs in NM, but you sure have some great Mexican food. My daughter lives in Las Cruces, and my wife and I vist frequently. We absolutely go bananas over the authentic Mexican food in the Mesilla section of Las Cruces.

Centralparkgirl

Waldo, nice story. I went to Lafayette too and loved to go to Nathan's on the weekends.

I recently had citarella hot dogs that a friend grilled. They were plumper than I was used to, but absolutely delicious.

Deb, I'm coming to ABQ next week. I can bring a hunk of Orwashers corn rye (it's just called rye in the bakery) if you like. Crispy crust and dense innards - perfect description. I always bring my son bagels. One time, I had 3 dozen in my carry on and the guy checking the X-ray screener asked me what all the circles were! Just say the word!

Centralparkgirl

Panecott - Hy Tulip was good, but also Zeimar on Brighton Beach Ave. t
There was another on Kings Highway and around East 3rd St, but I can't remember their name.

DebitNM

OH CPG!!! I would love it; if you have room. We can meet for coffee too!

Aduchamp1

Also, I believe that Nathan also owned the place that used to sell that great corn on the cob, in the alley between the resturant and the ice cream place.

That could have been owned by a cousin named Kirsh, but I am not sure.
____

There was another on Kings Highway and around East 3rd St, but I can't remember their name.

I think that was called Joe's because a fat jovial guy named owned it. There was also a place called Scnipper's on Kings Highway and East 8th Street. The food was not very good and they did not like us. Five us would walk in order five waters and an order of fench fries just to annoy them.

_____

My friend wanted me to be a lifegaurd with him on Coney Island. It was excellent pay for the summer. For the most part it was quiet, except if a fight broke out and once a summer they would get a "floater". But I liked to get away and worked in the mountains. Families used to go to Manhattan Beach and both my grandmothers lived in Brighton Beach and their big splurge was a yearly ticket to Brighton Private.

Aduchamp1

I went Public School 238 with the Handwerkers but not high school.

sf7307

I was born in Brooklyn, but grew up on Long Island, and frequented the Nathan's in Oceanside. The French fries, drowned in Nathan's catsup (definitely not Heinz or Del Monte) were scrumptious. I liked them way better than any of the skinny fries so common today (although McD fries were good before they switched to vegetable oil).

DebitNM

And they used to serve the fries in a paper cup with a narrow, plastic spear/fork that they stacked with fries and put in the cup!!

sf7307

Yes they did!