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Travel Cuisine: Coney Island and Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs

I do love New York.

My first visit to New York City was in 1996 after I won a Pizza Olympics competition, and the Grand Prize was a trip to New York’s Little Italy in Manhattan.

It took probably less than a single afternoon before I realized I love New York. That sort of thing happens easily when you are a young midwestern chef in a city with more places to see than time to see them and more places to eat than number of meals per day to eat at them.

Like a good tourist, I took in as many sites as possible…the Statute of Liberty, a carriage ride in Central Park, some off-Broadway shows (actual Broadway tickets were too hard to come by and too pricy for a 25-year-old), The Empire State Building, Yankee Stadium.

Like any curious up and coming chef, I patronized as many places to eat as possible too. Tavern on the Green, Lombardi’s, Delmonico’s, Sabrette’s blue and yellow colored umbrella hot dog carts, they all made the list that first time. It would not be until subsequent return visits that I would get to other bucket list stops… Katz’s Delicatessen, The Russian Tea Room, The Irish Abbey, Gramercy Tavern.

Some very wonderful dining paired with some very wonderfully high-priced menus. One of my most enjoyable however, was also one of the least complicated and least expensive overall experiences, that being Coney Island and Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs.

Not all hot dogs are created equal.

Before I go on, let me provide a little insight about me…I was 20 years old before I would ever even eat a hot dog of any kind. Growing up in a blue-collar family of nine children, hot dogs were often something we were served as they were a cheap option to feed the whole clan…and I hated them. Like the equally cheap bologna luncheon meat (that I also despised), the hot dogs we had were filled with pork, chicken, and heavens knows what else.

It was not until I was about 20 when my older brother Mike convinced me to try a Chicago Dog where I learned that a Vienna Beef hot dog was pretty darn tasty. I quickly realized it was not hot dogs I hated…just hot dogs that were made with anything besides all-beef. My passion for great hot dogs was born, and there has been no looking back ever since.

Portillo’s or Mr. Beef Chicago Dogs in Chicago are still extremely high on my list…but that is a story for another day. In New York, it was hard to resist the Sabrette street hot dog vendor with their all-beef, natural casing delights…quick, cheap, and easy…in a way, much like some might describe me. But Nathan’s Famous is in a league all its own. The hot dogs with their own brand of spicy mustard combined with the spectacle of Coney Island is truly something to behold.

Visiting New York in the summer... get to Coney Island.

Coney Island is a fantasyland that can make anyone feel like a youngster regardless of age. The Wonder Wheel, The Cyclone roller coaster, the boardwalk, the beach and endless shoreline, the sideshows, the amazing people watching. A complete sensory overload, too fun not to experience. Add in “The Flavor of New York” as Nathan’s identifies their delicious hot dogs, and this trip has entertainment that is second to none.

Nathan’s hot dogs are now available most everywhere in the country, so if you are like me, I enjoy them at home often. But sometimes it is just far better to enjoy them where it all began over 100 years ago in 1916.

I try to return to Coney Island to rekindle my torrid hot dog love affair in the summertime, and if possible, always over the July 4th holiday. Nathan’s, you see is also famous for its annual hot dog eating competition. The greatest spectacle in all competitive eating challenges. To witness men and women alike gulping down 70 plus hot dogs and buns in under 10 minutes is in some twisted way amazingly thrilling. It has become such a big event, you can watch it televised nationally every July 4th, and can even wager on your favorite glutton in Las Vegas.

My money is always on Joey “Jaws” Chestnut in the men’s competition, who has won the event 13 times and holds the record of 75 hot dogs in 10 minutes. He has confidently stated that he will break his own record at this year’s event.

On the women’s side, Miki Sudo who is a 6-time winner and is the reigning champion having enjoyed 48 Nathans delights in 10 minutes. Talk about entertainment, what is not to love about watching a guy stuffing hot dogs in his mouth for 10 solid minutes or a 115-pound woman eating hot dogs as if she were attending an afternoon tea sampling petite fours and canapes?

My own competitive urge has voices in my head telling me I too one day should enter…the lure of fame will do that, I guess…now if I could somehow get beyond my three Nathan’s famous with out needing a nap, I might have a slight chance.

Maybe I will just stick to watching. Watching the competitive eaters break new records, watching the sights and colors of Coney Island, watch the people packing the boardwalk and beach in the hot summer sun. It is truly a unique and unforgettable experience to enjoy…one I would highly recommend you discover for yourself.

-Thomas Doyle