Hot Dogs – what you need to know.
Posted by CMH Gourmand on July 10, 2007
July is National Hot Dog Month (this year marks the 50th anniversary of this event)! July 18th is National Hot Dog Day. Estimates are that we will be eating 2.3 billion hot dogs this month!?! This is a good time not to be an Oscar Meyer Weiner. On a patriotic note – an American took back the championship at the Nathan’s Coney Island Hot Dog Eating Championship on the 4th of July.
Columbus – to my surprise has/had a Hot Dog Festival of its own. On a smaller scale, my annual Hot Dawgpalooza is this weekend as well – 10 or more varieties of hot dogs, 15 types of mustard and growing. This event accounts for 95% of my annual hot dog consumption (I eat about 10 per year).
If you are not up for cooking your own dogs there are some hot spots in town to get a really good tube steak. One of the oldest is Phillips Coney Island. There a place with the same name on High Street, but the one you want to go to is on West Broad Street near Mt. Carmel Hospital.
A hidden surprise is Press Grill, (741 N High St, 614-294-2860), which offers Nathan’s Hot Dogs for one of their weekly specials.
And if you are dying for a taste of Chicago but can’t afford the airfare or spare time for the 5-6 hour drive – then head to the Polaris area for a Chicago style dog from Wholly Joes.
Now that I have wetted your appetite, here are some links (of the non hot dog or sausage variety) that will cover what you need to know to answer hot dog trivia contests and make polite conversation for the rest of the month.
What’s Cooking America – Hot Dog History
That is your taste of hot dog history. July is a fitting month for the hot dog – especially since it has been so hot. The hot dog is the underdog of Amercian cuisine – yet – as Amercian as you can get.
Add an Ohio twist to your cook outs this summer, get some Stadium Mustard and Bertman’s Ballpark Mustard (both hail from Cleveland) and ask your guests which mustard goes best on a dog.
(I have been on the road a lot for the last couple months – to mark one year of blogging next month – I plan to devote more time to (more and better) restaurant reviews, improved photos, and well written content). Thanks for supporting and reading my blog and let me know what you want to read about.
CMH Gourmand - Eating in Columbus & Ohio 
ClintonvillePhil said
Tonight’s the night! Hot DawgPalooza! I’m gettin’ my mustard on.