Lubins-N-Links

A few years ago, when I joined Katherine Curry on her quest to find Westchester County’s top hot dogs, our first stop was Lubins-N-Links; and while we certainly found chili dogs that were hotter and with more proletarian punch (polite way to say greasy), the Lubins-N-Links chili link stood as a benchmark. It is a high-quality all-beef wiener (skinless or natural casing: you choose) in a soft, fresh potato roll, topped with chili, molten cheese, and chopped onion. The chili is spicy but not murderously so; in fact, it is mild-tempered enough that I felt it almost was eclipsed by the creamy richness of the cheese. If you want to get a glow on your lips and tongue, I suggest forgoing the cheese and going only with chili and, of course onions: a classic chili dog configuration.

Lubins-N-Links makes a point of offering a huge variety of house-made toppings and a selection of about 100 pre-established “Specialty Links” such as the Barking Dog (chipotle mayo and onion relish), the Piggy dog (crumbled bacon and cheese), the baked bean dog, the nacho dog, and the slaw dog. Two kinds of onion relish are offered: sweet and “Jubee,” the latter made from “our dad’s recipe (handed down from our Grandma),” which is billed as being an “explosion of flavors to enjoy.” So as not to skew our palates, we ordered a hot dog with nothing but Jubee onions. Delicious, and, as advertised, a powerhouse. A line of mustard underneath the onions wouldn’t hurt at all.

Now, about the Lubin. I would call it pot roast: extremely tender, extremely juicy hunks of long-roasted beef that are far more luxurious than their price (under $5) would suggest. Like the links, lubins are available with all the specialty toppings. The menu recommends cheese sauce and sweet onions. Horseradish sauce is an ideal condiment, too.