Top Dog

If you are a hot dog lover passing through central Connecticut between March 1 and November 1, Tuesday through Saturday, between 10am and 3pm, you need to know about Top Dog. Spotting this jolly dog wagon is a breeze. Heading towards Middletown from the east on Route 66, look left around High Street. See the vintage yellow Checker cab in perfect restored condition? More amazing than that, look what it is pulling: a 1963 Airstream trailer that has been converted into a humongous hot dog.

It is at a window in the side of this truck-size dog (which, by the way, is nestled in a bun of stainless steel and topped with architectonic mustard and relish) that you tell proprietor Andrea Spaulding what kind of wiener you like. They are plump, full-flavored franks with a nice snap to their skin, and while you can order one with regular mustard and/or relish and/or ketchup, Andrea has concocted a bunch of specialty combos. These include a cheese dog, a chili dog, a pepper dog (fried peppers and onions), a bacon cheese dog, a kraut dog (“topped with old fashioned slow cooked sauerkraut”), a fire chili dog, and an Orleans dog, which is dressed with relish from the Crescent City.

There are no picnic tables or counters at which to stand, so plan on dining off your dashboard.