Ken,
I believe you are referring to Jimmy’s on the Delaware in Phillipsburg, and I second Benzee to add Charlie’s Pool Room.

Dave

Hello all ,

I think its is great that Jimmy Buff himself would post his reply on one less than favorable experience at his place .

I for one will be visiting in the near future .
Closest to the GWB ? I know there are four locations .
Can I double a visit with another Dog establishment nearby.

Thanks all

Benzee

The CN8 segment covered a lot of ground in a very short time, but it was a great teaser for the upcoming tour on the 17th. Of course Syd’s looked the best to me.

John, was this the footage that they shot last year? Of course our humble resident expert served in the same capacity for this piece.

Ken ,

If you are gonna go to Tobys Cup on your little tour you have to add Charlies Pool Room in Alpha . Just a thought .

As far as " Mr Michigan" , I’m sure the powers will handle it accordingly .

Benzee

Originally posted by ken8038

My wife, son and I made a quick trip up to Jimmy Buff’s in East Hanover for lunch yesterday. Sorry to say, but we gave it a totally mixed review.

The food was just fine. I had an Italian Dog (which I thought was a little small, but then again it was only $3.95, I think), and a pushcart dog with great hot onions. My wife was somewhat dismayed to find that her cheeseburger was served in the style of an Italian Hot Dog, with the fried onions and peppers and potatoes. Way too much grease for her. My son had the Chicken finger basket with fries, which he liked, but then again he likes the chicken fingers at his college too.

The problem was with everything else. First of all, it was literally about 45 degrees in the place. When someone ahead of me on line asked the counter lady about it, she just shrugged and said it was because people keep opening the door. (So what’s the solution, not let any customers in??). We rushed thru our food just to get out of there into the warm car, so I can’t say any of us really enjoyed it.

Also, the soda was awful. I’m particular about my draft beer and draft soda, rule #1 should be to clean the damn tubes every day. And the soda was way overpriced, I know there are free refills, but the tiny flimsy plastic cups they give you meant like 4 trips to the soda machine. And no lids. My wife is convinced that it was not true Pepsi syrup coming from the Pepsi spigot.

The ordering system needs work also, it was very busy when we were there, and no one seemed to know who was supposed get what order, the customers were pretty much left to figure it our for themselves, everything was just placed on the pickup counter.

I’ll give it another shot, like in May or something.

Ken, as owner of the East Hanover location I would like to apologize for the temperature in the store, the heat was not working properly and we were using portable heaters until PSEG could fix it, but at no time did the temperature go under 62. My mother was correct in saying that every time the front door opened we would get a blast of cold air. Believe me she was colder than anyone, she was there 8 hours.
As for the burger. My menu has 4 panels, the first panel is Italian
style sandwiches which come single and double. The second panel are the pustcart dogs the third panel are the charcoal broiled burgers which are called Wimpy’s. If you ordered a single burger it would come out as an Italian style burger just as the picture shows. If you ordered a Wimpy burger you would have gotten a charcoal broiled burger just as that picture shows. It is quite clear.
As far as the soda, I must admit you are the first person to complain about free-refills, and if you doubt that I am using Pepsi or any other name brand soda feel free to look behind the bar, all the canisters are in plain sight and clearly marked.
As far as the system goes, when you order you get the bottom stub of the guest check which contains a set of numbers, when your order is ready your number is called, you come to the eat-in window and pick up your order, sounds easy enough doesn’t it?
I have been doing this my whole life and my number 1 priority is to make sure you leave happy and full and if I didn’t do that than I didn’t do my job. If I am present at your next visit please introduce yourself and I would gladly buy you lunch for my only means of advertising is word of mouth. My slogan is if your not satisfied tell me and if your are tell others because the best compliment I could receive is for you to tell others about Jimmy Buff’s.

Thanks for letting me clarify some things.

<<I think the place you are thinking of further west on 28 is J&G in Dunellen.>>

That’s it! Thanks John. I’m still stunned that I had never been to Middlesex Tx Weiners, all this time I had it confused with J & G.

One could do a tour just by heading west from Scotch Plains out to the NJ/PA border on 22 and 28:

1. The Hot Dog Truck on Terrill Rd about 1/2 mile South of 22.
2. Red Tower on 22 (my son says it’s gotten much better than my only visit years ago).
3. Texas Weiner 1 in Plainfield
4. Texas Weiner 2 on Rt 22 (Yes, I know it has gone downhill)
5. Middlesex Tx Weiner
6. J & G
7. Amazing
8. Costco
9. Stewarts on 22 nr Lebanon
10. Toby’s Cup
11. The one right on the Delaware in P’burg (I forget the new name, not the place that used to be Eddie’s Drive in, the place across the street).

went to that hotdog place off monmouth st in red bank today. i had a large grilled dog and a big cup of chili! dog was pretty good but was on a hoagie type roll which i don’t enjoy as much but the chili was really good! they say the soup there is better than the dogs. my next trip i will have to get some soup. it is right in my work territory so i will have to check it out more often.

I had the chance to sample hot dogs from 2 places that I haven’t heard of previously. On another forum, someone mentioned that the best hot dogs come from a place in East Brunswick called Continental Provisions. I called and spoke with the owner to find out if they were open Sunday. They are, so I went last Sunday.

Continental Provisions is owned by Karol Elsner. It was started by his family in 1961. All the recipes are from his grandfather, who learned his craft in Poland. There is a small store in the front and sausage making equipment and a smoke room in the back. The German style franks are made from beef and pork and come either natural casing or skinless. They are about 7 or eight to a pound. I’ve found that the best tasting beef and pork franks come from butcher shops such as these. They are superior to what larger commercial producers make. With a few exceptions, such as Thumann’s. I’ve never had a subpar frank from any pork store.

Mr. Elsner explained to me that many hot dog makers use trimmings, while he uses whole cuts of beef and pork supplemented with trimmings. And old world recipes going back decades. I expected his franks to be good and they were that and more. They are up there with Liehs & Steigerwald and Karl Ehmer’s as my favorite dogs from a butcher shop. Good, tender meat with a good blend of spices. Mild, but not bland. I compared them blind a few days later next to 2 other franks from local butcher shops in Union. My wife and I both picked the dogs from Continental Provisions as being the best. Definitely check out this place if you are near East Brunswick. It’s on Main St. just over the border from Sayreville. They also sell bratwurst and other German and Polish sausages. They were out of bratwurst when I was there, so I didn’t get to try it. They are well known for their kielbasy also, which they did have, but I didn’t try. I did have a few kielbasa franks which were very good. Beef and pork franks, with extra spicing.

The other place I tried is called Ricci D’s Front Street Cafe. Located at 124 W. Front St. in Keyport right across from the Ocean. I went today after reading a review last Wednesday in the Home News Tribune. They’ve been there 3 or 4 years, but I only learned of them when I read the review. The restaurant is owned by Mike Ricciardelli and his father Richard. They serve breakfast and lunch items, but their specialty is Italian Hot Dogs. The family has been in the restaurant business since the 1930’s (4 generations) when it sold Italian Hot Dogs at the Chapel Street Market in Newark.

Again, I was expecting a good product, and again it met or exceeded my expectations. The double I had was an authentic Newark style Italian Hot Dog. Quality pizza bread, Best brand hot dogs, peppers, potatoes, and onions. Of course I skip the onions. The potatoes are sliced thin and fried twice. First blanched in a deep fryer, then fried a second time in a big pot with the dogs, peppers, and onions. Everything cooking in the same oil, causing the flavors to blend together. When the sandwich is being prepared, the peppers and onions are taken out of the oil and thrown on the griddle for a little while. The peppers, red and green, are also sliced thin.

The end result is a great Italian Hot Dog. Right up there with Charlies and Tommy’s. The dogs are smaller; 10 to a lb rather than 8, which I prefer. But everything is done right, and you can tell that the family has been making these dogs for a long time. You don’t normally find an authentic Italian Hot Dog south of Union County. There is Jo Jo’s who moved to Toms River from Iselin. Good, but not a standout. Mike the owner of Ricci D’s told me that he has many customers who have moved from North Jersey. When they hear about his place, the first thing they do when they walk in is ask about the bread. When they hear it is the same pizza bread used in North Jersey, they stay. They were prepared to walk out if they would have been told it was served ,3,440.121,1,7406,152.163.100.7
559,440,440,2005-07-02 18:39:01,RE: New Jersey Hot Dogs”

quote:

Originally posted by foobuc

i liked J&G in Dunellen the few times i have been there. With all of this talk of Boardwalk Hot Dogs in Brick, i may have to stop there one Wed when things get slow(After1/1/08). Is there still a Texas Weiner place in Hillsborough? I remember passing it when i used to live in Bridgewater…

the place in Hillsborough my wife and I went to a couple of weeks ago on a friday night. The place was spotless! Amazingly clean and the owner was a really really nice guy who has owned it for about 6 months now! We talked about the business and he is a hard working guy trying to raise a family and make it there. Unfortunately the township has some really bad laws about signage and they are relly giving him the screws!! its not the first time i had heard that Hillsboruogh was really crooked with a lot of Hands out if you know what i mean1!! and also unfortunately his chili sauce was by our standards(my wife and i) very sub par. Quite frankly it just wasnt a very good dog! I dont know how the rest of his food is (hes open all day) but nonethe less i hope he does well cause he was so very nice to us….By the way the other post that talked about Big-Daddys texas weiners thats where Joeys grill is now right across the street from Amazing -Hot dog!! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!!!

the Paul’s 2 that i saw is off Route 22 onto Somerset St.
(i was headed west on 22 so i had to take the Somerset St. jughandle) Take Somerset St. down towards i think what is downtown No. Plainfield. It is on the left hand side on the corner right before you hit the immediate main shopping area. Like i said it looks like it is new and coming soon but i could be wrong….

quote:

Originally posted by ken8038

Well, I had a few hours to kill today, and rather than risk a drive down to Sayreville and possibly find that Nagles cart is not there on Saturday, I decided to head north instead. I drove up to Hillsdale to check out the Karl Ehmer Hot Dog Cart.

Ehmer’s was my favorite brat years ago when I lived in Brooklyn. Most of them are out of business now, the Ehmer’s on Broadway in Hillsdale is one of the few left. They set up a cart on Saturdays in front of the store and sell grilled Dogs, brats, and several other sausages. Quite the place to be in Hillsdale on a Saturday, judging from the line. The brat was good, but not quite the nirvana I remembered (then again, what is, these days). I also had one of their beef and pork dogs, and that hit the jackpot! Maybe the best I’ve had in NJ. Up there with Thuman’s (my favorite), quite possibly even better. —Ken

I made it up to Karl Ehmer’s this past Monday planning on buying some of their German frankfurters and brats to take home. Even though it wasn’t a Saturday, they had the cart open in front of the store. The cart had a compartment for heating sausages (German franks, all beef franks, brats, weisswurt, and other sausages) in water, as well as a griddle and small grill. I had a German frank ($2.50) and an all beef frank ($2.75) fresh off the griddle. Both were about 6 to a lb in size. You have your choice of sausages and your choice of how you want them prepared. The woman working the cart prefers hers simmerred in water, but most of them are already on the griddle ready to eat. You have to request one to be put on the grill if you want it char grilled.

The German beef and pork dog is right up there with Thumann’s. An excellent tasting dog in this style. I bought some from the store with the intention of comparing them in a taste test, which I did yesterday. I also bought some bratwurst and all beef dogs to take home. The store looks like a butcher shop, but the meats are not made on premise, but rather at their plant in Ridgewood, N.Y. Brats, German franks, and other sausages are sold loose or by the pound. Beef franks were sold by the pound only. They are rather expensive. $6.99 a lb for franks and $6.49 for brats. I didn’t ask about the other sausages.

The all beef dog was also very good. Spicy like a New York/New Jersey/Chicago dog. German style beef and pork dogs are the style preferred by these butcher shops. Some also include veal in the mix. All use their own unique recipe. The ones that make a beef dog usually make it milder than a typical all beef dog. Not so here. This dog was spicy and good. I bought a pack of them and will be comparing them to some other beef dogs I have at home when I get my shipment of Usinger’s this week.

For me, I like to compare different brands side by side, prepared the same way at home. Yesterday I sampled a Thumann’s, Karl Ehmer’s German frank, and a Union Pork Store German frank, all simmerred in water and finished off on my griddle. All were excellent. Similar in taste, although Thumann’s and Karl Ehmer’s were closest. Just slightly more flavor and complexity than the Union Pork Store dog. But all equal in terms of overall quality. I would make my decision on which of these to buy based on convenience and price, since they are all in the same league. These 3 dogs, as well as Liehs and Steigerwald (from Syracuse and only available at their location or mail order) are my favorite German style dogs.

As I said, the differences in the 3 dogs sampled are small. The Union Pork store dog has a little tougher casing and slightly milder flavor than the other 2. Thumann’s and Karl Ehmer’s are very close in taste. In fact, this dog is the closest in taste to Thumann’s. Thumann’s i,3,440.117,1,7406,64.12.116.7
556,440,440,2005-06-05 18:36:34,RE: New Jersey Hot Dogs”

i liked J&G in Dunellen the few times i have been there. With all of this talk of Boardwalk Hot Dogs in Brick, i may have to stop there one Wed when things get slow(After1/1/08). Is there still a Texas Weiner place in Hillsborough? I remember passing it when i used to live in Bridgewater…