Ellen, your reports are among the best on this site, thanks as always.

I do have a suggestion: your close-up pics of your food are almost always blurry. You should check to see if your camera has a "close-up" or "macro" mode. It’s usually distinguished with an icon of a flower, like this:

That allows the camera to move to it’s most minimal focal length, and focuses the lens a few inches from the camera, and will make your food shots as sharp as can be.

Happy new year!

Pigiron

Hi Ellen ,

Great trip report and Happy New Year to you and relatives.
Interesting report from Amazing Hot Dogs , great picture at night . We did visit on the 2006 NJ Hot Dog Tour .Eric the owner was with us on the tour and group photo was taken in front of . He also raffled off a T Shirt and we conducted the raffle right there . Everyone has their own opinions and thats what makes this forum so great .

As far as Pals goes , seems very high for a dog and fries and slightly high for the burger and turkey .
Glad you liked it and having long term employees is a big plus , usually, and gives it a home type feel.

Based on your report I may try Wunder Weiner on our next trip to AC . Can you take Rt. 9 into AC from Toms River or do you have to get back on the GSP? Will be down there for the Motorsports Show at the end of the month staying at Showboat for a Thurs into Fri .

Thanks for the trip report . If you are in the Poconos area , you’re not far from some Orange County NY spots like Coney Island Rest. in Middletown , about a half hour from the PA line on Rt. 84 .

Benzee

Ellen,

Great job! I love your pictures and trip reports. I’ve heard of Wunder Wiener, but never been there. One person posted about this place making his favorite Italian Hot Dog. From the picture, I’m not sure I would like it as much as other places. I prefer Best hot dogs rather than Sabrett or any other brand for an Italian Hot Dog. And I prefer thinly sliced potatoes or homefries to french fries.

I haven’t been to Pals Cabin either, but the dog used there is a beef/pork Thumanns griller which I love.

As for Amazing Hot Dog, they recently switched hot dog brands. Previously they used Best. I posted about this on the New Jersey Hot Dog Thread. I went Friday and liked the new brand, but it is definitely different. I’m surprised no one noticed the difference. The new brand definitely has a subtler, milder flavor. I was curious to see how I would like it compared to the dog they used to serve (Best quarter pounder). I got one of their current dogs cold to take home and a quarter pound Best dog from the snack bar of the bowling alley that my son works at. This is the old dog that Amazing used to serve. Both my wife and I preferred the Best dog by a lot. I grilled both on my Weber grill. Although I like the current dog at Amazing, my wife didn’t like the spicing and thought it was bland. I think this particular dog might taste better fried than grilled. The toppings at Amazing are top notch and the dogs are served hot enough. This was not the case the last couple of times I went, but has been corrected.

Nice report. Please, a Pocono report would be a welcome addition; the area is so large, and there is a wide range of possibilities.

Yes, great report to kick off the new year Ellen!

I have added the Wood Pit to my "to do" list for 2008 based on the SL review, but I think I will let the "buzz" die down before I go there.

This may be an obvious suggestion but why don’t you carry a cooler with you to save the leftovers? You could have had the exact same meal again the next day, cosidering that you only ate 1/2 of everything the first time around. When I go on my food trips I always try to carry some aluminum foil and plastic bags for packing and a cooler.

Keep up the great reports, looking forward to the Poconos report. –Ken

Nice report there! But $7.95 for a foot long dog? Sure hope it came with a collar and leash.

Ellen,

Thanks for a great report. I agree with your philosophy, try as much as possible, even if you have to throw some out. I guess we aren’t members of the "clean your plate club". I do the same thing when I travel and want to try as much as possible. When I went to Philly I stayed at the Marriot right across the street from the Reading Terminal Market (great hotel, by the way) and I would do exactly as you did, but I got to try alot of great things.

Happy New Year!
DG

Always enjoy your reports, Ellen.The best to you in 2008, as well![:o)]

Last Saturday, Dec. 22nd I got off work a little early.
I was on the "early out" request list in my AC casino poker room.

I started driving "up north".
Ellen’s Excellent Roadfood adventure was about to begin!

My first stop was the "Wunder Wiener" in Beachwood along Rt. 9.
(just a few miles south of Toms River)

I remembered having a good Italian hot dog there. But since they close at 3:30 pm, I’m usually too late. (and they are closed on Mon. and Tues. my days off)

This time I got there 3 pm. Made it!
There were about 6 other cars lingering in the parking lot, downing their dogs , like being at a drive in movie.

It is located right across the street from the last free-standing Roy Rogers in NJ

Here’s a pic of my double dog. The price, $6.00 is standard for Italian double hot dogs these days.
The mustard choices were yellow or a dijon type . I prefer a good deli mustard, or a spicy Guldens type, though.
As you can see, they used regular french fries instead of the standard home fried potatoes. Takes a little away from the dog, as well.
Nevertheless, the dog was real tasty , though.
And Meal #1 was accomplished!

Next, I decided to overshoot my destination (my sisters house in Freehold area) , since I had all this extra time on my hands.

My next stop was the Amazing Hot Dog restaurant in Verona, NJ
(a 2nd location just opened in Bound Brook).
I was excited about finally getting to try a dog there
They were right near the "no longer standing" Claremont Diner, where I used to go many moons ago for their good pies and cakes

Their hot dog is a fried version, just like Rutt’s Hutt, except it is all beef

I must admit that I just love the way this pic came out. I love the way the dog looks, crispy and shiny.

However, the dog just did’nt have much beefy taste to me. No taste, IMO. And I did not see any deli mustard , just the yellow kind.

I wish they had a smaller tubed sized one (Gray’s Papaya style), as this one was a bit more fatter than I prefer.

I still recommend that you all try it, (if you have’nt already) and form your own opinions, though . It’s just that I wanted SO much to really like it, and I did’nt.

Next, I ended up cruising around downtown Bloomfield and Montclair, seeing what I’d come across.

I got excited when I passed by this rib joint in Montclair http://www.roadfood.com/insider/photos/3774.jpg%5B/img%5D
I went inside , but left disappointed as they were much too backed up on orders. There were about 20 customers inside, all waiting for their take-out orders. Not one person was actually doing any eating.
I was glad to see they had beef ribs on their menu (at $23.00 for a full rack, with sides, it was’nt exactly a steal, but…)
I did’nt want to age 10 years waiting for those ribs, and besides I still wanted to get to my sis’ …
p.s. I’m catching up on some of my newspapers, and I just realized that the Star Ledger reviewed this place the day before I went.

But first, one more pit stop! I realized I had’nt been to Pal’s Cabin in years. (it’s in West Orange, about 20 minutes from where I grew up in Springfield)
http://www.roadfood.com/insider/photos/3781.jpg" />
I figured the place would be packed (Sat. night), so I better do a take-out. Turns out they had a neat counter I could’ve eaten at.

While waiting for my order I relished reading all the clippings on the wall. Lots of pics of waitresses that have been there 30 years, 40 years. One lady has even been there for 50 years!
Actually, these ladies all looked pretty darned good for their age, so maybe there is something to be said for running around like they do…(good exercise), plus having being in your ,29,354263,0,18972,68.83.64.37
354262,354258,354258,2008-01-01 12:04:06,RE: J’s Beef”