Hot Diggity Dogs - Tuesday Treasures

 Tom the backroads traveller hosts this weekly meme - Tuesday Treasures

Get yer hot dogs heeeeeeere!

While Toronto may not have a defining hot dog culture like New York or Chicago, we do love our weenies. Street meat is still a staple late-night nosh, and last year alone, Blue Jays fans (and I guess we also have to credit those cheering for the visiting teams) ate more than 700,000 $1 hot dogs during Schneider’s Loonie Dog Tuesdays at the Rogers Centre. Though, admittedly, this could have more to do with how much everything else costs at the stadium’s concession stands and not how much we heart hot dogs. 

You can get hot dogs around the world!

I'll start with Champs, they provide all the street meat to the hot dog stand vendors around downtown.

Photo taken 2008 when I was working across the street from Champs and it was surrounded by parking lots.

Also 2008

Hot Dog stands.

.

Church St.

Front St.

This place isn't around any more.

Then there's the Franks...

.

Woofdog's in Kensington Market

New to the market is Japadogs with several locations around town.

PORT DOVER ON

NIAGARA FALLS ON

MONTREAL

Nothing like a Montreal steamie!!

JOGGINS NOVA SCOTIA

CALGARY ALBERTA

BANGKOK THAILAND

ICELAND

When you order your hot dog - I can't recommend highly enough to have "One with everything" or as we say in Icelandic: "Ein með öllu".

Icelandic Hot Dog 'One with everything':
Lamb Hot Dog
Icelandic Mustard
Remolaði sauce
Fried Onions
Raw Onions
Iceland Style Ketchup (with apples instead of sugar to sweeten the flavor)
So in other words ...
Don't order your hot dog, Bill Clinton Style (with mustard only)

BORDEAU FRANCE

FRANKFURT GERMANY 

BERLIN GERMANY

AMSTERDAM THE NETHERLANDS 

ROME ITALY

NEW YORK CITY

We've eaten at Nathan's but I'm having trouble finding our photos, if we took any!

CHICAGO

Portillo's Restaurant Group, Inc. is an American fast casual restaurant chain based in the Chicago area that specializes in serving Chicago-style food such as hot dogs, Maxwell Street Polish, and Italian beef.

Portillo's was founded in 1963 by Dick Portillo.[6] After returning from serving in the Marines, Portillo gathered money from his savings and an investment from his brother Frank to open a hot dog stand. They bought a 12-foot trailer that had no restroom and no running water. They named it "The Dog House". The Dog House operated on North Avenue in Villa Park.At first the stand lost money and a solution was needed. Portillo snuck into one of the back rooms of a competitor and wrote down where they were purchasing their product. He continued the process of learning by visiting different competitors. By 1967, The Dog House, now in good financial standing, was upgraded to a larger trailer and was renamed "Portillo's".

Monday Mural

I'm linking up at Monday Mural

Kensington Market Toronto ON

Hot Dogs, anyone?

If you like murals, drop by this page devoted to Banksy, 

Foodie Fryday - Steamies and Poutine

August 2011

Ex-Montrealers are always on the lookout for steamies in Toronto. These can be found everywhere in Quebec and border towns in Ontario for about $1. The term comes from steaming the hot dog - steaming a dog locks in the moisture rather than grilling which would blister the casing, thus leaking the flavour. 

Montreal steamie:

Grilling is the norm in Toronto when getting "street meat" AKA hot dog from a street vendor.

The Little Dog offer four types: Montreal's Lester's ($1.99), NYC's Nathan's Famous ($3.49), Chicago's 58's ($3.49), and a Veggie option ($3.49).

I opted for one Montreal and one Nathan's (having missed out on one in NYC a couple of weeks ago). I enjoyed the Montreal steamie the best even though the slaw was not the way you would get it served in Montreal. 

Montreal Hot Dogs "Steamies"

6 large franks (beef or chicken/pork mix)

6 large hot dog buns

Mustard to taste

1 onion, diced

Coleslaw

Steam-cook franks in a steamer or double-boiler. Toast hot dogs buns if desired. Place cooked franks in hot dog buns; top a squirt of mustard, a handful of diced onions and coleslaw. Serve.

 Montreal Hot Dogs (Steamies)Coleslaw for Steamies:

1/2 head of cabbage, finely diced

1 small onion, finely diced

1 stalk celery, diced

1/2 C mayonnaise

Black pepper to taste

Coleslaw: In a bowl, combine all ingredients. Mix well. Set aside.  

Note: "Steamies" are served three different ways in Montreal. They can be "All-Dressed" (topped with the works; coleslaw is sometimes substituted with sauerkraut), "Michigan" (topped with chili or spaghetti sauce, with or without mustard and onions) and "Supreme" (topped with coleslaw, mustard and onions; rarely served with ketchup of green relish).