The other day, I was out with my friends
from Telecom and we
were looking for a place to grab a quick bite
before heading up
to the Big Dipper for some ice cream. Since it
was Friday, Blackie's
was closed... so we ended up at Dairy Queen.
To make a long story
short, the dog was a Hummel but not cooked
very well, the chili
was barely palatable, the cheese was
tasteless, and the dog was
overpriced. Had it not been for a very good
chocolate milk shake
(thanks to their excellent soft-serve) the trip
would have been
a complete loss. Now there are two reasons
I'm relating this unpleasant
tale to you. One is that a quality dog (the
aforementioned Hummel)
does not in and of itself guarantee you
success in the weiner
world, and two, it serves as a backdrop for a
far more PLEASANT
hot dog encounter!
A couple of weeks later, Avery and I were
in the mood for some
lunch, and seeing as it was a VERY sunny
day, I suggested dining
al fresco at Sahadi's Hotties in New
Britain. Now if you're
a regular reader, you may have already
surmised that being in
New Britain means that the dogs are Martin
Rosols, and you'd be
100% correct. But that's not all that Sahadi's
has going for it.
If you've never been there, Sahadi's started off
as a hot-dog
cart on a vacant lot off of Corbin Avenue. But it
proved so popular
that its proprietor made the operation more
permanent, building
a small structure to house his grill and
freezers, and keep his
customers out of the weather while ordering.
It's a combination
of these humble beginnings and its current
size that makes Sahadi's
so popular and successful.
First off, the variety of items is surprising.
A recent visit
showed a half-dozen breakfast sandwiches,
chicken (breast filets
or nuggets,) burgers, turkey (in burger form,)
pork rib sandwiches,
steak sandwiches, fried seafood, and 4 types
of sausages (hot
dogs, Georgia Red-Hots, Italian sausage, and
kielbasa.) Add to
that plenty of sides and soda and you've got a
menu that could
satisfy anyone.
Secondly, the place is CHEAP! The most
expensive items are
the seafood dinners (Including french fries or
onion rings) and
those are only 5 bucks. Everything else on the
menu is $2.50 or
less, with several items priced at two for three
bucks. And the
dogs are only $1.25 each! With EVERYTHING!
I know what you're
thinking... it can't be that good. Au contraire,
the food compares
to even the most highly regarded dogs in the
state, the chili
is tasty, the Italian sausage tangy, the
Red-Hots spicy, and everything
else is just plain good. And anyplace where
you can get a full
meal for $4.00 or less is worth at the very least
one return visit.
A word of warning however. My sources
tell me that Sahadi's
is now the number two choice for lunch in the
hearts of Stanley
Works employees (behind Capitol Lunch, of
course.) What that means
is that it gets pretty damn crowded at
lunchtime, so get there
before twelve. One other quick note: there are
no seats indoors.
There is a small little table out front to stand at
and a few
picnic tables outside, but it can get kind of
windy, so hang on
to your napkins. All in all, Sahadi's is one of
the best hot-dog
purveyors in the state, and for the money, they
can't be beat
by anyone. Now if he'd only carry Frozen
Cokes...
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