Traveling Feast

New England Trip #7

Boston is the site of the Freedom Trail and Fenway Park, the Big Dig and… a real contender for the best hot dog in the country.

The dog in question comes from a tiny white trailer in an industrial triangle in south Boston called Newmarket Square.  Apparently the rules of geometry can be suspended in New England geography because there are only three sides to this particular “square.”  Around the perimeter of the triangle called a square are warehouses devoted almost exclusively to food: Lun Fat Produce, Mutual Beef, J. Carter Veal, Boston Brisket Company Inc, the Chinese Spaghetti Factory, Katsiroubas Bros. Wholesale Fruit and Produce, and a place simply titled Lord Jeff.

Yet the reason to come is Speed’s trailer.

I would have never ventured within miles of Newmarket Square if it wasn’t for the hot dog that won the hearts of both Raymond Sokolov of the Wall Street Journal and Frank Bruni of the New York Times.  Given the number of classic dogs on NYC street corners, I would take the vote of either as statistically significant.  Together their claim that Speed’s is the dog of all dogs is much more.

Sokolov embarked on a crosss-country quest for the best dog and counts Pink’s (Los Angeles), Gene and Jude’s (Chicago), and the Shake Shack (New York) as runners-up to the top dog.  Yet he claims that Speed’s is the ultimate tube steak: “the wiener with the most wow, the frank of all franks.”

Then there is Bruni, former restaurant critic for the New York Times.  His post at the paper made him arguably the most powerful and influential critic is in the country and possibly the world.  And his choice: Boston Speed’s.  Sure I wanted to try some calm “chow-da” while in Boston, but I simply couldn’t pass up a chance to taste a truly top contender for the best hot dog in the land.

The man behind Boston Speed’s is Ezra “Speed” Anderson, and he started dishing dogs in 1975.  He personally no longer serves his famous franks out the window of the tiny mobile dog house, but he remains the one making the secret sauce that you can get slathered on your $7 charcoal grilled dog along with an equally fresh and homemade red relish.  The secret sauce recipe is a closely guarded secret, but one of my sources passed along the rumor that one of the ingredients is… get this… grape jelly.  Sources even closer to Speed would neither confirm nor deny this rumor.

What isn’t rumor is the recent panic among Boston’s hot dog aficionados.  Recently Speed (well into his eighties) hung up his tongs, and passed along the day-to-day operations of the wagon to a younger partner, Greg Gale.  By the time I arrived, though, this ruckus seems to have died down with Gale proving he wouldn’t mess with the best.  Like Speed himself, Gale continues to use 1/2 pound commercial franks and marinate each one in apple cider and brown sugar before tossing it on the grill.  The bun also gets toasted on the grill briefly.

The result is a wonder in a bun.

I haven’t yet tried every dog Sokolov did before crowning Speed’s the king, but I do know that Speed and Gale are deserve the buzz.  They serve up a truly great dog… possibly the very best.

New England Trip #1

From May 22 to May 31 the Feast was on the road flying to, meandering around, and returning from New England.  Amanda, Michael, and Anthony Hyman served as hosts and tour guides for my nine day trip that included days in southern Vermont, Boston, the Connecticut shore and western hills, as well as New York City.  Needless to say, food surfaced as a major focus for each day’s outing and I’m contemplating a series of posts that chronicle high points, great meals, and quirky moments of the trip.

To this end, let me begin by drawing you attention to a curious close-up of the fabric on the back of the seat in front of me on the first leg of the the plane trip: Spokane to Minneapolis.  I’m sure you’ve heard tales of the Virgin Mary’s image supposedly appearing on a grilled cheese sandwhich or Jesus himself apparently showing up on artifacts far less momentous and historic than the Shroud of Turin.  A few of these ‘relics’ have even gone up for bid on EBay.

This doesn’t look like Mary to me or Jesus, but I’ve digitally enhanced the photo to draw your attention to what looks to me like the side profile of a man in a chef’s hat.  Given my fixation on food and delight in so many who prepare and serve it, you will undoubtedly accuse of me an overactive imagination.  This is completely understandable.  It is also why I took the picture so you might judge for yourself.  Is it a fabric omen fortelling 9 days of oysters, clams, lobster, hot dogs, and frozen custard shakes or just Kevin needing reading material other than the Sky Mall catalog?

A Facebook request for REUBEN RUN votes produced some fun commentary.

Heather Estridge and Amanda Hyman weighed in in favor of O’Doherty’s Irish Grille.

Heather: “Ok, so it’s been a while but I loved the Reuben at the Irish pub downtown, O’Doherty’s.”
Amanda: “I vote for O’Doherty’s too…I always order it when I go there!”

Amanda also added: “Latah Bistro makes a good one too.”

Next came Mr. Benson with a vote for the Wall Street Diner on the near northside:

Kevin: “Oh! The Wall Street Diner knows how to make a good one. Let me know if you need more “reviewers”. YUM!!”

Kelley Damon confesses to regular visits to the Elk Public House for her Reuben fix:

Kelley: “My vote is the Elk. I had at least 100 during my last pregnancy! Love those cravings.”

And Blythe Thimsen suggests a second possible Reuben rivalry in close proximity.  In Browne’s Addition the Elk and Cafe Marron go head-to-head across Cannon Street.  Blythe says that the Reuben at Chaps is also a contender, and this creates a parking lot sandwich smack-down between countrified Chaps and upscale Latah.

Blythe: “No need to continue the voting, I have the answer – it is at Chaps – (across from Latah Bistro)”

Any place else we need to consider?  We have seven sandwiches on the list thus far.