Roadside Dining
By Ann Blask
All photos in this article by Jessica Kourkounis.
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Here are some of the area’s favorite hotdog havens:
Ted’s
Think “hot dog,” and you immediately think of Ted’s. With eight locations in the Buffalo area, you’re never far away from that unmistakable taste of a perfectly grilled summertime treat. Hear the crunch as you bite into it. Savor the charcoal flavor, and the hot, juicy inside. That’s a hot dog!
Though most people remember the Sheridan Drive location as the “Original Ted’s,” the true original was actually a tool shed, which was used during the construction of the Peace Bridge. In 1927, after the bridge was completed, founder Ted Liaros bought the small, abandoned site for $100.
Much has evolved since then. Now in addition to the standard size hot dog, they offer Foot Longs, Jumbos, hotdogs made with all beef, and lots of sandwiches, including burgers, grilled chicken breast, and Italian Sausage. That’s the easy part. Deciding which toppings you want can be a bit more challenging. If you’re a traditionalist you might go with the standard: mustard, ketchup, and pickle. In a wild mood? Order your hot dog with “the works.” However, you might need a bib to deal with the pile of onions, sauerkraut, chili, homemade hot sauce, and liquid cheddar!
Along with your hot dog or sandwich, try the house specialty—Homemade Onion Rings. Prepared fresh daily, they are breaded with a flour/cracker meal mixture, and dipped in an egg wash. The result is a light, crispy, really oniony-tasting tidbit.
Part of the Ted’s experience is watching your food cook. Unlike fast-food restaurants, where everything is prepared and wrapped in the back room, at Ted’s everything is cooked and dressed in front of you. If you want it charred until it’s black, it’s your hot dog, so it’s your choice.
Also whipped up on-the-spot, are Ted’s famous milk shakes. Made with real ice cream, they are thick and rich, and perfect for those dog-days of summer, when it’s too hot to eat.
Ted’s has indoor as well as outdoor seating.
Grilled Hot Dogs
Though it’s impossible to exactly duplicate the Ted’s taste on a backyard barbecue grill, since they use hardwood charcoal, you can come pretty close. Use Sahlen’s natural casing hot dogs. Before placing hot dogs on the grill, soak for a few minutes in hot water to plump up. Grill on low heat, uncovered, so the hot dogs cook from the inside out. Once the skin breaks open, it means the inside is hot and the dog is ready. Continue to grill until it reaches the color you like. Serve on an absolutely fresh bun. To toast or not toast the bun is up to you.
Ted’s
Open year-round, 10:30a.m.-11p.m.
Locations:
Amherst, Williamsville, Tonawanda, Galleria Mall,
Orchard Park, Lockport, North Tonawanda, and Lancaster.
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Karen Connors Erickson and Bill Connors.
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Going to Connors’, on Angola’s lakeshore, is more than a beautiful summer drive. It’s a trip that brings back all those good-time memories of fun-filled days at the beach, summer cottages, beach parties, lively bars, and, of course, a stop at Connors for a hot dog and fries.
Opened in 1944 by Thomas Connors, the family-run restaurant is now in its third generation. Karen Connors Erickson and brothers Bill and Kevin Connors run the operation, along with their many children—twenty two, to be exact.
“By the time the kids were seven or eight years old, my father would pay them a dollar to pick up papers and trash,” says Karen. “By fourteen, the boys would graduate to fry-cooks and the girls waitresses. You moved up the corporate ladder only when the next brother, sister, or cousin turned fourteen.”
Though many of the clan are now grown and living in other parts of the country, they still help out during summer visits. Karen recalls one of the girls bringing her fiancée home to meet the family on a busy Fourth of July weekend. There was no time for the customary chit-chat with his in-laws-to-be. He was quickly pressed into service at the potato peeler—no easy task.
On a typical summer day, Connors serves 500 pounds of potatoes and 600 pounds of hot dogs. Though they also offer burgers and chicken sandwiches, a hot dog with fries is the pièce de résistance.
What’s so special about their hot dogs and fries? Karen says it’s quality. “We use only the best products. Frey’s hot dogs, Webber’s condiments and the freshest potatoes we can get.”
“When local potatoes are in season, usually by the end of June, the fries you eat in the afternoon were in the ground that morning,” she says. “The potato farmer we buy from in Brant calls us each day when the potatoes are dug.”
Connors has outdoor tables only. Go inside to order, then carry your food to one of the picnic tables along the side or back of the restaurant.
Great French Fries
Use fresh, new potatoes, when available, or the hardest potatoes you can find. If you use store-bought potatoes in a sack, lay them out to dry for a few days. Peel and cut potatoes, soak in cold water for 10-15 minutes. Drain and dry potatoes.
Partially cook in hot, cholesterol-free oil. Drain and cool. Finish cooking in hot oil when ready to serve.
Connors
8905 Lake Shore Rd
Angola
Open daily from May 1 until the Sunday after Labor Day.
Sun-Thurs: 11a.m. - 11p.m.; Fri-Sat: 11a.m. - 4a.m.
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Old Man River isn’t just a restaurant: It’s a happening. Across the street from Niawanda Park, facing Grand Island, it thrives in a resort-like atmosphere with cyclists and roller-bladers whizzing along the riverside bike path, people taking an easy stroll, and loungers sitting on the park benches enjoying the summer scene of river and sunshine, sailboats and water skiers.
The open gazebo-like restaurant has tables inside as well as out, and canvas sides, in case it’s too windy or cool. Adding to the summer-fun atmosphere on weekends, they have a band playing on the old wooden boat in the backyard.
Hot dogs top the list of favorites. You can choose a regular size, footlong, white hot, made with veal and pork, or a Bunny Dog—a grilled carrot on a bun. It may sound strange, but vegetarians as well as meat eaters love them. What do you put on a Bunny Dog? “The same things you put on a meat hotdog,” I was told.
There are lots of other tempting choices, including grilled Kielbasa, Italian Sausage, burgers, (including a veggie burger), grilled chicken, fish, and bologna steak. You’ll find the usual side-dishes, such as fries, onion rings, and salads, and they also cook up sweet potato fries, served with a drizzle of honey and butter.
To top off your meal, or for a special midday treat, mosey over to the ice-cream parlor section of the restaurant. Whether you prefer soft ice cream, or traditional, the must-have is one of Old Man River’s famous waffle cones. Dipped in chocolate and, if you like, decorated with colored sprinkles or M & M’s, the waffles are made fresh daily by owner, Mary Meilman.
Mary and her husband, Dr. Jeffrey Meilman, a renowned plastic surgeon, also own a hot dog stand/ice cream parlor in Maui, Hawaii.
Mary’s Homemade Waffle Cones
3 eggs
1/2 cup melted butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Beat the eggs and gradually beat in sugar until creamy. Stir in melted butter and vanilla. Combine flour and baking powder and add to mix. Blend well. Drop 4 spoons of batter onto heated commercial waffle baker and cook until golden brown. Remove waffle and immediately shape into a cone while it is still pliable. Let cool. Dip cooled cone into chocolate sauce and immediately roll in nuts, chocolate chips, sprinkles, M&M’s, or whatever you like. Fill with your favorite ice cream.
Old Man River
375 Niagara Street
Tonawanda
Seasonal—April to October, depending on weather
Open Thurs. & Sun. 11a.m. - 10p.m.,
Fri-Sat 11a.m. - 11p.m.
Ann Blask is a freelance writer and partner of Visions Travel in Orchard Park.
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