Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest

Brooklyn, NY

Only one place to be in NYC on 4th of July if you're a hot dog lover. The original Nathan's on Stillwell Ave on Coney Island for the hot dog eating contest!

It's more like a swallowing contest! Competitive eating legend Joey Chestnut was the favorite and he didn't disappoint this year. He shoveled down 69 hot dogs in 10 minutes, setting a new world record! I kept thinking he was going to have a heart attack on the spot...

This was Joey's 7th yellow mustard belt in a row, a mind-boggling accomplishment. He's like better than Michael Jordan! However, Joey was apparently disappointed because he wanted to reach 70, the number he decided he would retire after.

I love hot dogs but no way could I ever do this contest. I think the most I've eaten at one time was 5, when I was an athlete in high school, could eat like 9000 calories a day like Michael Phelps and get away with it.

In  fact, here's a picture of me eating a hot dog (that I most likely microwaved then put on white bread with a Kraft single and mustard) in my kitchen with Julie Moore Venn before a softball game in high school. I have on red nail polish for some reason, I weigh like 90 pounds and I'm wearing a Chicago T-shirt un-ironically...

Okay, back to Nathan's. Other than the original location on Stillwell, I never really ate Nathan's hot dogs in NYC. The fast food places are kind of filthy and the grilled hot dogs mediocre. I'm not a big fan of New York-style hot dogs with the brown spicy mustard, sauerkraut and onion saucey mixture.

But if you're at Coney Island, you have two have at least two. Then go see the bearded lady in a creepy tent and go on a wooden roller coaster if you don't value your life.

Nathan's hot dogs in general: *
Coney Island Nathan's overall vibe: ***

Legends of Chicagoland

Wolfy's on Peterson

When I was a kid, we used to drive by Wolfy's every time we visited my Grandma Fae in the city. It was always torture to drive by without going in...

The COSTCO controversy

Everywhere, USA

Okay, it's not really a controversy like the NSA leaker or something. It's just that some snobs don't want to acknowledge that the giant soulless chain has one of the best hot dogs in the country! I'm not gonna lie, there's a lot of riff raff waiting in line for the dirt cheap food at COSTCO...

And you're taking your life into your own hands with the condiments (I haven't died yet)...

But the bottom line is you can get a hot dog and a soda pop for less than 2 bucks...

I'm talking an amazing hot dog. Made by Kirkland, the jumbo quarter pounders are juicy and garlicky. The soft sesame seed bun is the perfect vessel for this red hot...

Do I look like I'm gonna keel over here? No, I look like I'm in ecstasy. And I am. Because I also just got enough toilet paper for seven lifetimes...

I am a hot dog

Whoever took this pic was obviously drunk...

Walter's

Mamaroneck, NY

Even though I lived in NYC for 15 years, I almost missed this historic landmark, which dates back to 1919! Thanks to my friend Rachel, who lives ten minutes away from there, I got to taste their unique hot dogs before I moved to LA. She insisted I try it.

 

Walter's looks like a pagoda, but the food is All-American dogs. Some kind of pork or veal blend, almost like a wurst, split down the middle and grilled in a "secret" sauce (tastes pretty buttery to me). The bun is toasted to perfection and it's topped with homemade mustard. I only ate two but could have wolfed down like five. Rachel kept me in check.

That's Rachel there, holding my dog Scooter, and her daughter Emma. Rachel needs to keep me in check. While we stood in the legendarily long line (we waited about 30 minutes), Scooter started sniffing up a guy's shorts. Not thinking about the fact that Emma and her sister Bridget were standing there, I asked him if he had a hot dog in his pants. Oops!

After you get your food (I highly recommend the curly fries), you sit at picnic tables as children run amok around you.

I love Walter's. It's suburban goodness!

Walter's hot dogs: ***
Curly fries: ****
Overall vibe: ****

July 4 - Taste of Chicago

In Chicago, July 4th used to be synonymous with Taste of Chicago. Millions of people crammed into Grant Park, stuffing themselves silly in the unbearable heat/humidity, getting drunk and watching fireworks over Lake Michigan.

Unfortunately, when the economy tanked, they downsized the festival. And if I'm not mistaken, they canceled the fireworks! In the ol' days, every restaurant in town had booths. Giant turkey legs, pizza, ribs, cheesecake, you name it...now it's only 40 food vendors. Sad.

But to be honest, even though there used to be every kind of food under the sun, I usually only ate hot dogs anyway! Here's a shot of me from a couple years ago, lovingly preparing a Vienna Beef dog, from one of my fave's Gold Coast, for devour-ation.

Camden Yards

Baltimore

I love going to different ballparks all over the country to watch baseball but more importantly taste ball park food, especially to sample regional hot dogs. One of my favorite yearly trips when I lived in NYC was to drive to Camden Yards to see the Orioles lose to my White Sox.

Camden Yards is the coolest stadium I've been to. It was the first to be designed "old-school" when all the ballparks were getting facelifts. I love the new Comisky (I refuse to call it The Cell) but they missed the boat when designing the exterior. I mean, look at Camden...

Okay, let's get to the important part -- the food! Camden Yards has excellent hot dogs and Polish sausages. I can't believe they can get away with calling their stand "Polack Johnny's"

 

Camden Yards also has incredible pulled pork in the outfield and fresh soft homemade pretzels. I completely pig out when I go here because among the parks I've been to, it has the second best food (Comisky's is amazing and I'll post pics after I go to a game in August).

Here's me stuffing my face like an animal at Camden Yards...

I've been to Camden with my friend Paul, my ex Sophie and best of all my dad and I did a road trip from NYC together I will never forget. We stopped along the way and had fresh crab at the famous Cantler's near Annapolis. Then we pigged out in our amazing seats at Camden. The Orioles used to be so bad that you could get first row behind the White Sox dugout for $70. At Yankee stadium those seats would be $1500.

Here's some awesome shots from that incredible trip, my amazing brother Brett (I call him Bert) caught us on TV and took screen shots...