New Gourmet Hot Dog Trend Taking Over Westchester County
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- It's a dog fight for your taste buds.
The humble hot dog is being elevated to new heights in the northern suburbs. Toppings range from corn salsa to crushed pretzels.
First came a bonanza of new burger joints. Now, CBS2's Tony Aiello reports the hot dog is having its moment in Westchester.
"Love hot dogs! It's America's food, hot dogs. Greatest thing," said hot dog fan David Gorditch.
This summer, historic hot dog joint Walter's is expanding for the first time in 100 years with a shop on Mamaroneck Avenue in White Plains.
Across town, The Dog Den opened five weeks ago with a mind-boggling hot dog menu.
At another spot, in New Rochelle, former Fairway Market executive John Rossi is part of the team behind Tailgate Dogs & Sausages.
"Food is supposed to deliver basic pleasure, and hot dogs do that," he said.
"It's like a blank canvas. You take your creativity and splash it all together," worker Brandon Randolph added.
They're creative to the max at The Dog Den. The restaurant boasts 106 daily toppings like SpaghettiOs and dogs like the "Fat Elvis," topped with peanut butter and jelly.
"The concept is to have fun on a bun. Lots of hot dog combinations that everyone loves, that they're familiar with, that they'll come back for more and more and try different ones, and really investigate the beauty of hot dogs," said The Dog Den's Dennis Rubic.
"The plan is to come here once a week and have two dogs, and hopefully by the end of the summer we'll finish the menu," said Rubic.
With 58 different dogs, maybe by the end of the year!