Ted's Hot Dogs

Name: Ted’s Hot Dogs

Location: Buffalo, NY

Meal: Two Hot Dogs, French Fries, and Loganberry Soda

Type: Hot Dog Joint

As previously stated Buffalo is best known for a certain style of chicken wing but certainly has other gastronomic contributions. Not too far from the University of Buffalo campus you find Ted’s Hot Dogs. The full title reads, Ted’s Charcoal Grilled Hot Dogs. Your food gets cooked to order in front of you over glowing coals, incredibly close to those glowing coals. In addition to adding great taste to the hot dogs the charcoal benefits Ted’s in another way; the smoke exhaust tells everyone in the surround area the great food is available.

Buffalonians are a proud people; they deal with enough cold, crazy weather that the pride is well earned (they’re like Clevelanders but with a New York chip on the shoulder).  I’ve met plenty of people originally from Buffalo in my travels and when we inevitably get to talking food they soon run down a list to determine exactly how much I’ve experienced. The list normally reads:

1. Anchor Bar (check, they expect every tourist to visit)
2. Charlie the Butcher/ Beef on Weck (check, they figure someone told me to)
3. Ted’s Hot Dogs (check, they begin to become impressed)
4. Duff’s Wings (check, credibility is fully established)
5. Anderson’s Custard (check, icing on the credibility cake)

With Buffalo cred fully established we’ll often talk a little bit more about Buffalo. The place I find people missing the most, being the most nostalgic of is Ted’s Hot Dogs. I think partially why this is so isn’t just for the food, sure its a great dog, but rather a culmination of Buffalo life: simple joys, hard work, and good, satisfying food.

The dog itself is a Sahlen’s hot dog, a Western New York staple, not overly spiced with just enough snap to know its from a butcher not a factory. Your dog (regular or foot long) gets grilled after you order it; they cook so close to the coals (2-4 inches) that it actually cooks pretty quickly. Right as your dog finishes up over the coals you’ll be asked what you would like. As is my policy I normally just say, “The works.” The works at Ted’s is ketchup, yellow mustard, diced onions, their homemade hot sauce (this one actually packs some heat) and a dill pickle spear. You can pair your french fries or onion rings; both home-made and fresh as can be.  Up to this point I encourage you to make your own choices, fries or rings, extra mustard or none at all, choose whatever you would like but do not drink anything but Loganberry. I’m sure the other sodas are fine but Loganberry Soda exists in such a small pocket of Western New York that you need to take it in whenever possible. Loganberry soda isn’t actually carbonated, it’s more like juice with a taste that is equal parts familiarly welcoming and impossible to place. You maybe taste grape, maybe  cranberry; as it turns out loganberry is a fruit somewhere between a raspberry and a blackberry. I’ve  shown I have strong enough Buffalo street cred to know what I’m saying, just get it and thank me later.

For over 50 years now you’ve been able to get a great meal at Ted’s Hot Dogs in Buffalo. Next time you find yourself in the Buffalo area start checking places off the list above. Not only will you get a great meal but you’ll also get to experience an institution. Regional institutions, like Ted’s, just feel different from great restaurants. It’s hard to describe exactly what makes them different, it is mainly intangibles, but you can quickly get the sense that it’s more than just a meal; it’s an experience. You certainly won’t regret visiting Ted’s, just think it’ll give you something to make all those Buffalo transplants jealous because trust me, they will be.

Beef on Weck Sandwich

Name:  Charlie the Butcher

Location: Buffalo, NY

Meal: Beef on weck, macaroni salad, and a Pepsi

Type: Sandwich Shop

Beef on weck is a Buffalo speciality that can be a little intimidating by name alone. Beef on weck means a sliced roast beef sandwich served on a kimmleweck roll(caraway seeds and salt). The roll is often times dunked in some of the au jus, so it eating it quickly is a bonus.

Eat in at Charlie’s, for two reasons. One, the Williamsville location is where Charlie himself works. Charlie is a third generation butcher and a Buffalo institution, wearing his butcher’s apron and hard hat all day. I’m not entirely sure of the hard hat, might have something to do with being a butcher but who doesn’t love a unique uniform.  Two, the horseradish. On the counter and every table (I’m partial to the counter everywhere I go) there is a jar of fresh horseradish. I suggest you load up. Start slow but you really haven’t lived until you’ve taken yourself to within 5% of your limit. That rush of a feeling when the horseradish hits your sinuses is magical.

Charlie’s sandwich is a solid meal. The beef is flavorful and SO tender. If you’ve had a bad sliced roast beef sandwich you know that tough feeling of struggling to bite off a bite but trying not to tear the sandwich apart. Charlie’s sandwiches are so tender you’ll have to pace yourself so you don’t eat them too fast. A number of sides are available, I tend to be partial to macaroni salad but often times my fellow patrons order the sweet potato fries. In addition to the above, turkey, ham, burgers, and sausages are available. I hear good things about their milkshakes but I’ve always been too full to indulge.

When you’re in Buffalo, Charlie the Butcher needs to be on your short list. Yes you need to get your buffalo wings (more on that later) but you owe it to yourself to make a stop at Charlie’s. The best location is located around the corner from the airport, I always stop on my way to fly home plus that intersection also has a gas station (fill up the rental car) and a Tim Horton’s (more on that later).