Nathan's Famous Hot Dog - Deal of the Day

I'm a bit nervous reviewing the following East Coast Coney Island fast food institution, as Nathan's Famous hot dogs have been served to visiting British royalty, and was a favorite snack in the 1960's Kennedy White House, often ordered by Jacqueline during the "Camelot" days. So I could be stepping on some majordomo toes here. Hot dog fanatics can be harsh in these trolling times.

These Nathan's dogs are not made locally and instead come frozen from the deli case of my local Dollar Tree. This could be a disastrous fast food frozen find, especially when heated by microwaves.

Well it's just a hot dog and can take a bit of mishandling, just like a LA Dodger Dog that's been sitting too long, over-steaming in it's foil wrapper. Surprisingly, this version of Nathan's Famous hot dog held up quite well to microwaving, after all.

microwaving Nathan's Famous

I've found it's better to microwave hot dogs, hamburgers, and breakfast sammies, in 10 to 15 second increments so both the bun and protein heat evenly. If you microwave in one try you can get a hot spot and uneven doneness. 

These deli case versions are sold stripped down, just the bun and wiener - you don't want to heat up a hot dog with it's condiments already applied, right? I added the classic toppings of mustard and pickle relish to mine after some zapping.

The bun stayed firm and tasted like a typical white flour bun should. The bun-to-wiener ratio favors the bread, but the meaty hot dog held it's own.

The wiener was not as plump as steamed, but all the flavor was there that you expect. It had the right amount of snap to each bite; not too soft or overcooked. It is a tasty "premium beef" frank - firm and satisfying.

At 3.5 ounces, this meal will not fill you up - it will take two or three of these to do that. As usual, the ingredient list is long for processed meat, so this is not a meal to indulge in too often.

Click on any photo to see larger.

I have my local hot dog favorites, including Carney's on the Sunset Strip and Pink's (click on the names  to read my Cheap$kate Dining reviews.) If Nathan's had a hot dog stand in LA, I would give them a few tries to fully compare with local tube steak purveyors.

So, on my Cheap$kate Dining Scale of 1 to 9, 9 being best, I give this East Coast Deal of the Day, a microwaved Nathan's Famous hot dog from the Dollar Tree deli case, a tasty 7 !

It's a better than average hot dog that I'm sure would have gained a few more points if I had eaten a grilled frank at the original Nathan's Famous in Coney Island.