Hot Dog Kids

$1.00 Hot Dogs are
Safe and Delicious,
if you get them from Eliana

So it looks like Eliana, the $1 hot dog lady on the NW corner of 43rd and 6th, has survived the onslaught. You might remember that she was part of the crew of carts that got kicked out of that spot by the cops awhile back for parking on a sidewalk that was supposedly too narrow to be a legal vending spot for carts. She even had her cart confiscated, despite the fact that later measurements clearly showed that the sidewalk was the proper width. The other two carts (which included the 3rd El Rey del Sabor cart) decided to cut their losses and set up on the NE corner of 43rd and 6th. Eliana tried that for a bit but, after working the opposite corner for many years without issue, she was eager to return. Thankfully the Street Vendor Project (which hosts the Vendy Awards every year) stepped in and not only helped her get her cart back but also helped deflect any other obstacles to her returning to her original corner.

It looks like she’s there for good again (on the NW corner of 43rd and 6th), and last week I decided to swing by and actually try one of these $1 hot dogs.

I don’t think I’ve ever met a hot dog I didn’t like. Sure, grilled is preferred to boiled, and I’m a big fan of the hot dog/sausage topped with crazy ingredients. But it’s hard to screw up a regular old hot dog in my book. It’s just a mysteriously delicious food (emphasis on the mysterious), and Eliana’s $1 hot dog cart is no exception. You have your choice between “sausage” or “hot dog”, and I went with sausage- because it just looked like a plumper, redder hot dog. I’m a big fan of the grilled onions, so I went with those plus ketchup (but she has sauerkraut and mustard if your prefer either of those.) Bun was typical, and the thing just tasted like a boiled hot dog. The grilled onions were way to watery (too much tomato sauce, and not enough onions) but the thing cost $1 so no real complaints. Truthfully, what do you expect for $1? It’s obviously not going to be a high quality dog, or a high quality bun for that price. The only important thing is survival, and I can say I came out of the hot dog experience unscathed. These $1 hot dogs are completely safe to eat, and easily the cheapest lunch in Midtown. (Or snack, if you so choose to think of them that way.)

I’m sure there are better hot dogs to be had in Midtown (and feel free to suggest some in the comments) but none as cheap as a $1, and I doubt they’re served as somebody as friendly as Eliana.