coney island paradise in the motor city
While Detroit isn't widely known for food, it does boast more places that sell "Coney Island" chili dogs than perhaps any place on earth. Several dozen independent and chain-operated Coney Island vendors are scattered across the area, mostly in far-flung suburban locations but also in and around downtown.
Having inhaled six Coneys in as many hours during a recent pilgrimage, I'm aware of two great truths about the Detroit Coney experience: First, the hot dog portion can be delicious. Manufactured by a wide variety of local sausage processors, Detroit dogs have a pleasing beef-and-pork flavor that's slightly nuanced from vendor to vendor. Second, the chili sauce makes or breaks the sandwich. Since each sauce I sampled apparently came straight from a can, I offer that Coney's are best when the sauce is used sparingly like any another condiment. If the sauce is equally or over proportioned compared to the dog, well, look out for relationship issues.
Here's my rundown.
American Coney Island 115 Michigan Ave. TASTE: PRESENTATION: AMBIENCE: Using a dog made by Dearborn Sausage Co., American is heralded as one of the city's two premiere Coney purveyors. And appropriately so: It offers a perfect balance between meat and sauce, a quirky corner-store atmosphere and an almost unbridled enthusiasm by servers.
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Detroit 1 Coney Island 3433 Woodward Ave. TASTE: PRESENTATION: AMBIENCE: Man the lifeboats. Detroit 1's hot dog--a National Coney Island Chili brand--is literally downing in sauce, making it hard to eat and tougher to taste. Leo's Coney Island 6535 Telegraph Road TASTE: PRESENTATION: AMBIENCE: Leo's has countless locations across southeastern Michigan and it's no wonder why. The chili is delicate and sparing enough to impart the Koegel's tantalizing snap. |
Zef's Coney Island 1411 Washington Blvd. TASTE: PRESENTATION: AMBIENCE: A bland mess of massive proportions, Zef's Coney almost had me wishing for a salad. The waitress said the dog, made by Koegel, was buried in there somewhere but I'm still not sure. Lafayette Coney Island 118 W. Lafayette Blvd TASTE: PRESENTATION: AMBIENCE: Though a little heavy on the onions, Lafayette's Coney, made by Winters Sausage Co., is as flavorful as they come. The tiled walls and stainless steel fixtures, meanwhile, are an appropriately staid rebuttal to the American Coney stand next door. |
©2011 Peter Strazzabosco