After seeing so many tourism websites that only list the safe (read: boring) options, it's refreshing to see the Connecticut Tourism site list the hot dog tour.
And Connecticut should really be playing up their food history, with New Haven style pizza, a claim to the first hamburgers served in a restaurant, and of course, hot dogs that inspire a lengthy online foodie discussion.
So it was some excitement that we try out one of those on the hot dog tour list: Rawley's drive-in.
Oh man.
Ohhh man.
Plain Hot dog -
I don't think I've ever said "oh man" when eating a hot dog. This was a good damn dog. Spiral cut, then deep-fried and finished on the grill, this has a nice crunch of the casing, while still remaining juicy and not-charred. The meat itself, tasted more like a sausage than the standard simplistic hot dog flavor.
The Works - Bacon, onion, cheese
"Everything goes better with bacon" is the saying these days, but I actually thought that all the flavors overwhelmed the flavor of the dog.
Cheeseburger
Tasty, largely because of the generously buttered bun that gave the hamburger an unexpected creaminess, but not nearly as enjoyable as the hot dogs.
Hot dog w/ hot pepper??
Oh man, this is killing me - forgot the name, but this turned out to be our favorite of the hot dogs: onions, hot (sweet?) peppers, mustard. Just a nice balance of condiments: a touch of sweetness, a hint of a spicy kick and that delicious dog. By far, my favorite of the meal.
Yum. Definitely lives up to its reputation.
Rawley's Drive-In
1886 Post Road Fairfield, CT 06824 (Map)
(203) 259-9023