3746 SE Hawthorne Blvd

www.nicksfamousconeys.com

Date of Visit: November 17, 2009

Price for 2 (with tip): $23.25

We’d actually tried Nick’s shortly before embarking on this blog project, and being honest, our review then wasn’t good. I’d gotten a burger, because the A Frame outside says “Best Burgers in Town” explicitly and I felt obligated to test it out. Jared got a veggie coney and we both had the mac salad because that day the fryer happened to be broken. We both found ourselves incredible underwhelmed, and never planning to return.

But as we now make all lunch-related decisions by this blog, and Nick’s Famous Coney Island is one of those staple-type places on Hawthorne, it seemed we’d have to give it another shot. I had a great plan: I was going to get a Coney and Jared could get a veggie burger or something else since his in his first experience the veggie coney was more like a “mushy pile of fake meat” than he wanted. It was brilliant really.

On this visit, the fryer was definitely working, and you could smell it the second you walked in the door. Things were looking better already. But when we looked at the menu, poor Jared realized the veggie coney was actually the only veggie option on the menu, so he was stuck getting it again. We ended up with two coneys (one meaty, one not) and both subbed fries for the extra buck. This time the verdict was better, mostly because of the fries. They were awesome. Crispy and simple, just a light sprinkling of Lawry’s (or something similar.) As for the Coney, mine wasn’t bad, but it was definitely junk food (right down to the slice of American cheese.) The “coney” sauce was a little boring, and I ended up with a ton extra on my plate after I’d eaten away the bun and hot dog. Jared’s review was similar, but he agreed the fries made everything better.

I suppose if you are in the mood for a coney, Nick’s is your place. The NYC/baseball theme is cool if you are into that sort of thing and service and prices are reasonable. Personally, I think I’ll go back to Zach’s Shack next time I want a hot dog for lunch.

Speed: Pretty average

Veggie Options: Officially one choice (two if you count a plain veggie dog)

Veggie Coney

Single Coney

4611 SE Hawthorne Blvd

http://www.myspace.com/dogswithasnap

Date of visit: October 19, 2009

Price for 2: $17

Today we realized the 4600 Block of Hawthorne may just be the ultimate lunch utopia. We originally set out to eat at Por Que No (more for review purposes than because we wanted to) but were distracted by the neighboring Zach’s Shack and the East Side Deli. Also on this block is Dingo’s (where this whole project started), Toji Korea Grill House, Thai Thai and Angelo’s (which I’m a little scared of.) So for this week we’ve got a goal within a goal: eat at all of these places. Ok, so it will actually take a week and a half, but you get the point. Today we opted for hot dogs at Zach’s Shack.

Hot dogs, when not gotten from a cart, seem like sort of a weird thing to eat out for to me. Realistically it’s one of those things that even a helpless bachelor can make at home! But that said, Zach’s Shack is a definite favorite lunch spot. It’s cheap and it’s good and sometimes a hot dog with all the fixin’s is worth going out for.

I’ve always gotten the Chicago dog (tomato, onions, relish, pickle, mustard, celery salt, hold the hot peppers) with the classic all-beef hot dog. You can also get a turkey dog or veggie dog at no charge, or sausage for a little bit extra. Today Jared went with a veggie Chicago dog as well as a Greatful dog (cucumber, tomato, onions, celery salt) cause he has a man-sized appetite. One order of regular fries between the two of us (which was more than enough), drinks, and Zach’s Shack still came in well under my $10 per person limit.

Everything about these hot dogs is good. The buns are soft and big enough to hold every together without falling apart. The beef hot dogs have an almost-crisp casing due to the steaming process (which explains the “hot dogs with a snap” thing.) And the fries are your classic crinkle cut, lightly salty and perfectly simple. The ambiance in Zach’s is the only thing sort of lacking, that is, unless you really like dive bars, but other than that it gets a thumbs up. That’s why Zach’s probably beat out Por Que No today, but we’ll get there soon.

Veggie options: Yes, and no extra charge to sub a veggie dog.

Speed: Faster if you don’t have a damn vegetarian in the mix, as the special order takes 3 extra minutes. But still fast overall.

Veggie Chicago dog

Meaty chicago dog

Greatful dog

french fries