Oh What I Wouldn't Give Right Now for Some Traditional Hungarian Chili Dogs and Deep-Fried Pickles
They say you learn a new thing every day, and here's what I learned today: The best - or at least most punishing - hot dog in America may be of Hungarian origin. Via this recent blog post on the Baltimore Sun, I ended up spending an unhealthy amount of time this morning reading about (and drooling over pictures taken at) a Hungarian-American restaurant in Toledo, Ohio called Tony Packo's:
Known for their one-of-a-kind Hungarian Hot Dogs, Tony Packo's has been serving authentic "Old Country" food since 1932. The family owned and operated restaurant - which serves everything from chili cheese fries to chicken paprikas - is a Toledo tradition that has become recognized and loved across the U.S. Whether or not you come to taste the renowned Hungarian Hot Dog, or just to witness the celebrity autographed hot dog buns that adorn the walls, Tony Packo's has something for everyone.
I'm sort of amazed that I had never heard of this place before, given that Packo's was name-checked on numerous occasions on the hit sitcom M*A*S*H, and that the restaurant has gotten lots of cheesy PR over the years thanks to its practice of having visiting celebrities sign hot dog buns.
While no one is suggesting that Grandpa Packo brought the chili dog from Hungary - oddly, the "New York"-style chili dogs I grew up with are actually believed to have originated in Michigan - the beast they call the "Mother of All Dogs" (or M*O*A*D; pictured up top, via this blog) does appear to bear a familial resemblance to what we in the old country would call a kolbász. Not only that, but the things seem to often be paired with decidedly Hungo-looking stuffed cabbages (left). As for the deep-fried pickles (second from top, via Flickr), the only Hungarian connection I can think of would involve life-expectancy. Either way, profound respect.
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Really, thanks for nothing. In countries 'cheap-eats' culinary wasteland thanks for pointing out something we can't just above that awful Sushi Sei, why not put some tabasco in our eyes. Good news, the Subway across from the synagoge is being replaced with a.....wait for it....another fucking kabab stand. I guess if it wasn't that it would be a Kinai Bufe.
Thanks for reading my blog entry on the Baltimore Sun.
The Hungarian hot dog is definately the thing to order at Tony Packo's.
As a native Hungarian the first two photo does not even
reminiscent to any Hungarian dishes... The third one is slightly
similar to stuffed cabbage, what is never served with kovászos
uborka (sour cucumbers) and that piled of chees topped crappola
on the side.... "They say you learn a new thing every day, and here's
what I learned today: " If you want to know Hungarian cuisine go
where the locals eat, and only read chew.hu if you want to be
entertained by those foreigners, who spent ages in Hungary
without getting any of it at all...
Ten years ago, I went to Tonny Packo's for supper. I asked the teenage waitress if the hotdogs were kolbasz or brats or italian sausage. She had NO idea what I was talking about. I wound up with a "mett", a red Italian or German sausage which she said was the "real thing." what a joke! Too bad because the neighborhood has changed, there are even rumors that the Hungarian Refomed Churchis closing.