An All-American Hot Dog Joint in Syracuse

I had the best hot dogs of my 19-year-old life at Heid's in Liverpool, 5 to 10 minutes away from Syracuse. My friend Patrick took me there one time and he absolutely adores this quaint historic hot dog joint that has a remarkable history reaching back to 1917.

And you got two choices of dogs: Hofman Franks or Coneys. Coneys are the white sausages that taste a bit spicy and the Franks are the darker traditional sausages. Make sure you specify which one you want at the counter to avoid blank stares. You can sort of see it in the photo above, the dog on the left is a Coney and the other is a Frank. Click here for a clearer picture of Franks and Coneys. You can order a meal that'll give you two hot dogs so you can try both. One hot dog isn't enough for dinner anyway! It's a toss up between the two, I really can't decide which one's better. I don't know if it was the hype of the place that made the hot dogs extra tasty. But just ask Patrick, and he'll tell you Heid's is his bread and butter.

And don't forget to head next door to the nostalgic '50s era ice cream parlor, also owned by Heid's. There aren't too many of those still left around, so go while you still can. Heid's is at 305 Oswego Street, Liverpool NY 13088.

Bon voyage,
Jenny Cheng