It Ain't Just for Cheapskates
Written: Jan 30 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Low-priced hot dog bliss
Cons: No place to sit
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| azumpano's Full Review: Gray's Papaya |
"You had a HOT DOG for lunch?" my co-worker incredulously asks. Oh, Gotham snob, how can you be so naive? This is no ordinary hot dog, the undercooked, dirty-water soaked, stale-bun encased quasi-sausage that vendors hawk with reckless abandon with crusted knishes and the mysterious meat-on-sticks.
First of all, the meat itself is grilled, sealing in the succulent spicy juices that can confuse you as you bite into the crackling frank: Can something this simple-looking, a flaccid pink-to-red tube, be so damn tasty? It truly one of the best hot dogs in the city when you consider the taste alone.
And then there is, of course, the price. Fifty cents, two for a buck, for what seemed like forever. Then they went up to 75 cents each, a whopping 50% increase, but hey, in this age of IPO billionaires and a robust economy, we can all weather the price jump. The "Recession Special," for those who are still nostalgic for more frugal times, is still in effect, so you can continue to get the two hot dogs and a refreshing fruit beverage for $1.95. Another person quoted a friend who summed the deal as thus: "You give them two bucks and they give you two dogs, a drink, and a nickel!" A bargain compared to what you'd spend at a snob-approved trap like Katz or the Second Avenue Deli.
The service is friendly and efficient. You want mustard, ketchup, onions, and sauerkraut on your franks? Sure thing. You want yours so well done that they resemble charcoal? No sweat. I once walked out of the 72nd Street location forgetting one of my hot dogs, and when I returned a couple minutes later, the gentleman who helped me remembered me, despite having served what seemed like 100 customers after I left, and gave me my missing frank.
Gray's is my way of saying that I don't want to spend more than 10 bucks for lunch for some overpriced Fridays-Houlihans fare. I come home from work after lunch at Gray's and I check my wallet and sometimes it seems like I didn't spend anything on lunch at all.
It's the great equalizer. Bums and businessmen, students and clergy, all stand on the same line. I even saw Regis Philbin waiting patiently last summer at the 72nd Street location. He knows the truth about Gray's: The hot dogs may cost less than a dollar, but they taste like a million bucks.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
azumpano
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Reviews written: 38
Trusted by: 26 members
About Me:
Return of the mack.
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