“World’s Tastiest Texas Weiners”

Location: The Hot Grill – 669 Lexington Ave. Clifton, NJ
Photos Taken: February 2009

We’d passed the Hot Grill dozens of time while visiting my Aunt who lived just up the block in Clifton, NJ. It wasn’t until her passing that  I’d stopped in to experience the grill for myself. It was like one last gift that she gave me; a good laugh and  a smile. I ran down to grab a hot dog for my dad as the family began to gather. Not knowing anything about the goings-on of the Hot Grill I was treated to a place that had it’s own language and flavor. A neighborhood institution that can’t be faked or duplicated.

When I walked in, there was a mass of people standing spread out in front of the counter. The older gentleman behind the register would quietly take an order and then in a true Jekyll and Hyde moment, shout back to the grillmen with a purposed ferocity in a secret language. “Okay so that’s 2 Texas Weiners, honey?”  “2 ALL THE WAY!” It was a fascinating process to watch.

The sign out front proudly claims “The World’s Tastiest Texas Weiners.” We sat in the wood paneled dining room under a smaller sign that has an awesome typo: “World’s Testiest Texas Weiners.”