Reading Becky Mercuri’s magnificent Great American Hot Dog Book had the same effect on me that Fifty Shades of Grey had on soccer moms throughout the country. How can someone so food obsessed not delight in such beautiful prose as “Western New York is definitely hot dog country and the preferred method of cooking is charcoal grilled.” Charcoal grilled! There goes another foodgasm. New Mexicans don’t have to travel all the way to Buffalo, New York to experience these magnificent charcoal grilled libido activators. We only have to go to Tempe, Arizona to sate our hunger…or lust, in some cases.
Ted’s Hot Dogs was a precursor to the modern food truck. In 1927, Theodore “Ted” Spiro Liaros began operating a horse-drawn cart in a park on Buffalo’s west side in close proximity to a large construction site. Originally known as “Ted’s Red Hots,” Ted’s is still going strong nearly a century after launching. It’s a beloved Buffalo area institution with eight locations in Western New York and one outlier in Tempe. The secrets to Ted’s success is strict adherence to the methods and traditions that have won over generations of hot dog lovers.
One tradition not likely to ever return is the cost of hot dogs. When Ted launched his small operation, you could get a hot dog and drink for $0.22. There was no sales tax and no cash registers. The day’s receipts were kept in a cigar box. Of course Ted’s no longer operates out of a horse-drawn cart or out of a converted shed as it once did. Tempe’s Ted’s operates out of a large store with an expansive dining room. Within feet after you walk in, several eager employees are ready to take your order while others are ready to prepare your hot dogs over hot charcoal. It’s a very efficient process.
You might be wondering how a Buffalo area staple wound up in Phoenix. At least in terms of weather, these two cities are diametrically opposed. Buffalo averages seven-million feet of snow in the winter. Phoenix sees snow only on television newscasts. Is it any wonder Buffalo area snowbirds make their way to Phoenix every winter? Among those snowbirds was Ted’s son Spiro (who passed away in 2013). Spiro was the president of Ted’s Hot Dogs and opened Ted’s in Tempe when he moved to Arizona in the 1980s. That’s almost half a century ago.
Denizens of the Valley are grateful for Ted’s, a consistent recipient of “Best Hot Dog” lists since its launch. An entire wall is festooned with New Times “best” awards voted on by readers. Those awards denote just how beloved Ted’s is…and not just by snowbirds. Other diners with whom we spoke no longer consider Ted’s an outsider. It’s been in the Valley for so long that it’s part of the fabric of the area’s dining scene. They don’t necessarily feel that way about other outsiders trying to establish a presence in the Phoenix area.
After you place your order, make sure to hang around to watch the grill guy in action. It’s almost mesmirizing to watch as he deftly turns the hot dogs and pokes them with a barbecue fork to ensure they’re cooked thoroughly and have that characteristic char that denotes charcoal grilled. Unlike Chicago hot dogs where ketchup is more taboo than dating your sister, Buffalo (and Phoenix) are more “live and let live” when it comes to toppings. A fully dressed hot dog includes mustard, onions and relish. My favorite topping since Becky got me addicted to it is Ted’s Hot Sauce, a sweet-spicy ketchup-based red relish mixed with a secret blend of spices. It’s not nearly as piquant as Buffalo wing sauce, but wonderful nonetheless.
As for the hot dogs themselves, they too were born in Buffalo. Sahlen’s hot dogs are a combination of pork and beef dogs in a natural casing. The casing is best for the high heat of an open flame grill where it splits as it cooks, heating up the interior while ensuring a bubbly brown exterior. You can ask for a skinless hot dog, but it just isn’t the same. Ted’s also offers Sahlen’s all beef hot dogs. You can customize your hot dog in a true “have it your way” fashion. Ted’s also offers such specialty dogs as foot-longs, jumbos and white hots (pork and veal).
Although the menu is very hot dog centric, you can also order Polish sausage, Italian sausage, burgers, chicken sandwiches and all the sides you might want. Hand-battered onion rings are a popular favorite. Consider ordering them with a flight of three dipping sauces. Milk shakes and malts are available in all the usual suspect flavors: vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, orange cream and…loganberry. Loganberry, a hybrid of the North American blackberry and the European raspberry is not likely found anywhere else in Arizona.
Much as I love chargrilled hot dogs, it was impossible to pass up a Polish sausage sandwich dressed with Ted’s Hot Sauce. Polish sausage has a characteristically rich smokiness which–compounded with chargrilling–brings out other dimensions of deliciousness. Polish sausage is made with some common ingredients (salt, pepper, lots of garlic) and sweet marjoram, another interesting spice. Ted’s Hot Sauce is the perfect bread spread for the diverse and delicious Polish sausage. The interplay of ingredients, seasonings and preparation methods were fabulous.
My Kim dressed her hot dog with all her favorites: mustard, relish and onions while mine was adorned solely with the addictive Ted’s Hot Sauce. The only other chargrilled hot dogs we’ve ever had were at family picnics so it was as if Ted himself was preparing the repast before us. I don’t know if we can ever go back to hot dogs prepared any other way. Perhaps one of Ted’s other descendents will weary of Buffalo’s snow and move to Albuquerque. We can only hope.
Ted’s Hot Dogs
1755 E Broadway Road
Tempe, Arizona
(480) 968-6678
Website | Facebook Page
LATEST VISIT: 20 December 2023
# OF VISITS: 1
RATING: N/R
COST: $$
BEST BET: Hot Dog with Ted’s Hot Sauce; Hot Dog with Mustard, Relish and Onions; Polish Sausage
REVIEW #1364