My nephew saw a TV special on hot dogs and was craving the New Jersey style curiosity known as "the ripper", which if you didnt already know, is a deep-fried hot dog. No, its not on a top 5 list of food's i'd think first to deep fry, but it is good-and not as greasy as it may suggest.
ANYway, after a google search, a few raving reviews and a write-up by Jonathan Gold, Fab was the clear choice.
Fab's is a small, unassuming place right off Tampa Ave. Its next to a pizza joint that seems to be more poppin than Fab's itself, but dont be fooled. Fab makes great Hot dogs. 4 of us ordered 5 hot dogs and had bites of each others.
Let's talk about what I'd assume is their trademark:
I really liked the bald eagle. Its a deep fried hot dog (or ripper) simply dressed with the traditional mustard relish. Like I said before, its not greasy; but i did assume it'd be more crispy or at least more snappy. It had a snap but it felt like it came out of the oil prematurely. Being my first ripper, i could assume what'd it be like all day but bottom line, it was good.
The mustard relish was good. Its neither more relish or more mustard. It has the characteristics of both, mildly tangy and mustard-y but are more subdued than they would be on their own.... No, I dont know whats in it, but i would like to put it in a jar and take some home.
My favorite was the polish firecracker that I got with New York Red onion sauce. It was one of those foods that took me back to having a sabrett's dirty water hot dog in New York, only with a much better wiener. The NY red onion sauce was spot on. When food takes you back somewhere, it's really good. Only issue I have is with the polish is that it shouldnt have the word firecracker in it because it is only slightly spicy, nothing that would merit the word "fire" in its title.
Someone else in my group got *shudders* a turkey dog with guacamole. i dont believe in turkey dogs but I will say this is the best turkey dog ive tasted. Its not some kind of oscar meyer stand-in, seems someone actually made this one. Its like a less meaty, "hot dog lite".
The guacamole isnt MY cup-of-tea but I could understand why'd they want to make it light--a heavier sauce would mask the taste of the dog.
i ate the equivalent of one hot dog a not one full hot dog was completely consumed because they are all quite filling. So if you're a big eater who doesnt think a single hot dog would fill your cavernous gut, I would think again.
Oh yeah, and we made the mistake of ordering 2 fillers--1 order of fries and 1 order of tots. Tots are tots, i dont think they're revolutionizing tots here, then again I didnt get them guilded with anything.
The fries ARE awesome. They are tossed in a nice salty spice blend on them that makes the fries more delicious than generic fast food fries.
The only other problems I have with Fab is the hours of operation. I think id enjoy a hot dog later into the evening, perhaps after or in between a beer or 2. That's probably unreasonable of me and I understand that, but I think it should at least be open til 10pm or something. Closing at 8p is a little early for me.
Its colder now so when the 2 tables and SMALL counter are full you have to resort to eating outside on one of the 2 or 3 patio tables; which can be uncomfortable. I wouldnt venture here with more than 3 people
expecting to eat inside. If you're trying to relive a back east hot dog fantasy, it can be nice as its size is somewhat reminiscent of having to eat while standing
There was a short line I had to contend with but the other people coming in were pretty nice, albeit kinda quirky. There was a large japanese guy who kept staring at me, probably because the stool i was sitting on kept squeaking. Other than mr, staring problem, there were couples and a small family, so really, the pursuit of great hot dogs appeals to ALL peoples. read more