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Hamptons $25 franks are a 'hot dog'
BY DAVE MARCUS
Newsday Staff Writer
August 12, 2006, 5:07 PM EDT
The latest way to splurge in the Hamptons has nothing to do with a $2,500 dress or a $25 million mansion. It's a hot dog. A $25 hot dog.
The Laundry, one of East Hampton's toniest eateries, has been offering a foot-long beef frank since the beginning of July. They're selling like, well, hot dogs. So far, the restaurant has served more than 1,000. Two weekends ago, they even sold out.
The wieners come complete with a jumbo grilled bun (no charge for ketchup or mustard). With tax and the customary 20 percent tip, the hot dog actually costs $32.16 - but anyone who can afford dinner in East Hampton probably isn't counting. "It's a whimsical dish," says Tracy Bonbrest, who owns the restaurant with her husband. They discovered the upscale frankfurters in a popular Miami Beach restaurant during the winter.
The Laundry's waiters sometimes claim the new entrée is made of Kobe beef. Wrong, said executive chef Andrew Engle. Kobe is a Japanese delicacy made from cattle that are massaged by hand to make the meat tender. This frank is made of gourmet Wagyu beef from California, which comes from individually massaged cattle as well.
The other day, Engle said, a group of diners ordered ribs, burgers and hot dogs -- along with a $275 bottle of Krug champagne. "We have an eclectic menu," he said. "Something for everybody."
For the record, the hot dog costs more than the restaurant's hamburger ($17) but less than the dry-aged prime steak roasted with Cipollini onions, thyme and cracked black pepper with a wild mushroom fricassee ($44). Also for the record, not all East End hot dogs cost big bucks. At least one 7-Eleven in the area features two franks for a dollar.
Admittedly the ambience is different at The Laundry, which is in a restored white clapboard house bedecked with orchids and banana trees. The 26-year-old restaurant is named for its previous location, which once was a commercial laundry. Is The Laundry taking diners to the cleaners? Not according to Yael Barr, who eats there three times a week. After sampling the hot dogs last month, she asked Engle to sell her 10 pounds to take home.
"It's like a bratwurst, and the taste doesn't repeat itself in your throat like other hot dogs," she reported. Her trim 80-year-old husband, David, is a retired cardiologist. He follows the advice he gives patients: Eat everything in moderation, exercise frequently and get a large pet dog (in order to do even more exercise).
Engle, who refined his cooking skills in France, describes the hot dog's flavor as subtle, salty, not too spicy. Still, he's the wrong one to ask for details. He used to be a vegan, and these days he eats meat about once every three months.
Copyright 2006 Newsday Inc.
BY DAVE MARCUS
Newsday Staff Writer
August 12, 2006, 5:07 PM EDT
The latest way to splurge in the Hamptons has nothing to do with a $2,500 dress or a $25 million mansion. It's a hot dog. A $25 hot dog.
The Laundry, one of East Hampton's toniest eateries, has been offering a foot-long beef frank since the beginning of July. They're selling like, well, hot dogs. So far, the restaurant has served more than 1,000. Two weekends ago, they even sold out.
The wieners come complete with a jumbo grilled bun (no charge for ketchup or mustard). With tax and the customary 20 percent tip, the hot dog actually costs $32.16 - but anyone who can afford dinner in East Hampton probably isn't counting. "It's a whimsical dish," says Tracy Bonbrest, who owns the restaurant with her husband. They discovered the upscale frankfurters in a popular Miami Beach restaurant during the winter.
The Laundry's waiters sometimes claim the new entrée is made of Kobe beef. Wrong, said executive chef Andrew Engle. Kobe is a Japanese delicacy made from cattle that are massaged by hand to make the meat tender. This frank is made of gourmet Wagyu beef from California, which comes from individually massaged cattle as well.
The other day, Engle said, a group of diners ordered ribs, burgers and hot dogs -- along with a $275 bottle of Krug champagne. "We have an eclectic menu," he said. "Something for everybody."
For the record, the hot dog costs more than the restaurant's hamburger ($17) but less than the dry-aged prime steak roasted with Cipollini onions, thyme and cracked black pepper with a wild mushroom fricassee ($44). Also for the record, not all East End hot dogs cost big bucks. At least one 7-Eleven in the area features two franks for a dollar.
Admittedly the ambience is different at The Laundry, which is in a restored white clapboard house bedecked with orchids and banana trees. The 26-year-old restaurant is named for its previous location, which once was a commercial laundry. Is The Laundry taking diners to the cleaners? Not according to Yael Barr, who eats there three times a week. After sampling the hot dogs last month, she asked Engle to sell her 10 pounds to take home.
"It's like a bratwurst, and the taste doesn't repeat itself in your throat like other hot dogs," she reported. Her trim 80-year-old husband, David, is a retired cardiologist. He follows the advice he gives patients: Eat everything in moderation, exercise frequently and get a large pet dog (in order to do even more exercise).
Engle, who refined his cooking skills in France, describes the hot dog's flavor as subtle, salty, not too spicy. Still, he's the wrong one to ask for details. He used to be a vegan, and these days he eats meat about once every three months.
Copyright 2006 Newsday Inc.
MY MEAT IN THE HOT DESERT.......
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