Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Hoyt's Hotdog Stand

Being a bit of a rush for lunch today, I found myself working on Broadway Drive. This was the perfect opportunity to try Chef Hoyt Tanner's Hot Dog stand, that's right I said Chef Hoyt Tanner.

Known to many in the Hattiesburg area as simply "the Hot Dog Man", Hoyt Tanner is a classically trained Chef with a background in Classic French and Continental Cusine, before moving to Hattiesburg from New York City, Tanner owned his own restaurant and has more than 25 years experience with much of it being an executive chef. After moving to Hattiesburg he served as the Executive Chef/General Manger of Walnut Circle Grill for about two years.

I said all that to say this, the man is a little over-qualified to be smearing mustard on a dog for folks not to appreciate it. I won't pretend to know how or why such an expert in the culinary arts is slinging Hot Dogs out of a tag-a-long cart on Timothy Lane between West Pine Street and Broadway drive, but the man has hot dogs down to an art.

He has several lunch combos and the like, but having a bottle coke in the car, I ordered one of his regular New York Style Hot Dogs and a Spicy Jumbo Sausage on a bun. The NY style hot dog was just that an all-beef "Sabrett" more than bun length frank that was hot, juicy and had that all important "snap" when you bite into it. But, this spicy jumbo sausage on a bun is one of the best meat on a bun that I've had in a long time.

As you know I am pretty traditional when it comes to hot dogs, some mustard and a few onions are about all I need.

I highly recommend stopping by and seeing Hoyt, great dogs and not to mention that he's quite a character if you get him going.

Happy Eating

Chef Hoyt Tanner's Dirty Water Dogs on Urbanspoon

6 comments:

  1. On my H-Dog I want it all, what ever you got put it on! I will be trying out this hot dog stand in the near future. What a great review today, this is why I come by again and again!

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  2. I just wanted to let you know how much I am enjoying your blog. My husband and I are about to relocate to Hattiesburg from Columbia, SC and one of the things we will miss the most about Columbia (beside family and friends, of course) is our favorite restaurants!

    It's nice to be able to get a "taste" of what Hattiesburg has to offer. But I am afraid that my worst fear is true... there aren't any Indian restaurants in town?! We frequent our favorite Indian restaurant here at LEAST once a week so that will be a huge adjustment for us. :( This may mean I'll have to learn how to cook my favorite Indian dishes! Ack!

    Thanks for all of your reviews! Looks like we have some restaurants to try when we get down there!

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  3. Allison

    Thank you so much for the kind words related to the blog, I have enjoyed doing it and hope to be able to continue to talk about the food scene in Hattiesburg and the surrounding area.

    Sadly, you are correct there is not a traditional Indian Tandoori restaurant in town right now. But, the food scene in Hattiesburg is evolving pretty fast. I think that an Indian place could work, the University has a large school of international studies and draws students from all around the world. I keep think that we may see an Indian restaurant spring up at any time.

    I certainly hope that one comes along, I first encountered Indian cuisine in 1999 when I did a study abroad in London.

    I know it's not all that close but, one benefit of living here in South Mississippi is that we are close to the food scene in New Orleans, there are several Indian places there, and I have heard the most positives about Nirvana.

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  4. Great! Thanks! We look forward to many trips to Nola and we'll try to get our Indian "fix" while there! We'll have to check out Nirvana!

    I agree with you about the international students and professors that USM (or ANY university) must attract. My husband is going to be working at USM and I've joked to him about finding a nice Indian professor who will invite us over for dinner - often! ;)

    Thanks again!

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  5. Funny enough my name is also Hoyt, why, because I'm the hot dog guys son LMAO. I'm sure you have all seen the sidewalk street vending carts in NYC on tv or in a movie. I'm sure you have all heard, if you have been around a NYer braggin about how much better everything involving anything is in NYC, well IT'S TRUE! There is just something about a REAL NYC "dirty water dog". You can't beat the taste, the snap when you bite into it, and fresh toppings from onions to chili to kraut.

    I read the blog and can honestly say, it's funny that the writer says "the man is a little over-qualified to be smearing mustard on a dog for folks not to appreciate it". Because to a point it's true. I worked next to him for years in a kitchen the size of a broom closet with 3 people in it. Yet somehow the food leaving that kitchen into the atmosphere he created with his own hands out of an old ex shoe store was incredible and Zagat's agreed.
    To some who pass by it, it might just be a vending cart, but to those who stop and try something from dad's cart will realize 2 things. One, no matter what is served to you from my dad whether it is fine french cuisine, shrimp hot pepper and garlic sauce, or CORRECTLY prepared chicken francais, (ask him about that, it's a pet peeve of his LMAO)or his hot dog cart it's going to be made with a little something more than anything you have had and you will be back again....
    Oh and two, when the writer said "I highly recommend stopping by and seeing Hoyt, great dogs and not to mention that he's quite a character if you get him going."
    Get us going? Hell, we are NYers, we have character, but what sets us apart is we ARE CHARACTERS!

    Happy Eating People!

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  6. OMG! I am and always have been tech.challenged. My wife was browsing and found this site and drew my attention to it. Amazing, first to see the review, T/U, and then to see that My oldest son Hoyt, found it and responded to it. Yes, it's true, he did work at my side for quite some time. What he didn't mention (and I love him for it) is that in the kitchen I become this tyrannical lunatic when it comes to food going out to diners and he as 13 year old understood and tolerated lunacy. Belated thanks to my son.
    Hoyt Tanner

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