ALBANY, N.Y. -- If the New York State Thruway were a restaurant menu, it would belong in a greasy-good dive. Buffalo has the chicken wing. In Rochester, it's garbage plates. Syracuse enjoys barbecue and salt potatoes.
To the east, the Capital Region is a big player with a miniature meal.
"When people mention this area, they mention the mini hot dogs," says Chuck Fentekes, third generation president of Hot Dog Charlie's. "We started in 1922, and the concept just picked up from then, I guess."
When you ask where to get a hot dog in and around Albany, you're not asking for a six-inch frank with mustard and ketchup. "Hot dog" in the Capital Region translates to a four-inch long miniature in a similar-sized bun, slathered with yellow mustard, onions, and a chili-like meat sauce that varies in taste and consistency.
The dog doesn't vary much from place to place. It's the meat sauce that breeds favorites.
"My grandfather came up with our recipe in 1922," says Fentekes, revealing about as much as you'll ever learn about any joint's meat sauce. Fentekes says his family's recipe is kept in a vault. "We're unique because we offer a spicy meat sauce. We just add a little cayenne pepper to the regular sauce."
Charlie's has stood the test of time, with four locations in the region: the only hot dog restaurant you might consider a "chain." Others, like Gus's Hot Dogs in Watervliet, are stand-alone staples.
"I started when I was six-years-old," says Gus's proprietor Steve Haita, and yes, Gus's is spelled with the apostrophe "S" on the end.
"We've been using my dad's recipe since it opened in 1954," says Haita. "People still gravitate towards us from a 50-mile radius."
As much as its main cuisine, Gus's other signature is its cramped quarters: most customers opt to order at the outdoor window, since you might call the inside "cozy."
"People rib me about the space. They say you have to step outside just to change your mind," laughs Haita.
But neither Gus's or Charlie's can claim the wordly reputation of the City of Troy's mini hot dog establishment, or at least they don't try to.
"It's been my family's business since 1932," explains Scott Vasil, sitting at the counter of World Famous Lunch. "We've got up to five generations of customers."
Vasil received his engineering degree from nearby Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, but ended up in the family business just the same. "It's unique to this area," he says of the hot dogs; "it's an inexpensive, cheap eat."
Legend has it that Famous Lunch (originally called "Quick Lunch") got its name in the 1950s, when a local U.S. Marine stationed in Moscow was asked what he missed from home. His answer - the mini hot dogs - somehow made its way back to Troy, where Vasil's grandfather packaged up an order and shipped it to Russia. Hence, "World Famous."
"People know it, people recognize it," says Vasil. "We've been steady all throughout our history. Places come and go, but we're still here."
As for the competition, everyone in the region has their favorite, but that doesn't breed animosity.
"It's friendly," says Fentekes, of Hot Dog Charlie's. "I know Scott over at Famous, we talk all the time. We all respect each other."
None of the men sees any slowdown in the business anytime soon.
"If we go by our local following, it's strong," says Haita.
"I always like to open new stores," says Fentekes. "I'll eventually open another one."