Like many residents of California I wasn’t born here. My first twenty years were spent on the east coast. The majority of it was in Maryland just outside Washington D.C. I spent some time in the south during my military service. When I turned nineteen my dad was transferred to Vernon Connecticut located outside of Hartford. My brother and I tagged along and discovered a few food differences that the area held. Subs were called grinders and hot dogs came in a bun that is unique to New England. A top sliced bun that has flat sides is buttered, grilled and holds the dog firmly so it doesn’t fall apart like some side cut buns. This same style of bun is used in Maine to make a lobster roll. Brother Tom and I would jump into my VW bug and cruise up the interstate to Howard Johnson’s to feast on fried clams and hot dogs on the buttered buns.
In fits of nostalgia I’ve mentioned this hot dog bun to friends and family and usually got a blank stare and a “what you talking about” reply. For a while I thought that maybe I’d made this up in my head. An internet search came up with some pictures so I knew these buns must still exist. I emailed several baking companies trying to locate a source that would send some to the west. No luck until two weeks ago when my search came upon Portuguese Foods.com. Hot damn, there they were! I whipped out the credit card and ordered up. This turned into a bit of expense because I had to pay for speedy shipping and handling. The cost per bun is about $1.75, but that’s a small price for nostalgia. On arrival I fired up the griddle and served them up. The wife and kids loved them and they were every bit as good as I remembered. What makes them so good? It’s the buttery sides.
Now this may not be the end of the story. I thought to myself, ‘What if I could start a reciprocal trade agreement with a foodie on the northeast coast?’ I’ll send you some of the products that are bountiful here in the S.F. Bay area and you send me some New England goodies. Have your people email my people!
In fits of nostalgia I’ve mentioned this hot dog bun to friends and family and usually got a blank stare and a “what you talking about” reply. For a while I thought that maybe I’d made this up in my head. An internet search came up with some pictures so I knew these buns must still exist. I emailed several baking companies trying to locate a source that would send some to the west. No luck until two weeks ago when my search came upon Portuguese Foods.com. Hot damn, there they were! I whipped out the credit card and ordered up. This turned into a bit of expense because I had to pay for speedy shipping and handling. The cost per bun is about $1.75, but that’s a small price for nostalgia. On arrival I fired up the griddle and served them up. The wife and kids loved them and they were every bit as good as I remembered. What makes them so good? It’s the buttery sides.
Now this may not be the end of the story. I thought to myself, ‘What if I could start a reciprocal trade agreement with a foodie on the northeast coast?’ I’ll send you some of the products that are bountiful here in the S.F. Bay area and you send me some New England goodies. Have your people email my people!
21 comments:
Ooh, I feel your pain. I grew up on the CT shoreline (Westbrook), and the first thing I do when I fly home is get a clam roll from Bill's or a hot dog from Johnny Ad's...just so I can have that bun.
Thanks for understanding!
umm, hello!?!? i'm hurt i wasn't the first person you thought of. ha! although i will brag i'm the opposite. i am a "real" california girl, born and raised for six years, anyway, before i moved to the east coast. those hot dog buns look fabulous. just tell me what you need friend and i'll send it your way. (although the maine coast is a little ways away...)
Yes! You absolutely cannot have a lobster roll without this style of bun. I've been dying for these for years. (I'm another northeastern transplant in California...). Thanks for the tip!
I'm also a transplant to California and have called every company that makes these buns and as you know they don't plan on selling these buns out here or will they sell them direct to you. After calling these companies at least 2 times a year for the last 10 years, I finally broke down and purchased the pan that you can make them in. Haven't made them yet because it's been too bloody hot in the San Diego area for the last few weeks to turn on the oven but when it finally cools down I'm going to give it a try. Who knows maybe I could make a business out of it and be the first to distribute these fantastic tasting buns out on the west coast for us transplanted easteners. LOL I recently ordered stuffed quahogs from a company out of Cape Cod and they were so great in that they went to the Stop'N Shop and sent me a couple of packages with my quahogs. I've since used them all by filling them with fried clams, lobster, hot dogs and even cold tuna salad. YUM YUM YUM
I echo all the above. Even after 30 years in California, I still miss top-sliced buns and have friends bring me a couple of packages when they visit.
try http://mapleandmore.com a bit cheaper...
I never knew that we have our own style of hot dog buns out here, though why not, with all of the other weird stuff we (specifically RIers) have... here's my question: if they have round-sided buns, do they still use those little cardboard sleeves to serve hot dogs and lobster rolls in? It has just occurred to me that the sleeve not only keeps everything together nicely, it also keeps your hands from getting covered in butter-and-celery-salty goodness.
-Jeff in RI
Hi Jeff, Rhode Island is where I am originally from. Anyway, there are like maybe 2 places that I'm aware of in the San Diego area that serve Lobster Rolls (nothing like back East though - real skimpy on the filling) and absolutely no place that I know of that serves Clam Rolls. They are not served in the cardboard sleeves. The regular buns that sell everywhere are used at events; Baseball games etc., and the sleeves are used there.
Man, it IS a small world, I cannot believe that I can NOW prove to my friends here in Colorado that this bun style exist. This former New Englander can now have square buns and Cains mayo!
I'm going to throw a wrinkle into all of this New England nostalgia. I came across this post while Googling for the name of these very buns - however I remember having them in the early 70's when my mom and I would have lunch out at the local Woolworths in rural Canada. Not even in coastal rural Canada...
I agree - these are the superior hot dog bun.
I shop on Famous Foods website periodically. I believe they are connected to FoodTV. Anyway, I asked them a few months ago to consider adding them to their New England Product line and low & behold I checked today & they are there. I'm sure others must have asked as well. I'm so excited!!! The url is...good price too. http://www.famousfoods.com/breads.html
OMG! You guys ROCK! Hey, I live in Monrovia, California and I so remember HOWARD JOHNSONS' Clam ROLLS! I CAN'T stand it anymore! OK so the famousfoods.com link looks like a winner for the rolls, now for the clams. Where to order up the clams? Anyone close to me wanna have a clam roll face stuffing party? :-) Go to www.fjcruiser.cc and sign up and find me, I own the place, my name their is FJ CRUISER NEWS, send me a PM (private message) heck, you never know! Maybe some of you folks are into desert 4x4's and trailering and such, a Desert Clam Fest? hehe Harleys TOO!
SINCERLY, Brad Davis www.plumbers.cc
Y'know, if you can't find "New England style" hot dog buns, all you need to do is take a slice of Wonder Bread and fold it in half...that's basically what they are.
Been there done that with the slice of bread...just isn't the same. Finally after many years of asking several companies yearly to start selling them out here and I'm sure many other people have as well, they are finally coming down in price & are a lot easier to get from back east. Plus famousfoods.com also has a number of other food items from back east that you can't get out here.
The technical term for those buns are actually "Frankfurter rolls"...
-from another Vernon, CT person who knows what you mean about buttered buns!!
THESE SOME GOOD LOOKING HOTDOG BUNZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!!!!!!!!!
UM..... TASTE E!
Pepperidge Farms makes them and sells them from Maine to Florida, I believe.
You can order Wonder NE style buns at famousfoods.com. You get 18 for $4.95 plus s & h.
Dang . I am a Connecticut Girl living in Cali .. I miss Bill's .. What I would give for a hot lobster roll...
I live in GA but was born and raised in New Hampshire. It is the same down here. No good buns! I bring a few bags home to GA after a visit to NH and they are always a hit!
Ahh, lucky me! I still live in New England and have direct access to these rolls. If it ain't in a New England dog roll, it ain't right! Clam roll stands are open and the whole belly clams are cook,n at Sea Swirl!
Post a Comment