On July 26, the 26th day of my quest to eat a hot dog a day in honor of National Hot Dog Month, I had an early morning Doctor's appointment. I got a clean bill of health and the Doctor was impressed with my weight loss (and a tad jealous of my quest). Since I needed blood work today, I had been fasting since 5PM the day before; I WAS STARVING! I heard about a new hot dog joint just a few miles away from the Doctor's office and, even though it was just past 9 AM, I went to check it out.
Eugene's Coffee and Hot Dogs, at 67 Crafts Avenue in West Newton was indeed open for business! It's a cute little shop attached to a multi family home. There used to be tons of these kinds of little neighborhood stores and shops all over the Boston area "back in the day."
They open early- 5 AM- to serve the early morning workingman crowd and neighborhood locals looking for coffee and a quick, fresh breakfast sandwich. I am proud to be the first patron to be served up a hot dog for breakfast.
Inside the shop it's clean and welcoming.
Proprietor Natasha Paola is the daughter of the owner. Her contractor dad built the place out for her so she could have a business of her own. Eugene's has only been open for a month, but Natasha has big plans.
Right now the menu is pretty simple: Coffee, hot dogs, and breakfast sandwiches but soon they'll be adding cold cut sandwiches and hot sandwiches too.
The coolest thing about Eugene's is they serve up Shields franks. Shields franks are made in Kennebunk, Maine and bring to mind memories of my yearly excursions to Maine with Mrs. HDM. Shields franks is the modern day version of the old Schultz frank that Casey's Diner used to serve. The son of one of Schultz's owners resurrected the recipe and partnered with the Shields company to make "retro" Schultz franks under the Shields brand. Natasha's dad trucks a bunch of the dogs down from Maine each week and, to my knowledge, Eugene's is the only Boston area hot dog joint that serves them. Too bad- they are a very tasty dog!
Well, hot dog class is over now. I ordered up one dog "old school" (that's All Around) and...
CHOWED DOWN!!!!!
Natasha and her dad have something here. In the valley of Kayem and Pearl that is greater Boston's hot dog eateries, Eugene's Coffee and Hot Dogs offers something tasty and unique!
Definitely
TWO THUMBS UP!!!
(with a pretty smile to boot)
If you're in Newton, stop by Eugene's Coffee and Hot Dogs for an iced coffee and a hot Shields frank. Make sure you tell Natasha "the Hotdogman sent me!"
Happy National Hot Dog Month!
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