The sight of the Piscataqua River Bridge in August brings joy to mine and Mrs. HDM's hearts- it means we are headed up to Maine for our annual long weekend get away. Every year, we leave the kids with grandparents and head north for three days of fun and sun.
This year, we combined "business" with pleasure and went on a little Hot Dog Tour of Maine. We began on the southern stretch of route 1. Our first stop was Yank's Franks in Wells, Maine.
Yank's is a cute little stand right on route 1. They're open from 11-3 every day from mid May until Labor Day then they are open weekends only through Columbus Day. Just like everything else in Maine, Yank's has a short season.
I wonder whose car this is?
It belongs to George Yankowski; he owns and runs the stand with his wife, "Hot Diggity" who had the day off. George spent a big chunk of his life in the world of corporate finance and his wife was a math teacher. A few years back, they became innkeepers at The Maine Stay Inn in Kennebunkport. They got out of the B&B business and started up their hot dog business on August 9, 2010. Even though they have only been in business for a year, they gave Casey's Diner a run for their money in the NECN Best Hot Dog in New England Poll.
There is a nice al fresco dining area next to Noel's Antiques.
Yank's serves up Hummel Brothers franks. They're made in New Haven, CT (the Yankowskis lived down that way for a spell) and they are delicious. They put Raye's mustard on their dogs. Raye's is the only stone ground mustard mill in the USA and the flavor is rich and sharp.
Mrs. Hotdogman was hungry, so she ordered up a Yank's Frank. This is one of the signature dogs- it's a "Chicago style" dog served with Sweet Relish, Yellow Downeast Mustard, Chopped Onions, Slice of Fresh Tomato, Dill Pickle Slice and finished with Celery Salt on a grilled New England split top roll. George will add jalapeno peppers if you like.
After she ranted about cheese, Mrs. HDM
CHOWED DOWN!
I ordered up a chili cheese dog with some Raye's mustard and onions- also served on a grilled roll and....
CHOWED DOWN!
This was one yummy dog! The Hummel franks were juicy and HOT, the chili was spicy without overpowering the mix of ingredients and the Raye's mustard added an earthy, rich dimension. To Mrs. HDM's approval, the cheese was real shredded cheese- not my guilty pleasure favorite "squeeze cheese."
Definitely
TWO THUMBS UP!
When you're looking for a place to eat along route 1 in Wells, try Yank's Franks- it's delicious and it won't break the bank! Tell George or Hot Diggity "the Hotdogman sent me."
Check out the rest of the story on Hot Dog Stories.
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