In search of the perfect Las Vegas hot dog

Max Jacobson

Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2002 | 8:34 a.m.

Some would say there is no such thing as a great hot dog, but for those of us stand-up sausage eaters there is a great deal of difference between the buns. For a hot dog to be great, there should be a fresh bun, excellent condiments and a reasonable price.

The 75-cent hot dog at Gray's Papaya in Manhattan might not exist here, but we have several winning choices:

Chicago Hot Dogs

1078 N. Rancho Drive

Art Garceau was born and raised in Chicago and is loyal to his roots. He serves what is arguably the city's best hot dog, at a modest location on the north side of town.

What one gets at this roadside shack is basically a Vienna beef kosher jumbo all-beef dog on a Maryann poppy-seeded bun trucked in from the Windy City itself. The trimmings are elaborate, but each is a must for it to be a real Chicago style dog. They include mustard, relish, onions, tomatoes, sport peppers, a kosher dill pickle and a liberal dash of celery salt.

The dog can be washed down with a lime drink called Green River, and have some nicely battered onion rings, fresh-cut fries, or a bag of Chicago's own Jay's potato chips on the side. The dog is a hair less than a quarter-pound, pure beef, no cereal fillers, no meat byproducts, no preservatives. The price for this edible work of art is $2.75.

Costco

222 S. Martin Luther King Blvd.; 791 Marks St, Henderson; 801 S. Pavillion Center Drive

For pure taste, snap and crunch, Costco (yes, that's right) might have the best-tasting hot dog in town. It's certainly an unbeatable deal. For $1.50, one gets a fresh-steamed, juicy Hebrew National hot dog, a quarter-pound, all-beef beauty on a sesame seed bun. And that's not all: The same price includes a refillable 20-ounce drink, your choice from the soda machine.

Just look around these benches, because practically everybody sitting in the commons area is eating one. They know a good deal when they see one. No surprise, they sell at least 600 of these snappy dogs every day (that number does not include the hot dog-like Polish sausage).

The condiments, dispensed from do-it-yourself pumps, include relish, onions and deli mustard and ketchup. Good sauerkraut is available in an adjacent tub. And though it is true that, theoretically, one has to be a member to get in the front door here, no one checks membership cards at the food concession, once inside.

Nathan's

Inside New York-New York and MGM Grand

Considering all the hype about New York hot dogs, Nathan's scrawny, albeit tasty, all-beef, grilled hot dog, is a disappointment. What's more, it's hardly a bargain at $2.75. You'd have to be a bird to fill up on one of these hot dogs.

Not that it doesn't have some good points. For one thing, the dog comes on a butter-grilled bun, which is probably the tastiest hot dog bun around. For another, the long, skinny dog is flavorful, although sitting around on the grill, as these puppies do, can dry them out if the grill workers aren't careful.

On the tables, furthermore, is Nathan's own brand of spicy deli mustard, and it is a good one, as well as Heinz ketchup. There is also a condiment table stocked with relish, jalapeno peppers, chopped onion and tomato slices.

But toppings such as commercial-tasting chili and gooey, yellow processed cheese are 75 cents extra, and not worth the price of admission. You'd be better off getting a free hit of sauerkraut. And if one wants the authentic foot-long, sticking-out-of-the-bun Coney Island hot dog that Nathan's once was, one can get it downstairs in the America Restaurant for a pricey $6.95.

Hot Dog Heaven

89 E. Lake Mead Drive

One more option for a good Chicago dog is this order-at-the-window food stand, where diners can eat on stools set up around the perimeter, or better yet, in the car. You'll easily spot this place with the bright Vienna Beef sign, and the red-and-yellow umbrellas that shield from the sunnier afternoons. The faint smell of grease permeates the air as one approaches the window.

This is a good dog, and at $1.89, a good deal, although the price is $1 less than the dog at Chicago Hot Dogs because these are eight-to-a-pound dogs, and not the hefty quarter-pounders available at the other establishment. But the steamed poppy seed bun is nice and fresh, and the condiments -- mustard, relish, pickles, onions, tomatoes and hot peppers -- are piled high and snap with freshness. Anyway, in Henderson, this is the only game in town for a hot dog lover.

Slots-A-Fun

2880 Las Vegas Blvd. South

Here in the land of the nickel slot machine and the 99-cent shrimp cocktail, there is the least-expensive, oversized hot dog in the city. It may not exactly be a top-quality dog, but it is quite filling. We're talking a 99-cent, half-pound monster, served on a traditional enriched-flour bun with mustard, onions and relish.

The venue is the Subway inside this casino, and at lunch, the lines can be long, because the employees make a variety of subs as well.

The manager wouldn't comment much on the actual dog. "It's a beef-and-pork hot dog," he said, "and the name of the manufacturer is on the box. But it is made by an outside company (not Subway) and I am not allowed to say which one."

The hot dog is kept in a vat of hot water, and comes to the bun plump, pale, pink and waterlogged. It's not exactly delicious, and it tastes nothing like its all-beef cousins. Still, one could be eaten in a pinch, if one is the daring sort.