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Walter's Hot Dog Stand in Mamaroneck, NY, stands in parkland across from the high school.

To celebrate National Hot Dog Month, and the impending Nathan's hot dog eating contest, Fork in the Road traveled to Mamaroneck, NY, an easy 30 minute train ride from Grand Central. One of the iconic hot dog stands of the United States, Walter's is located a half mlle south of the train station. Though Walter Harrington established his first stand in 1919, it wasn't until 1928 that he built the picturesque pagoda on parkland across from Mamaorneck High School, and it's been a favorite of locals, tourists, and high school students ever since. In fact, Walter's rated as #7 in Our Ten Best Hot Dogs. On the next page, find more pictures of Walter's, including their strange franks.

Hey folks, just popping in here to bring you our favorite posts from the past week. Happy 4th, and see you on Monday.

Coverage of the Un-Fancy Food show, including salty caramels and beer.

Cheap lobster from Red Hook Lobster Pound? Grill it! (Maybe give it a valium first.)

Ah, summer, when thoughts turn to duck's feet. Check out the Organ Recital.

When BYOB-ing to Bar Blanc, stop by Sea Grape for an affordable Pinot Noir from Burgundy.

Two al pastor tortas from Sunset Park were pitted against each other in a Battle of the Dishes.

Where are the ten best hot dog joints in the region? Here.

A chat with Michael White of Marea reveals tofu in his refrigerator.

Photo borrowed from lostnewyorkcity

After Mr. Cutlets posted a tip that Joe Jr. Restaurant might be closing, an outpouring of emotion from fans followed.

Mimi Sheraton wrote in to say, "If hamburgers were all, the loss of Joe Jr., would be far less serious. Like so many devotees, the things I would miss are the nicely doctored soups, the excellent tuna fish salad sandwich, all egg dishes and the waffles as well as the oatmeal."

Patrons of the West Village diner posted a sign on the window petitioning for the place to stay open, but Grub Street reported that it was no use: Owner Teddy Hondros has already made up his mind to retire after 34 years at the restaurant.

Hondros's son, Gregory, told the Times' Diner's Journal, "What can I say, this really hurts. I've been coming here since I was a kid, and so have our customers."

A friend of the restaurant's wrote in to Eater, saying that the landlord had offered to let Hondros stay for double his current rent.

Barring any last-minute reversal, Joe Jr.'s will close this Sunday, July 5.

Welcome to our brand-spanking-new line of chef interviews, Chatting With.

Today, Michael White--pasta genius and executive chef of Convivio, Alto and seafood newcomer Marea. We love his cooking, and were happy to snag him for a chat, even if he didn't quite answer the question about striped marlin. White didn't want to give up more dirt on the downtown restaurant he's reportedly planned for next year, but you can get a bit of gossip about it here.

Click through to find out what's White's drink of choice, the contents of his fridge and what he thinks is the most under-appreciated Italian ingredient.

Call them hot dogs, franks, weenies, floaters, or tube steaks, New Yorkers love them, whether as impromptu snacks or full-blown meals. And now that the recession is upon us, we love them more than ever. Said to have originated in Frankfurt, Germany, these sausages--filled with a pork or beef or beef-pork forcemeat--were popularized in Coney Island 150 years ago, where they were first sold from pushcarts, in which the sausages were boiled over a charcoal fire.

Fork in the Road has picked Our Top Ten franks, but this time we haven't limited ourselves to the five boroughs and a sliver of New Jersey. Rather, we've ranged over two states--at least those parts you can reach with a two- or three-hour drive. See if you agree, and please tell us the places we've missed.

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Did Nathan's Famous make the top ten? See below to find out.

In The Informant, a mustachioed Matt Damon plays Mark Whitacre, a big food executive who blows the whistle on an industry-wide price-fixing scheme involving the food additive lysine. The Steven Soderbergh movie out this fall is based on the true story of Whitacre, who became the highest-ranked executive to turn whistleblower in U.S. history.

As an undercover agent for the FBI, Whitacre helped expose crimes committed by big food companies around the world, who conspired to fix the prices of food additives in what turned out to be the largest price-fixing case to date at the time.

In an interview, the real-life Whitacre said, "It's like I was two people. I assume that's why they chose Matt Damon for the movie, because he plays those roles that have such psychological intensity. In the Bourne movies, he doesn't even know who he is."

Apparently, Whitacre hadn't yet heard the film was being shot as a comedy.

[A.V. Club via Cold Mud]

Aureole, along with chef-owner Charlie Palmer and executive chef Christopher Lee, has relocated from its Upper East Side home to Bryant Park. A four-course prix-fixe for $115 is available in the main dining room, and a parallel a la carte menu is on offer in the bar room.
[NY Times]

Gus and Gabriel, which was set to open June 30, had to delay its debut. Michael Psilakis's new gastropub, named for this late father and young son, experienced a problem with the air-conditioning system, but solved it and opened promptly the next day.
[The Feedbag]

A new seafood restaurant, Aqualis Grill, has opened its doors in Fort Greene. John Tsakinis of Kellari Taverna helms the kitchen, where he'll turn daily catch into simple dishes, such as whole grilled sea bass and grilled calamari with saffron-lemon vinaigrette. The liquor license has yet to arrive, but you can always try B-ing your own B.
[The Feed]

The saga that is Superdive finally opened a day early this past week. Apparently, opening night was filled with frattiness, flatulence, and cute girls. Call ahead for keg service reservations.
[EV Grieve via Eater]

Le Pere Pinard on the LES, where you could have your fortune told by a man in a pointy hat while your steak tartare was being assembled tableside, has shuttered. The place is already under reconstruction.
[Eater]

Eater, Grub Street, NY Journal, and Joe Dobias of JoeDoe were embroiled in a melee this past week when Dobias lashed out at NY Journal "and other shithead bloggers" for posting a negative review of his restaurant. When Eater picked up the story, Dobias shifted his disdain to that blog, although he does like Grub Street, he says.
[Grub Street]

Joe Dobias wasn't the only chef talking after a bad review. Jean-Georges Vongerichten posted a rebuttal on his blog to Frank Bruni's recent review of Spice Market, in which Bruni dropped two stars for "sloppiness" having crept into the kitchen. "The food at Spice Market is excellent--and I intend to keep making it better and better. Besides, I can personally attest to the fact that there's no better place to eat well and have a great time," wrote Jean-Georges.
[Eater]

David Chang and Wylie Dufresne will open their restaurants to renowned French chefs for "Four Fucking Dinners," on Omnivore event set to take place in September. L'Astrance's Pascal Barbot will take over the kitchen of Momofuku Ko, Inaki Aizpitarte of Le Chateaubriand will get Momofuku Noodle Bar, Alexandre Gauthier of La Grenouilliere will be at Momofuku Ssam Bar, and Michel Bras of Laguiolle will be in the kitchen at wd~50.
[Gourmet]

Michael Schlow may have choked on Top Chef Masters, but business at his restaurants has been picking up, he says. Schlow is not only touting a new book, but has hinted at the possibility of opening a new outpost of his Boston restaurant in New York or D.C.
[Nation's Restaurant News]

Harbour's Joe Isidori was rumored to have quit last week, but apparently he is just taking a month-long leave from the restaurant for personal health reasons, although it's "nothing serious," he assures.
[Grub Street]

The jar stuffed with halved Greenmarket strawberries and Cazadores tequila sat on the counter for three weeks, the red color slowly leaching out of the berries and into the booze. Last night, the 21-day infusing period was finally over, so the strawberries were gleefully strained out, and the tequila, which had turned the color of cough syrup, was ready for drinking.

The recipe for this infusion comes from a 1946 book with an amazing name: The Gentleman's Companion, Being an Exotic Drinking Book: Around the World With Jigger, Beaker and Flask. Even people who don't tend to like infused spirits say that the combo of strawberries and tequila is beautiful--and the name, tequila por mi amante, or tequila for my beloved, doesn't hurt.

Tequila por mi amante turns out to taste as good as it sounds. It smells more like strawberries than strawberries do, and tastes of the fresh, sweet berries, without actually being sweet. The bite of the tequila is gone, leaving rounded flavor and just a smoky burn as you swallow. It tastes great simply served up, chilled, or with lime juice. Anyone else have a favorite way to drink it?

With a little patience, making tequila por mi amante is actually a lot easier than pie.

(Many thanks to commenter Liz, who suggested this experiment.)

McDonald's has a new burger on the menu, the first new permanent item since 2001. The Angus Third Pounder--which comes in Deluxe with American cheese, lettuce, and tomato; Bacon & Cheese; and Mushroom & Swiss varieties--seems to be competing with Burger King's Steakhouse Burger and other beefier burger chains' burgers.
[Chicago Tribune]

When the European Union banned imports of commercially caught Canadian seals last month, the controversial meat was suddenly thrust into the spotlight, as were the few chefs who serve it. Canada's governor general even made waves when she sampled a piece of raw seal heart at an Inuit community feast.
[NY Times]

Restaurant Girl takes a break from reviewing new restaurants to name her favorite spots for summer eats, which include such daring and insightful picks as Nathan's hot dogs in Coney Island, Pearl Oyster Bar's lobster rolls, and Mister Softee ice cream.
[NY Daily News]

Martha Stewart, Alec Baldwin, Yoko Ono, Alan Alda, and Regis Philbin are among celebs who are lobbying to keep Tavern on the Green in the LeRoy family. LeRoy is up against Seth Greenberg of Capitale and Dean J. Poll of the Boathouse for the rights to a 20-year operating license for the restaurant.
[NY Daily News]

Spoiled food alert: If you were planning to wash down your Tollhouse cookies with a perfectly safe Dunkin' Donuts Dunkaccino, you're plum out of luck--and it's not just because the cookies might be tainted. Dunkin' will temporarily stop selling hot chocolate and Dunkaccinos after discovering a salmonella threat at one of its suppliers.
[Boston Globe]