all around

i worked many years down the road from casey's in natick, where you could get a dog all around for .50 cents back in the day. it's the same way to order today at elliot's on elliot street, which put me right to home, and no complaints about the sub-$2 2009 prices, either. also, instead of a steamed bun, a la casey's, they do them proper on the grill for the perfect mrs. duffy finish, so they've got that going for them as well. see, i grew up on mrs. duffy's grilled dogs at the stand in littleton, and though boiling 'em in beer a la casey's is a nice touch, and i'm not sure the composition of the boiling liquid at elliot's, there's still nothing like the patina from the grill to me, on both the barker and the bun.

so, in addition to the grillwork, i'd vote for a bit more snap, and to put the kraut and mustard UNDER instead of on top of the dog, but clearly this'll do. it occurs to me that folks around here will consider me the worst sort of carpetbagger to put qualifications on my elliot's hot dog love, but all i can say is that dogs, like the water in the salmon stream to the salmon, are a unique environmental imprint that can never be changed, and the home flavor is a lure that can never be bested. i'm just not from around here, ya know? but when in rome, here's a prime spot to do like the romans and love every savory minute of it. $7 for two kraut's with mustard, onion rings and a coke. can't beat it.

the other opportunity was to run into neighbors and friends (and even the lowell bloggerati) which is actually the prime element of any good dog stand. casey's sat 10, so you always had to stand in line at the window to get yours if you wanted to get back to work within an hour, and then you'd always want to stand around the picnic area beside and talk about doug flutie or whatever passed for relevant that day as you munched on your bagful. elliots seems to manage a couple dozen inside, but they've also got the classic patch of grass beside that'll accommodate another dozen streetcorner mayors with ease, so plenty of jawboning space.

as such, it was also nice to see four city council candidates and a fifth's petition gang respecting the opportunity enough to put in an appearance. (nothing from the gang of six, naturally, since elliot's wouldn't happen to be in any of their neighborhoods, nor, likely, in any of their concerns, but i digress). franky descoteaux was there from downtown, and also ryan berard (christian hill), paul belley (pawtucketville), and patrick murphy (the grove). i can't help but find the neighborhood thing fascinating, since practically no one in this city's politics or punditry has any understanding or respect for mine. a few know what it looks like and the businesses here, but they all seem to grok less than zero about the demographics and day-to-day living concerns, and it always shows. (yes, we need a recycling program and not the daily run-around from gunther "it's not part of my program" wellenstein). but it's nice that a few will make the effort to try to learn, and maybe some day things'll evolve a little for the better.

color me a downtownie, and proud of it. and now we've got elliot's right across the canal, and that's one more thing that nobody else in town has to compare.