Jordan's bacon and bbq hot dog.
A bacon and BBQ hot dog transported this correspondent to the right-field bleachers of Yankee Stadium, with a ball launched from the bat of Aaron Judge soaring into the sky on a mild August evening.
In fact, I was eating the hot dog in March in New Haven, courtesy of grillmaster Isaiah Perez, at Jordan’s Hot Dogs and Mac at 970 State St., one of 53 food establishments participating in the two-week New Haven Restaurant Week 2022.
Terry-Ann Wilson
Jordan’s Hot Dogs and Mac is one of the restaurants offering discount pricing, reducing the $5.99 dog to $5.40.
Terry-Ann Wilson, who described herself as “server, cashier, and everything else,” took my order Wednesday before busying herself with sweeping and neatening up the space.
It was early in the day — Jordan’s is open until 8 p.m., so owner Corey Spruill wasn’t yet around. Spruill, Newhallville native and Hillhouse High, opened Jordan’s in 2012. It’s named for his son Jordan, whose two favorite foods are hot dogs and macaroni cheese.
Inside Jordan's Hot Dogs & Mac.
From its no-frills interior, to its dim lighting and cathedral quiet, there’s nothing glaring or showy about Jordan’s. Everything, it seems, is in deference to the brilliant glory that is the hot dog, in all its variations. (Jordan’s also offers burgers and wings, but it’s clear, from the frankfurter-themed decor, that the hot dog is king.)
exterior of Jordan's.
And what a hot dog it was. A Hummel smoked with hickory wood, it nested in a bun exquisitely grilled with butter, the sweetness in the bbq sauce enhancing the chargrilled meat and crispy bacon
There was cheese; it escaped this correspondent’s palate. That was because of the flavor, which had a certain smokiness, as though haunted by years of onions passing across the grill.
Restaurant week runs through Saturday, April 9.