Ok to all you people who have been waiting for a "real Italian Hot Dog" single or double west of the Passaic River. Jimmy Buff's will be opening the newest store at the Castle Ridge Shopping Center in East Hanover, corner of Rt 10 west and River Road. The Grand Opening will be this Saturday June 14, 2003.
Gee, it would be a shame if something was to happen to the new Jimmy Buff's, huh? A real shame.
Johnny C.
Enforcer
Dickie Dee's Italian Dogs
This message has been edited by from IP address 63.24.184.40 on Jan 6, 2005 4:07 PM This message has been edited by cbonaire from IP address 171.75.69.149 on Jun 9, 2003 6:03 PM
WOW, another Jimmy Buffs! There's one on Rt. 22 next to Bowcraft. About ten years ago I went in there and there was a man about 80 yrs old working the grease. He had worked in the original Jimmy Buff's on 14th Avenue near St. Antoninus in the early 60's. Maybe he was JB.
I bought a T-shirt that claims that they are the "Home of the Original Italian Hot Dog"
This message has been edited by from IP address 68.84.52.5 on Jun 9, 2003 7:38 PM
Bobby J., I just caught this entry on 'Buff's'. Here is the connection. Remember Steve Tobia? N.13th Street, St.Francis, Essex quarterback and great javelin thrower? Well if I remember correctly, he married Debbie Caruso and is connected to J-Buffs...somehow.I seem to recall there was a 'Caruso's'near the Buff's and they were somehow linked. Feel free to help me out here.....it's been a long time. Also Steve and Ricky Dee (present owner of his dad's store) were best friends growing up on 1st Ave. Anyone mention my name with Ricky is guarranteed to hear some great stories...not to mention some extra onions.
I seem to recall a Jimmy Buff imitator down on Halsey Street in Newark. Halsey Street, if you remember, was the street where all the religious stores the nuns used to get their "holy pictures" and statues from were located.
When I was a senior at Seton Hall University, in the fall of 1965, a group of us used to play touch football at Watsessing Park every Sunday evening, then go to Jimmy Buff's in West Orange and load up on double dog and double sausage sandwiches, stop for some cardboard containers of draft beer and consume it all on a front lawn overlooking Park Avenue in East Orange. Great stuff!
I make my own version at home (with less grease and agida. The key is the "pizza bread," which can be hard to find. I get mine at Piancone's Bakery in Bradley Beach.
I rediscovered the Rte #22 Buff's some years back and recently brought two of my kids up to the West Orange location to sample some Buff stuff. It was just as good, but as was noted above, keep some Brisochi on hand. (sp?)
Vinnie's right about the oil. I had a full-blown case of dysentery from those dogs, when I worked on that side of town in the early 80's. Buff's may well be the "Home of the Original Italian Hot Dog"; back then they were still using the Original Oil.
The Ting a Ling dog I remember was a different subspecies of the genre. If I recall properly (and it is going on 50 years now) Louis featured a "foot long" dog in a conventional roll with toppings of mustard, hot onions and/or sauerkraut. It is a classic in its own right and, although excellent, does not, to my mind, compete directly with the Jimmy Buff or Dickie Dee style fried dog, nestled deep in a pizza bread pocket, heaped with peppers, onions and potatoes and slathered with mustard and ketchup.
As for lemon ice, Ting a Ling's was, in those days, accorded some of the best around. I recall the lemon "zest" (shavings from the skin)in the ice. It could not compete with Buff's, since Buff's did not sell lemon ice.
Whether or not these qualities still exist, I do not know, but, as noted, I will give it a try next week,and submit my own admittedly subjective gastronomic report.
Does anyone remember the fine Italian Hot dogs served at Chick and Sally's (corner of Fourth and Sussex)? I believe John C. and I remember them being 20 or 25 cents in the early 60's.
Did not venture to Dicki Dee's or Jimmy Buff's until someone drove. Guess that's why I'll always remember Sally's. Meat Ball sandwiches, pepper and eggs and "Double" dogs were also on the menu. Cannot believe we are still alive to tell the tales of that place!
I remember that store in the 50's when we called it Dugan's. We used to buy things like "high bouncers" to be used in our stick ball games in the sussex Ave School playground.
High bouncers were a big ticket item for kids in my neighborhood. Every now and then we'd get one that would split at the seam. It didn't stop us from playing stickball. We played half-ball. You threw the half-high-bouncer like a flying saucer. It was a deceiving site seeing that thing coming in at what seemed to be a slow speed and suddenly taking a sharp left just as you started your swing. If you threw it with the seam vertical it came in straight and fast and suddenly dropped. At least with two halves we could get two games going.
Never liked them. (Sallie;s) Discovered Dickie's Dee's
through Baldesario "Benny" Abruzzo. Went to first store closer to Mt. Prospect Avenue on Bloomfield Avenue around 1965. Later moved the store to 5th Street. Whatever happend to Bruno? Keep dee feet on dee floor.
HI EVERYONE, JUST WANTED TO TELL YOU THAT I,M GOING TO SACRED HEART VAILSBURG GRAMMAR SCHOOL REUNION DANCE ON SATURDAY. JIMMY BUFF'S IS SENDING 100 DOGS TO THE DANCE. IF THEY NEED MORE ALL THEY HAVE TO DO IS CALL.
