The Windmill | |
---|---|
Restaurant information | |
Established | 1964 |
Street address | 586 Ocean Blvd. (location of the first restaurant of the chain) |
City | Long Branch |
State | New Jersey |
Postal/ZIP Code | 07740 |
Country | United States |
The Windmill (stylized as WindMill) is a chain of restaurants located mostly near the Jersey Shore known for its hot dogs and other fast food. The original location, a windmill-shaped building in Long Branch, New Jersey, was built and opened in 1963. [1] Leo and Ed Levine bought the restaurant in 1976, and opened a second location in Belmar, New Jersey, three years later. [1] George James in The New York Times writes, "Aside from Sabrett, the family-owned hot dog manufacturer based in New Jersey that makes the Windmill hot dog, the Levines, probably constitute the largest wiener dynasty in the state." [2] The Windmill's hot dog style is a Jersey Shore flat-grilled dog.
The Windmill's Long Branch location is known for its fierce competition with nearby Max's Famous Hotdogs. [3]
A hot dog is a dish consisting of a grilled, steamed, or boiled sausage served in the slit of a partially sliced bun. The term hot dog can refer to the sausage itself. The sausage used is a wiener or a frankfurter. The names of these sausages commonly refer to their assembled dish. Hot dog preparation and condiments vary worldwide. Common condiments include mustard, ketchup, relish, onions in tomato sauce, and cheese sauce. Other toppings include sauerkraut, diced onions, jalapeños, chili, grated cheese, coleslaw, bacon and olives. Hot dog variants include the corn dog and pigs in a blanket. The hot dog's cultural traditions include the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest and the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile.
The Jersey Shore, commonly referred to locally as simply the Shore, is the coastal region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. Geographically, the term encompasses about 141 miles (227 km) of oceanfront bordering the Atlantic Ocean, from Perth Amboy in the north to Cape May Point in the south. The region includes Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, Atlantic, and Cape May counties, which are in the central and southern parts of the state. Located in the center of the Northeast Megalopolis, the northern half of the shore region is part of the New York metro area, while the southern half of the shore region is part of the Philadelphia metro area. The Jersey Shore hosts the highest concentration of oceanside boardwalks in the United States.
Dorrian's Red Hand, also known simply as Dorrian's, is a famed Irish-American bar located at 1616 Second Avenue at East 84th Street, on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, New York City, New York.
The Varsity is a restaurant chain in Atlanta, Georgia. The main branch of the chain was the largest drive-in fast food restaurant in the world, taking up two city blocks and accommodating up to 800 diners. The main location ended car-side service in 2020. There are now six other branches across metropolitan Atlanta.
A Coney Island is a type of restaurant that is popular in the northern United States, particularly in Michigan, named after the Coney Island hot dog.
Tony Packo's Cafe is a restaurant that started in the Hungarian neighborhood of Birmingham, on the east side of Toledo, Ohio, at 1902 Front Street.
Mrs. Jay's was a popular bar and restaurant located in Asbury Park, New Jersey.
Nathan's Famous, Inc. is an American company that operates a chain of fast-food restaurants specializing in hot dogs. The original Nathan's restaurant stands at the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues in the Coney Island neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City. The company's headquarters are at One Jericho Plaza in Jericho, part of Oyster Bay, New York.
Different areas of the world have local variations on the hot dog, in the type of meat used, the condiments added, and its means of preparation.
Gray's Papaya is a hot dog restaurant located at 2090 Broadway at 72nd Street in New York City. It had other locations, all of which had closed by June 2020. Gray's Papaya is famous for its inexpensive high-quality hot dogs, considered among the best in New York City. They once sold for 50 cents each and, as of 2024, sell for $3.25.
An Italian hot dog is a type of hot dog popular in New Jersey, United States, made by Jimmy Buff and his wife Mary Racioppi. His family continues the restaurant Jimmy Buff's to this day. Other restaurants like Joe Joe's Italian Hot Dog in Toms River serve Italian hot dogs but Jimmy Buff's is nonetheless most widely known in New Jersey as the restaurant that first served Italian hot dogs and is most famous for their Italian hot dog.
Papaya King is a fast food restaurant on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City.
Pier Village is a Victorian-inspired mixed-use community located in Long Branch, New Jersey along the Atlantic Ocean. It opened in 2005.
Rutt's Hut is a restaurant in Clifton, New Jersey known for its deep-fried hot dogs. In addition to the Ripper, customers can also order the dogs 'In-And-Out' style which is only in the hot oil briefly, and the 'Cremator' which is charred black.
Ted's Hot Dogs is a chain of hot dog restaurants based in Buffalo, New York. Founded on March 24, 1927 by Greek immigrant Theodore Spiro Liaros, Ted's Hot Dogs is a Western New York tradition based primarily upon their charcoal broiled hot dogs, as well as their homemade secret hot sauce, old-fashioned milk shakes, and handmade onion rings.
Max's Bar & Grill is a restaurant in Long Branch, New Jersey known for its hot dogs. Max's uses quarter pound Schickhaus beef/pork dog slow cooked on a griddle. Max's Hotdog style is a Jersey Shore variant of Kosher style. It is popular with local celebrities and is said to be a favorite of Bruce Springsteen and the late Cardinal John O'Connor. Among those who have visited Max’s are Jon Bon Jovi, Steven Van Zandt, Red Buttons, Gov. Brendan Byrne, Connie Francis, actors Joe Pantoliano, Joe Pesci, Nick Puccio, John Travolta, Jackie Mason, Dean Martin and singer Frankie Valli. This restaurant was also featured in Kitchen Nightmares.
Zack's Hot Dogs is a local restaurant in Burlington, North Carolina. It was opened by Zack Touloupas in 1928 and was originally named Alamance Hot Wienie Lunch. The menu began as a blue plate special, but over the years has been changed to focus on hotdogs and hamburgers. The menu has also been expanded to breakfast, lunch and dinner. Zack's used to be open seven days a week, but is now closed on Sundays.
El Güero Canelo is a restaurant in Tucson, Arizona, United States. In 2018 it was named one of America's Classics by the James Beard Foundation.