CAPITOL LUNCH
http://www.capitollunch.com/
Capitol Lunch is a New Britain landmark. If theres one place in this city to visit it would have to be this famous restaurant. Many will actually claim that they make the best chili dogs on the face of the planet. I definitely agree.
So how did it all begin? The original location was actually a shoe shine shop. They started to sell hot dogs in order to attract more customers. Soon enough the hot dogs were so popular that Capitol Lunch was born in 1929.
The current location is 510 Main Street but it has several previous locations. Arthur Urnaris and Nick Sangeloty have been running it since the mid 1950's and "the hot dogs with the famous sauce" have remained the same. The cost of a hot dog is still only $1.60.
Capitol Lunch hot dogs have a way of bringing back good memories from my youth. The whole experience was a fun and bonding experience for me and my family. The first time I remember going there I would have been 4 or 5. Me and my dad jumped in the car and cruised downtown. This would have been the mid 1970's so I remember my dad's car being a gigantic boat of a vehicle. The trip down there was half the fun. My dad would sing along with music on the radio and joke around with me.
Walking up you could instantly smell the amazing aroma wafting out the door as you approached. Once you got inside your mouth would start to water. The beautiful smell of hot dogs frying on the grill and the sauce would fill your nose. I would hold my dads hand and wait in line. It was always filled with a very diverse crowd. You could hear a few different languages being spoken all around you. Typically they would be : English, Polish, and Spanish.
The anticipation would build until you finally got the the front of the line. My dad would always order a dozen hot dogs with everything and we would bring them home in two white boxes. "With Everything" in the language of Capitol Lunch meant a hot dog with mustard, onions, and sauce. And it still means that today.
Once we got the hot dogs home everyone would gather at the table. We would eat our hot dogs, talk, and just basically be a family.
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I've been to Capitol Lunch before! I didn't necessarily enjoy the brown special sauce, but their onion rings are exceptional. You definitely get a culture mixture; the last time I was there I was trying to talk to a sweet, older Polish lady. I like the childhood flashback of your dad singing along in the car! As much as we used to think they were annoying (especially with a sibling) I miss car trips!
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