"National Coney Island with Carl Tart" is an episode of the premium-content podcast, Doughboys Double, hosted by Mike Mitchell and Nick Wiger. "National Coney Island with Carl Tart" was released on January 28, 2020.
"Tomorrow on the Double... (with Carl Tart)" - @doughboyspod
Synopsis[]
Carl Tart (Comedy Bang! Bang!, The Good Place) joins the 'boys to review National Coney Island, a Michigan based Greek-American diner that specializes in Coney dogs. Plus, a very Doughy new segment.
(Recorded live in Detroit, Michigan)
Nick's intro[]
"If there's a rivalry, it's them against us... because we're killing them."
These fighting words, as quoted in a 2016 Munchies profile, are from Grace Keros, the granddaughter and current operator of one of two Coney dog stands that meet at the intersection of Lafayette and Michigan Avenue in Detroit.
Lafayette Coney Island & American Coney Island
In 1917, Greek immigrant Gus Keros, grandfather of Grace, opened American Coney Island at the juncture, slinging inexpensive chili sauce-laden dogs to locals. So popular was his product that Gus imported his brother Bill to help out, but in an act of betrayal out of Greek tragedy, Bill quit and opened competing outfit, Lafayette Coney Island, next door, using a different chili recipe and dog provider.
A bitter rivalry over who lays claim to Detroit's top Coney dog continues to this day, even after Bill Keros sold his business to his employees.
Though the name evokes the New York neighborhood/amusement park, the Coney Dog - a frank topped with thin meat-chili sauce - is a Motor City creation. The name is meant to associate with the quality of Coney Island's tube steaks, back from when the term 'hot dog' had negative connotations due to Upton Sinclair's muckraking meatpacking expose, The Jungle.
And it's these two warring stands that helped make the Coney Dog one of the city's signature bites and a staple at Greek and Macedonian-owned eateries. In 1965, Greek-American restaurateur James Giftos opened a Coney Dog stand in the Macomb Mall in Roseville, Michigan. After successfully growing to three locations focused on dogs and burgers, Giftos had the idea to expand the footprint and menu, making his concept into a full-service diner. The gambit paid off and Giftos' king-sized Coney concept too became a key part of Detroit's culinary identity.
So it's the relative newcomer above the fray of Coney Dog-related generational trauma that's been able to expand most aggressively and that, though it's not exactly national, now has twenty locations in the metropolitan Detroit area.
This week on Doughboys: National Coney Island.
Fork rating[]
| guest / host | ordered | rating |
|---|---|---|
| Nick Wiger |
|
4 forks |
| Mike Mitchell |
|
4.75 forks |
| Carl Tart |
|
4 forks |
| shared |
|
With these scores, National Coney Island joins the Golden Plate Club!
Buddy's and the Jet's[]
In this segment, The Doughboys compare two Detroit pizza joints: Buddy's Pizza and Jet's Pizza.
They all really loved both places, but made their choices, with Mitch and Carl defeating Nick's choice.
| guest / host | decision |
|---|---|
| Nick Wiger | Buddy's |
| Mike Mitchell | Jet's |
| Carl Tart | Jet's |
Roast Spoonman[]
Little Caesar's
| “ | Big Caesar's | ” |
–Zac Freeling | ||
Quotes[]
| “ | Nick: Tahini is a delight. What a treat that is. Mitch: You're a fucking grade A dork, you know that? |
” |
–The Doughboys | ||
| “ | I'm pro diarrhea chili! | ” |
–Nick Wiger | ||
| “ | Spoon sounds like boo! | ” |
–Mike Mitchell's big realization | ||
| “ | Imagine if the Great Lakes were both filled with marinara. | ” |
–Mike Mitchell | ||
#hashtags[]
- #FalNotAwful
- #JetsStream vs. #MyBuddyandMe
Feedbag[]
| “ | What advice do you have to deal with a dinner served to you by people who can't cook, whether that's a family member or a friend? | ” |
–Anna | ||
| “ | If a genie could grant you three types of food, in any variety, that were always stocked in your fridge, with the catch that you could only eat those three types of food for the rest of your lives, what would they be? | ” |
–Sarah | ||
| “ | If you were going to replace the water in a water fountain with something else, what would you choose? | ” |
–Tyler | ||
Related Episodes[]
| Buddy's Pizza episodes | Carl Tart episodes |
|---|---|
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Photos[]
