american coney island

the second fiddle. after chugging down what i thought, was the quintessential chili cheesedognext door, we strutted on over to american to see how they stacked up. im really all about the chili, so i didnt have any qualms about going with chili cheese fries, rather than another dog. as for mrs. michigan, she jumped at the chance to have a gyro with meat cut from a spit (something that sadly, she cant get back in her adopted home down south). after a brief bit of time, our tray was dropped off. one look at that chili and i knew it was gonna be assigned to the d league. stuff looked like it came out of a can, tasted like it came out of a can; some thin, runny juice mixed with ground beef that made for a whole lotta nothing in the flavor department. their gyro fared much better, though our desperation mightve scored it a couple extra points. the red, white and blue, flag riddled, super tacky decor didnt help matters very much. it left me wishing that we had made a full meal of things next door at the place that had some soul and non-manufactured personality. to sum things up; lafayette made me feel like i was in the heart of the motor city, while american left me feeling like i was eating at a chain in las vegas. 'nuff said.
grade: c- (the gyro saved this places bum from a well deserved d)

i️ was only in detroit a few days but heard i️ had to have one of the famous coney island hotdogs. i️ chose american coney island over its competitor due to the decor, it looked a lot more fun and colourful from outside. we had efficient and friendly service, the prices were cheap and i️ was impressed by thedogitself - delicious and very filling. next time i’m in detroit i’ll have to compare the two restaurants but for now my vote goes to american coney island 😉

being from california, i had no idea what a coney island hotdogwas. so i goggled it.

a coney island hotdog(or coneydogor coney) is a hotdogin a bun topped with a savory meat sauce and sometimes other toppings.

still confused on how a coney islanddogended up in detroit, i did a little bit of research. apparently, the coney island developed in michigan is a natural-casing beef or beef and pork european-style wiener würstchen (vienna sausage) of german origin, topped with a beef heart-based sauce, one or two stripes of yellow mustard and diced or chopped onions. the variety is a fixture in flint,detroit, jackson, kalamazoo, and southeastern michigan.

the style originated in the early 20th century, with competing claims from american and lafayette coney islands (1917)in detroit, and todoroff's original coney island (1914) in jackson. the longest continuously operated coney island (in the same location) is in kalamazoo (1915).

 

after a long day of sightseeing, and a very heavy breakfast, we were not really that hungry for a heavy dinner.  trying one of detroit's famous "coney island" hotdogseemed appropriate, so i chose american over lafayette because they were able to accommodate my group of 7 and the menu has more than lafayette, which just offers coney island hot dogs.  the american also offers gyros, chicken, and beer.  they also offer an "american special" which is a coney island hotdogtopped with ground beef.

 

stephen ordered the coney island hotdogand the american special, while i had the special and fries.  the fries were just ok, and actually cold.  the hotdoghas a nice "snap" to each bite, and i probably could have easily eaten 2 but we saved room so we could go next door to the lafayette, and took one to go.

both coney island dogs were good, but we liked the american just a little more.  the lafayette used a thicker casing, so even though there was a "snap" it was a chewier snap.   either way, if  i had to eat at either place, it would be fine.  cheap eats, and dinner for 7 people with drinks and sides came less than $42 before tip. that's cheap eats!

american coney island's chilidogis ok, great snap in the hot dog. unfortunately the chili is somewhat tasteless. the 60's decor is interesting. the uni bathroom has much to be desired.
i prefer the coney island at lafayette coney island next door.

best coney island in detroit. period.. grade: a
compare side by side with anybody else’s coney, as my brothers and i did. never again will you question who’s the best. american wins, hands down.
the hot dogs are the best quality – dearborn brand – with all meat, no filler. grilled to a sear on the sides, the natural casing snaps when you take your first bite, releasing the meaty flavor. the chili is perfectly seasoned and textured; others coney chilis are fatty or under-spiced by comparison. very finely diced onions, yellow mustard, and the perfect bun bring this all together and create the standard of the detroit coney.
there’s still no better in the business than american coney island...if you are basing your judgment on flavor, that is. as the originator of the detroit coney island hotdogrestaurant, they remain the best without question.


-----10 nov, 2010-----

this is the original detroit coney island. grade: a

there's a reason why american coney island beat lafayette in comparisons on the food network and the travel channel--american's coneys taste better.

if you go to downtown detroit and peer into the two old side-by-side hotdogrestaurants at the triangular corner of michigan ave. and lafayette blvd., don't let the old, dirty looking one fool you into thinking that it is somehow more "authentic". the bright, gaudy american coney island on the corner is the originator of detroit's unique interpretation of the chili dog.

and if you judge such things on taste, american is far, far better.

american began during world war i. its founder would bring his brother over from greece and get him involved in the business, but he wanted to break away and soon opened next-door lafayette coney island. the two businesses maintained a family rivalry until two decades ago when lafayette was sold to its employees.

american puts together a better product. the hot dogs and chili are both made to their exclusive recipes, and both have distinctive characteristics of texture and spice that allow them to stand out when you take a bite. i can't say when lafayette's ingredients went downhill or if they always were that way, but its chili and its dogs get lost in a common flavor that is not very appetizing. in a taste test with my two brothers and nephew, american coney island won hands down (see my review of lafayette coney island).

some 350 restaurants in the detroit area, starting with lafayette, have attempted to copy american coney island. none of them comes close. if you want the original and best, go downtown and go to the bright red, white and blue joint on the corner.

after our slow start, we headed downtown to do our own american vs. lafayette coneydogchallenge. i'll write about our results in a different post, but we had two coney dogs, two vernors, and shared two sets of coney fries. so good. then we headed a few blocks away to campus martius . the park sets up a skating rink in the winter, and i've always wanted to skate there, but never had anyone that would go with me until laura visited. we rented skates for $3, and skating was $8.  luckily, the weather wasn't too cold. skating on the rink is a little scary, because pretty much no one knows how to skate and these little kids keep falling and running into you. i was semi-terrified of falling, but luckily laura and i were able to remain upright. a funny thing happened when we had to take a break for the zamboni cleaning; someone dropped a dollar. no one really saw who did it, but no one would pick it up. we saw maybe 10 people walk over it, look at it, then look around but not pick it up. then a woman picked it up and moved it to the bench next to us, saying something like - someone might come back for this. then laura and i proceeded to watch a few more people sit by the dollar, but not pick it up. it was as if no one wanted to be the "cheapskate" that pick up the dollar. it was definitely an interesting experiment in human behavior.   and the christmas tree at campus martius! we walked into the compuware headquarters to cut through to our next destination, and stopped to enjoy the world's tallest indoor water structure (which is actually very stunning in person). we tried to go on the people mover, just for the fun of it. after we paid

overall, i found this a very good hot dog, definitely worthy of making a trip to get, although given the city, i would definitely choose to make the trip in broad daylight if i was going to return here. but was it the best coney islanddogon its own street? well, you’ll have to come back for lafayette’s review to find out…

although there are many contenders, the consensus seems to be that the best coney islanddogcan be found at either american coney island or lafayette coney island, which sit next door to each other at the intersection of michigan avenue and lafayette boulevard.

the star of the show and the reason why aci has been in business for nearly 100 years was the coney dog. enough chili and mustard and onion to compliment but allow the greatdogto shine. this vienna style (pork and beef)dogis made specially for aci by dearborn sausage. it comes off a flat top (love the flat top) and its natural casing provided a crisp snap that could rival an apple. if you're a hotdogaficionado and love that snap from natural casings, this is as good as it gets.

well done...you be the judge. i ate at both lafayette coney island and american coney island. i would have to say my experience was better at american coney, but the hotdogwas better at lafayette. at american they asked if i wanted my hotdogwell done...well, i didn't know well done meant just burned! the chili was good on the hotdogthough. i would recommend american if you are ever in detroit! heck, try them both and you be the judge!

good stuff. this is the first time i've ever been to american. i've always been partial to lafeyette, right next door. came after a hockey game and lafeyette was packed, but there was room at american. (a sign? perhaps) anyways, we were itching for coneys so we might as well try right?

sit down, get the usual, each with 2 coneys and a plate of fries to share. i must say thedoghad very good snap. something indicative of an awesome coney. i do like the coney sauce at lafeyette better, but this is certainly not bad. all in all, you can not go wrong with either of these restaurants. they are both fantastic! i now know that if i can't get a table at lafeyette, american will do just fine in it's 'stead.

world class coney. finally got to weigh in on the well-publicized "battle of the coneys" between american and its immediate neighbor, lafayette. were it not for lafayette, thedogi got at american would've been the best i'd had in many, many years. delicious, natural-casingdog(complete with snap) topped with the very definition of detroit-style coney sauce (essentially, seasoned ground beef), onions, and mustard. unbelievable. do yourself a favor and do your own head-to-head with lafayette. you won't be sorry (at least until the next morning).