Sometimes we just need a quick lunch but what more can you ask for when you get a yummy hot dog in a clean place in a neat, small-town food joint which has a rich history behind it?
How many of us can boast of eating hot dogs at a place that has served it since 1929? Whaa? My mother was only two years old! Here are old pictures of the town, which were proudly displayed by the owners.
Here’s a photo of the store front past and present.
Capitol Lunch is a no frills restaurant in New Britain, Connecticut. It started as a shoe shine shop and branched off to making hot dogs, pricing it then at 15 cents. Not bad for a hot dog with all the trimmings. Capitol Lunch is famous for their sauce over their hog dogs. Their latest topping is sauerkraut.
Our friends in Connecticut, Rob and Laura Smith, took us there, telling us we had to try Cappy’s, their nickname for the restaurant’s signature hotdog with chili on top. Laura was so sure that we could each eat three or four. (I ate two.) Here’s my son Russ with Rob.
Laura said her parents used to go there in the mid 1900 when New Britain was in its hey day. Her father, Pete, used to work in the town in manufacturing, and he and his wife, Diane, spent much time there and enjoyed taking their children to Cappy’s.
New Britain was known as the Hardware Capital of the World. Stanley Hardware, maker of locks, household and industrial tools, had its headquarters there and employed large numbers of people in the small town. Stanley tools might not be a household name for those of us who grew up in Asia. Maybe Black and Decker is more familiar. The two companies merged about 10 years ago.
Pete worked right in that town, and Capitol Lunch did a bustling business operating it in much the same way today as it did then.
You walk into the store, wait in line make your order, get your Cappy’s and pay. No fuss, no frills. A great place to eat when you are hungry. In the old days workers came in and ordered hotdogs by the hundreds.
The chili is different. You can even Google recipe for the famous Capitol Lunch Chili Sauce. To me, I tasted curry powder in it, although none of the recipes put curry in it.
Still, I gave it a try. When my husband and Ali Smith, Russ’ girlfriend, held a retreat for the 1882 Foundation recently at a friend’s house, I decided that the welcome barbecue would feature hamburgers and Cappy’s. I made it just like you would make chili but added curry powder in it. It wasn’t the same but mine’s tasty and easy anyway, You can’t go wrong with chili, really.
Chili for Hot Dogs
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time :30 minutes
1 large onion, chopped
2 tablespoons oil
1 pound ground beef
1 tablespoon chili
1 can tomato sauce, 29 ounces
1/2 tablespoon cumin
1/2 tablespoon curry powder
1/2 cup water
In a 3 or 4-quart pot, heat oil. Add onions and fry until translucent. Add beef, spices and fry until beef changes color.
Add tomato sauce, stir and bring to boil.
Add water. Lower heat to simmer and leave to cook for 20 minutes. Serve over hotdogs and top with chopped raw onions.
