AlwaysTraveling: Super Duper Weenie (Fairfield, CT)

Jeff Zalaznick — May 04, 2009

Gary Zemora was working as a chef at Pasta Nostra, a respected South Norwalk Italian restaurant, but he just couldn’t shake the image of a painting he had seen of the 1977 Super Duper Weenie truck. Originally owned by Robert Turner, who first parked it in Norwalk, CT, the truck was sold to Neil Farans, the owner of a Texaco station, who was burdened with selling the thing until Gary Zemora emerged as the truck’s saving grace.

Zemora quit his job and opened up shop in 1992 with the mindset of a serious gourmand. When the restored roadside hot dog truck developed a cult-like following, it was time to open a sit-down restaurant to better accommodate the legions of loyal Super Duper Weenie diners. Now located in Fairfield, CT, the specialty of the house are the locally-sourced, smoked hot dogs, which are split down the middle and cooked on a griddle until a crusty shell seals the succulent juices inside. The dog that Gary uses is very important to him, and when you ask him about it, he laments for the local butcher from which he once sourced his hot dogs. On his old butcher, “A great man ran this business for 50 years, and then his son comes in and fucks the whole thing up.” He is happy with his current meat, but admits that it will never compare to what he once had. Luckily, he maintains such a high quality operation that no one else would notice, but, like many great chefs, Zemora is a perfectionist. Only fresh-baked rolls will suffice, and Zemora’s high-standards also inform his homemade condiments— meat chili, onion sauce, coleslaw, and sweet and hot relishes (both made from scratch with Zemora’s own pickled cukes). With such care put into the accoutrements, it’s only fitting that the menu offers spellbinding combinations like the Dixie (meat chili and coleslaw) and the New Yorker (sauerkraut, onion sauce, mustard and hot relish).

Fresh cut and served hot out of the fryer, salt-and-pepper French Fries are a must whether you’re eating a New Englander (sauerkraut, bacon, mustard, sweet relish and raw onion) or Super Duper Chicken Nuggets. Even the nuggets get the homemade treatment. Pounded cutlets are sliced, tossed in the Super Duper seasoning blend, then deep-fried to golden perfection. Although it feels weird to say it, these may well be the best chicken fingers that I have ever had. Not only because they are treated with such care , but also because they are served with the most exquisite homemade BBQ sauce, and with a specially sourced honey mustard that totally seals the deal. Zemora also is famous for his soups. During my visit, he forced some New England Clam Chowder on me, and, much to my surprise, it was delicious. The clams were fresh, and the broth had the perfect consistency. Making soup is a passion of his, and something that he often does for off site catering. Super Duper Weenie is the ultimate road trip food stop when it comes to cuisine and charm, and the perfect amuse bouche on a drive up to New Haven for pizza. Next time you are heading north on I-95, make it happen.