So, I’ve lived around Tulsa since the fifth grade. I’m now thirty-two. This restaurant is known all across the country as a great place to eat. It is ten minutes from where I live. I’d never eated there. That’s just a shame.
Anyway, this restaurant was started by a Greek immigrant to Tulsa back in 1929 and purportedly still uses the same chili recipe. A Coney Island, by the way, is a small hot dog with chili and onions; mustard and cheese are generally also in evidence (at least when I eat them). Oh, and the guy who started it? His name was Christ. So, this should be good.
It’s a small little fast-food looking joint. This location appears to be in a building that probably once housed a Braums or something. Anyway, the hot dogs are really small, like hand-sized or less, and come at about a buck-fifty apiece. I ate three of them. They’re really good. The weenie has a snappy taste that definitely dominates, which is good. Some places load the dog down with so much chili that you lose the meat taste. The chili isn’t particularly hot; it has an interesting smoky flavor to it. The onions are kind of sparse, which, again, I like; I find onions to often be overwhelming on a hot dog, so this one has it pretty perfect.
I was initially kind of underwhelmed. I mean, they were good, but like one of the best in the country? But as the months passed, I found myself remembering the unique chili taste of the Coney I-Lander. I’ve been back several times now over the past couple years and never been disappointed. It isn’t knock your socks off good, but it has uniqueness compared to other coney places I’ve been and it stays with you. It’s definitely good food. 3 stars.
Is this weird or are people actually interested in reviews like this in this thread? That one was kind of long. I’ll try to shorten them.