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| - While the title might be better suited for a Manhattan Chelsea night club, the allure of Jody Maroni's is an easy one here at Sky Harbor - everyone hates the typical airport food options but most folks (even vegans) love hot dogs.
But these hot dogs aren't even worthy of a Joey Chestnut or Kobayashi throw down. They often remind me of a layman's version of a Costco dog but cost nearly 4x as much. Sad to say I've eaten here more times than I'd like to admit, but there isn't a single dog I can recommend on the menu.
I can however, digress somewhat on my experiences here, all of which included slow and lackadaisical service and were driven by the hope that each time would be better. I've had their chicken andouille dog, which was really just an overcooked hot dog served in a semi-toasted bun. Now substitute the chicken andouille with their bratwurst, polish dog, Louisiana boudin hot link, chicken apple, Chicago style dog, sweet Italian and you have the same result.
The biggest offender was their priciest option, the kobe beef dog, supposedly made of wagyu, the red meat from heaven, a gift from carnivore gods. Yet, even at $9 (airport prices, yikes) it still tasted like ... just a Costco hot dog. Perhaps a tad juicier and an interesting snap to the casing but nothing mind blowing or back breaking but certainly wallet killing.
In the end, I mean Jodi Maroni no harm. After all, I've had a much more decent version of his hot dogs in other cities, but a little airport kiosk in a space full of commuters who are willing to pay the extra buck for (as Bourdain would coin it) "meat in tube form" nourishment, is not going to be making anything revolutionary anytime soon.
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