Hot Dogs

CHICAGO -- Two of the most popular items on any children's menu, pizza and hot dogs, have become haute cuisine here. The deep-dish pizza is eaten with knife and fork, but contrary to what many folks believe, it is not a thick-crust pizza. Dough is patted high up the side of a deep-dish pan, with ingredients placed in reverse order of those on a regular pizza. Mozzarella cheese goes in first, followed by toppings such as sausage, pepperoni, or mushrooms, all doused with fresh plum-tomato sauce.

KITTERY, Maine - If you live in New England, you will visit Kittery one day. It's inevitable. The Pine Tree State's southernmost town is the gateway to everything else and one of the Northeast's great outlet shopping capitals. But what if you're not a shopper? What if your wife tells you, "Drop me off at the Polo outlet," and expects you to pick her up in three hours? There's more to keep you busy than you would have thought. Kittery Trading Post: Don't be too hasty to flee the outlet zone.

Fred Hakim's family owned a hole-in-the-wall hot-dog counter in Times Square that was the last of its kind when New York decided to revitalize the area in the 1990s by condemning dozens of establishments like his. It was a seven-seat, 250-square-foot piece of Edward Hopper streetscape at 229-31 W. 42nd St., which Mr. Hakim's father had opened in 1941 and wryly named the Grand Luncheonette. Mr. Hakim tried to keep the place open as a sort of living museum of the golden age of hawkers and honky-tonks in Times Square.

The Indiana Court of Appeals says a department store wasn’t justified in firing a worker who took two leftover hot dogs from a company picnic, so it must pay him unemployment benefits. The court ruled Thursday in the case of Nolan Koewler, who was fired from a Dillard’s store in Evansville a year ago. Dillard’s hosted a Fourth of July cookout for employees. Afterward, a manager ordered the leftovers stored in a break room freezer until Labor Day. The next day, Koewler took two hot dogs and ate them, an act caught on surveillance video.

A federal judge has ruled in favor of the New York Mets in a ballpark dispute over kosher hot dogs. Kosher Sports Inc. had sued the Queens Ballpark Company, the team subsidiary that operates Citi Field, in 2010. The food vendor claimed the team violated a 2008 contract by preventing it from selling kosher hot dogs on Friday nights and Saturdays. The company also accused the Mets of failing to provide enough vending stations at the Queens ballpark. U.S. District Judge Jack B. Weinstein in Brooklyn said Tuesday the contract did not give Kosher Sports the right to sell hot dogs...

CHICAGO - The nation's largest hot dog makers argued about the meaning of "100 percent pure beef" and the merits of ketchup yesterday in a lawsuit over advertising claims stemming from their years of dog-eat-dog competition. Attorneys for Sara Lee Corp., which makes Ball Park franks, and Kraft Foods Inc., which makes Oscar Mayer, superimposed giant hot dogs on a courtroom screen as they delivered opening remarks in a case that could clarify how far companies can go when boasting about their products.

Fred Hakim's family owned a hole-in-the-wall hot-dog counter in Times Square that was the last of its kind when New York decided to revitalize the area in the 1990s by condemning dozens of establishments like his. It was a seven-seat, 250-square-foot piece of Edward Hopper streetscape at 229-31 W. 42nd St., which Mr. Hakim's father had opened in 1941 and wryly named the Grand Luncheonette. Mr. Hakim tried to keep the place open as a sort of living museum of the golden age of hawkers and honky-tonks in Times Square.

NEW YORK - This year’s July Fourth race to stuff your face with hot dogs has a new women-only pigout. “Serena Williams didn’t have to beat Roger Federer to win the Wimbledon title, and we don’t think Sonya Thomas should have to beat Joey Chestnut,’’ said master of ceremonies George Shea. Thomas, known as The Black Widow of competitive eating, set a women’s world record in 2009 by stuffing 41 hot dogs into her 105-pound frame in 10 minutes. Thomas and eight other women will compete today on Coney Island just before the men’s...

NORWOOD, N.J. - Gregory Papalexis, whose Sabrett hot dogs have become a part of the New York City experience, has died. He was 86. Mr. Papalexis was president, chief executive, and chairman of Marathon Enterprises, a supplier of hot dogs, buns, onion sauce, and other products, and the owner of the Sabrett trademark. Sabrett hot dogs are sold nationwide. On the streets of New York, they are sold from stainless-steel pushcarts with distinctive blue-and-yellow umbrellas. Marathon also supplies franks to Papaya King and Gray's Papaya...

Major League Baseball ticket prices are flat for the first time in two decades. The average is $26.92 this year, up 1 cent from last season and the smallest increase in the survey's 21-year history, the Team Marketing Report said Friday. That's a 1.5 percent increase in 2010 and 1.2 percent last year. The average was $77.36 in the NFL last year, and $57.10 in the NHL and $48.48 in the NBA in their current seasons. Boston has the highest average for a nonpremium ticket at $53.38, followed by the New York Yankees at $51.55.

By Matt Pepin, Globe Staff An app that lets you buy some good karma for your baseball team and an interactive that shows you what a player is worth based on the price of hot dogs at his home stadium were among the creations at Boston Baseball Hack Day held over the weekend at the Globe's headquarters. "Rally Cry," created by Kenji Ross, John Hamilton, Mike Paulo and Doug Pfeffer, was designed to capitalize on those times when you truly believe you can affect the outcome of a game.

"Project X" follows one wild night as a group of high school outcasts throw an epic bash, one they hope will make them popular. Watching other people getting a little out of hand on screen makes you wish you could be there, too — you can enjoy yourself vicariously without suffering through a hangover the next day. Here's a look at five great movie parties. You don't even have to RSVP — just come as you are: — "Animal House" (1978): It is, of course, the gold standard.

Punxsutawney can keep its groundhog. Boston has Sully's. In the surest sign since Truck Day that spring will soon replace an interminable and underwhelming winter, legendary South Boston institution Sullivan's opened its doors yesterday to a crowd of loyal customers, many of whom have attended the annual prespring reopening for decades. Sure, the half-price hot dogs (80 cents) are a draw, but Sullivan's runs deeper than that. How much deeper? Yesterday morning, a 12-car funeral procession led by a hearse and two limos made its way down...

A federal judge has ruled in favor of the New York Mets in a ballpark dispute over kosher hot dogs. Kosher Sports Inc. had sued the Queens Ballpark Company, the team subsidiary that operates Citi Field, in 2010. The food vendor claimed the team violated a 2008 contract by preventing it from selling kosher hot dogs on Friday nights and Saturdays. The company also accused the Mets of failing to provide enough vending stations at the Queens ballpark. U.S. District Judge Jack B. Weinstein in Brooklyn said Tuesday the contract did not give Kosher Sports the right to...

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. - Regulars can always tell when a first-timer makes a pilgrimage to Gilley's (a.k.a. Gilley's PM Lunch), which claims to be one of only five Worcester Lunch Car Co. mobile lunch carts ever built, and the last one still in operation. They watch as would-be-diners push the door to open, pause, and then give it a pull. Finally, someone will motion that the door slides sideways to admit customers into the compact 1940 car with its original oak and porcelain interior, a work station at one end, and just eight stools along a horseshoe-shaped counter.

"Project X" follows one wild night as a group of high school outcasts throw an epic bash, one they hope will make them popular. Watching other people getting a little out of hand on screen makes you wish you could be there, too — you can enjoy yourself vicariously without suffering through a hangover the next day. Here's a look at five great movie parties. You don't even have to RSVP — just come as you are: — "Animal House" (1978): It is, of course, the gold standard.

Hallowell hugs the Kennebec River just south of Maine's capital city, Augusta. Once a major port for ice, granite, and lumber, the well-preserved late-19th-century downtown, now a National Historic District, entices visitors year-round with shops, restaurants, and charm. And in this part of Maine, abundant opportunities for outdoor fun are a given. STAY On a back road, 130-acre Maple Hill Farm Bed and Breakfast Inn and Conference Center (11 Inn Road, off Outlet Road, 207-622-2708 or 800-622-2708, www.maplebb.com, $100-$165 in...

Hallowell hugs the Kennebec River just south of Maine's capital city, Augusta. Once a major port for ice, granite, and lumber, the well-preserved late-19th-century downtown, now a National Historic District, entices visitors year-round with shops, restaurants, and charm. And in this part of Maine, abundant opportunities for outdoor fun are a given. STAY On a back road, 130-acre Maple Hill Farm Bed and Breakfast Inn and Conference Center (11 Inn Road, off Outlet Road, 207-622-2708 or 800-622-2708, www.maplebb.com, $100-$165 in winter with breakfast)

The sale of an Ohio hot dog diner made famous on TV's "M-A-S-H" has fallen through, with the potential buyer saying he will not complete the $5.5 million deal because of bank-required changes. The news surfaced on Tuesday, the same day that two officials with Tony Packo's Inc. pleaded not guilty to charges of stealing from the restaurant chain. Bob Bennett, owner of Bennett Management Corp. and TP Foods LLC, said in a statement that his decision came after Fifth Third Bank required some last-minute changes.