Carm's Coneys488 E 17th St
Costa Mesa
949-515-7888
Sadly, this location of Carm's Coneys has closed. They are trying to open locations in Orange and Irvine. Hopefully it will happen soon.
I've known about Carm's Coneys since October, 07 but I haven't been there mostly since I don't go to Costa Mesa much. But I was finally in the area and decided to have a couple hot dogs at Carm's.
I got The City Dog, $4.50, a coney, $3.95, and the 1/3 Pounder, $4.65. The hot dogs are grilled to order so expect a wait. This isn't like those nasty Dodger Dogs that are kept in a warmer.
I loved The City Dog. Again no snap but this was a Sabrett hot dog. If you're from New York you know all about Sabrett. This was an great hot dog, though it did lack a snap. The hot dog was well spiced and flavorful. The City Dog comes with that special red onion sauce that makes getting a hot dog in NY a great experience. The sauce is best described as a tangy, thin, tomatoey sauce with onions. The buns are slightly grilled and very fresh.
The Coney was very different. I've never had a white hot dog before. The Coney is made with all white veal and very mild. Not a spicy dog and there is not snap. But a good hot dog but different. I liked it but not enough to order this again.
The 1/4 pounder was an all beef dog that was ok. I put yellow mustard and raw onions and the dog was OK but nothing overwhelming. Again no snap and little flavor or spice.
Service was GREAT. I know I have a very high standard for service. I know I've called high school aged kids punks because they have no clue about customer service. But this was very different. I had two younger kids help me. A young girl who looked to be a high school kid and a guy who looked a little older, maybe a senior in HS. Both were GREAT.
The guy took my order first. He greeted me promptly and was very nice. I ordered the Coney and the City Dog and he answered my questions. I then went to get refills and the young girl was very helpful and friendly. After eating the two hot dogs, I ordered the 1/4 pounder from the young girl. She was again friendly.
I liked Carm's Coneys. I know the prices are a bit high but they have a happy hour, Mon-Thur, half priced hot dogs, wings and sausage from 2pm to 4:30pm. OK not the best times but I'm going to try and make a happy hour and try their wings and sausage. But overall good quality hot dogs and good service. So look for an update very soon!!!
Update August 10, 2008
So I made it back to Carm's Coneys for their happy hour. I had the small order of buffalo wings, $3.50, a Frank, $2, and a Polish Sausage, $3. They were all half priced during happy hour, Mon-Thr 2pm-4:30pm. The buffalo wings were huge, not small wings you get at other wing places. The wings were fried and had a mild sauce on them. They were good and I would have ordered them even at full price.
The Frank is a Hoffman's beef frank. Again it lack a casing and thus no snap. But a good solid overall hot dog.
The Polish Sausage was very good. A huge piece of kielbasa that was pretty spicy. But they overcooked this. If this was cooked right, it was have been great. But charred outside is not what a polish sausage should be.
Service was great again. I placed the order with the same young girl from Saturday. She was nice and friendly again. I ordered the wings, City Dog, and the Polish sausage at first but then she said they had run out of wings and the owner was bringing them down to the store. I didn't mind the wait, I wasn't in a hurry and was told it was no problem. I ordered a beer, Blue Moon, with the wings and the manager told me she was buy me another beer. I said no problem, I understand things happen. When I went to pay she took off $2 for the beer. I wasn't expecting it but I thought it was good customer service.
