Gadling’s European Guide to Drunken Street Hot Dogs

by Grant Martin on

If there is one consistency among the bar scenes in every country I’ve been to it has got to be post drinking pilgrimage for late night food. Whether this is the 24 hour pizza place over on Broadway or the gyro stand under the bridge, nothing hits the spot after a hard night of drinkin’ like three hot dogs, four plates of poutine and a bottle of Powerade.

Over the past year or so I’ve had the opportunity to sample some of the international post-bar hot dog scene. All in the name of Gadling research, my friends. No, I haven’t sampled every street hot dog outside of every bar in every country, but I’d say I’ve had enough ground pig insides to list a few favorites.

  • Third Place: Prague. The standard. The Czech version of late night eats comes from the numerous permanent stands they have scattered between New and Old Town. The dogs are huge, condiments are-a-plenty and the price is a steal.
  • Second Place: Paris (above). The gastronomique. Quality grilled onions and peppers plus delectable core materials knocks this Parisian snack up an order of magnitude on the delicious chart.
  • First Place: Stockholm. The thunderhaus.Three words, ladies and gentlemen, deep fried onions. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it earlier, but the addition if cronions to hot dogs rockets them off the delicious spectrum. I could eat these puppies for breakfast lunch and dinner.

For the record, do not try the late night food in Moscow. You’ll be sorry.

Nachos and Natty Boh on The Square in Baltimore’s Canton

by Kelly Amabile on

I lived in Baltimore for many years, so while reading this New York Times piece about Canton, I thought of some additional insider info I could share. First of all, no one calls the heart of the neighborhood by its real name, O’Donnell Square. But it was nice of Mr. Villano to fill us in on who Captain O’Donnell was. Locals just call it “the Square”.

Secondly, (and I’m sure some native Baltimoreans will argue with me on this one), I think that the very best crab dip in the city is served at Looney’s Pub. My mouth is watering as I write this…it’s the cheesiest, served with veggies and warm bread for dipping, and they’ll bring you more of either if you ask. It’s the best sports bar in town, at least through when I left there in 2005.

Next up, the beer. Sure, Yuengling is a popular beer in Baltimore, but what about Natty Boh, and the mustached grin that smiles down on Canton from a tower atop the former site of the National Brewery building? It’s Baltimore’s beer! The Boh man’s presence is also strongly felt within the walls of Nacho Mamas, an institution on Canton’s Square. (Shame on Mr. Villano for leaving this one out!) This Mexican eatery is small, so you almost always have to wait — but a visit to Baltimore is just not complete until you’ve sipped a margarita from a hubcap and signed your name in chalk on the bathroom wall. Need I say more?

Cliff Barnes: Stockholm’s Nightlife Done Right

by Grant Martin on

Next time you find yourself in Stockholm, consider visiting one of my favorite bars in the world: Cliff Barnes.

Now, I’ve been to a lot of bars in my day and I’m generally a person who’s fonder of the the quieter, lounge types of establishments. Sure, I’ve been dragged to a few clubs, but dancing really isn’t my forte.

Cliff Barnes is set up as a ski-lodge-esque sort of of drinking hall, with large dark tables, wooden trim and exotic wallpaper. When we got there at about 10:30, the line had just started and we could see the happy Swedes dining about their business within. Declining to check our coats on the way in, we were told by the bouncers “No, really. It’ll get hot in there.”

And hot it got. Milling about and enjoying the landscape at 11PM, the lights suddenly dropped and Also Sprach Zarathustra came on over the speakers. Followed by a five second pause. Followed by In The Navy. You get the picture. Not your average dance music by far, and therefore, outstanding. As you can probably guess, it didn’t take long for the happy Swedes and Americans alike to get on the tables and start swinging things around.

We later learned that Cliff Barnes was a recurring member of the telly show Dallas. A perfect name for a perfect bar.

Norrtullsgatan 45, 11345 Stockholm.

India’s Sticks and Dance Festival in Modern Times

by Abha Malpani on

In India, the concept of BYOB (bring-your-own-beer) is unheard of, but BYO Sticks is commonplace. I can’t believe I’ve called one of India’s most fun and celebrated festivals one of ‘Sticks and Dance,’ but truth be told, that’s exactly what it is.

During these nine-nights of Navratri (this year 12-20 October — depending in the moon), huge tents are set up throughout the country and people get together to dance ‘dandiya’ (dance with sticks). If you have watched any Bollywood films and wondered if we dance like that in India, the answer is yes — in weddings and in this festival.

As with most Hindu festivals, hundreds and thousands of people go to pray on the occasions; stampedes happen and people die, (in a country of over a billion, these things are unfortunately commonplace) but in general they are happy celebrations. People get together in traditional outfits or fused-modern ones, and as long as you have two foot-size wooden sticks and are willing to hit other peoples foot-size wooden sticks to the beat of drums, you are more than welcome.

This festival is probably India’s most joyous; attendance levels at work and educational institutions are low and political campaigns take a step back as they know people are too busy hitting each others sticks till the wee hours of the morning; except in Mumbai perhaps where open air fiesta has to shut at midnight. I laughed out loud when I read that in Mumbai, dancing is only permitted until midnight because of the noise levels, but dandiya venues managed to overcome that problem by offering guests headphones to wear while they dance!

Great time to visit India if you want enjoy rocking to Indian music and want to experience the cultural partying scene of the Indian youth.

Another Reason why you Should (or Should Not) go to Prague

by Grant Martin on

These days, the word on Prague is out. Back in the nineties it used to be a beautiful Bohemian destination where you could get a good deal on accommodation, beer and souvenir fur hats against the backdrop of a magnificent castle overlooking the city. These perks still apply, its just that everyone knows about it, and they’re all here doing the same thing.

Of particular notice are the volume of young Westerners running around at night. You don’t see them much during the day, but once the sun goes down the percentage of Czech spoken on the street is slowly overtaken with British and American English.

With good reason. Considering the strength of the Pound Sterling and Euro over the Czech Crown, Westerners can drink an evening full of beer here for the same price that they could get a round in the UK. And drink they do. This chap was screaming like a lunatic before he came around the corner, saw us, and immediately went to sleep. Perhaps an apt metaphor for the current state of Prague.