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Calientitos Delicisos is a street hot dog vendor with one of the most desireable locations in Tijuana's Zona Centro: Right directly under the famous arch, at the corner of Articulo 123 and Av. Revolución, at the spot where every tourist that walks from the U.S. to downtown Tijuana passes. Not only does this hot dog cart get the tourist traffic, but the cart also gets folks on their way to Tijuana's red light district, the infamous Zona Norte. (If this guy posostioned his cart across the street, he'd be in the Zona Norte.) This hot dog guy must have friends in high places! Photo: This hot dog guy has staked himself out a prime piece of real estate, and one of most pedestrian-busy corners in town. Both locals and tourists pass by his hot dog cart. Calientitos Delicisos is like a hundred other hot dog carts in Tijuana, in that it's a small hot dog cart, operated by a single hot dog guy, powered by propane, and serves only hot dogs. The cart is self-contained and lightweight; it better be, as its pushed to the location by the hot dog guy, who lives at a nearby hotel down the street from the Tijuana arch. Calientitos Delicisos sells Tijuana-style hot dogs, which are hot dogs, wrapped with a piece of bacon, cooked over a propane-fired griddle, and served with diced tomatoes, grilled onions, grilled jalapeño peppers from a push cart street vendor. Condiments include ketchup, mayonnaise and mustard. He also keeps a container of pickled carrots and peppers to munch on while your hot dog is cooking. Like every other hot dog vendor that I've encountered, you won't see this cart during the day, as he sets up shop in the early evening, and does business until the wee hours of the morning, when hungry patrons stumble out of the many nearby bars, in search of something to eat besides tacos. Photo: Using tongs and a spatula, this human food processor makes short work of onions and jalapeño peppers over his propane fired griddle. Friday evening, March 13, 2009, I was headed back to the U.S.A. after a long day of exploring the sights of Tijuana, eating a lot of tacos, and drinking beer. I can't say that I was burned out on tacos, but when I encountered the hot dog cart under the arch, it was a welcome change from the endless amount of tacos that I'd consumed in my travels. At the small price of a dollar per hot dog, how could I resist? I couldn't... so I marched up to the cart and ordered a hot dog. Photo: Bacon wrapped hot dogs cooking on the griddle. The hot dog guy uses tongs and turns them frequently to insure even cooking. The work pays off, as he produces a delicious hot dog. The guy that was operating the cart seemed to be very busy, and he sort of looked at me, and spoke out of the side of his mouth that he wasn't ready to serve yet, as he was in the process of getting things ready for his evening endeavours. He did seem to be busy, as he was grilling bacon wrapped hot dogs, chopping white onions, slicing jalapeño peppers, and transferring hot dog buns from the plastic packages to a heated bin on his hot dog cart. I glanced at my watch and the time was a little after 7:00; I asked him when I should return, and he said around 8:00. Such is life on Articulo 123 when you're in the mood for a hot dog on a Friday night. So I told him that I'd be back, and I took a hike a couple of blocks to my favorite watering hole, Tacoloco, to enjoy a couple of brewskies, and to admire the passing señoritas. Photo: By eight O'clock, when I returned, customers were purchasing hot dogs. If you've ever visited Tijuana, you'll recognize the landmark Hotel Nelson in the background of the photo. After a few beers and many passing señoritas, I paid my tab and ambled the two blocks west back to the Tijuana arch to see if Calientitos Delicisos was in the business of selling hot dogs. By now it was almost dark, and the hot dog guy was still grilling peppers on his propane griddle, but he had attracted a crowd of hungry locals, and was obviously in the business of selling hot dogs. When it was my turn, I ordered a hot dog, con todo, and paid the small price of only U.S. $1.00 for the privilege of enjoying a Tijuana-style hot dog. Photo: It's dark and he's still cooking jalapeño peppers; this guy seems to have a "thing" for cooked peppers. He did manage to sell me a delicious bacon wrapped hot dog. Putting a napkin in his left hand, Mr. Hot Dog reached into the bun warming bin with a pair of tongs, and pulled out a bun. Then, he removed a bacon wrapped hot dog from the grill, and placed it on the bun, and piled grilled onions and jalapeño peppers on the hot dog, along with diced tomatoes, and then squeezed ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise on the hot dog. He handed me the finished hot dog, and I handed him a crisp, one dollar bill. I hiked across the street to a concrete planter box at the base of the arch, sat down and took a bite into my hot dog. Oh boy, the hot dog was grilled on the outside, not burnt, and the bacon was still a little chewy, just the way I like it. The grilled onions and peppers really added a nice touch, which contrasted to the raw tomato slices, and the ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise complimented the hot dog perfectly. I love hot dogs, Tijuana style! Photo: By the light of my camera's flash, I illuminate my delicious hot dog before enjoying it. If you're a lover of hot dogs, keep an eye out for Calientitos Delicios, as he claims he's at the base of the Tijuana arch practically every night. You'll be glad you stopped by. Calientitos
Delicios Copyright(c) 2012 eRench Productions, Inc. All rights reserved. We've been on the web since December 22, 2002.
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