Billy Mack’s Coney
Shack
2510 Ingersoll Ave., 243-4799
Mon. - Sat. 7 a.m. - 8 p.m.,
Sunday noon - 6 p.m. |
Billy Mack’s
Ulysses discovered the hot dog
on his long way home from the
Trojan War. That makes the humble
sausage at least 3,200 years old
and probably the western world’s
oldest processed food. The United
States consumes about 20 billion
hot dogs a year with Midwesterners
and Southerners consuming nearly
twice as many as people in the
rest of the country. Over half
are eaten in summer, and hot dogs
are the most common item cooked
on outdoor grills. Since Des Moines
ranked second last year, behind
only St. Louis, in per capita
consumption of charcoal briquets,
it’s safe to say that we are a
true dog town. Graziano’s has
been our alpha sausage dog for
102 years, and supermarkets have
upgraded the quality of this product
the last few years. Niman Ranch,
Lewright’s, Aaron’s Best, Polehna’s,
Usinger’s, Klement’s, Wimmer’s
and Scavo’s all produce nationally
renowned dogs made in Iowa or
neighboring states, and all are
now sold in Des Moines markets.
Most of them use natural casings,
the sine qua non of hot dog chic.
Billy Mack’s Coney Shack is
betting on those dog lovers because
this new fast food joint offers
little else. If a minimalist menu
doesn’t make this a bold business
plan, the location does. Billy
Mack occupies Ingersoll Avenue
real estate just four blocks from
Ted’s Coney Island, a Des Moines
institution specializing in a
bargain hot dog with chili. Although
Billy Mack’s $4 Coneys cost more
than twice as much as Ted’s, big
crowds packed the place the last
couple weeks. Billy Mack’s offered
three kinds of sausage: dogs,
Polish and Italian. All were large,
weighing nearly twice as much
as Ted‘s dogs. Billy’s were offered
with typical dressings, ranging
from chili to kraut and processed
cheese. I was assured the dogs
were stuffed in natural casings.
If that’s true, they are the most
impervious natural casings ever,
yielding to the teeth without
any snap or resistance. My Polish
was salty, my Italian lacked the
snappy casing and snappier flavor
of Graziano’s, but that‘s probably
a plus when served with chili.
Billy Mack’s chili was nothing
like the old Greek recipes that
devotees of George the Chili King
or Ted’s expect. It tasted more
of tomatoes than chilies and more
of ground beef than the secret
spices of the other places. Buns
came from Rotella’s — which even
Ted’s fans admitted were an upgrade.
Seeking diversity, I tried to
order a burger. I was told there
was only one size, and it came
with or without fries for $6.
I was also told it could weigh
anywhere between a quarter pound
and a half pound. Since I fret
when I choose a slow line at a
grocery checkout, I spared myself
from agonizing whether someone
else’s was bigger than mine. I
ordered a decent grinder — the
only other non-sausage sandwich
on the menu. Chili Cheese Tots,
blanketed with mild cheddar, appeased
vegetarians.
Billy Mack’s breakfast was the
happiest surprise. It comes in
the wake of two shocking closings
in the neighborhood — Dahl’s lunch
counter and Baker’s Square. It
pretty much fills the gap, with
$4-$5 specials that include eggs,
meat, hash browns, pancakes and
“endless” cups of coffee. Bottom
line — this is not a showcase
for the best hot dogs in Iowa
but it does offer big dogs and
good short order breakfasts for
less than $5. The contents of
the homemade bar cookies could
become as famous a mystery as
those in Ted’s chili— I detected
caramel, coconut and several other
mystery nuts.
Side dishes
Django will feature a hot dog
when it opens next week. The late
feature will start with a boudin
blanc sausage, on a New England
roll, with house mustard, cole
slaw and foie gras. … Dulce Vida
opened in the old Dolce Vita space
in Clive. The new restaurant offers
Mexican fare with Venezuelan-Columbian
specials. CV
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