NewYorkFirst.com: Papaya King Frankfurters

Cabbie Pit Stop.

Look for cop cars and taxi cabs parked outside. Over the years, Papaya King has become a tradition with New York locals, and that's saying something. Now, for the first time, Papaya King Franks are available to the rest of the dog-eat-dog world.

It all started in 1931, when an enterprising immigrant by the name of Gus Poulos opened a store on 86th Street and 3rd Avenue to sell tropical drinks - blends of oranges, mangoes, bananas, pineapples and papayas. But the rest of a lunch was missing until he introduced the frankfurter to his juice stand. The uniquely New York pairing of hot dogs with papaya and other tropical fruit drinks joined other mysteriously successful culinary relationships, like pastrami and rye or peanut butter and jelly.

A Brooklyn Dodger baseball player (whose name is lost to history) dubbed Gus the "Papaya King," and customers began to refer to the fruit stands as "The Papaya King." Today, Papaya King is part of New York culture.

Papaya King's frankfurters are made of beef seasoned with garlic and oregano, with German casings that gives them a snap when you bite. They have been lauded by Julia Child and Bryan Miller, and Zagat's Restaurant Survey calls them "the crown jewels of hot doggery." Critic Ed Levine of New York Eats calls them the "best hot dogs in the world."

Availability: Please Read Before Ordering: All orders are shipped direct from Papaya King, on Tuesdays only, via NEXT DAY AIR. Orders must be placed by 12 Noon on the Friday preceding Tuesday's shipping.