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Business & Tech

Hot Dogs With The Works! Down By The Riverside

River Dog opens for the season.

Beef on the rocks? You bet!

With opening day last Saturday, May 7, the River Dog is back in business at the Ramp, 1 Birdseye Street -- for the second year in a row.

Co-owner Deb Torreso calls it a “great spot.

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“It brings the community together.”

That community extends all the way down river.  

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Boaters and kayakers come in all the way from towns as far away as New Haven and Wallingford.  Even from Branford.

Last year, during the Harbor Festival, a boat from Branford came cursing by with birds.

On the fourth of July weekend last year, there was an air show of F16s and bombers.

“It is very New Englandy,” adds her brother and business partner, known only as Greg T, in the music business, “more like Maine or New Hampshire.

“The fishing pier is very active.”

Clam boats with nets of clams and oysters dock here.  

People are too tired to cook and the orders come in for hot dogs and other take-outs or eat outs from River Dog, which serves Angus burgers and fries, homemade sandwiches, and  for the ‘health conscious,’ -- fresh salads, veggie burgers, whole wheat pastas, and other health foods.

Last year there were lobster specials.  

“People come for dogs, “says Greg T, who, with his wife Janet, is the hot dog specialist.  Their hot sauce attracted patrons from all over, according to sister Deb. 

Patron Scott (who prefers to use only his first name) recommends the hot dogs to everybody.   “They are excellent,” he gushes.

Don Macauch agrees:   “Greatest hot dogs in the world!”

The all-beef Hummel dogs are deep-fried. The recipe for the hot sauce goes back in Stratford history to the time of the cricket stand famous for the ‘cricket dog,’ says Greg T.  

The Torresos were brought up in the restaurant business and they learned how to cater to customers’ tastes early on -- Their mother was a “great Italian cook.”

We truly love to see people happy by creating something special and memorable,” says Torreso.

Sitting on the deck, which has a seating capacity of 36-48 people, with the open sky, balmy air, and flowing river, last winter’s tyranny may seem aeons ago, in retrospect.  

However, navigating through flooding and weather elements  to get River Dog open for the season were “unexpected challenges,” admits  Torreso, who is also working towards  her degree in journalism from Housatonic Community College in Bridgeport. 

The season runs from May to October. Hours are 8-5:  breakfast and lunch on the weekday and breakfast/lunch/dinner on the weekend.

This year there will be kites for kids.

www.stratfordriverdog.com.

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