Larry Olmsted
The scene: A true Rhode Island
institution, Olneyville N.Y. System looks like a frozen-in-time urban diner,
which it is, but that is where all similarities to any other eatery end. As you
enter, you pass the sidewalk takeout window, which does a brisk late-night
business, and prominently displayed in the window is the large griddle on which
the hot wieners are cooked. Everything else is, let's just say, window
dressing. Hot wieners, basically miniature frankfurter-like sausages, are the
reason the restaurant exists – and thrives - in its gritty namesake
neighborhood of Olneyville. Inside, a worn counter with pink diner stools runs
the entire length of the left-hand side, with two rows of booths in alternating
pink and beige Formica occupying the rest of the space. Behind the counter, as
in any classic coffee shop or diner, is an array of working equipment like
coffee urns and milkshake mixers, all in plain sight, and running across the
top of this wall are signs for numerous menu choices, from tuna melts to
breakfast sandwiches to salads. But no one comes for any of that – the owner
estimates that 98 out of 100 diners order the same thing: between three and six
wieners, fries and a drink.
One reason all the other items
remain in existence is that the family owners do not like change, which is why
the place looks like it did when it opened in 1946. "People don't know how
hard it is to keep it the same. The biggest compliment we get is 'it's just
like I remember.' Everything is original, even the Formica, and every now and
then we get a Formica nut who comes in and is amazed by it," said third
generation sibling owner, Gregory Stevens. The last time the menu changed was
six years ago, when he begrudgingly added the option of chili cheese fries –
hardly a revolution since chili and fries were already popular here, and
regulars kept asking for the combo. "I don't get it, I'm old school, but
kids today love chili cheese fries," says Stevens.
The bigger change is its
newfound even greater popularity, especially after multiple TV appearances with
food personalities like Guy Fieri, Andrew Zimmern and Adam Richman. Two years
ago it also became the only miniature sausage specialist to ever win a
prestigious James Beard Award, as an American Classic. The medal is subtly
displayed on the wall in back, and the boosted profile means that in addition
to the eclectic mix of locals, college students, workers, police and late-night
bar patrons, you now add tourists. Truly everyone comes here, which is why from
about midnight to closing at three, the line wraps around the comer. While
there is an ordering lingo for regulars such as "five, light on
onions," staff is friendly, explanatory and it's not the kind of
intimidating place where you are rushed and expected to know the slang. There
are two additional satellite locations, both long established and just three
and five miles away.
The food: There is much
argument about the origin of the term "New York System," but like
Detroit's famed "Coney" joints, it seems connected to a perceived
association between the Big Apple and hot dogs. A surprising number of Rhode Island
eateries have the term in their name, of which Olneyville is by far the most
famous. Smith Street New York System dates to 1927, and one of the sets of
cousins who ran it launched Olneyville almost twenty years later. Whatever the
origin, in the Ocean State the term refers to places serving small sausages,
aka hot wieners. They are similar to hot dogs, but one of the two cardinal
rules at Olneyville is to never call them hot dogs (the other is to never, ever
put ketchup on them). They are small, but not as tiny as the mini-dogs popular
in New York's capital region and Cincinnati, both of which have been profiled
in this column. About 3/4 the size of a conventional frank, they are a blend of
veal and pork, all meat with no fillers, a custom recipe made at a local meat
plant. They are served on an appropriately scaled New England-style hot dog
bun, which is to say, slit rather than hinged, with flat, exposed soft white
bread sides, instead of rounded brown crust exterior. The buns are steamed and
a wiener "all the way" has celery salt, mustard, chopped onions and
wiener sauce, which is what they call chili.
The already-smoked sausages are
placed on the grill in the window, which has a dip in the middle where oil
collects, and they are cooked in this "puddle." When you order, the
counter man lines up buns on his forearm and places the links in them with
tongs, then tops them, and this is a big part of the Olneyville show and
tradition: longtime staffers can do up to fifty – five layered rows of ten
wieners – on one arm before turning to the counter to dispense them.
The hot wieners are skinless
and have a crisp snappiness to their fried exterior, with a more meaty and
nuanced sausage flavor than the typical hot dog. The chili is thick and pasty,
almost a spread, all meat and spice and no liquid, and it is good but not very
strong. Like the rest of the complementary toppings, none overpowers the others
or the main event, the wiener. These are quite good, and every patron has their
personal preference on the topping choices. They are almost always accompanied
by french fries, which are standard but done well, fried frequently and served
hot, oily and satisfying. The third component of the standard meal is Rhode
Island's signature beverage, coffee milk, an oddly addictive mix of milk and
sweetened coffee syrup, sort of the coffee version of chocolate milk. It is so
wildly popular in the Ocean State that children get the option of it in school
cafeteria lunches instead of regular milk. It's milder than an iced coffee and
delicious, even if you don't like coffee. You can also think of it as your
dessert, since this is something Olneyville N.Y. System does not, and likely
never will, serve.
The restaurant captures a
unique sense of place like few others and is a must if you visit Providence. I
loved the food, but it is made even better by its history, oddity and beloved
authenticity.
What regulars say: "Four
all the way, fries, coffee milk." The person in front of me said this. So
did the person behind me.
Pilgrimage-worthy?: Not quite,
but close, special food in a special place and must for those near Providence.
Rating: Yum! (Scale: Blah, OK,
Mmmm, Yum!, OMG!)
Price: $-$$ ($ cheap, $$
moderate, $$$ expensive)
Details: 18 Plainfield Street,
Providence, plus two nearby locations; 401-621-9500;
olneyvillenewyorksystem.com
MORE: Read previous columns
Larry Olmsted has been writing
about food and travel for more than 15 years. An avid eater and cook, he has
attended cooking classes in Italy, judged a barbecue contest and once dined
with Julia Child. Follow him on Twitter, @TravelFoodGuy, and if there's a
unique American eatery you think he should visit, send him an e-mail at
travel@usatoday.com. Some of the venues reviewed by this column provided
complimentary services.