From fry sauce to Faygo, locals have their faves

Debbie Elias, a resident of Culver City, Calif., is also a customer. She moved to California 26 years ago from Philadelphia, and almost gave up on getting a real cheese steak.

"After a while, you've experienced all the different food that's out there in your new city," she said. "But, you'll always have a spot for that comfort food you grew up with. To me, that's worth the added expense for delivery."

Hot dogs have turned out to be another big Internet business as many cities around the country have a certain flair in preparing them — especially New York and Chicago.

In Detroit, hot dog lovers have been going to American Coney Island since 1917. The restaurant located at the corner of Michigan Avenue and Lafayette has been serving up their own particular brand of dog topped with Belgian mustard, chili and sweet onions.

"There's been a big exodus from Michigan because of layoffs at the big car companies," said Dan Keros, general manager of the family owned business, whose menu also includes hoagies. "Detroiters are moving, spread out all over the country. This is just something they miss."

Their "Coney Kits" include the hot dogs, buns, a sweet onion, and its original chili sauce — along with instructions on how to make it. Like others that ship food, the kit is packed in an insulated box and iced gel packs.

Fans of Tony Packo's Cafe in Toledo also use the restaurant's online store to order. The restaurant is famous for its Hungarian-style hot dogs that feature toppings of chili, pickles and relish.

The restaurant gained notoriety on the television show "M*A*S*H," where Jamie Farr's character Cpl. Max Klinger brought up Tony Packo's hot dogs and pickles on a number of episodes.

And its not just food — condiments and drinks are also regional favorites. In Utah and parts of Idaho, people smother their fries with fry sauce — made up of one part ketchup, two parts mayonnaise, and spices.

The biggest seller of the regional condiment online is Salt Lake City-based Some Dude's Fry Sauce. Owned by Mike Thompson, the company sells about 204,000 16-ounce bottles a year through supermarket and online sales.

All over the country there are also regional soft drinks that aren't sold anywhere else. Michigan is one of the few places you can buy Faygo brand pop, with flavors that include diet chocolate cream pie and red pop.

In Texas, there's a lemon and orange-flavored cream soda called Big Red. In the New England area there is Moxie Soda. And, quenching the thirst for regional sodas are a number of online Web sites.

"I get a lot of people wanting brands like Grape Nehi, Bubble Up, Crush and Faygo," said Josh Davies, whose Hip Hop Soda Pop Shop store on Amazon.com sells all those brands. "Everybody starves for youth, and anything to bring back memories of your younger years is the way to go."

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