You wouldn’t know it from its attractively painted brick exterior, polished tabletops and lustrous tin ceiling, but the new Riley’s Hot Dog & Burger Gourmet got its start as a humble hot dog cart on New Britain’s South Street.
In 2010, Rick Charamut made his first foray into the food industry with the mobile Riley’s Devil Dogs, to positive feedback. But the unpredictability of New England weather proved to be difficult, he said, with rainy days and cold temperatures impacting cart sales. He was also in need of a commercial kitchen to prepare his house meat sauce recipe, a staple for his dogs.
When the former Ink Spot printing company became available on New Britain’s Glen Street, he and business partner Deb Dalena were inspired by the space that would eventually become the handsomely designed Riley’s – after about two years of manual labor and toil.
“We had to completely gut the place,” Charamut said.
Finally, in October, the two stood next to a beaming Mayor Erin Stewart at the restaurant’s ribbon-cutting ceremony, officially introducing its indulgent menu of creative hot dogs and burgers to the city. Riley’s menu is a fusion of classic comfort foods: meats, carbs and cheeses with dashes of spice and heat.
The most noteworthy combinations meld all of those elements, like the bestselling mac and cheese dog and burger, piled with creamy cheese-bathed elbow pasta and finished with buttery crumb topping. A “Rabid Dog” with hot relish, “caliente” New York-style onions, jalapenos and cheddar cheese sauce reflects Charamut and Dalena’s shared love of spice.
Other intriguing wiener arrangements ($4 to $5) include a Popper Dog, with a topping blend of jalapenos and cream cheese; a BLT dog; a Reuben dog wrapped in pastrami and Swiss topped with house sauerkraut and Thousand Island; California dog with fresh avocado and sour cream; and a Porker with pulled pork and tangy slaw. There’s a burger version of the Porker, too, and another scorcher with “blazing ghost pepper cheese,” mellowed by bacon and house barbecue sauce.
Alternative burgers ($5 to $8) feature patties of salmon, sweet sausage, turkey and vegetarian quinoa, and a patty melt on buttered fresh rye that’s been a surprise hit. A kielbasa burger with sauerkraut, Swiss and mustard is a nod to the city’s large Polish population, as is a Polish dog with the sauerkraut, brown mustard and chopped onions.
While the inventive items have their fans, the classics are just as popular. Riley’s house meat sauce is the star of the house dog (with hot relish and yellow mustard) the classic dog (with yellow mustard and onions) and a chili cheese dog, with cheddar sauce and onions. But that’s where similarities between the new kid on the block — and an 85-year-old New Britain institution — end.
“Capitol Lunch…is a staple. It’s been there forever; it’ll be there forever,” Dalena said of the Main Street mainstay that’s been famous for its own meat sauce-topped dogs since 1929. “We’re nothing like them at all. But people are loving our meat sauce.”
Like Capitol Lunch, Riley’s also uses hometown hot dogs by Martin Rosol’s on Grove Street. It’s part of a mission to buy from smaller local businesses, Charamut said. Mangiafico’s of Plainville makes the restaurant’s burger buns, Dalena said, and they buy sturdy hot dog buns from a bakery in Rhode Island. Searching for the right breads was a process, she said, as each had to hold up to Riley’s substantial toppings.
Potato-based sides ($1.50 to $6.50) also hold court on the menu, with plain baked potatoes (toppings encouraged, to make it a meal); Love On A Spud, loaded fresh-cut fries smothered in bacon and ranch or chili and cheese; and Riley’s signature Salty Balls – salt-brined baby yellow potatoes, served with either sour cream and chives or melted butter. Sweet potato chips may also enter the mix, the owners said.
Dalena’s baking skills are also highlighted in the Sweet Treats, a limited offering of one daily dessert. Past sweets have included cookies, fudge squares, streusel bars, cupcakes and apple cider doughnut holes.
“When they’re gone, they’re gone,” she said, but regulars have learned to call ahead and ask to reserve a few.
In its first month, Riley’s has attracted a brisk daytime crowd, thanks to its location near several office buildings, The Hospital of Central Connecticut and New Britain Superior Court. The relative rush of lunch-hour dining, as opposed to a more relaxed dinner service, has been a challenge, the owners said – particularly because the hot dogs and burgers are cooked to order. But they said they’re glad to be there for those needing a break.
“Anyone who’s coming for lunch is happy that they’re leaving work for a while, hopefully happy because they’re eating and they’ll be happy when they’re leaving,” Dalena said.
Though Riley’s exterior look – and name – make it appear a bit like an Irish pub, clues for the restaurant’s inspiration can be found right in its logo. The sweet-faced Boston terrier, surrounded by a ring of paw prints, is the visage of Charamut’s late pet. “He was just a good dog,” Charamut said.
>>Riley’s Hot Dog & Burger Gourmet, 61 Glen St. in New Britain, is open Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Closed Sundays. 860-259-6931, rileysgourmet.com.
