Ah, Ted's. Breathe the fresh air of American road cuisine when you walk in the door. Ted's has multiple locations, but to me, this is the one - THE place for hot dogs anywhere in America. Don't believe me? Ask Jane and Michael Stern of Gourmet magazine, who ranked Ted's among the 10 best hot-dog stands in America!

Ted's is not much to look at - your basic roadside joint with neon and picnic tables. When you walk inside, you are instantly hit with the smell of charcoal and grease (not in a bad way), and you follow your nose. Two lines form along the glass panels that separate you from the grill, manned by an army of youngsters, with one "pit boss" manning the grill. This is a heavy-grated iron job, and you can see the embers glowing beneath. The pit boss asks for your order and barks it out as he/she moves your order into the queue over the coals - dogs, sausages, burgers ... the smell is heavenly.

The thing here is to watch that grill. They use hot dogs by Sahlen's - long, slender numbers (in either jumbo or footlong varieties) in natural casings that spittle and crack on the fire. They wiggle as they heat up, but the pit boss grabs a fork and tongs and hacks at them, tearing the casings so the smoke can permeate deep within. As you move down the line, you can see the skins getting deep red, then black, before they are slammed into a bun.

Once at the counter to pay, you get your drink and your choice of toppings for the dog. Being a good NY'er, I go for mustard and onions. My wife is a mustard ketchup. My dad - the works, including chili sauce. The magic starts when you actually bite into the wiener - the snap of the skin, the quick WHOOSH of heat, and then the flavor of the meat mingling with the condiments. Wow. This is a hot dog. Not a roller dog, or a NYC boiled dog, or off an electric grill... no. This is a singular, sublime experience.

To complete the deal, and to be a true Buffalonian, you must do two additional things. One, order onion rings. Not rings, per se, but pieces of sweet onion in a flaky crust and deep-fried to a tangle. Half the coating falls off, but what remains is just enough to complement the onion's bite. Second - loganberry. This is a ubiquitous Buffalo quaff - loganberry syrup and water (not carbonated) to wash it all down. Nothing short of Buffalo's version of the Nathan's Famous orange drink.

There are a handful of restaurants that you can name nationwide that are defining of their genre. If you are anywhere near the Buffalo/Niagara area, you'll make sure to stop at this one. Ted's. Remember the name.