At Famous Lunch, a long, historic counter diner on Congress Street, we bought the special: four mini dogs and an RC Cola, $5.75. We took it home and ripped the franks out of their brown bag, stained with magma-orange “zippy sauce”—delightfully greasy, a little spicy, distinct from any other hot dog I had ever eaten, and gone in one and a half bites.

What’s really remarkable is that Famous is but one of half a dozen or so localized quick-service spots that serve the little dogs and, like many of the other restaurants, they’ve been doing it forever. As their website’s story goes, Famous Lunch opened as the Quick Lunch, but in 1958 a U.S. Marine from Troy stationed at the embassy in Moscow requested some dogs from home. “Operation Hot Dog” became a media sensation, necessitating the name change. Famous stands out a bit from the other wiener vendors because their hot dog grill is—smart—pressed right up against the street-facing window. They keep about six dozen 3-inch dogs sizzling 15 hours a day, alongside a bubbling brown crock of zippy sauce.