There are times when things just fall into one’s lap. In Cumberland, Md., a Western Maryland town on the much-underused I-68, we were looking for lunch. Downtown, we drove around a little and found a parking place, thinking we had a good chance to get lucky on a street that had become a pedestrian mall.
Turned out we were closer than we thought. A few steps out of the car, we saw Coney Island and Curtis, whose sign boasts "Famous Weiners Since 1918." A small side street storefront that has expanded into the next building, it’s owned by the same family that began serving the house specialty, Coney dogs, during World War I. At noontime, it was rocking with locals, including numerous coat-and-tie types that had taken their conferences from the nearby county courthouse to the booths at Curtis’. At the same time, a fast-moving line waited for carryouts.
These are Coney dogs that don’t require a knife and fork. They’re grilled; sauce is more about the finely minced beef than ketchup or other tomato-ey stuff, and the suggested topping is chopped raw onion, always fine by us. The result is delicious, and unlike anything found in the St. Louis. One was not enough. The dogs are wrapped in napkins, piled on plates or in baskets, depending on the size of the order, carried in large numbers by a friendly waitress who has been on hand more than a decade. She was capable of stacking more than a dozen along the length of one arm, and we goggled as we sat at the counter and – frankly – stared admiringly at her skill.
We also tried a fish sandwich, a large, thin, fried piece of boneless fillet that was good enough to satisfy those unfortunate enough to eschew hot dogs. Fries are the thick-cut sort, similar to those found at Nathan’s, the legendary hotdog stand on the actual Coney Island (as well as numerous offspring, like the one at the Savvis Center). Drinks include a chocolate phosphate, a soda fountain term that is out of fashion, but which is basically an egg cream that omits milk and adds ice cubes, leaving just chocolate syrup and seltzer (also known as club soda).
Family-run since the beginning, when it was known as Coney Island Lunch, Gino Giatras, a third-generation member, now is the proprietor, and faded newspaper clippings, framed and hanging on the walls, point out high spots in the family’s involvement in a variety of civic activities.
There’s a sibling restaurant, Coney Island, just down the street at 15 N. Liberty St.
Curtis’ Famous Weiners
35 N. Liberty St.
Cumberland, MD
301-759-9707 or 301-777-0380
Comments
2 responses
I remember going to Curtis’s as a child.
We would watch them grill the dogs in the front window. Best ever.
My father grew up in Cumberland – my favorite aunt and uncle still live there – and I visited Coney Island again a few months ago. Delicious dogs and proud three-generation owners – who knew my parents and grandparents.Nostalgia plus!