By Adam Blanchard and Khaelle Harris

If you go to New York City, you gotta try the pizza. In Buffalo, it’s wings. Rochester: chicken riggies. 

But those foods pale in comparison to the state’s true No. 1 regional dish — the Michigan, which can only be found in the capital of the North Country. 

Come to Plattsburgh, and it’s Michigans all the way down. And just what’s a Michigan? It’s a hot dog, but also so much more, as the staff of APN recently discovered during a citywide taste test.

McSweeney’s Red Hots

Our first stop was McSweeney’s, a quaint but somewhat bland joint with a green and off-white interior and a counter at the center. It was sterile, something similar to a hospital waiting room. But in this case, we were waiting for the Holy Grail of Plattsburgh. 

After a short wait, our server Sky Culley carried out a sheet of savory hot dogs coated in meat sauce, onions and a line of mustard. Who could resist? Surprisingly, Emma Deo could. 

“I have no idea if I’m going to get a bite of this down,” Deo said. “I don’t like hot dogs and I don’t like meat sauce.”

Deo took one bite. “It just tastes like a hot dog with meat on it,” she said. That was Deo’s first and last taste of Michigan, ever.

By stark contrast, Plattsburgh local Adam Blanchard polished off his dog in a few seconds, saying it was “just like he remembered it.” He orders takeout from McSweeney’s at least once a month in the summer. 

All eyes turned to New York City native Khaelle Harris. 

“I’m kind of nervous!” she said. Harris took a tentative bite. “It’s kind of sour. But the texture of the hot dog itself is chewy.” 

APN adviser Stephen Kurczy scarfed down the weiner, grinning ear to ear all the while. “It’s all there, it’s pretty good,” he said. His son, Manny, agreed.

We asked Culley what she thought of the hot dogs. A life-long Plattsburghian, Culley has worked at McSweeney’s for 14 years — and she is only 30 years old, so we figured she must be a true believer, a kind of Joey Chestnut for the North Country. 

“I love the cheeseburger,” she responded, which left us scratching our heads. We asked what she thought of Ronnies Michigan Stand, our next stop. She said she was there over the weekend. “I had the sweet potato fries,” she said.  

Ronnies Michigan Stand

We could spot Ronnies from a half-mile away: It was the small roadside stand surrounded by cars. Open seasonally, the stand’s annual opening day is a sure sign of spring in Plattsburgh.

Inside the cramped but cozy interior, a short counter was lined with stools, and several tables were packed with people. After ordering at the counter, we moved to the outdoor picnic tables.

A leather-clad biker named Caden Bruce was waiting for his food. He said he’d driven by hundreds of times over the years (he has already ridden 600 miles this season) but tonight the greasy goodness smelled so fantastic that he finally had to stop. He’d ordered two Michigans and poutine. 

At another table sat Sarah Turcotte, who said she likes how Ronnies can be easily combined with ice cream at Harrigan’s Soft Ice Cream next door. A 2013 graduate of SUNY Plattsburgh, Turcotte said she’d first come to Ronnies when her college friends said “you have to try this,” and she liked it. She’d since spread the love to others, including her fiancé in Syracuse. She’d sent him a photo of her dinner, and he responded: “O M G. My mouth immediately waters.” 

Our next round of Michigans came out. The sauce differed in both appearance and taste, looking redder and less meaty. “This one is more tomato-based, not overly spicy,” said Turcotte. Blanchard dove right into the mess. 

“The sauce is where you find the uniqueness,” Blanchard said. “It’s a lot less thick, it tastes like it’s been put into a blender.”

Harris was so disgusted that she put her dog down after one bite. 

“This tastes just like spaghetti sauce, watery,” she said, going so far as to claim it was a smear on the North Country brand. “I like the other one better.”

Kurczy got philosophical, pondering the differences between each Michigan and how it’s possible to create such a variety of tastes. Manny saved his to eat in the car. The kid could really pound down his dogs.

The clock was ticking! The team only had minutes to get to Gus’s Red Hots before it closed at 7 p.m. 

Gus’ Red Hots

Gus’ was closed for renovations. It reportedly reopens May 1. 

But the group did spot APN deputy editor Yasmine Alregabi waiting in the parking lot. We waived for her to follow us to Clare & Carl’s Hot Dog Stand. 

Clare & Carl’s Hot Dog Stand

Considered the worldwide birthplace of the Michigan, Clare & Carl’s is a must-visit on any tour of Plattsburgh. Kurczy seemed especially excited to enter ground zero for Plattsburgh’s most famous delicacy, the birthplace — the Jesus Christ Bethlehem birthplace! — of Michigans.

“Let’s go! Let’s go!” he said, rallying the group inside. 

But Clare & Carl’s staff (not actually Clare or Carl) greeted us with a cold shoulder. 

“Um, we’re closing,” they said.  

“But it’s before 7:00 p.m.,” Kurczy pleaded. Accounts differ on whether it was 6:50 p.m. or 6:57 p.m. and the etiquette of ordering food at closing time from workers making minimum wage, but all agreed that it was before 7 p.m.

Despite Kurczy’s pleas, and the fact that several cooks were still in the kitchen preparing take-out orders for other people, the employees refused to serve us.

Options were running thin and the sun was setting. Looking down the road, a familiar sign shone: Stewart’s Shops.

Stewart’s

After being sorely disappointed by Gus, Clare and Carl, we knew we could still count on Stewart’s. A stranger had tipped us off that the North Country’s most beloved gas station chain also served up the city’s culinary specialty. And as at any Stewart’s, the atmosphere was friendly and inviting. Adam said he considered it his second home. 

Catherine, the assistant manager, pointed us in the direction of the build-your-own Michigan station. She lifted the cover off the meat sauce container, unveiling an unsightly mixture of meat, and she quickly stirred up the pot in an effort to make it look more appealing.

Kurczy assembled his Michigan first, this time with a cajun dog. Blanchard followed suit. Kurczy said the dog tasted spicier than previous iterations — duh! They were cajun dogs, as previously established. Blanchard said the spice worked to the Michigan’s benefit. Both testers were let down by the bun, which was dry and chewy. 

Khaelle, Emma, and Yasmine all declined their chance at tasting an authentic Stewart’s Michigan. They opted for the store’s famous ice cream, probably a wise decision.