[title]
To celebrate National Hot Dog Day, the New York Hot Dog King is teaming up with condiment brand Smash Kitchen and cookware company HexClad to hand out 500 free hot dogs outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Wednesday, July 15.
The giveaway will take place at the New York Hot Dog King's longtime cart on Fifth Avenue outside The Met, where owner Dan Rossi has been serving franks for the past 16 years. Rossi, who has spent more than four decades building hot dog carts, is something of a city institution: a disabled U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served two tours in Vietnam, he's well known for his spotless cart.
The free menu goes beyond the standard ketchup-and-mustard treatment. Visitors can choose from two limited-edition specialty creations made with products from Smash Kitchen, the pantry brand that was co-founded by actor Glen Powell.
The Hot Honey Dog comes topped with Smash Kitchen Hot Honey Ketchup and crushed Hot Honey BBQ kettle chips for extra crunch, while the Caesar Dog swaps traditional toppings for a Caesar salad dressed with the brand's Caesar Dressing. If you're more of a hot dog purist, classic dogs will also be available—with a twist. A "hot dog calligrapher" will be on site to decorate your frank with custom designs using Smash Kitchen's ketchup and mustard.
The pop-up brings together Smash Kitchen, which makes organic, non-GMO pantry staples ranging from condiments to cooking oils, and HexClad, the cookware brand that’s backed by celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay. Of course, the biggest draw is the word "free." The giveaway is limited to the first 500 visitors, so arriving early is probably your best bet if you want to score one of the specialty dogs before they disappear.
Whether you're headed to admire the Monets inside The Met or simply looking for an inexpensive lunch (it doesn't get cheaper than free), next week’s pop-up offers a quintessentially New York pairing: world-class culture and a sidewalk hot dog. That's a combination that's hard to top.