Tin Man
Dirt's Childhood Playmate
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In the late 1800s, Greece went bankrupt. Waves of immigrants came to the USA. Most passed through New York. Brooklyn's Coney Island made a lasting impression on those who moved to the Midwest. One who did so, Gus Keros began selling the hot dogs he encountered in Coney Island from a street cart in Detroit. He topped his with saltsa kima, the meat sauce of his homeland. These were well received. Gus was able to open a storefront place on West Lafayette Street which he named, American Coney Island. A few years later, he brought his brother, William into the business. William wound up opening a competing place next door, which he named Lafayette Coney Island. Thus a storied rivalry was born. To this day, you can do your own taste test, sampling coneys from the side-by-side restaurants.
Numerous Greek immigrants opened restaurants modeled after those they experienced in Coney Island. All featured hot dogs slathered with saltsa kima, and most had "Coney Island" in their names. Eventually, Detroit came to know a hot dog topped with meat sauce, a stripe of mustard, and minced white onion as a "coney." Now, Michigan restaurateurs who wouldn't know Greek from Gaelic feature coneys on their menus.
Numerous Greek immigrants opened restaurants modeled after those they experienced in Coney Island. All featured hot dogs slathered with saltsa kima, and most had "Coney Island" in their names. Eventually, Detroit came to know a hot dog topped with meat sauce, a stripe of mustard, and minced white onion as a "coney." Now, Michigan restaurateurs who wouldn't know Greek from Gaelic feature coneys on their menus.
