Canada Day is just around the corner, and nothing says summer more than the most unpretentious of barbecue delicacies, the hot dog.

My brother was legendary at eating hot dogs. He once ate 17 hot dogs at a friend’s barbecue when we were kids.

To celebrate summer and pay homage to the humble hot dog, I recently visited the mecca of franks, Easterbrooks Hot Dog Stand in Burlington.

Easterbrooks has been serving up hot dogs for 95 years. And not just any dogs, footlong weiner masterpieces like the Tear Jerker, a 12 inch dog topped with pepper jack cheese, jalapenos and chipotle sauce and The Belly Buster, topped with melted cheese, mustard, bacon, fried onion, chili and tomato.

When you drive into their parking lot, you feel like you’ve been transported back in time to the 1950s. Red picnic tables pepper the front of the small white building that looks like it belongs more in a beach movie than in a nice neighbourhood in Burlington.

The inside of the place looks like a 50’s diner too with black and white checkered paint and tiles, Coca Cola Classic signs and newspaper clippings all over the wall. A chalkboard at the end of the counter proudly proclaims “Since 1930 we have served over 1823 miles of hot dogs”.

Easterbrooks first opened in 1926 when its matriarch, Mable Easterbrook opened a tea room. In 1930, she started selling hot dogs and the family-run business has been selling dogs ever since (one of the owners brought out our order).

I ordered a Hound Dog, a 12-inch dog with aged cheddar, peameal bacon and sauerkraut while Dave, the OG hot dog lover, went for The Original. The dogs were tasty, but it was the fresh bun with the light crust on the outside and delicious soft chewy inside that made their offerings top dogs worthy of best in show. Their fries were delicious too, not oily, but crispy with a light-coated topping.

As we sat outside toasting the start of summer, all I could think of was how much my brother would have loved this place.

This week’s #HappyAct is to have a hot diggedy dog summer. I hope there are some franks in your future this weekend. Happy Canada Day!