GUILDERLAND — Some like it hot. Some, not so much.

Jesse’s Texas Hot Wieners, which just opened in the Cosimo’s Plaza on Western Avenue, will cook to fit the customer.

However, vegetarians need not apply.

With a full menu that includes sausage and various chicken dishes, as well as other standby favorites, all-mighty beef takes center stage at Jesse’s. The eatery uses nothing but 100-percent certified angus beef in its newly remodeled kitchen.
Opening just a little more than two weeks ago, the restaurant is already attracting "regulars" who come in three or four times a week, say the father-daughter duo who run Jesse’s.

What’s their secret"

The secret’s in the sauce, say the Caprottis.
"The sauce is the big thing," said Jesse Caprotti. "There’s nothing like it in the area."

The family-owned recipe for the homemade hotdog sauce began with Jesse’s parents who owned Texas Hot Wieners in Kingston during the 1960s and ’70s. His parents’ business became very successful largely due to the same sauce Jesse’s is using today, Caprotti said.
"We have every topping imaginable for the hotdogs," said Colette Caprotti. "Not everyone likes really spicy food."

Those who do, though, will definitely be back for more, she said.

Jesse and Colette, his daughter, kept the secret recipe alive by serving it at family gatherings and various special occasions after Jesse’s parents died. But now, they say they want to make it available to the public.
"After my mother passed away we kept making the sauce," said Jesse Caprotti. "I’ve been waiting to do this for the past 10 years."

Caprotti, who has owned a construction business since 1972, spent several months remodeling the former pizza shop, which only lasted a couple of weeks. His daughter got all of the vendors and planning together.
"That was the easy part, right Dad," Colette Caprotti joked with her father about constructing the shop.

He agreed with a proud smile.
"My daughter was a big part of opening this up," he said. "I couldn’t have done it without her."

Hoping to make a similar splash in this area, Jesse Caprotti said hotdogs are king in Kingston.
"Hot dogs have a big following down there," he said, adding that there are already three wiener shops in Kingston. He decided to come to Guilderland because of the location and population density of the Capital District compared to Kingston. He still commutes back and forth to Kingston but plans to eventually move to the area.

Guilderland made sense, he said, because he has family here and his daughter Colette lives in Clifton Park while she’s pursuing her master’s degree in education at The College of Saint Rose after recently earning her bachelor’s degree in business at the University at Albany.

And, their eatery is only one of its kind in the area, Caprotti said.

First the dogs are boiled, then they are steamed.
"All of the food is delicious and its all very high quality," Colette Caprotti said, pointing to the angus beef and homemade sauce on the menu.

Down home
The wiener shop has a Western feel to it, with a wide wooden bar-like counter in the center of the room and large bull horns above the kitchen doors. Tables in the front of the restaurant along the walls are covered with Jesse James "Wanted" posters and various western-themed portraits and paintings.
"The guy who sold me the kitchen equipment gave me the horns," Jesse Caprotti said.

The prices range from $1.85 for the Classic Texas Hot Wiener — which includes the homemade sauce, onions, and mustard — to $5.75 for the Homemade Sausage and Peppers with the sauce.

The average meal runs you about five bucks, and the store is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Call-in and take-out meals are available for order at 456-3333, or via fax, at 456-3339.

Jesse’s Texas Hot Wieners is located on the right-hand side of Cosimo’s Plaza and a grand opening celebration is being planned, with a major radio station, sometime later this November.
"We’re doing much better than we first expected," Jesse Caprotti said. "All of our customers have been so great. You wouldn’t believe the reaction we’ve had so far."

One word of advice: Don’t forget the napkins.