Huntington Hot Dog Joint: G.D. Disappointment at G. D. Ritzy's

By most definitions of the word, G. D. Ritzy's in Huntington is a pretty cool place to eat. The place is decorated in the fashion of a 50's nostalgia joint and has a diverse fast food menu that features burgers, ice cream, Cincinnati-style chili (well, sort of) and coneys.

Coneys? Wait, isn't this West Virginia?

Well, it's a national joint, and it really seems to be more a a restaurant that happens to serve hot dogs instead of a hot dog eatery, so maybe some slack can be given, as long as the dogs are good.

I noticed on their menu board that slaw was not listed as one of the toppings for the dog, which was disappointing, to say the least. Fortunately, a side order of slaw was available with fries and the dog as part of a "platter," so I bit.

When I unwrapped the dog, I was first struck by the critical mass of sliced onions that swam in, on, and under the coney sauce. I sampled one, and they were indeed quality onions, but there were entirely too many. Additionally, the large slices were a better fit for a chili 5 ways instead of a hot dog.

The sauce was meaty, beautifully red in color, and almost entirely tasteless. I will in the future give them the benefit of the doubt and try the stuff on a 5 ways, as maybe the onions blasted some subtle hidden flavor out of the water, but as it stands, it was a nothing special at all.

More bad news came from the bun and weenie. The bun was hard enough to break a window. I have some week-old Sunny Buns in my bread drawer that are fresher than this thing. While it was kind of embarrassing that a Huntington HDJ would serve such a bun, I was able to reassure myself that it was not really a local hot dog joint, per se. The weenie had the texture of one of those pickled red hots from a gas station and the flavor of a 1980's hospital-served weenie.

The only good thing about the dog experience was that which was never intended by Ritzy's: the slaw. The slaw was super creamy, very sweet, and pretty fresh. Since I got it on the side, I was able to drown the dog in slaw (I also added more to each bite) and increase its palatability by at least 73%.

The service, however, was fast and friendly and the ice cream selection looked comparable to most places. I need to try their Cincy chili to see how that goes, too, as it is one of my favorite non-hot dog dishes. I mentioned in the lead that it is in fact a cool place to eat for families and, with its proximity to the Little League fields and Cabell Huntington Hospital, would make for a great post-game or post-pediatrician visit treat.

As a hot dog joint, I give it 2 weenies. Great place to take a family, but not appropriate for true West Virginia hot dog connoisseurs.