2008 Weenie Awards: Best Marion County Hot Dog
Look up the word "finicky" in the dictionary and you will find a definition that best describes hot dog fans in Marion county. By and large, you'll find customers split each and every time over who has the best West Virginia Hot Dogs around. Most of the time, you'll hear Yann's mentioned. The problem with Yann's dogs as it pertains to Weenie Awards is that while they are legendary and phenomenal in their own right, they are not true West Virginia Hot Dogs due to the intentional omission of slaw.
So that brings us to the question: who has the best WVHD in Marion County? After thorough review, it doesn't seem like you can find a taste that tops Hank's Deli. Though the price is still a bit higher than most HDJs at $3.50 for one (or "double the dog" for an extra dog at $1.00 more), it does include a side of chips and pickle, for what it's worth. One bit tells the tale of just how worth it these hot dogs are.
These dogs are truly made with TLC and attention to detail. From the sweet and savory chili that has such a distictive, unique flavor to the sweet, creamy slaw that would make any hot dog into a masterpiece, Hank's makes it worth the effort to visit for just one hot dog alone.
Hank's is consistently good in terms of food quality and service. Like any good HDJ, it's a place I'm happy to go out of the way for and to bring my friends and family to over and over again. Congratulations once again to Hank's Deli! Well done and well deserved!
12 comments:
Oh, no, no, no. Where is Hank's Deli anyway? Are you sure it's in Marion County? If you're going to give an award to the best Marion County hot dog joint, let's make it one that sells HDs the way that we like them...without slaw.
We don't need slaw on our dogs. it detracts from the flavor of the sauce. Matter of fact, even those of us who like slaw say it's wrong to put them on a hot dog.
Lupo's is the best now that CV news is out of business. The slaw rule is just silliness.
Marion County is the home to loyal coaches and honest politicians, why shouldn't we trust their opinion on hot dogs?
erm...
slaw or it's not a WV dog. Slaw doesn't detract when it's done right!
Mountainlaurel, you bring up a point about Marion County that will be the subject of a posting in the future regarding the acceptance of slaw as a hot dog topping in that area.
However, I respectfully remind everyone that at WVHotDogs.com, "It's all about the slaw". A true West Virginia Hot Dog has slaw, period.
I gladly debate that the best non-slaw dogs in Fairmont are in fact not at Lupo's. Yann's are superior.
We'll let Marion Countians set the standard for Pepperoni Rolls, but they just need to get over thinking that their slawless hot dogs are anything but the anomaly they are. 50 1/2 other counties can't be wrong.
I would like to try Yann's sometime, but I like my dogs with slaw and without a side-order of a-hole.
OK. I'll give you that. Your blog so you set the rules, even though I did find the judgement of best WV hot dog in Marion County as a bit odd as it's north of the Slaw Line. But where IS Hank's anyway??
I personally prefer Lupo's but that may well be wrapped up in childhood memories of stopping there on Sundays with my dad and grandma. Yann's I adore as well. I just don't think it's as good as Lupo's. That's kind of like the pepperoni roll debate: I prefer Colassessano's but love Country Club Bakery as well. The Yanns though are wonderful people, so I don't see where Chris gets his a-hole comment. If it's about honest politicians, well, most of us are ashamed of the Manchins as well. The DickRod comment was just below the belt, though.
As for the 50.5 counties can't be wrong, well, let's just look at the last Presidential elections. 52 counties were certainly wrong.
In the real world they might be nice folks, but part of the mythos of Yann's is the "soup nazi" stock character.
Think about it. We all, to a certain degree, have our workplace and downtime personalities.
Hey MountainLaurel,
Lupo's did, in fact, have some good hot dogs at one time. But it seems once they moved out of downtown out near the Taylor County line that their quality suffered. Might just be me, but something about their new place seems to make me think that the hot dogs aren't as important to them as are the video lottery machines they've installed now.
I agree with you on both of the pepperoni rolls choices! They both are awesome, indeed.
Hank's Deli is located in the old Middletown Mall where the T&L used to be.
I've sat around doing nothing while video lottery destroys families, but now that I hear that it has wrecked a great hdj, I'm ready to write some legislators.
As a former resident of Fairmont, I have to throw in my 2 cents. My dad used to take me to Lupo's in downtown when I was just a pup and Marshall Lupo was in his 30's or 40's. THE best hot dogs in Fairmont in order of best to better to good to OK... Number one is Lupo's. Number two was B&L on Morgantown Avenue. Number three was T&L at the mall. There was a story once that garbage collectors found empty cans of dog food in the dumpster at Yann's. I don't know for sure, but I never wanted to find out. Also, the Bee Hive across from the old EF high school. Back in 1964 it was Teresa's on 10th street. Slaw does not belong on a hot dog anymore than snot belongs on a door knob.
Ha. Slaw has no business being on a hotdog. A true WV hotdog is sauce (not chili), mustard , and onions. Thats it.
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