Charleston HDJ Review: The Purple Onion

We were surprised when we came across a social media post from Charleston's premier fruit and vegetable vendor that said they were offering hot dogs with homemade chili for lunch. Surprised because the Capitol Market, in which The Purple Onion is located, has always had strict rules about competition between its venders. For example, only one of its vendors is allowed to sell fresh eggs, and the wine shop may sell cured meats but only the meat market can sell fresh or frozen meat. Since there is already a restaurant selling hot dogs (albeit not great ones), it seemed out of character for another vendor to horn in on the weenie business. 

We thought we'd better get over there to check it out before the Capitol Market management found out and put the kibosh on it.

In addition to fruits, vegetables, canned sauces,  spices plus a whole myriad of bulk-packaged dry goods, The Purple Onion also has a small food prep area where they used to make soups, salads and sandwiches. The ordering window is kind of hidden in a corner toward the rear of the space, and the process to order and pay is confusing (we paid first, but got the sense that you could order and then pay). But once we found where to order, we saw the menu sign and were gratified that they exploited the marketing influence and reach of this blog by appropriately using "WV Hot Style Dogs." Inappropriately, though, the listed toppings included ketchup, so strike one. It didn't stop us from ordering but we did ask them to delete the red stuff because we're adults. 

Our hot dogs were presented in a styrofoam coffin (strike two) but the aroma sneaking out of the cracks was heavenly so we were encouraged. Opening the lid of the coffin we immediately noticed that the onions were chopped a bit too coarsely, but the slaw looked nice and creamy. All the toppings were applied in good proportions and we could even see a little mustard sneaking out of the end of the bun. 

The bun, though, is a bit of a problem. Cold and stiff. Not stale, mind you, but nothing like soft and properly steamed. Of course, those styrofoam coffins do nothing to help, allowing steam to escape so not even the warm weenie and chili can soften the bun like happens when a hot dog is wrapped in cellophane or wax paper. 

But many of the previous concerns were laid to rest upon tasting the first bite. The chili, while not at all spicy, had a little tartness that paired nicely with the slaw which was pretty sweet. And while the slaw could have benefitted from some finer chopping, the taste and overall texture was good. The large onion chunks proved to be inoffensive since they were obviously cut from a mild onion (Vidalia maybe?).

So despite the stiff bun, coffin presentation and too large onions, we're still giving the Purple Onion high marks for the effort. It deserves its 4 Weenie rating and is easily the best hot dog sold at the Capitol Market.