The Great Kanawha Valley Hot Dog Joint Tour of 2023
The Secret Ballot Form |
Please note: No claim is being made that these six are the best in the Valley, but it was felt that they offered a good representation of the variations that exist in the Kanawha Valley hot dog culture, so spare us your flaming comments.
At each HDJ, two hot dogs were ordered with chili, slaw, mustard and onions. Each of the four reviewers were given a half to judge. They were asked to score on our official Weenie Scale, using a private ballot form as to ensure their review was not influenced by the others. At the end of the trip, scores were to be tallied and the six HDJs would be ranked. Reviewers were also instructed to take notes to be used as tie-breaking criteria.
Nitro Dairy Queen
Nitro DQ |
Bammy's Chili Dogs
Bammy's |
Next stop was supposed to be Hot Diggity Dogs in North Charleston, but as luck would have it, they picked this week to close for vacation, something our team didn't know until they drove up to the front door. Faced with this dilemma, the team had to improvise quickly and choose an alternate HDJ, preferably one that wasn't far away. After a brief conference they decided to visit the most recently reviewed HDJ on the blog, Dancing Dog Ice Cream on Charleston's West Side. Wimpy the Weenie Wonk had given this place a 4.5 Weenie score just last month so, it seemed promising.
Dancing Dog Ice Cream
Dancing Dog Ice Cream |
Super Weenie
Super Weenie |
A quick trip across town found our group at Super Weenie on Quarrier Street. Here they only had to order a "West Virginia Hot Dog" because the well-trained staff knows what that means, and it is posted on a sign that lists several optional ways to get your WV Dog, including a "Polite WV Dog" which comes with no onions. We've always found that Super Weenie lives up to its motto "We're Serious About These Hot Dogs" but on this day the reviewers were a tad disappointed in the taste and texture of the weenie, and one felt the chili was too spicy.
Of course there are several other options for good hot dogs in downtown Charleston, but time was short so the group headed across the bridge and up McCorkle Avenue to Kanawha City.
The Pepperoni Grill
Pepperoni Grill |
Chum's Hot Dogs
Chum's |
Last stop of the tour was Chum's Hot Dogs in Marmet, the home of the yellow slaw. It might have been a little apples-and-oranges to include Chum's because when you're having yellow slaw it's recommended to leave the mustard off of your standard order, so they did. Also, being the last stop of the day with the remnants of five other hot dogs in your belly, it might be hard to judge fairly due to "Hot Dog Fatigue." Nevertheless, our team bravely faced the unique yellow slaw variation with as much objectivity as it could muster. Only one reviewer felt Chum's was up to snuff, with the others having complaints "too vinegary" or "a cheese-like flavor." One was disappointed because of his fond memories of yellow slaw at a HDJ of yesteryear that Chum's didn't measure up to.
Results
At the end of the tour, here's how these six ranked on this day:
1. Nitro Dairy Queen - Simply a great West Virginia Hot Dog.
2. Pepperoni Grill - Delicious and satisfying but the chili is a little too sweet.
3. Tie - Super Weenie & Dancing Dog Ice Cream - Our team couldn't break the tie, finding both of these HDJs a perfectly adequate for a lunchtime hot dog with nothing negative to say about either.
5. Bammy's Chili Dogs - When four hot dog experts agree that the chili was a little off, it's probably a little off.
6. Chum's - Unique doesn't mean it's better, just different. Too different from the others on this day.