This little restaurant, a spin-off of the Bluegrass Kitchen, has been rumored to be opening any day now for the better part of a year. Since it was also rumored to have hot dogs on its menu, I was particularly interested in seeing the "open" sign pop up. It finally did.Tricky Fish sits in an little old house on Washington Street East just a block or so from the State Capitol building. Inside it is has been remodeled nicely with some interestingly constructed holes in the interior walls to give the place a more open feel. There are a couple of cool concrete counter tops with exposed glass aggregrate that are obviously new but most everything in the place looks like it's been there for years. It reminded me of a little restaurant one might find a few blocks from the ocean in any number of beach communities in the Carolinas or Virginia.
At the top of the menu at Tricky Fish are its hot dogs. a "House Dog" (all beef, nitrate free, no hormones antibotics or steroids), WV Produced Italian Sausage, and a Veggie Dog. I opted for a 
House Dog with chili, slaw and onions. Mustard (four different kinds) are available from the condiment stand. My hot dog had a base sticker price of $4 and chili & slaw added 90 cents to the bottom line. A canned Coke cost $1.25. Pricey, yes, but I hoped it would make up for it in volume and taste.
House Dog with chili, slaw and onions. Mustard (four different kinds) are available from the condiment stand. My hot dog had a base sticker price of $4 and chili & slaw added 90 cents to the bottom line. A canned Coke cost $1.25. Pricey, yes, but I hoped it would make up for it in volume and taste.It half did: This is big hot dog. Meal sized, for sure. But the flavor was nothing like I hoped for. It was OK, but not a WVHD. The huge weenie was very flavorful, so much so that it shouted down the toppings. The chili seemed good but was served very sparingly so I couldn't get an adequate taste. The slaw was the same way. The onions were strong. The bun was huge, proportioned to hold the giant weenie, and the taste was pretty good.
The whole hot dog was flavorful, but not the kind of flavor I was looking for in a WVHD. It's difficult to give it a fair rank. In fact, the hot dog reminded me very much of the one I got at Barnyard in Buckhannon and I didn't give it a rank either. This site is about West Virginia Hot Dogs. I know West Viginia Hot Dogs. West Virginia Hot Dogs are a friend of mine. And this is no West Virginia Hot Dog.
PS: I will, though, go back to Tricky Fish to try an Oyster Po' Boy. It looked yum.
So, do they take credit cards at this fine establishment?
ReplyDeleteYes they do.
ReplyDeleteHey, look:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.theputnamscoop.com/the-oscar-mayer-wienermobile-was-here/#comment-2252
I thought you oughtta know!
I think Hillbilly Hotdogs is also featured on the Food Network tonight.
ReplyDeleteSoggy hotdogs as the WV ideal. How appropriate.
ReplyDeleteI was wondering about the hot dogs while trying the oyster po' boy. The catfish sandwich is scrumptious, too!
ReplyDeleteMy friends and I left less than satisfied - http://forkyou.wordpress.com/2008/04/18/we-were-tricked-by-the-fish/
ReplyDeletebut they did like the BBQ and the Fried Bologna, but those guys have not blogged yet.
I wasn't very impressed. I got the same hotdog with the same toppings, I agree the chili was served sparingly but the slaw and onions took over the whole hotdog...that's practically all I could taste.
ReplyDeleteDON'T Try the oyster po-boy! First of all it's not a po-boy. I'm from Louisiana and it does not fit the definition!! The service here was terrible! I was there this past Friday and will be blogging about that experience TODAY. I certainly will not be going back and will pass the word on to all my friends.
ReplyDeleteThe nitrate free "house dog" is still on the menu as is the veggie dog (both regular and "Italian" sausage style) and the Sandy Creek Farms Italian sausage. Try the Nathan's famous and have it deep fried. And I can guarantee you that if a certain someone is in the kitchen you will get a "knife and fork" dog with plenty of chili or anything else you choose. The canned sodas are gone as are the extra charges for the toppings.
ReplyDelete