Huntington Hot Dog Joint: Prichard Sandwich and Coffee Shop

The Prichard building, an old-skewl skyscraper (from back when such a building would qualify) has a small sandwich shop located on the street level that is quite popular with downtown workers, especially from Amazon.com. The Film Geek has been bugging us for years to review this joint, but, as I don't work downtown, I'm never in the area when the place is open.

Recently, however, I took myself a little stay-cation and took the opportunity to check the place out.

I cannot say for certain whether or not this was on purpose or by accident, but the nice lady gave me two hot dogs for the budget-friendly price of $.89 + tax. I can't think of a place in town that hooks you up with one dawg for under a buck, much less two. Heck, if they do indeed regularly sell hot dogs at this price point, this is probably the best lunch value in town.

Enough gushing about the price and the super service and on to the weenie, starting with the centerpiece of any Huntington hd, the sauce. They serve a beefier, zestier version of Stewart's. It is almost like someone was trying to work from the Mandt's family recipe towards something for those who like a meaty chili with bit of seasoning. It isn't the best sauce in town, but it gets the job done.

The Slaw is sweet and tangy with cabbage so fresh that I imagine the slaw was made within an hour before my arrival. The taste and texture are top-notch and they have to be a serious contender for a 2008 Weenie Award for Best Slaw.

Decent sauce, killer slaw, and a low low price...this has to be a great hdj, right? Um, well, no. They have their Achilles heel. When dressing the weenie, they use nowhere near enough toppings, so the taste is dominated by the not-so-great weenie and a gooey bun (which should be a component of texture, not flavor). It truly breaks my heart that such great topping are essentially wasted due to conservative topping theory. I've said it before and I'll say it again: great sauce and slaw make a cheap protein stick taste like a million buck, not the other way around.

I understand that they are trying to keep prices down by cutting back on the fixin's, but I would gladly pay $.99 for one of their dogs well-dressed. Therefore, if you work or live near downtown, I can recommend this as a pretty good lunch option if you only have a dollar in your wallet. Otherwise, there are some better dog options downtown. As an WV HDJ, The Prichard Coffee and Sandwich Shop can be summed up as such: great value, flawed dogs.

3 Weenies.