Belle HDJ Review - The Lunch Box

Located in a space formerly occupied by a HDJ known by the strange name of Wal Rocks, this little hole in the wall came highly recommended by facebook fan Carol Johnson. In fact, she repeatedly nagged me until I finally made the trip to the mouth of Witcher Creek just to get her to hush up.

Really, she wasn't that bad, but she was persistent. And I know from experience that when someone is that persistent with a HDJ recommendation, it means one of two things: A) the place has really good hot dogs, or B) the nagger is the owner, or a relative of the owner.

This time it was "A".

To say that The Lunch Box is nothing fancy is an understatement. A few tables reside inside a low wall that separates the dining area from the billiard and video game area. Lots of American flags but little else the way of decor; but the service was very friendly and prompt.

When the waitress (whom I believe was the proprietor) asked for my order, I asked her what "everything" was; her reply unfortunately included ketchup among the proper ingredients of chili, slaw, mustard and onions. I asked for two with no red stuff, and in a jiffy I had my order in front of me.

I visually surveyed my dogs for a moment and noticed that the bun looked like they had been steamed and the slaw seemed to be shredded - not chopped - very finely. One quick taste of the slaw and its sweetness was evident. A second bite revealed it's nearly perfect texture and provided me with a more full understanding of its goodness. This is Blue Ribbon slaw, folks. Seriously.

The chili was fairly typical Upper Kanawha Valley tasting - a little chili powder and very meaty- but its texture was better than most with the beef ground finely. It went perfectly with the slaw.

The weenie and onions were both up to par, so this hot dog deserves a high score. If ketchup weren't standard, and if the chili was a touch more spicy, this could well be perfect 5, but as it is I have to deduct a half-point and officially give the Lunch Box a 4.5 Weenie ranking.

Thank you for nagging me, Carol.