Cross Lanes HDJ - T&M Meats & WV Brick Oven Bistro

The bare-bones exterior probably scares away more customers than it attracts, but once inside you can't help but to be impressed by this meat that shop has evolved over the years into a bonafide restaurant. With a brick oven pizza menu, various bar food selections and a decent beer selection it has become a real hot spot in Cross Lanes. Refrigerated cases filled with just about any kind of meat you might want line two walls and in the center are tables and a bar for dining. The namesake beehive shaped "brick oven" sits prominently behind the bar.

I didn't go into T&M Meats for a hot dog review, but when I saw one on the menu listed for $2.00, I figured I'd order it as an appetizer to give it a shot. I saw that the toppings included ketchup, so of course I asked the waitress to delete it from mine. She informed me that the hot dog comes standard with two weenies and asked me if I wanted it that way or with only one. After taking a second to try to understand what a two-weenie hot dog would look like - a heretofore unprecedented encounter - I said "sure, why not?" and threw all caution to the wind. I spent the waiting time wondering how they could fit two weenies on one bun, postulating various theories.

It turns out that the two weenies were of the small caliber variety, so they fit on the bun just fine. They were made a little bit smaller by being over-grilled until they were dry and leathery on the outside. The bun, strangely enough, had a coating of poppy seeds, but was about the same size as your basic Heiners hot dog bun. The poppy seeds added nothing to the taste or texture of the hot dog.

The chili was sweet, with not much spice but super-fine. The consistency made me think that there might be some kind of meat substitute like TVP added, but I couldn't be sure. The slaw was slightly sweet and slightly vinegary. There is little synergy between the two.

There's really not much else to say about the hot dog at T&M Meats. We'll give it a 2 Weenie ranking for trying hard, but honestly, trying less hard would make it better. We would recommend ditching the double-weenie and replace it with one that is properly-cooked, and likewise ditching the poppy seed bun.