Mason County HDJ Review - Leon General Store

A reader wrote us a while back and said, "I’m not the best at judging hot dogs by any means but you all have got to visit Leon General Store and try one of their hot dogs. Located in Leon WV. They have everything from gas to hardware, groceries etc. They have a kitchen and deli and the hotdogs are on point. I think their hotdogs meet the criteria of a good ole WV hot dog. If you all ever have the time or are in this area you should give em a try!"

We found ourselves in the general vicinity recently and thought we'd check it out. We say "general vicinity" but Leon isn't in the general vicinity of much. Located in Mason County on a road between Point Pleasant and Charleston that nobody travels, to say Leon is off the beaten path is an understatement. So even though we were somewhat close, it still was a bit of a drive.

The things we do for you people. 

When we entered the Leon General Store we immediately saw that our reader was right about one thing at least: they do sell just about everything. From fishing lures to deer scent to bananas to lawn mower mufflers to pizza to space heaters to jiffy pop. And oh yeah, hot dogs.

After asking what "everything" included and deleting ketchup from our order, we wandered around the vast offerings of the store, marveling at the selection of merchandise. It was like visiting a museum and we didn't really notice how long it took to get our hot dogs. Time has no meaning at Leon General Store.

Since there are no inside dining options, we took our order to the car before unwrapping the wax paper, but even before it was unfurled we were impressed by the obvious warmth and softness of the steamed bun. Our first look left a pretty good impression, although the onions seemed a bit chunky. The slaw, however, looked fine as did the small amount of chili we could see. 

Take note, all you "it's not chili, it's sauce" hardliners, they call it chili. And it's solidly Ohio Valley here and so you might expect them to call it "sauce." But no, it's chili.

Then we found something else that our reader was right about: He's not the best at judging hot dogs.

Here's the breakdown: The slaw, while looking pretty good, was really quite tasteless. The chili was a tiny bit sweet but otherwise had nothing going for it. Most of the flavor of the whole came from the onions. But it was the weenie that really got us.

Now before we go any further, let's get this out of the way. We often say unlike many regional hot dogs (like Chicago and New York styles) the weenie is the least important part of a West Virginia hot dog. Many people have jumped on this statement and misquoted us -- or drawn erroneous conclusion -- that we don't think the weenie matters. That is entirely untrue. We say that a great hot dog doesn't have to have a great weenie, but we also say that a bad weenie can bring a hot dog down. 

And the latter is the case with Leon General Store. This otherwise decent (not great, but decent) hot dog was put asunder by its weakest link. It was small (which can be a positive if the toppings are good, but in this case it was just small). It was odd-tasting. And it was an unusual color. 

So we have to disagree with the reader who said he thought it qualified as a "good ole WV hot dog." It was not good, although perhaps the weenie is "ole" and that's why it looked and tasted the way it did. 

2 Weenies. 

Charleston HDJ Review: The Purple Onion

We were surprised when we came across a social media post from Charleston's premier fruit and vegetable vendor that said they were offering hot dogs with homemade chili for lunch. Surprised because the Capitol Market, in which The Purple Onion is located, has always had strict rules about competition between its venders. For example, only one of its vendors is allowed to sell fresh eggs, and the wine shop may sell cured meats but only the meat market can sell fresh or frozen meat. Since there is already a restaurant selling hot dogs (albeit not great ones), it seemed out of character for another vendor to horn in on the weenie business. 

We thought we'd better get over there to check it out before the Capitol Market management found out and put the kibosh on it.

In addition to fruits, vegetables, canned sauces,  spices plus a whole myriad of bulk-packaged dry goods, The Purple Onion also has a small food prep area where they used to make soups, salads and sandwiches. The ordering window is kind of hidden in a corner toward the rear of the space, and the process to order and pay is confusing (we paid first, but got the sense that you could order and then pay). But once we found where to order, we saw the menu sign and were gratified that they exploited the marketing influence and reach of this blog by appropriately using "WV Hot Style Dogs." Inappropriately, though, the listed toppings included ketchup, so strike one. It didn't stop us from ordering but we did ask them to delete the red stuff because we're adults. 

Our hot dogs were presented in a styrofoam coffin (strike two) but the aroma sneaking out of the cracks was heavenly so we were encouraged. Opening the lid of the coffin we immediately noticed that the onions were chopped a bit too coarsely, but the slaw looked nice and creamy. All the toppings were applied in good proportions and we could even see a little mustard sneaking out of the end of the bun. 

The bun, though, is a bit of a problem. Cold and stiff. Not stale, mind you, but nothing like soft and properly steamed. Of course, those styrofoam coffins do nothing to help, allowing steam to escape so not even the warm weenie and chili can soften the bun like happens when a hot dog is wrapped in cellophane or wax paper. 

But many of the previous concerns were laid to rest upon tasting the first bite. The chili, while not at all spicy, had a little tartness that paired nicely with the slaw which was pretty sweet. And while the slaw could have benefitted from some finer chopping, the taste and overall texture was good. The large onion chunks proved to be inoffensive since they were obviously cut from a mild onion (Vidalia maybe?).

So despite the stiff bun, coffin presentation and too large onions, we're still giving the Purple Onion high marks for the effort. It deserves its 4 Weenie rating and is easily the best hot dog sold at the Capitol Market.