Clarksburg Hot Dog Review - Ritzy Lunch

This Hot Dog Joint has been on my "must visit" list ever since Epicurious placed it on its list of the ten best hot dogs in America. According to Epicurious, the standard hot dog includes sweet coleslaw. If that is true, I thought, then the slaw line must run through or north of Clarksburg. Since I had already found that T&L Hot Dogs has slaw optional dogs I was eager to find a HDJ in Harrison County that served slaw standard so we could claim the county as part of the state's majority hot dog culture. Obviously I also wanted to avail my tastebuds to any hot dog that had been ranked as one of the top ten in entire country. I was really looking forward to it.

So I took a little side trip from my northern excursion this week and traveled across Rt. 50 to downtown Clarksburg. Once I found W. Pike Street it was easy to find Ritzy Lunch. I got there just as the lunch rush began and felt fortunate to find a booth for me and my daughter. The old wooden booths are reminiscent of those at Chris' in Charleston and the rest of the decor was basic bar and grill. Beer mirrors and ads adorned the walls and smoking is permitted and practiced with gusto by the clientele. My daughter called the equipment behind the bar "retro" but I had to correct her and tell her it was simply "old". Not the prettiest place in the world, although it does have a quaint charm of its own. Clearly, the moniker "Ritzy Lunch", while it might have fit when the restaurant was new in the 1930's, does not adequately describe the atmosphere of the place today.

The service is fast and friendly. When I asked what was included on an "everything" dog, I was crestfallen to hear that only chili, mustard and onions came standard. Slaw was a stated option, so of course I added it to my order.

In a flash my hot dogs were delivered to my table. I was very pleased to see the huge mound of beautiful looking slaw sitting atop my dogs. The weight and tactile makeup of the dogs seemed just about perfect. They smelled great, too. I couldn't wait to find out what these, one of the top ten hot dogs in America would taste like.

But I was distracted. I noticed something on the table that I had never seen before in any restaurant. It was a salt shaker full of a red powdery substance. I sprinkled a little in the palm of my hand and sniffed it. No conclusive smell that I could detect. Then, I tasted it. Not much flavo...oh, wait, OH MY, THERE IT IS! It was chili powder! Chili powder, I assumed, to add to your hot dog in case it wasn't spicy enough for you. Hmmm.

Curious, I dug a small amount of chili out from under the generous helping of slaw and tasted it. Oh, this is good stuff. It is spicy (not overly so) and has a really meaty texture and flavor. I could detect not a trace of any tomato product in the chili. It was very good, but not as spicy as most northern W.Va. chili that I have sampled. Hence (I guess) the chili powder.

So I got back to the business of eating. From the first full bite of the hot dog I could tell that this is a pretty darn good hot dog. It is hearty and spicy. It has good volume and weight. The chili was not as good as Chris', the slaw was not as good as Romeo's, the bun was not as good as virtually any Huntington HDJ has. The weenie was very good, but not that different from many other HDJs. Overall it rates a strong 4.5 Weenie score.

I was thinking while I was eating these hot dogs: "How can these be one of the ten best dogs in the U.S. when there are three or four better hot dogs just in Charleston? Obviously the writers at Epicurious have limitations, but why the fuss over this HDJ in little ol' Clarksburg?

Please don't get me wrong: Ritzy Lunch has a great hot dog. The fact that they even offer slaw so far up north is worthy of a few style points. I don't doubt that this is the very best hot dog that Clarksburg has to offer. If your travels take you there, you should make it a point to try Ritzy Lunch.

Just don't go overboard on your ratings like Epicurious did.

wvhotdogs.com Site Redesign

I've retooled the main site over at wvhotdogs.com. Some of the changes include:

• Frames are out.
  
• Advertisements are in.
  
• A Google search of the site is now an option.
• Reviews are completely updated as of today.
• "Recent Reviews" are posted on the main page so you can check to see what's new.
• New colors and graphics.

There are still a few subtle changes I need to make, but it's ready for a test drive.

Ripley Hot Dog Joint Review - Dairy Queen

Yuck.

Go to Pete's instead. It's just down and across the street.

Ripley Hot Dog Joint Review - Pete's Hot Dogs

Ripley is a typical West Virginia small town. It has a Main Street, a Church Street, a Maple Street and a WalMart. It has a beautiful courthouse that dominates the downtown business district and several stately churches whose steeples are visible above the tops of the majestic old oak trees that line the streets. The sidewalks are rolled up early most evenings, but during the day Main Street is a flurry of activity as people with courthouse business run errands around town. A seemingly never-ending parade of cars stream through town on their way to or from I77. Yes, it is typical in many ways.

Just about every small town worth its salt has a unique little hole-in-the-wall dining spot where people know they can find cheap and dependably tasty food. Ripley is no exception. Happily, the dining spot in Ripley is a hot dog joint.

I have received a bunch of email urging me to try Pete's Hot Dogs ever since I started this site, but this weekend was the first time I'd had the opportunity to be in Ripley during Pete's business hours. I had to bend my schedule a little but I got there Saturday evening just an hour or so before they closed. The place was abustle, both drive-thru and walk-in, but my hot dog with everything was still served lighting fast. I didn't even have time to take pictures or look around much. The walls, I did notice, where adorned with dozens of photographs of kid's sports teams presumably those sponsored by the restaurant. A couple of articles about the restaurant clipped from local newspapers were also framed and on display. I wish I'd had time to read them because that is usually how I get historical information about hot dog joints.

As soon as I pulled my dog from the paper bag I knew it was going to be a good one. It was wrapped in wax paper and was already wonderfully soft and gooey; obviously a well-steamed bun was the reason. Upon unwrapping I noticed immediately that Pete's takes the Huntington approach and puts the toppings on the bottoms. Not only is this bad hot dog ettiquette, it also somewhat limits the amount of chili, slaw and onions that can be used on a hot dog. And, sure enough, there was a very small amount of everything on my "everything" dog. Surprisingly, though, it was still very tasty and satisfying.

There really wasn't enough chili to get a taste of it independently of the slaw, onions and mustard. There really wasn't enough slaw to get a taste of it independently of the chili. But I confess, the whole dog was just excellent. I can only guess that the flavors of both the slaw and chili are very concentrated and potent enough to overcome the small quantity. It left me wanting more. In fact I felt like I could have eaten all of the "10 for $8.99" special advertised out front.

In spite of the upside-down dressing of the dog, and in spite of the miniscule amount of chili and slaw I am going to give Pete's a 4.5 out of 5.0 on the Weenie Scale. Just a great little hot dog in a great little hot dog joint in a great little town.

The next time you're near Ripley, try one, for Pete's sake!

Quick Hot Dog Review - Mollohan's Family Restaurant

Now I bet you saw the title of this post and thought this was going to be a brief little post. No, it is a rather long post about a hot dog joint in the town of Quick, West Virginia.

Quick is just a hoot and a holler from Pinch. Pinch is between Miliken and Elkview. So even if you're not from around here you can see that getting to Quick is, well, not quick. It's not on the way to anywhere. If you lived in Quick and someone told you they just dropped by because they were in the neighborhood, they would be lying.

And that is apparently the reason that Dorsey Mollohan decided to open up a restaurant in the old Quick post office building. Before Mollohan's Family Restaurant the nearest sit down restaurant was 13 miles away. Open seven days a week, they seem to sincerely want to serve this little community. The interior walls of the restaurant serves as a bulletin board with flyers pinned up for every flea market and community gathering around.

The restaurant has been open since last December and it serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. The breakfast menu has all the basics and lunch is the usual family restaurant fare. They have a daily special dinner (I assume you can get it for lunch too) like chicken & dumplings or roast beef and gravy. Pizza and calzones take up the back page of the menu. They also had an absolutely scrumptious assortment of desserts listed on the menu board. All home made, I was assured by the very sweet waitress.

But I didn't drive all this way for desserts or dinner specials, did I? No, I didn't (and thanks for asking).

Hot dogs are $1.10 each and at that price I figured I'd have two. Everything, I was told, included chili, slaw, mustard, ketchup and onions. I asked the waitress to leave off the ketchup. I nearly gave her a lecture about the impropriety of ketchup on hot dogs but I decided against it.

While I waited on my order I walked around and marveled at the quaint decor and the cleanliness of the place. I think you really could eat off the floors. I read all the flyers hanging around that told about community events. I looked at the framed newspaper articles about the restaurant that were hanging on the walls. I read the entire menu cover to cover. I picked up a Gazette someone had left behind and read it - all of it. And still I waited. I walked over to the wall that held the menu board and saw this sign posted there:


Oh, that explains it.

Two hotdogs. Thirty-two minutes. Patience redefined.


But they did finally arrive. And they were almost worth the wait.

My Huntington operative, Chris James, told me that the highest praise he could give a hot dog would be to say it tasted like someone's mom made it. He would love this hot dog. It is made with care and is topped with chili that tastes like grandma just whipped it up. Meaty and delicious, but not a bit spicy. The slaw was obviously freshly made and was finely chopped and very creamy. A little sweeter would have been nice, but most HDJs could learn from Mollohan's slaw chef. Both toppings were served in huge amounts - so much that one dog would have filled me up nicely. They were beautiful to look at and presented on a quaint Currier and Ives-esque platter. Nice touch for a down home place. The bun was oven warmed and the weenie was just excellent. All-beef, I was told.

If not for the long wait I would give these dogs a four-and-a-half weenie rating, but knock off a half point for the delay. If I wanted a nice relaxing family and friends meal then the wait would be a plus, but hot dogs are a grab and go food and there's really no fun in waiting that long for them. I fully intend to go back sometime for one of their dinner specials and then I will make no bones about the laid back pace. And you might say that I shouldn't complain because I was warned, but the warning wasn't posted in a spot where you would see it easily. Maybe it should be printed on the menu.

Mollohan's is open 11AM - 8PM Monday thru Friday, 10AM - 8PM Saturday and 10AM-6PM Sunday. It is located right on Pinch-Quick Road just as you come in to Quick.

Quest For Fish

Circleville, Ohio is the home of the annual "Pumpkin Show" which is hands-down the greatest festival I have ever visited. I had family connections in Circleville and every October we would make the trek to this quaint little town just south of Columbus just to view the giant pumpkins awaiting judging on Main Street, see again the world's largest pumpkin pie in the window of Lindsey's Bakery, ride the rides and watch the two parades that happened each of the festival's four days. It is a place and time full of fond memories. This year's festival starts tomorrow (Jackie, you should definitely take the little Lanterns). It is magnitudes beyond Milton's little wing ding in scope and coolness.

Okay, okay, but where's the hot dog relevance? Well, it's a stretch, but before I found that I had been liberated from my allergy to coleslaw I had another obsession that took me to odd little restaurants looking for the perfect specimen. It started when I was about 14 years old in a bar in Circleville.

The bar was (and still is) called "Shifty's" and it was (and I assume still is) the most perfect example of a small town watering hole that I have ever seen or even heard of. From the outside it's nothing special but walk through the creaky red door and you immediately know that this place is very special. To a fourteen year old boy it was more than special: It was positively magical. Pictures of local celebrities with autographs wishing the owners good luck in future endeavors lined the walls. A TV hanging in one corner was always on and always seemed to have an Ohio State football game on whenever I was there - which I'm sure was impossible because it was long before ESPN and VCRs. In two of the other corners were screens for what would best be described as a video game, but it wasn't. It was a dart throwing game where a cartoonish character did the throwing, controlled by a bar-goer holding a remote that controlled when the dart was released. The dart would go from one screen and seemingly through the ether to the other screen that held the image of the dart board. Depending on at what point in the throwing motion of the cartoon dart thrower the button was pressed, the dart would hit the edge of the target or a bullseye with varying point levels for each zone. The game kept score and two or four players could play against each other. Since this was perhaps a year before I saw "Pong" for the first time it was mesmerizing, as you can imagine. I played for hours.

My uncle, who lived in Circleville, and my stepfather were the adults that were responsible for my presence in the bar, and while it might seem unimaginable in this day and time, it was quite normal for a young man to be in a bar in those days. I'm not sure it was legal at all, but it was fairly common for a man to take his son into bars to show him off to his drinking buddies. My uncle and stepdad would sometimes take me to play golf with them at my uncle's club and they never played golf without stopping off at Shifty's for a "snort" on the way home. So I went to Shifty's, but no snorts for me.

Sometimes we would eat at Shifty's and that is when I fell completely in love with the fish sandwich they served there. It was the tastiest and most satisfying sandwich I had ever eaten and to this day I have never found one as good. And I have tried. I can't tell you a single detail about it after all these years except that it was majorly awesome.

I made it my hobby for many years to find a fish sandwich in Charleston as good as Shifty's. I have to tell you that I never found one that was as good, but the closest I ever found was at the drive in that used to be located on Kanawha Boulevard where the Moose Lodge is today (I think it was called the "Tip Top Drive In"). Of course there was no Blogger in those days so I never documented my quest for fish but I assure you it was every bit as involved as my search for hot dogs.

Well, the reason I bring this up is because I was thinking about Shifty's and the Circleville Pumpkin Show recently and I did a little Googling. Lo and behold I found this little ukulele music video that was shot outside and inside Shifty's! As I watched it I laughed, and as I watched it again it brought a tear to my eye as I missed those scrumptious sandwiches. In the video you get a glimpse of the inside and the people who patronize the place these days. Check it out.


Isn't the Internet great sometimes?

Now thats a big wiener....

I found the above public domain photo of the world's longest hot dog here. At 104' 9", it was done as a publicity stunt for a bakery in Oregon. Imagine, however, if someone in WV had tried for the record. It very well could have exhausted the world's supply of cabbage and sweet onion.

Why I'm a Hot Dog Fool

You know the saying "There's nothing worse than a reformed anything"? Well, it's true and the truth behind the saying is also the truth behind my obsession with hot dogs, West Virginia style.

It all started when I was about seven years old. I suddenly and inexplicably developed several food allergies all at once. It first came to my attention, and to the attention of my poor sainted mother, when I had a "Zero" candy bar after dinner one evening and within 20 minutes my lips and eyes had swollen up so bad that I couldn't talk or see. My mother, who was normally in complete control in any crisis, went completely berzerk and rushed me to the hospital. After questioning me for quite a while (and only "yes" or "no" questions because I literally couldn't speak intelligibly because of the enormous size of my lips) they deduced that I had most likely developed an allergy to almonds since that was the most likely allergen present in the food I had eaten that day. They gave me a shot of Benedryl and sent me home.

Over the next few months I discovered all the things I couldn't eat anymore. Not only did I find out that I couldn't eat almonds, but walnuts, hazlenuts, pecans, peanuts and peanut butter where all now taboo. Unfortunately most of these discoveries were accompanied by a trip to the ER at Charleston Memorial Hospital. I was told simply that I could not eat these things that I loved so much, and perhaps I could never eat them again. Ever. Forever is a long time for a 7 year old. My doctor did say that it was possible that I could "grow out of my allergies" someday but I discounted it. He said I would likely be in my twenties before that could happen. "Twenties! Might as well be in the hundreds," I thought.

I also develeped one non-nut allergy, but more about that later.

Now I really loved to eat nuts, but I knew that I could do so no longer. Even at age 7 or 8 I understood that eating nuts could kill me and therefore it was fairly easy to stay away from them (even though one of my family's holiday traditions was to have bowls of mixed nuts sitting around the house with sets of nutcrackers and nut picks so guests could help themselves). Being in general contact with the foods in question wasn't a problem. My allergies only manifested symptoms if I actually ate the nuts, so I learned to just say no.

Peanut butter was harder. How can you be a kid and not eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches? I can tell you, it's hard. How many times when having lunch with my friends at the school lunch table did I long to trade my cheese or bologna sandwich for a peanut butter and jelly, bananna or honey sandwich? How many times did I have to tell a friend's mom "no thanks" when she offered to make me a sandwich? I went from age 7 to age 25 without tasting the simple joy of a PB&J. What changed at age 25 you ask? I'll tell you: I couldn't take it any longer.

One day I decided that that I simply couldn't stand it any more, I had to have a PB&J if it killed me, and I knew it just might. So I took a prophylactic dose of Benadryl and I fixed myself not one, not two, but three PB&J sandwiches on white bread. I sat at the small kitchen table of my small apartment and instructed my friend to call 911 if I lost conciousness. I moved things out of the way so the paramedics could get me through the door and down the steps on a gurney. I was ready. After making all the preparations, pouring myself a glass of milk and a large cup of courage, I took a bite.

My allergies had always been so acute that even touching peanut butter to my lips brought an immediate tingling sensation and, in short order, swelling to the area. But after the first bite that day, either due to the Benadryl suppressing the histamine that my body was trying to produce or because I had simply "grown out of my allergies", I felt nothing. I waited for a few minutes then took another bite. Still nothing. So I began taking bigger and bigger bites and still nothing! I finished the first sandwich and simply wolfed down the second in about three bites. The third, though, was for savoring. It was for all the PB&J sandwiches I had been denied all those years. When I finally downed the last bite I felt truly satisfied, although I still feared the reaction that could send me into anaphylactic shock at any moment.

It never came. There was no reaction whatsoever.

Over the next few weeks I tried eating PB&J's again, first with the Benadryl appetizer, then without. I had no further reactions. It seemed that the mythical "growing out" of it had actually happened. I was liberated.

Next stop? The Peanut Shop on Capitol Street. Yes, I confess that I went on a nut binge. It was like I had to make up for lost time by consuming as many nuts of as many varieties as I possibly could. I bought almonds, cashews and pecans like they were going out of style. I made the October trek to Spencer and ate Black Walnut EVERYTHING. I tried all the exotic nuts I had been denied during my allergic period and I fell completely in love with pistachios, over which to this day I am competely powerless; I will eat them until they are gone or I am sick - or both.

Other than pistachios, though, I pretty much got over the nut obsession after a few years. I still love nuts and hardly a day goes by that I don't have a handful of some kind. I still love peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and I keep a jar of PB and a jar of J in the kitchenette at my office just in case I can't leave for lunch. But for the most part I'm just a normal nut eater now.

So, what does this have to do with hot dogs? Remember I said I was also allergic to one non-nut related food?

The other thing I was allergic to was coleslaw.

A Lazy Friday Post

I had hot dogs today.

"So what?" you say.

They were good hot dogs. From Chris'. I felt like having hot dogs but didn't feel like rolling the dice on a new joint just so I'd have something to post. Chris' is always good. Scratch that, Chris' hot dogs are always great. Romeo's hot dogs are always great too but Chris' is closer to my office.

So today I allowed myself the luxury of an actual lunch hour (well, 45 minutes anyway). I call it a luxury because I have one of those jobs where I am always on duty and my work is never finished, so I usually grab it to go and eat at my desk. But when I walked into Chris' today I decided to just sit and take in the atmosphere. The place was packed and I got the last seat at the bar. As I sat there I was able to watch the whole room and the people in it very discreetly with the aid of the huge mirror on the other side of the bar. As I waited on my order I had time to spend a few minutes watching the lunchgoers at each booth and table as they chatted and chewed. Some of the tables looked and sounded more fun than others. Only one person sat alone, except for me and my fellow bar-sitters. The solitary booth sitter was a face I recognized as a former elected official. Some of the other diners also had familiar faces, but I wasn't sure why they were familiar. In a small city like Charleston it's not too surprising to see faces you recognize simply because you see them frequently enough that they seem familiar.

When my hot dogs arrived I savored them slowly. I wish I knew the secret to Gus Christo's chili. Not that I'd try to duplicate it, I just wish I knew what made it so darn good. It's impossible to identify any one taste over another. It is just a great blend of perfect flavors. There really are three hot dog joints in the area that have amazing chili and all three share this same trait: The chili is enigmatic and difficult to describe because it has such a unique flavor that is unlike any other taste. But Chris' adds that burn! Oh man, it sticks with you for an hour after lunch.

The slaw and everything else was great today too. As I was paying for my order I noticed that Karen had framed her "Best Hot Dog Chili" Weenie Award certificate and had it hanging proudly by the register. That made me feel pretty good about the work that goes into this blog.

And it is work. Fun work, but work nevertheless. I counted up today that I have published over sixty hot dog reviews. In the process I have eaten over eighty hot dogs, most of them weren't very good. There have been many that were so mediocre that I never bothered posting reviews for them. But, man oh man, when you get hold of a great one it makes all the effort worthwhile.

It was a lazy Friday to end an exhausting week. Maybe next week I'll find another great hot dog in a new and unexpected place. I have to drive north next Friday so maybe I can try to nail down more precisely where the slaw line intersects with I79. If I do, I hope I can sit and enjoy my hot dog like I was able to do today.

Because sometimes you just have to stop and smell the chili.

Clendenin Hot Dog Joint Review - Yummee Freeze

I was astonished when I rounded the curve and saw the sign. After all I had just left Clendenin, it with its two excellent hot dog joints Shafer's and the Dairy Queen, and here was an obvious suspect for yet a third good hot dog joint within a mile of town. The Yummee Freeze is one of those classic roadside dairy bars where West Virginia hot dogs of exceptional quality are known to live. By the looks of the building and sign it looks like it's been there for 30 years, but by the looks of the crowd waiting eagerly for their for their orders it seemed like it was brand new.

When I pulled up there were five or six people waiting for their orders. I was glad to hear that as each order was called every single one of them were for a quanity of hot dogs. "Three with chili and onions," the counter lady would announce through the small opening in the sliding window. "Two with everything!" That would be me.

Wrapped nicely in wax paper, my hot dogs had a nice weighty feel to them. The slaw was a little dry and wasn't nearly sweet enough for my picky palate. The chili was the Mexican taco meat variety and it had a sneaky slow burn. It did not seem spicy until I had already started back down the road when I realized that I had finished my Pepsi and began to look for somewhere to stop for another.

The bun and weenie were pretty good and interstingly enough, just as I was leaving a Heiner's truck pulled in with a fresh delivery (well, as fresh as it gets in these parts) of buns.

I said I was astonished when I discovered the Yummee Freeze. This is because I thought for a moment that I had discovered that Clendenin was a West Virginia Hot Dog Mecca of sorts. If there were actually three hot dog joints with great dogs within two miles of each other, well that would be an unprecendented and prodigious discovery indeed. As it turns out, the Yummee Freeze only sells a good hot dog, not a great one. Still, Clendenin certainly deserves an award for great hot dog joints per capita, and Yummee Freeze is still a neat little HDJ even if does suffer by local comparison.

Haloscan - Update: All is Not Lost

Update: I figured out a way to recover the old posts and to make them display on individual post pages as "Old Comments." Phew! That was close.

Serves me right. I thought I'd be like the cool kids and add Haloscan to the blog. I read every little piece of find print and never saw the part that said if you install Haloscan YOU WILL LOSE EVERY COMMENT EVER POSTED ON YOUR BLOG!!!!!

AAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHH!

Like Abe Lincoln said "Comments are the lifeblood of a blog." So I guess my blog is now bleeding to death.

~whimper~

If you need me I'll be over there on the floor, curled up in a fetal position.

Clendenin Hot Dog Joint Review - Shafer's Super Stop

After I posted the Clendenin DQ review last week I got an email that said that the best hot dogs in West Virginia could be found at Shafer's Super Stop which is on the access road that connects I79 Exit 19 with the town of Clendenin. Well, as I have written before, don't go telling me that you have the best hot dogs in town, in the county or the state unless it's true because I am going to judge you more harshly if you do. I don't like bragging that isn't backed up and I hate false advertising.

So I had to be in Clendenin again today and thought I'd go ahead and check out the dogs at Shafer's. While driving the twenty miles I was, quite frankly, prejudicially planning to find inferior hot dogs at Shafer's. I had eaten there once before and recalled it as more of a place that sells pre-packaged pizzas and other typical convenience store fare. I was sure I would find some self-service hot dog bar with condiments in little tubs with utensils that looked like they had been freshly washed last week. I convinced myself that I was going to be ticked off because I drove all that way to find bad hot dogs.

So I walked into the little joint and ordered a single hot dog, because I knew I wouldn't want more than that since they were going to be so bad. When the lady handed me my order I saw that the hot dog was served in the dreaded hot dog coffin: "A sign of more mediocrity," I thought to myself.

So I walked outside and popped open the coffin and saw, much to my surprise, a hot dog that was topped with a liberal helping of some of the nicest looking coleslaw I've seen. Finely chopped and fresh looking, I quickly tasted it and was completely surprised to find that it was sweet and tasty. "OK," I thought, "but I'll bet the chili is gross." Wrong again. The chili was quite meaty and had a hearty taste that really worked with the sweet slaw. It had almost no spiciness but the flavor was just nice.

My prejudices were falling by the wayside one by one and I began to look at the hot dog with a more open mind. I realized that the bun was nearly perfectly steamed: Not too soggy but certainly very soft completely through. The weenie was the only part of the dog that wasn't remarkable, but it certainly wasn't bad. Overall this was a very good hot dog. Not the best in West Virginia, like my emailer claimed, but very good. When compared with the dogs down the road at the DQ, I would say it's probably a matter of taste which one is the better dog. Shafer's chili is very meaty tasting while DQ has the kind that is cooked at higher temperature and is sort of carmelized into a sweet and tangy mixture. The slaw at DQ is very creamy while Shafer's is sweeter. You won't go wrong with either.

I simply have to say a few things about the atmosphere at Shafer's. This place is pure Appalachian to its core. First, as the name "Super Stop" indicates, it is a combination truck stop, gas station, convenience store and fast food restaurant. You order at the counter, wait for your food standing around in the aisles of the store and pay for your food at the counter by the front door. It is down-home friendly and absolutely without pretense. Some, not me but some, would certainly label it a "redneck" place. The clientele sitting in the dining room in the back when I was there would definitely tend to reinforce such a label. It is exactly the kind of place you find all over West Virginia in those places where rural communities meet an Interstate highway exit (although this is the very first time I've seen a sign advertising a "Turkey Split" - I was afraid to ask what it was!).

But don't be prejudiced like me. Give Shafer's a chance the next time you're in the area and you'll find some pretty good authentic West Virginia hot dogs in a pretty authentic West Virginia roadside oasis.

Charleston Area Hot Dog Joints - 7-11 Cafe in Elkview

So I get an email from a guy, Eddie, who says the best hot dogs around can be found at Maynor's Sandwich Shop in Elkview. He tells me that he is a former Charleston city policeman and has eaten a gazillion hot dogs and swears that Maynor's has as good a hot dog as there is. So I went in search of Maynor's, looking forward to enjoying such a treat for myself.

I followed the directions to the letter but when I got to the end of the trip, instead of finding Maynor's Sandwich Shop, I found a 7-11! It had a sandwich shop attached to it and it had hot dogs on the menu, but no sign that indicated this was the Maynor's I sought. "Well," I thought, "I might as well get a hot dog while I'm here," so I did.

The menu lists several styles of hot dogs, one of which called the "West Virginia Hot Dog" with chili, slaw and onions. They also had a New York style and a couple of others listed. Naturally I opted for the WVHD, even if it lacked mustard.

Unfortunately it lacked a lot more than mustard. The slaw was pretty average, the chili tasted Mexican, kind of like taco meat with a touch of tomato sauce. The weenie was not high quality and the bun was basic. Overall about a 3 on the weenie scale.

So I went away not sure if I had found Maynor's or had stumbled into another HDJ instead. It wasn't until I wrote Eddie to ask for a clarification that I found that it was indeed Maynors, but that it had just recently changed its name. Eddie told me that he had eaten there since the change and that it was still the same. Well, either it has changed since Eddie was there or we have different tastes in hot dogs. Sorry Eddie, these dogs rank low on my list. My recommendation for someone looking for hot dogs in Elkview would be to drive about six miles to the north.

Charleston Area Hot Dog Joints - Fat Bob's Roadhouse Diner

One of the neatest lunchspots in the Charleston area is hidden in plain sight on McCorkle Avenue in South Charleston. It's called "Fat Bob's Roadhouse Diner" and it's tucked away inside The Harley Davidson shop in Spring Hill. It is a delightful restaurant with a delightful staff with delightful food in a place that many people might fear to tread because of the undeserved reputation of those who ride big, loud motorcycles. The crowd is not what you might expect, though, as a visit to Fat Bob's at lunchtime will reveal: You will see many more business suits than leather jackets (although you can buy yourself a leather jacket while you're there). Even without the stereotypical bike crowd, though, you still can't forget you are in a motorcycle shop because the decor is all about Harley Davidson and the menu has all the sandwiches have motorcycle names (The Hugger, The V-Twin, The Easy Glide,The H.O.G., etc.) The restaurant has floor to ceiling glass windows that overlook the service department so you can watch over your Hog as you munch your lunch. It is a very cool place, even for non-bikers. "So," you might ask, "who is Fat Bob?" Well, I'm glad you asked: It's not a who, but a what. A "Fat Bob" is a type of gas tank found on some Harleys. There several versions hanging from the walls of the diner. I have found out over the years that when you tell someone the name of the restaurant you are either met with a knowing grin or a quizzical stare: The former comes from bikers. I have been eating at Fat Bob's for years but I never had a hot dog. I wasn't aware they had a hot dog on the menu until a reader emailed me with a review suggestion. I had to scour the menu until I found it - a Badboy is what they call it. The only thing that gives it away is the chili and slaw listed as toppings. I was psyched when I found it because all of the food at Fat Bob's is great and I felt certain they would do a hot dog right. I was a bit surprised when the hot dog was served on a grilled New England Style bun. New England Style buns seem a little pretentious to me and if there's one word that one would not use to describe Fat Bob's it would be "pretentious." The bun was good, though, and it does add some volume and heartiness to the dog which fits with the Fat Bob's food program pretty well. The chili is also very hearty - meaty and thick textured - but had only a slight chili taste. I expected it to be spicier. The slaw has a good texture and the slight green pepper essence reminded me of Porker's. An adequate measure was served on my hot dog - er, I mean my Bad Boy. A little sweeter would be better, but it fit the chili pretty well. I think I can sum it up by saying that the Bad Boy is a pretty good dog. If you've never tried Fat Bob's then I highly recommend it, even if you're not after a hot dog. Actually my favorite sandwich there is the Fishtail, which in the real world is tuna salad - really good tuna salad. They have lots of good stuff and I've never had anything that wasn't good. The service has always been a tad slow, but it is always very friendly. Try it, you'll like it.

Dairy Queen Wrap Up

As September comes to a close, so does Dairy Queen month on the West Virginia Hot Dog Blog. It's been fun. I have certainly gained more evidence that Dairy Queen Code is a real phenomenon and worthy of more study on a statewide basis. According to the DQ website there are more than 50 stores in West Virginia so there is obviously a lot of work to do.

But even though I haven't proven the certainly of the DQ Code, I have learned a lot: I learned that in smaller communities it is often the DQ that has the best dogs, whereas the DQs in the larger towns and cities usually stick closer to the lackluster franchise model. I've also found that in spite of paying exorbitant franchise fees that some DQs eschew the DQ Coney Sauce in favor of real hot dog chili.

While I did make it to all of the local Charleston DQs I didn't get the chance to visit and document all the ones I wanted to. The Eleanor and Montgomery locations were just too far off the beaten path for me this month. The Teays Valley location didn't get a review, but was the neutral ground where my historic meeting with Chris James took place when I talked him into becoming the Huntington agent for W.Va. Hot Dogs. I'll leave the honor of reviewing their hot dogs to him if he chooses. I visited the Hurricane location months ago and was so disappointed by their hot dogs that I didn't even write it up. And that, as they say, is that.

But of the ones I did get to visit, Clendenin and Nitro were hands down the best, with Sissonville Road getting an honorable mention.

I look forward to getting back to the hunt and finding some new unexpected places to find hot dogs.

Charleston Area Dairy Queen Review - Clendenin DQ

Located right on Rt. 119 North, this little Dairy Queen has been a mainstay in Clendenin since at least the 1960's. A host of restaurants have come and gone over the years in the vicinity but the Dairy Queen has outlasted them all. Every day at lunch time car loads of hungry oil and gas workers, salesmen, truck drivers and who knows who line up out front to give testimony to the quality of food that lies within. A few chairs scattered along the side of the building and perhaps the tailgate of your truck are the only options for eating on the premises: This is definitely a take out place.

I've been by the place several times since I started this blog but always just passed by because I always assumed that a DQ dog is pretty much a DQ dog wherever you go. But my recent thoughts on the subject and a note from a reader who raved about the hot dogs at the Clendenin DQ made me decide to pay it a visit the next time through town. Well, today was they day I was through town (actually I was only as far as Elkview but decided to journey the extra six miles so I could check out the DQ. It was worth it.)

The first great thing about the hot dogs is that they wrap them up nicely in wax paper. A great start, but I remained skeptical until I unwrapped it: I could tell instantly that this WVHD was made with pride. No ordinary DQ dog, this one. A huge mound of finely chopped coleslaw with equally finely chopped onions let me know that this was different. When I poked around under the slaw to check out the chili I was delighted to find it to be nearly perfect in texture and color.

As soon as I bit into the hot dog I realized that beauty, in this case, wasn't just skin deep. The slaw was as sweet and tasty as it looked and the chili had a tangy flavor that was just fanatastic. No coney sauce - this is hot dog chili at its best. The wax paper treatment had softened the bun perfectly and the weenie was nicely cooked. My second bite confirmed what I thought about the first: This is a great hot dog - a potential Weenie Award winner for sure.

Clendenin is about 20 miles from downtown Charleston, which puts it pretty far out to be included in the "Charleston Area Hot Dog Joint" category, but two things cause me to categorize it as such: 1) I think Clendenin folks identify with Charleston pretty much as the closest city, and 2) I would definitely make the drive to get these hot dogs!

My eternal thanks to the reader who suggested the Clendenin DQ. I seem to have lost the email but I remember that she said people who have left the area always go to the DQ for a hot dog when they visit. I can understand why. Heck, I could even understand somebody moving to the area just to be close to these wonderful things.

One final note to travelers on I79 who want to try an authentic W. Va. hot dog: Take the Clendenin exit and go about two miles to Rt. 119; turn right and go about 100 yards. Five minutes off the interstate is more than worth the experience.

Interesting List

Over at Epicurious, a great food site, they published this list of America's ten best hot dogs. While I am glad that a West Virginia hot dog joint made the list, I am surprised that it is one about which I have received not a single email or comment since starting this blog.

Can anyone up there in the Clarksburg shed light on Ritzy Lunch?

Charleston Area Dairy Queen Review - Sissonville Drive DQ

For 20 years or more this DQ has been doing battle with Skeenie's Hot Dogs, which sits about 500 feet away and across Rt. 21. I have heard from fans of both HDJ's and both have their staunch supporters. Dairy Queen Month has given me a reason to pass by Skeenies (which is difficult) and check out the competition. I was not surprised by the result.

For Hot Dog Joints to co-exist in such close proximity each must offer something different in order to lure their audience away from the nearby competitor. In the case of the Sissonville Drive DQ, that something special is a really meaty chili. It seems to me that they have taken the regular DQ coney sauce and added meat - a lot of meat. The overall flavor of the chili isn't much different from a standard DQ but the texture sure is. The slaw was served in too small a portion to know for sure, but it seemed to be tasty and its texture seemed about right. Like Skeenies, the DQ dog was loaded with finely chopped onions. Overall a nice hot dog. Nearly on par with Nitro DQ. It certainly offers a choice for Rt. 21 travelers who want their hot dog with more meaty chili than Skeenies.

To find both Skeenies and this Dairy Queen, you can either drive west on Washington Street until you intersect Rt. 21, Sissonville Drive, or you can take the Edens Fork Exit off I77 proceed to Rt. 21 and turn left. From either direction it is about a mile on Rt. 21 to this little double dose of good W.Va. Hot Dogs.

Huntington Hot Dog Joints-The Whole Is Greater Than The Sum Of Its Parts at Hillbilly Hot Dogs-Downtown Huntington.

When I first heard about Hillbilly Hot Dogs a few years ago, I have to admit that I was quite appalled. My initial gut reaction was to cringe at the thought of someone moving to the area to open up a Hillbilly-themed restaurant that mocked the culture from which I was reared. I kept thinking that this place must be a mere step away from Aunt Jemima or Uncle Ben. I mean, how would people in Washington feel if I moved to Seattle and opened up the Pretentious Yuppie Sushi Bar and Coffee House.

After a year or so of principled boycotting of the new establishment, some friends finally nagged me into checking out the joint. They assured me that Sonny was a local boy and not from California as I had heard and that Hillbilly Hot Dogs is more of a loving tribute cultural perceptions of Appalachia rather than a hurtful attempt to cash in on Hixplotation and mean-spirited stereotypes.

While I have been a fan of the Route 2 location (which I will get around to reviewing eventually), I was never thrilled with the prospect of driving 25 minutes into the middle of nowhere just to get a hot dog. I was, therefore, tickled pink when I found out that HBHD was going to put a location near Marshall’s campus in downtown Huntington. After initially looking into the former Calamity Café (a sorely missed treat for dining and boozing by students and faculty alike), the owners settled on the former Subway about a block west of campus on Third Ave. I give them kudos for remodeling a bland cut-and-paste building that everyone could tell was built for a Subway into a one-of-a-kind structure. But enough with the Horatio Alger crap, lets get to the experience of eating a dawg at HBHD-Downtown, shall we?

One of the firs things that hit you when you enter HBHD-Downtown (well, after the outrageous décor) is the fact that this is a hot dog stand that is managed like a restaurant. Patrons are seated and given menu’s by the wait staff and the order is taken at the table by a proper waiter or waitress. I am especially fond of this method since I follow the mantra of Steve Martin’s Vincent Antonelli in the highly underrated comedic gem My Blue Heaven: “It's not tipping I believe in. It's overtipping.” It is also of note that the owners are often at the establishment and go out of their way to make you feel at home.

Their menu features numerous variations of hot dogs, ranging from a standard sauce dog to pizza dogs to the ginormous Homewrecker. They also feature such classic West Virginia fare as a fried bologna sam’mich, which my father commented was well worth the price, so they get bonus points for variety.

For my meal, I ordered two dogs with sauce, slaw, mustard, and onions (one to pick apart for the review and one to just enjoy) with a side order of crinkle-cut fries. As is always the case with a proper H-ton hot dog, the bun and wiener were helluh-fresh and tasty. The weenies at HBHD are supposedly deep-fried, and it gives them a nice taste that I am sure would make any Cardiologist worth their salt cringe in horror (I’m not sure if my dawg was fried, but my wife’s was and it was quite awesome. The bun was nicely steamed in the aluminum foil wrapping that comes with every dog (props for not cutting corners and using a damn napkin) and had the right balance of firmness and gooiness.

The sauce was above average, if not my favorite. Ground beef was the dominant texture and flavor and you could tell that they did not cut corners in the prep of said sauce. There was a gentle taste of chili powder, too. I’m not sure if it was the “spice that’s nice,” but it wasn’t shabby either. I am also thankful that they put the sauce and all other toppings on top of the weenie (hence, toppings) where they belong, unlike Stewart’s Original and Frostop. My mother also gave it high marks for tasting like the sauce served by the drug store in her hometown of Smithers when she was a young’un.

As to HBHD’s slaw, this might be the most controversial topic among Huntington hot dog connoisseurs behind whether Stewart’s Original Hot Dogs are the best or worst hot dogs on the planet. Their slaw has a firm, fresh, slightly chunky texture that is held together with a creamy base, which is a must for any good dawg slaw. As far as taste goes, however, I must concede the point to the couch-burning hillbilly, Stanton, and his hypoglycemic taste in cole slaw. I would venture to say that there is little to no sugar in the slaw, and it suffers for it. The dominant taste in the dog is black pepper, which works on some level, but isn’t necessarily for me. I do give them credit for adding a touch of carrot for color (but not enough to interfere with the taste) and for not being afraid to pile it on high and thick.

I know that they are quite proud of their slaw and would likely not want to change the recipe, but they should perhaps consider following in the footsteps of their rivals over at Sam’s (which serves both mild and spicy sauces) and offer up a sweet variation as an option for its customers. Just an idea.

As far as the sides go, the crinkle-cut fries were somewhat overdone and kind of disappointing and the beverage options were just your basic soda pop/tea selection, although a friend of mine claims that he once heard Sonny (The Weenie Man) say that he would not object to a patron brining with them a Frostop with them, so I may have to test that out sometime.

And now to the ratings:

Atmosphere/service/menu: 5 weenies.
HBHD-Downtown is, quite simply, a fun place to enjoy a variety of Appalachian foods in a location that will delight both families and kitsch-oriented college students.

Sides: 2 weenies
But that might have been just a bad batch of fries, who knows?

Hot Dog: 4 weenies
This is something of a paradox. The sauce and slaw are, by and large, only average and would pull in ratings of 3 weenies on their own. When combined, however, something odd happens. The flavors blend into a taste that can best be described as “creamy goodness.” I’m not sure why, but it works. Maybe we can get someone from the MU physics dept. to look into it. Still, a touch or two of sugar in the slaw would see the score bumped to a 4.5 weenies.

Overall score: 4.5 weenies
Next year, if Stanton lets me give out Weenie Awards for the H-ton area, HBHDs may be the odds-on favorite for Best Hot Dog Stand (although I am not sure if it would win any other awards). For some reason, the combination of good service, good dawgs (with ok sauce and slaw), and a really cool atmosphere combine to form a great hot dogs stand. Hence, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Now if they would only sweeten the slaw.

Charlotte, NC Hot Dog Review - Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs

'Twas the last of my journey
I was on my way home.

I was weary from traveling,
too tired to roam

Through the halls of the airport
that smelled lovely from food.

I had to have something,
and it had to be good.

There wasn't much time,
my flight would leave soon,

But my body was hungry
and I felt I would swoon.

I ducked into the men's room
to freshen a bit

And then off I would go
to find grub and to sit.

But walking out of the restroom
I was delighted to see

A Nathan's, who sells hot dogs
so famously!

I knew in that instant
my search had its end,

That I could not pass up
this chance to pretend

That I was in New York,
or Philly, or a town

Or a really big city where
Nathan's are found.

So I studied the menu
and much to my pleasure

There it was: Cole slaw!
The wonderful treasure!

So I ordered one up
with slaw and some chili,

And whilst people ran for their planes
willy-nilly,

I stood by the wall
and wolfed down that ol' dog

I'm sure that to many
I looked like a hog,

But I didn't care
I was lost, deep in thought

About the big hot dog
from Nathan I'd bought.

And what did I think
about the hot dog that day?

I liked it, not loved it,
but I do have to say

That the weenie was great
(about that I can't lie)

But the chili had beans
and the coleslaw was dry.

The bun was toast-crunchy
and a little bit hard;

The onions were tasty,
as was the mus-tard.

Overall a good dog
not the great one I thought

I'd find there at Nathan's
when at last one I got.

By dubyavee standards
it's not all that tasty

Though in its defense
I ate it quite hasty.

I'll give it three weenies
but most for the sake

Of the awesome frankfurters
than Nate's Famous make.

So how do I bring end
to this rhyming review?

I really don't know,
I haven't a clue.

I could think of something clever
like "Happy Hot Dogs to All!"

But that would be too cheesy
and as for minded, too small.

So instead I'll note it's good
to be back in West Virginia

Where people make a dog
that's proper to put in ya.

Charleston Area Dairy Queen Review - Charleston Town Center DQ

If you have a hankerin' for a hot dog in the Town Center Mall there's no use going to the food court, no one sells them there. To slake your hot dog craving you have to go to the second floor on the J.C. Penney end of the mall to find the Dairy Queen. And I am happy to report that like most DQ's in the area, they serve a true WVHD. I've had many people write to tell me that they liked the hot dogs they serve at the TCDQ and I can see why. They are pretty good. The slaw could use some work (a little coarse) and the chili is standard DQ corporate issue but they do go the extra mile and serve it on a nicely grilled New England Style bun. Overall a pretty satisfying hot dog in a convenient HDJ. But I'd like to deviate from my typical subject matter and tell you about a new DQ delight I have found. They call it a Moo-latte and man oh man is it good. It's one part milkshake, one part Blizzard and one part espresso. The only problem is that a "small" is big enough to kill you on the spot. And don't bother trying to not eat the whole thing. I've tried. It can't be done. The only hope you have is to not get one in the first place, but then you will die without ever tasting this amazing creation. So since you're gonna die anyway, go ahead and get one. They come in several flavors. I got the hazelnut and I can't wait to try the others. YUM! Sorry for the short-shrift given to the hot dog review. My sense of taste was distracted.

Charleston Area Dairy Queen Review - St. Albans

St. Albans and Nitro are sometimes called "Twin Cities" because they sit on opposite banks of the Kanawha River and are roughly the same size. Just like human siblings there is often a competitive spirit between the two towns, so I wondered which town's Dairy Queen had the best hot dogs and took it upon myself to investigate. The St. Albans DQ is on Sixth Avenue, caddy corner from the IGA and just down the street from Mayberry's. It is an old restaurant that has been added on to several times, but the original tiny walk-in counter area is still where you place your order. The menu board has three hot dog choices listed: Steamed, Toasted and Super Dog. I asked the difference and the very friendly lady behind the counter told me that "steamed" was a regular hot dog, "toasted" was a grilled New England Style bun (she didn't elaborate on the "Super Dog", I assume because it should have been self-explanatory). With visions of Timmy's Snack Shack dancing in my head I ordered the "toasted" version with everything (except, of course, ketchup). Well, I can report that Timmy's bun has nothing to fear from this version. It was not carefully grilled to a perfect brown color like Timmy's. It didn't taste as freshly prepared as Timmy's. It wasn't crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside like Timmy's. It made me wish I had ordered a "steamed." The chili was standard DQ, the slaw was hardly there at all. The weenie was way overcooked. The onions were chopped into huge pieces. Not a good effort. Not a good hot dog. So Nitro easily wins the DQ hot dog competition over its twin city. Not even close.

Alas, poor Yann...

See below for an important update/correction from a reader:

From the beginning this blog has received more comments and emails regarding Yann's Hot Dog Stand in Fairmont than virtually any other single hot dog joint. People in northern West Virginia love Yann's hot dogs. They love the atmosphere. They love having their own little hot dog version of the Seinfeld "Soup Nazi" in Russell Yann, the owner/operator. They love the chili and boast of its spicy and great flavor. Well, I'm sad to report that all of the verbs in this paragraph should be changed to past tense: Yann's is no more.

On my northern trip this week I made a special trip across the bridge into downtown Fairmont to find signs in the windows of the famous hot dog stand that say "Closed for Repairs." The signs look like they've been there a long time and it didn't look like any repairs were being made. After making some inquiries I learned that Yann's is closed for good.

The big thing at Yann's was apparently the chili. Here is a link to a chili recipe that is supposed to taste exactly like Yann's. This sauce, along with onions and mustard is the only way Yann's served a hot dog. It is said that Russell Yann would tell you to leave if you ordered ketchup, therefore the "Soup Nazi" parallel. You can read more about this quirky behavior in posts on this site.

I also heard that Lupo's, another Fairmont fave is closed down. Bad times for hot dog fans in Fairmont.

UPDATE!

A reader who seems to be in the know wrote me with this scolding:

"Had you looked more carefully, the sign at Yann's states that he is closed for repairs ...on himself. Russell had a hip replacement. He is scheduled to reopen sometime in October but that will certainly be dependent upon his rehabilitation. "

I'm sorry if I reported the demise of Yann's prematurely. If anyone has any further information please drop me an email at "info at wvhotdogs dot com"

Charleston Area Dairy Queen Review - Nitro DQ`

I've gotten off to a slow start on Dairy Queen month, so I thought I should take a trip to Nitro, the home of the DQ about which I have gotten by far the most email. As I walked up to the window I immediately recognized that this DQ took hot dogs to a different level than any other I had visited. On their menu board they have:

• Hot Dogs
• Pizza Dogs
• Reuben Dogs
• English Dogs
• Mexican Dogs
• Foot Longs

I settled for a hot dog, this time. Next time I'm getting one of each.

Anyway, I was told that "everything" meant chili, slaw, onions, mustard and ketchup. I had mine without ketchup. When the friendly person inside the window handed me my dog the first pleasing thing I saw was that it was beautifully wrapped in wax paper. When I unwrapped it it was more beatuiful still. It was as photogenic as any hot dog I have ever been served (unfortunately my camera batteries picked exactly this moment to crap out completely). The slaw looked perfect. It was served in a heaping helping and was chopped much finer than the stuff most places are serving these days. The color was perfect. I quickly decided to take Rick Lee to lunch here very soon so he could properly document this work of cullinary art.

After sitting and beholding its loveliness for a few moments I put the hot dog to the real test. A quick taste of the gorgeous coleslaw made it clear that this would be no ordinary DQ dog. The slaw was sweet, creamy and almost perfect. I quickly dug down to the chili to see if it was up to the task of providing the spicy counterpoint to the chili. I was disappointed to see the texture and color looked just like regular old DQ Coney Sauce, but I realized after tasting it that the folks at the Nitro DQ had definitely doctored it up and it had a little different flavor. Not great, but good and much better than standard DQ. The bun was steamed and very fresh tasting and the weenie was above average. Overall a pretty darn good hot dog. 4 Weenies, pushing 4 1/2.

A couple of other notable things before we close the book on the Nitro DQ: First, they have the coolest outdoor dining room I have ever seen. It's as if they chopped it off the restaurant and moved it over 20 feet to make way for the drive-thru. Second, they serve soft drinks with CRUSHED ICE, which is extremely rare these days. I've said it before and I'll say it again, there's nothing like a cola over crushed ice.

Thank you to everyone that recommended the Nitro DQ. It is a really great West Virginia Hot Dog at a really great Hot Dog Joint.

Oscar Mayer Wienermobile visits Charleston!

There is little room for debate: The coolest car on the planet has to be the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile. The celebrated vehicle paid a visit to our fair city on September 7 and I had the fortunate pleasure of getting an up-close look at the vehicle and talk to the two delightful young “Hotdoggers” who get to drive it around the country.

Having seen the Wienermobile as it passed by on the other side of a divided highway on a couple different occasions, I was eager to get a closer look. My previous glimpses did not prepare me for the magnitude of coolness this thing possesses. It is much larger that I thought: 27 feet long (that’s 60 hot dogs long in Hotdogger talk) and eleven feet tall (24 hot dogs). It weighs 7 tons (140,000 hot dogs) and gets about 10-15 miles per gallon. It is built on the frame of a 2004 General Motors RV. There are actually 12 of these babies driving around the country, each staffed by two Hotdoggers whose mission is to “bring miles of smiles to millions.” They were designed and built at Prototype Source in Santa Barbara, CA, the makers of the original Batmobile.

After getting over the initial “wow” of the size of the giant weenie on wheels, the next thing that caught my attention was the really sleek styling and the fit and finish. From the very stylized taillights to the custom embroidery on the leather seats, the vehicle is really well made. It has a rear video backup surveillance system, a sunroof (er, I mean “bunroof”) and a serious sound system that also handles public address duties at large appearances. It looks like it would be quite comfortable on a long trip, which is a good thing because that is what the Hotdoggers spend most of their time doing; taking long trips.

This particular team of Hotdoggers is made up of Camden Gilman and Heather Olson. They are two of the twelve recent college graduates who have the enviable job of driving around in the Wienermobile for an entire year.

“The selection process is extremely competitive and it’s an honor to be one of the twelve who made the final cut,” says Camden Gilman, a recent graduate University of Texas. “My mom’s exact words when she found out I had been selected was ‘You’re gonna be a weenie boy?’ She thought I was going to wear a hot dog suit or something.” Camden, an advertising major, attended “Hot Dog High” in Madison, Wisconsin, the home of Oscar Mayer, for two weeks to learn everything he needed to know to be a Hotdogger, including how to drive the behemoth Weinermobile. “We’re D.O.T. certified drivers,” he added.

Heather Olson is a recent graduate of the University of Missouri. As journalism major she finds the interaction with the news media to be excellent real-world experience to go along with her degree. She says she never tires of meeting people and she has had many wonderful experiences on the road that she cherishes. She is quick with the many slogans and puns that are necessarily part of her job (“The Wienermobile gets 10-15 miles per gallon of high octane mustard!) Her friends and family all think she has the most interesting job in the world. “When I talk to my friends they only want to talk about my job. I have to force them to talk about theirs,” said Heather.

Heather and Camden agree that the Wienermobile is a little tough to drive, especially when it comes time to park. “You have to be very careful about people who are trying to get a closer look,” says Heather. They have to fill out a log book and have restrictions on how many hours they can drive just like a big-rig truck driver. How does the Wienermobile handle? "It's like driving a bus," Camden says. At 7 tons you could imagine that it probably doesn't like hills. Heather said that on the trip to Charleston from Atlanta she had it to the floor on some of the long hills on I77 and it still was slow going.

The two young Hotdoggers are knowledgeable about Oscar Mayer’s product line and our discussion eventually came around to hot dogs. They talked about FastFranks and the cheese dogs and the footlongs. I asked them if Oscar Mayer had a premium grade of hot dog and Heather quickly informed me that they felt all of the Oscar Mayer offerings were premium grade (good answer). When I shared with them how we West Virginians dressed our hot dogs I got a mixed response: Camden said, “As a Texan, having hot dogs, chili and coleslaw sounds like a trifecta!” Heather said, being originally from New York, that slaw sound “unusual.” I pointed them in the direction of Romeo’s just in case they wanted to try a real WV Hot Dog before they left town.

Even though I had only a few minutes to spend with the Wienermobile and Hotdoggers I left with a smile on my face and that little Oscar Mayer hot dog jingle on my lips. A visit from the Wienermobile is a big event wherever it occurs and the company has covered every detail (even down to the cell phone ring tone that interrupted our conversation: “Oh I wish I was an Oscar Mayer wiener…”). The Wienermobile and the Hotdoggers are a real treat for the public and a really positive image for the company. They really do bring miles of smiles.

Note: The Wienermobile will have one more local appearance at the Elkview 7-11 on Friday (Sept. 8) then it's off to a refresher course at Hot Dog High in Madison WI!

The Weenie Mobile Is Coming!

I 've not been able to confirm anything but I heard on the radio that the Oscar Myer Weinermobile will at some local 7-11s on Thursday and Friday. I understand that it will be at the 50th Street 7-11 in Kanawha City on Thursday and the Elkview 7-11 on Friday. I'm not sure what time yet, but I'm goin'! If anyone has any hard information on the schedule please post it.

Major Weenie Upgrade

I don't share Chris' interest in trying to put together a great hot dog at home. I haven't found an out of the box chili or slaw that suits me and to make a batch of quality homemade takes way too much time and effort. But my wife brought something home that might change my mind.

I've heard of Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs for years, mostly from Yankees from New York that say that if you've never had a Nathan's you never had a real hot dog. I've always dismissed it as just brash New Yorker BS. That was before I tried these:
Nathan's Famous all beef skinless. Oh my, but they are good. They are better than good, they are awesome. They might be the best weenies I have ever, ever eaten. I mean it folks. And this is after they've been packaged and shipped through who knows how many warehouses and distribution centers before they end up in the refrigerator case at Kroger. I can't begin to imagine how good they would be if you got them here. Of course I'm sure you couldn't get them there with chili and slaw, so it would probably be a wash. But if you are looking to make some home made WV Hot Dogs you would do well to splurge ($4.29 a package) and try these.

Building the Perfect WV Hot Dog, Test 1

Over the past several decades, Huntington has been a city in transition. The Rust Belt town of yesteryear has downsized drastically and is inching ever closer to becoming a full-fledged university town (rumor has it that there was even a couch burning last year). During this change, however, the city’s economy has been hit hard. In fact, there is but one thing that kept Huntington afloat over the past two decades: the thousands of dollars worth of hot dogs that I have purchased from local hot dog stands.

Fortunately, Huntington has seemingly turned a corner: Pullman Square has brought a sense of place back to the downtown region, Marshall’s administration seems to be focused on the academic end of things, and government officials finally seem committed to combating the supply of (if not the demand for) crack cocaine.

Anticipating an upswing in the city’s finances, I have deemed it safe to embark upon a money-saving adventure in home hot dog economics. As part of an ongoing series on the blog, I will assemble homemade WV hot dogs using ingredients available from local grocers. I will then analyze the dog and its components for quality, balance, taste, texture, etc. in order to see just how close it comes to being a great WV dog and where and if the individual ingredients merit inclusion in the ultimate home-assembled WV dawg.

For my first ‘speriment, I am basically using the stuff that I have around the house. This dog will be made from Heiner’s Sunny Buns hot dog buns, Ball Park beef franks, Custard Stand Hot Dog Chili, French’s Yellow Mustard, and Ballard’s Farms Amish Sweet Slaw. No onions or ketchup this time (more on that in a bit).

With a Heiner’s bakery located in Huntington’s Old Central City district, a week-old package of buns in a Tri-State kitchen are fresher than those in shops in other parts of the state. Additionally, Sunny Buns are Heiner’s premium product with a light touch of honey and generally cost about 20¢ more per package (money well spent to a hot dog aficionado). The bun was perfectly baked, tasty, and fresh, of course. 5 weenies.

The weenie, however, did not live up to the quality expected of a good Huntington/West Virginia dog. While I give high marks to Ball Park brand franks on the national scheme of things, they just cannot compare in freshness to the locally-made dogs of Cavalier Meats. Even after boiling them to soak out some of the preservatives before giving them a quick skillet grillin’, they were still a bit salty and lacking in a fresh beef taste. In there defense, however, they did cook up plump and were not bad for a wiener brought in from outside of the region. 2.5 weenies.

The sauce, Custard Stand Hot Dog Chili, is a commercially-available, small-batch sauce made in Webster Spring, West Virginia (arguably as West Virginia as West Virginia gets) was an excellent topping for the weenie. The sauce was sweet, with a notable taste of onion up front. The beef was not heavily seasoned, but has a nice taste in and of itself. Ketchup is one of the main ingredients and gives the sauce a nice finish. Available in the meat section of area Wal-Marts (and possibly other stores), this is by far the best ready-made hot dog sauce that I have run across. This rings especially true for fans of a less-sweet slaw (a vinegary-peppery slaw in particular would great with this sauce) or those that enjoy ketchup on a dog, but are too embarrassed to use it in polite company. I would, in the future, not shy away from the onions next time, as the onions in the sauce act to flavor the chili alone and do not act as a substitute for chopped un’juns. Furthermore, don’t be afraid to lay on the mustard with this sauce. 4.5 weenies.

Ballard’s Farms Amish Sweet Slaw, while fresh, was not the best fit for the dog. While the sweetness of the slaw did clash with the sweetness in the sauce, that was not the main issue. Nor was the well-diced and creamy texture. The problem, I believe, was in the cabbage. Maybe it was stale or maybe they used the whole cabbage, stems and all. I’m not sure. Something, however, was amiss. Next time I will stick to Ballard’s original slaw and not get so cutesy at the dairy isle. 2 weenies.

Overall, the dog made for a nice lunch for this West Virginian hot dog connoisseur. They were notably sweet and would be particularly appropriate for a fan of the sweeter sub-variation of the WV dawg, (Stanton, this means you). The sticking points were the low-quality slaw and the freezery-tasting frank from God knows where that brought the overall taste down and my misguided belief that onions wouldn’t be necessary this time around. The highlights of the dogs were the delicate ballet of sweet ‘n sour deliciousness that was danced between the sauce and the mustard and the tastiest bun this side of…well, anywhere.

Final score for test dog 1: 3.5 weenies.

Parkersburg HDJ Review - 7th Street Dairy Queen

As I was leaving Parkersburg after a meeting recently I spied the familiar DQ sign along my route and decided to begin my DQ research here. It was also the first Parkersburg HDJ I've officially visited so I wasn't at all sure what I would find as far as toppings on an "everything" dog. I thought that maybe I might find the same mongrel dogs as in Huntington and I'd have to alienate another city along the Ohio River. I was quite relieved to find that Parkersburg has decided to be included as a full partner in good standing with the rest of the state: Chili, Slaw, mustard and onions are standard. No asking for a "slaw dog" in P-burg (which means we can now fill in Wood County with light green on the slaw map). They also have footlong versions of both their regular hot dogs and that DQ specialty, the chili cheese dog.

Unfortunately, despite finding the right ingredients on the hot dog, they weren't very good ingredients. The chili was the basic DQ Coney Sauce that has a bland taste and no character to speak of. The slaw was the regular food service kind with gigantic pieces of cabbage and virtually no taste. The bun tasted kind of old and seemed to be a little stale. Interesting since the Heiners truck was just leaving as I walked in (I must have gotten the last of the old bag). The service was very friendly and I really wanted to like their product, but it just falls short.

Now that I have verified that Parkersburg is part of the W.Va. Hot Dog universe I look forward to going back and trying some other local offerings but I don't think I'll go back to this DQ again, at least not for a hot dog.

I've been getting a lot of good emails from people telling me about their favorte Dairy Queen locations and I am hopeful that I am going to find some really good hot dogs as in the weeks to come as I try to hit as many DQs as I can. Keep those cards and letters coming!