M&M Dairy Belle Celebrates 60 Years

Due to the incessant whining passionate advocacy of Huntington Weenie Wonk Chris James, we allowed one - and only one - HDJ from outside the confines of our state borders to be included on our illustrious Five Weenie HDJ list. Deciding that M&M Dairy Belle can't help the fact that they sit on the wrong bank of the Ohio River (in Chesapeake) and coupled with the indisputable fact that they serve the best WVHD in the Huntington Area, we have decided to allow these Buckeyes to crash our party.

This weekend, the HDJ celbrates 60 years of slinging chili and slaw. Congratulations!

WV Hot Dog Festival happened...again.

Well, today marked another WV Hot Dog Festival at Pullman Square in downtown Huntington.

This year, I couldn't be bothered.

Let's look at who wasn't there, according to the Herald-Dispatch:

• Sam's Hot Dog Stand
• Hillbilly Hot Dogs
• M & M Dairy Bell
• Knuckle's Sandwich Co.

Ok, so my four favorites in town won't be there? Am I going to sweat a gallon to get some C-list hot dogs and watch some weenie dog races?

No thanks, maybe next year.

Or maybe not.

According to Google...

And to the Charleston Gazette, West Virginians search for the term "hot dog" on Google more than residents of any other state, according to Jenna Wandres of Google.

We're not surprised. And I'd bet if you could somehow track all those expatriate West Virginians (for those of you in Fairmont, that means they were from West Virginia and now live somewhere else) it would double the number.

Catching up from the lazy days of Summer

I know this is not a good excuse for low output during National Hot Dog Month, but with the heat we've been experiencing this month I just haven't been in much of a hot dog mood; writing about them, that is. I'm always in the mood to eat them.

A recent trip to Baltimore brought me an opportunity to see how the northern Chesapeake Bay eats their dogs. I went into a HDJ in Fell's Point that sold a good variety including one with chili, slaw, mustard and onions. You know what they called it?

The North Carolina Dog!!!!

Once again, for the record: It was our recipe first. If not for the mass exodus of West Virginians to the greener economic pastures of Charlotte during the 60' and 70's, they would have never heard of putting slaw on a hot dog (just like the rest of the country!).

Now I was going to complain but then I saw that this place's newest offering was - and I am not making this up - a Crab, Macaroni and Cheese Dog. After I saw that I figured that they were beyond reason.

Anyway, I have some reviews banked up that I'll start posting soon. A Weenie Wonk's work, it seems, is never done; although you couldn't tell that by the work output of Frank, Chris and Big Daddy, whose collective writing over these past few months make me look like a workaholic.

Just kidding guys. But seriously, write something OK?

Test Results - Fairmont meets Marmet

As I wrote earlier today, a Fourth of July cookout gave me the opportunity to test out my theory that if you add a cool, creamy coleslaw to the top of a spicy Fairmont style hot dog it would make a great West Virginia Hot Dog. Here is my report on the test:

 As much grief as I like to give Fairmont people for their stubborn resistance to slaw on hot dogs, I have to give them credit for some of the most interesting chili sauce to be found anywhere. Marion County does a few things right: Pepperoni Rolls and Spicy Hot Dog Chili Sauce would be two of those things. Yann's is the most famous of these, and most definitely the hottest. My recipe for a Yann's tastealike took all day to cook but was worth it. The sauce was not quite as spicy as Yann's but had perhaps more complexity and reminded me of other Marion County HDJs like Woody's or Lupos.

My Marmet Yellow Slaw recipe produced a slightly more vinegary slaw than I have had at the classic yellow slaw HDJs like Mr. C's or the newcomer, Chums. In spite of the extra vinegar flavor, the slaw had a wonderful texture and a sweet complexity that is hard to match with a mayonnaise based slaw.

My plan was to put these diverse elements together on top of grilled Nathan's Famous weenies and let my guests decide the success or failure of the combination.

The result? Everyone liked the chili sauce - even those from eastern Kanawha County where spicy chili is rare. Everyone liked the slaw, although the praise it received was somewhat muted compared to that given to the chili. The two together? The opinions were unanimous: There was synergy here. The spicy chili was cooled down nicely by the sweet slaw and the whole was was greater than the sum of its parts.

As a personal test, I loaded up a test dog with chili sauce, mustard and onions and then applied slaw to only one end. I started on the "Fairmont" end and ate my way to the "Marmet" end. No doubt that the dog's taste got markedly better halfway through.

My only regret is that I didn't go ahead and make some mayo based slaw to offer my guests to see which they preferred. Perhaps that will be a Labor Day project.

Now I would love to try this test again for some open-minded Fairmont people, but in my experience there are no open minded Fairmont people when it comes to hot dogs. Alas.

4th of July WVHotDogs,com Test Kitchen - Marmet meets Fairmont

Followers of this blog know that I prefer to have my hot dogs made by the professionals, but today I'm taking matters into my own hands. As I write this a pot of Fairmont style chili sauce is simmering on my stoevetop and a large bowl of Marmet Yellow Slaw is chilling in the fridge. Company coming over at 5:00 for an indepence day hot dog feast and I'll report the reviews later today.

Now, I have to give credit for my decision to try this today to Mike over at the other hot dog blog - http://thehotdogblog.wordpress.com - who tried this combination recently. When I reported it on Facebook it caused a minor war of words between Fairmont folks an some others. I'm hoping that giving a true West Virginia perspective might carry more weight with the Fairmont faithful. I'm not holding my breath.

Also, it should be noted that earlier today Joey Chestnut waddled away with his fifth straight Mustard Belt at today's Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island by eating a mere 62 hot dogs. Of course, none of them had chili or slaw so people in West Virginia barely noticed.

Skeenies Slipping??

Everyone has a bad day now and then. I hope that explains my experience at Skeenies yesterday.

For those who don't know, Skeenies is the real deal when it comes to West Virginia Hot Dogs. Iconic in every way, this place has been serving amazing hot dogs since the 1950s in the same location; a location which happens to be less than a quarter of a mile from the birthplace of West Virginia Hot Dogs. Skeenies has been the standard that other HDJs in the area aspire to for decades. I've never had a bad hot dog from Skeenies.

Yesterday came mighty close, though. Too close for comfort.

First, let me say that my dining companion and I ordered five hot dogs. Two were as good as always, but three of them were unsatisfying. Chili and slaw were very sparsely applied and the buns were kind of stale. There seemed to be no acceptable explanation for the mediocrity: the staff was the same as always (mother and son), it was lunchtime and they weren't particularly busy.

I really hope this isn't a harbinger of things to come. I don't know what I would do without Skeenies; it is a shining beacon of hot dog excellence in a world of indifference. At least it was.

Hot Dog Haiku

Balance harmony
As water seeks its level
Yin yang, chili slaw

Hot Dog Haiku

Beef pork or chicken
Academics are worthless
Good hot dogs don’t care

Hot Dog Haiku

Warm and soft is right
Life is cold and unbending
Buns should be better

Hot Dog Haiku

Paper or foil
Enhances hot dog spirit
Foam coffins bring death

Hot Dog Haiku

North Central folks say
Slaw is wrong and we know best
Foolish heads in sand

Hot Dog Haiku

Mustard chili slaw
Onions may be omitted
This is the true way

Hot Dog Haiku

West Virginia
Chili slaw mustard onions
The one true hot dog

Hot Dog Haiku

The people forget

Haiku hot dog blogging starts
Again people think

Charleston HDJ Review - Five Corners Cafe

In a location that formerly housed another HDJ (see review of Neighbormart here), Five Corners Cafe had a leg up on life simply by association Neighbormart had great hot dogs and if not for the intervention of the West Virginia Tax Department would no doubt be still serving them today. While it offends me to believe this I think I know that it is true: when you don't pay your taxes the state is glad to help facilitate change without regard to how good your hot dogs are. Sad.

Especially sad in this case because this change was NOT for the better, at least when it comes to hot dogs.

Spurred by this Daily Mail story about the new restaurant and buoyed by the hope that a staff of five of with 150 years of restaurant experience would have to make good hot dogs, I made my way over the Five Corners. Riding this wave of optimism, I forked over way too much money for 2 hot dogs ($2.39 each) and waited in glorious expectation for them to arrive. I waited, and waited and waited. 25 minutes later my two hot dogs arrived. And the chili had beans in it.

That sound you hear is the sad deflation of my formerly high expectations of getting good hot dogs.

Not only did the chili have beans, the slaw was tasteless. The bun was grilled unnecessarily and the weenie was charred from over grilling.

Perhaps the rest of the menu is better at Five Corners Cafe, but you only get one shot at a WVHotDogs.com. Fail. 1 Weenie. And that's generous.

Grafton HDJ Review - T&L Hot Dogs

While it is not necessarily a 100% guarantee, you can usually take it to the bank that you will not get much variation between T&L Hot Dog outlets in terms of quality and consistency. While there are some T&L outlets that rise above the norm (see this review of the Clarksburg / Old Bridgeport Hill location), the majority do not deviate away from the formula that the chain has become know for. This is the case with the T&L located on the outskirts of Grafton.

The Grafton location is not necessarily in Grafton proper, but is actually situated between Pruntytown and Bridgeport at the junction of U.S. routes 50 and 250. This location is also annexed on one side by a banquet hall. There is no heavy population center immediately nearby, but this location has thrived and survived due to the heavy traffic flow from the aforementioned highways. The interior is warm and pleasing, featuring wood paneling throughout. Additionally, it is large enough to hold a good size crowd, yet spacious enough to allow one stretch out with plenty of room.

Like other T&L locations in the area, the motif is largely centered around 50's and 60's memorabilia. I noticed that all of the archived newspapers that were framed on the walls seemed to focus on rather morbid historical events: Pearl Harbor, the death of Elvis, John Lennon's murder, the assassination of John F. Kennedy, and the passing of FDR. Needless to say that made for some rather curious lunchtime reading.

As for the hot dogs themselves, I previously mentioned that the song remains the same here. As always, T&L delivered some of the best hot dog chili around, a rich meaty taste with a pleasing consistency. I ordered the medium chili this time out and found it to be warm in the tummy and pleasing to the palate. The slaw had a nice contrast of sweet and tang, but honestly didn't taste a fresh as I usually get from some of the other locations. This was a bit of a let down. Also, I thought the weenie was cooked to the bare minimum requirement. My serving seemed to be cooked to an adequate temperature, but lacked some plumpness. Overall, I thought the entire offering was good but not necessarily great.

All in all, the Grafton T&L Hot Dogs rate four weenies. While their formula for chili is usually spot-on, the slaw and weenie had a little room for improvement. The location is a little out of the way for most, but if you're in the neighborhood you will no doubt find a WVHD that fits the bill for your craving.

Oscar Mayer Weinermobile in Ripley today

The Weienrmobile will be in Ripley today. If you are a hot dog fan, or even just want to see a piece of  classic Americana up close and personal, check it out at the local supermarket at 200 Academy Drive from 10am - 4pm.

Here is a report I did a few years ago whe it last appeared in the area. Sorry the picture links are broken.

Weeniemobile

The famous Oscar Mayer Weeniemobile is at the Southridge Walmart right now!

Nitro HDJ Review - Linda's Hot Diggity Dogs

Linda's Hot Diggity Dogs occupies a space inside the Brandywine Flea Market in Nitro that was formerly occupied by Jake's Dawg House (you can read that review from 2008 here). Recently Linda, presumably the owner, has posted on our Facebook page and asked for a re-review. This past weekend afforded the time to make the trip to Nitro to check it out.

Proudly written on the menu board in first position is "WV Hot Dog" but its toppings weren't listed. When I inquired as to what "everything" consisted of ketchup was unfortunately included in the list, so I asked for two without the offensive tomato stew.

The first thing I noticed about these hot dogs was the yellowish tint to the slaw. Not quite Marmet Yellow Slaw yellow, but definitely yellowish. This brought a rise of hope within my hungry breast since I had never had yellow slaw that wasn't very tasty. But when I picked up my hot dog I was disappointed to feel the stiffness of a cold bun. Not a good sign.

Aside from the bun, though, it went pretty well. The yellowish slaw was very good (sweet and creamy) and the chili was about average (very meaty but having not much spice or complexity). At the center was a nicely grilled weenie that tasted like one of the more premium brands.

 Overall this was a good hot dog and earns a solid 3.5 Weenie score. A steamed bun and something distinct about the chili would have leveraged the quality of the slaw into a higher score.

Racist City Planners Conspire to Close Downtown Charleston Hot Dog Joint

"All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing." Edmund Burke

For years the Middle East Mart has been providing those who frequent Slack Plaza and the KRT Transit Mall with the necessities of life: Cigarettes, Pepsi and Hummus. When they added hot dogs to their menu several years ago the hordes of people that this addition brought to the area began to cause some problems for City leaders. Two years ago the mayor installed "loafer rails" - strips of steel spikes - on top of the planter seatwalls that were meant to discourage the hard working Slack Plaza regulars from sitting down and eating their lunch. Then last summer he had the trees in the plaza cut down to eliminate shady areas where people could sip their sodas in the heat of summer. While these tactics have no doubt had a negative effect on the hot dog sales at Middle East Mart, WVHotDogs.com has remained silent while this administration has systematically persecuted the only minority owned Hot Dog Joint in the downtown area. Recent events, however, have made it impossible for us to remain silent any longer.  

This week a group of "experts" from a university in North Central West Virginia (where, as we all know, many people have a sick aversion to cole slaw on hot dogs) came to Charleston to hold a "community meeting" where a "plan" for "improvement" of Slack Plaza was "developed." Funny, but only two days after this meeting was held, a plan was released whose major component is the removal of Middle East Mart from the plaza. No other business would be affected by this proposal; only the one that is owned by people from the Middle East was targeted. Has there ever been a more obvious case of racial profiling? Can we, the hot dog loving citizens of West Virginia, stand idly by while a Capital City HDJ is run out of town by a racist administration?

Call To Action

Here's what I propose: Today, anyone who works or is visiting in Downtown Charleston needs to go to Middle East Mart and buy a hot dog! Whether you opt for one of their regular hot dogs with grape leaf slaw or one of the more exotic ones (I recommend the all-lamb weenie with baba ganoush on a pita), join us in standing up for the rights of our Muslim brothers, won't you?

Make sure you do it today. Tomorrow the opportunity will be lost. All great revolutions begin on a significant date: Communism has its May Day; perhaps April 1 will henceforth be as well known.

I have a dream today.

WBOY TV Visits The Custard Stand

Tonight's edition of the evening news on WBOY TV featured The Custard Stand in Webster Springs on the semi-regular "Restaurant Road Trip". Hopefully the accompanying video will be posted soon. You can read the text from the report at this link. Of particular interest is that Custard Stand is looking to expand by offering franchise opportunities.

If you want to read some more heartfelt reviews, check out Stanton's review from August 2010 here, or my review of the Flatwood's location here.

Sam's Casino Hot Dogs

I have noticed a trend, disturbing for me, for Sam's Hot Dog Stand locations being opened as part of a gambling parlor. Malden and Marmet were the first two such places but a new one has opened on Greenbrier Street in Charleston. I'm not sure if these are hot dog joints that have gambling rooms attached or gambling parlors that offer hot dogs to their addicts, I mean customers. Is this a new corporate direction for Sam's? Does anyone care?

A nifty hot dog iPhone game free today in the App Store

App Advice reports that Crazy Hotdogs is free for today only (3/26/11) in the Apple App Store. It is a fun little game that allows you to manage your own hot dog joint from your iPhone or iPod Touch.

My only complaint: no slaw!

Still, the price is right and it should help the time pass while waiting for two WV hot dogs & crinkle-cut fries at your favorite weenie stand.

Click here to download.

Clarksburg HDJ Review - Stealey Lunch

For the longest time, it seemed as though the hot dog culture in the greater Clarksburg area had reached a level of complacency. There hadn't been any new pure or worthwhile hot dog joints of note in some time. There wasn't much to write about for the longest time, and to be honest the weather and my work schedule weren't very cooperative.

I was a really disappointed to find that one of the better HDJs in the area, Hometown Hot Dogs of Clarksburg, had shut it's doors in the latter part of last year. The building that once housed some WVHD greatness had fallen into "good hands" for selling insurance, if you get my drift. However, I was suprised to find out that the crew from Hometown had actually packed up and moved to the other side of town, smack dab between the East View section of Clarksburg and Anmoore. The new name was Smiley's Hot Dogs, and all seemed right with the world. The slaw was fresher than ever, the service was great, and the chili was hearty as ever. But alas, it was a short-lived comeback. By the time I had started to pen a review of the new digs, Smiley's shuttered it's doors sometime before Christmas of 2010. Personally, I'd chalk it up to a very poor location.

So as I looked and looked around Clarksburg some more. Surely I had not covered all of the good HDJs around, had I? Luckily, I found Stealey Lunch. Just a few blocks down from where the old Hometown Hot Dogs stood was this inviting new establishment nestled in the corner of a building along one of the busier thoroughfares in town.

Stealey Lunch had a crisp, clean interior with lots of space. There wasn't much in the way of atmosphere or decor, but nonetheless the smells of deliciousness permeated the walls to make one forget this negligible "shortcoming" (if you want to even call it that). The menu features a multitude of choices for lunch, ranging from hot dogs, sandwiches, chicken, salads, and the like.

The hot dogs are listed as "slaw dogs", but they do come as a West Virginia hot dog should by the numbers (you know the routine...chili, slaw, onions, mustard). But to say that these hot dogs meet the standards for quality. For starters, the weenie was incredible scrawny. Cook it one minute too long, and it could've been a toothpick. The chili had hint of "tomatoey" to it, which surprisingly was the only highlight of it. There wasn't anything wrong with the chili, mind you. It just was devoid of any other real flavor. The slaw was also in the "okay" category, unfortunately. This iteration of slaw included hints of carrots for some reason. Carrots are okay, but when used as a hot dog topping they are best left off. My final beef was with the bun. It tasted as though a stale bun had been warmed over (badly). After a few minutes of cooling off, the bun became chewy, which is never a good sign.

While I'm always glad to see hot dog joints make their home in the north central area, I still find myself disappointed by the effort put in to the product. Stealey Lunch seems to "want" to put out a good hot dog, but doesn't have the goods to "execute". I'd like to say the potential is there, but who knows? Maybe some simple tweaking will liven up these otherwise boring dogs, but until then I have to give these a 3 weenie rating (and I'm spotting them about 1/2 weenie here).

Charleston Area HDJ Re-Review - Venture Family Fun Center

I just realized that this blog is now 5 years old. The anniversay passed in early January without fanfare.

Huh.

Anyway, the reason I realized this is because today I had hot dogs for the second time in 5 years at Venture Family Fun Center. I looked up my last review and realized it was almost five years ago. You can read it here if you are so inclined.

I'm sad to report that nothing has really changed since April of 2006. The hot dogs still have visual and tactile appeal: The slaw looks good, the chili is nicely txtured and clolored and the weight of the dog seems hefty. The bun is soft and nicely steamed.

But put it in your mouth and its mediocrity really comes to life: The onions are old tasting and the weenie seems waterlogged. The chili and slaw don't work together. Just unsatisfying all around.

The worst thing about the visit however was a hanging ten pin that stopped my run at a 200 game in the tenth frame at 196. Not bad, though, for only my 2nd time bowling in 5 years!

Morrison's and Skeenies both make Rachel Ray's Top 64!!!!!!

Thanks to our good friend Hawk Krall and his considerable influence in the food blogging world, two of the most celebrated HDJs in West Virginia have been included in the bracket of 64 best hot dogs in America on the hugely popular Every Day with Rachel Ray website.

OK WVHD fans, let's rally to the aid of our state's finest! Leave your enthusiastic comment on the Rachel Ray site to make sure that we're not overlooked. We have a lot of geography and population to make up for.

http://www.rachaelraymag.com/every-day-living/trip-advice/the-search-for-americas-best-hot-dog

Charleston HDJ Review - Blossom Deli

We first reviewed the hot dog offered by this Charleston landmark eatery in 2007. You can read that review here. Unfortunately, that restaurant closed last year and in its place has popped up a poser with the same name in the same building. This new manifestation has been open for a month or so and I just recently heard that they had resurrected the "Blossom Dog" - a Five Weenie treat in 2007 - and so I had to go try it.

I was somewhat surprised that the place was open on Saturday because they cater mostly to the downtown work crowd, but it was fairly busy today so it was good that they were open. Good for them at least; not so much for a hungry soul who wandered in out of the cold with expectations of being satisfied like I was last time.

You see, the hot dog that the Blossom used to serve was an oversize giant that had a $3.50 price tag, but was worth every penny. When I saw the new version priced at $4.50, I wasn't discouraged; after all it was as big as two or three regular WVHDs and if it was half as yummy as before I would still get filled up.

Unfortunately, though, it was half the size of the old version. While the taste was about as good as before (almost identical as I remember it) this thing was puny! Instead of being an oversize Chicago Red weenie it was a small caliber version of a standard WVHD weenie. Instead of an oversize special made bun it was on a dreaded New England Style bun. The chili and slaw were both tasty and worked well together, but I was still extremely hungry after it was gone. Thankfully I had a plate full of chips and my lunch companion took pity on me and shared her chicken artichoke salad with me so I had enough strength to make it back to the car. A trip to Charleston Bread Company for a couple of hot from the oven cookies brought me all the way back to consciousness.

Once I had regained my senses I decided to write a review so no other WVHD fan will have to make the same mistake. This is about the worst value I have ever experienced in the 400 plus reviews we have done on this blog. Bad, bad, bad form for a once-proud restaurant.

Here's my advice to Blossom about their Blossom Dog - Make it bigger or make it cheaper or make it go away.

No Weenies for you.

Another one bites the dust...

Gram's Specialties in Kanawha City, home of 4 1/2 Weenie hot dogs and Five Star pies is no more. Citing the ol' "want to spend more time with family" excuse, they have closed down.

For those of you feeling nostalgic, you can read our review from 2008 here.

Sam's Hot Dog Stand in Teays Valley is no more...

...it has ceased to be.

The little pocket of Huntington in Putnam County, the Monty's Pizza/Sam's Hot Dog Stand, has closed up shop.

Folks in the Hurricane-Scott Depot-Teays Metropolitan Statistical Area will have to jump on I-64 to St. Albans or Barboursville to get their spicy sauce fix.

As for Monty's...no real loss there. Graziano's and Husson's offer much better pies.

Closed Charleston HDJ - The Snack Bar at the Kanawha County Courthouse

The place that Rick Lee pronounced as having the "Best Romanesque Architecture in a Hot Dog Stand" is no more.

One of the very first places we reviwed in 2006 was the snack bar in the main hallway of the Kanawha County Courthouse. You can read about it here.

I'm sad to report that the excellent hot dogs are no more and that the snack bar has been replaced with a whole host of vending machines that block the old snack bar window like so many mechanized storm troopers.

And yes I looked; none of them vends hot dogs.

Charleston HDJ Review - Maggie Moo's Ice Cream

Ah, America! Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet. How can you go wrong with an ice cream joint that sells hot dogs? You can't, right?

 Wrong.

Reader "bingmanch" sent me a note and said I should check out Maggie Moo's Ice Cream in the Charleston Town Center Mall because they were advertising a hot dog lunch special featuring Nathan's Famous weenies. Someone else wrote and told me that the hot dogs were made with the larger size Nathan's weenies and at 2 for $5 including chips and a drink, you couldn't beat the value.

It is big. A good 50% larger than a garden variety WVHD. 

But except for its impressive voluminousness, rather than being a source of patriotic pride this hot dog is an affront to everything right about the good ol' USA.

Let me count the ways this hot dog was bad:

1. Microwaved Custard Stand Chili  - I've documented before that this stuff is pretty good when served at the source, but package it up, ship it to Sam's or Wal Mart, store for months, and then nuke it? Nah, I'd rather have almost any fresh cooked chili.

2. Overcooked Nathan's Famous weenies - What a waste. One of the best weenies you can sink your teeth into - and I couln't sink my teeth into it because it was so tough from who knows what kind of cooking method (I would guess also nuked - into oblivion).

3. Stale Bun - Oversized buns (required to hold the over sized weenie) aren't easy to find fresh, but Maggie Moo's go the extra mile to ensure that the bread was properly aged. These buns seemed like they had been around a long time. I'm talking crusty outside and chewy centers.

4. Slaw - Huge hunks of carrots and cabbage floating in a matrix of a tasteless white pseudo-mayo.

5. The only thing that didn't taste bland was the onions - and they were out of onions.

Maggie Moo's should stick to hawking their overpriced ice cream. 1 Weenie, and that's generous.

Charleston HDJ Review - The Daily Grind Computer Solutions and Coffee Shop

A "computer solutions" business that sells hot dogs? This place on Washington Street East just two blocks from the capitol complex does just that. Coffee too.

The first time I went to this place I chickened out at the door. The door itself is not very inviting (in fact it is a bit off-putting) and I was already skeptical about eating a hot dog made by a computer geek. But after my initial visit I posed the question to the Facebook mob and asked for their advice. They unanimously told me to go for it, apparently not giving one iota about my health and welfare. I'm thinking of taking them all out of my will.

So spurred on by the crowd, today I went through the door. Once across the threshold it wasn't nearly as scary as it seems from the outside. I placed my order at the window with two very nice and friendly people who looked nothing like computer geeks. "Everything" includes ketchup but it was easily deleted from the order.

The place inside looks much more like an office than it does a restaurant, with seating for 12 or so at two tables and a lunch counter. My hot dog was brought to my table and served with a smile and I was concerned about it right away because of the sparsely applied and very coarsely chopped slaw.

My first bite was surprising, not because of the taste but the texture and temperature. The buns were out of the bag room temperature (which was a little chilly today) but still very soft. The weenie was also very mushy as if it had spent several days soaking, as Chris James likes to say, in a pool of its own filth. But my negative remarks about this hot dog end here.

The slaw was delicious as was the meaty (but not spicy) chili; the two went together perfectly. And the weenie tasted fine despite its waterlogged condition. While the hot dog could have been better if the bun was steamy warm, it was still very good. 4 Weenies.

Surprising results from an unusual HDJ. Capitol workers, this is defintely the best hot dog within walking distance for lunch, so I encourage everyone to try it and tell them you read about it on WVHotDogs.com.

OK, it's not about hot dogs, but...

The most controversial piece of public art in Charleston comes to life and takes its revenge on naysayers!

 The 65' tall sculpture "Hallelujah" at The Clay Center is one of those love it or hate it kind of things. You can see a picture of the real thing here, or you can buy this version here: http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.zazzle.com%2Fhallelujah_attacks_poster-228363884950453592&h=1d807

Update: You can also the read the story in the Charleston Daily Mail.

Atlanta HDJ Review - Jackson Hartsfield Airport Concourse C Hot Dog Zone

Fork You, the local Charleston restaurant review blog, recently came as close to honoring their mission as they have come in quite some time by reviewing an Ansted restaurant.To reinforce better blogging behavior (they only missed "local Charleston" by 50 miles - which for them lately is like a direct bullseye) and to celebrate the return of these prodigals, I thought I should honor them with a special review of a hot dog that can also be found about an hour from Charleston; albeit the way the crow (or CanadaAir CRJ200) flies.

While cooling my jets in the Atlanta airport waiting for a "maintenance delay" (translation - "the flight crew overslept") my tummy began to rumble. The closest food joint was a Wendy's, but the line at midday was exceedingly long. The next closest was The Hot Dog Zone. I decided to take a chance on this foreign food vendor, mainly because its sign listed many regional variations. I thought that just maybe I might find a WVHD listed, but sadly I did not. I had to improvise my order and pay dearly for it: Toppings ala carte are 48 cents each on top of a base sticker price of $3.29! - $5.21 for one hot dog! I hoped it would be worth it.

It wasn't.

The chili had beans in it, the slaw tasted just like the gross stuff you buy at Sam's (Wholesale Club, not Hot Dog Stand). The weenie was huge and tasty, but it sat inside a slightly less huge bun that was fresh sometime last week.

I will not dignify this hot dog with a Weenie Rank. Just say no.

In retrospect I should have saved my budget, both caloric and financial, until I returned to the green, rolling hills of West Virginia and bought myself a proper hot dog. I guess I just wanted to be exotic like my blogging buddies over at Fork You, but alas.

Webster Springs HDJ Review: The Custard Stand

Certainly one of the most successful businesses in the West Virginia Hot Dog industry, this little HDJ has become the leading producer of store-bought hot dog chili in the entire region. Its chili, "Custard Stand Hot Dog Chili" is sold in stores like Kroger and Wal Mart thoughout the eastern US. According to their Facebook page, the original restaurant "The Custard Stand" was actually named Elsie's Dairy Bar- founded by Elsie Hamrick-1960. The name was changed to The Custard Stand in 1991-and the chili began to be sold in retail stores in 2003. In 2009, the second location of The Custard Stand in Flatwoods was opened (you can read Bid Daddy's review of that location here.)

I have been trying to get to this original location for years, but Webster Springs is not on the way to anywhere and so it took me until I had a free day and the inclination to make a four-hour roundtrip hot dog run. My chance finally came on a Sunday and I logged onto http://www.custardstand.com/ and was pleased to find that they have longer hours than a typical HDJ and are open 7 days a week. So I loaded up the truck and went to Webster; Springs that is.

I set out with no directions, but I figured I could find the place easy enough and I was right: You know when people give you directions to a place and say "you can't miss it"? Well, this is what they mean: The Custard Stand sits on the outside edge of a hairpin curve on the road that leads down into the Elk River Valley just before you get to Webster Springs, and if you didn't negotiate the curve properly, you just might end up inside the place (which actually happened a few years ago when a truck lost its brakes and crashed into TCS's warehouse). The HDJ has two walk up ordering windows and the dining area is a picnic shelter across the parking lot. When I got there shortly after noon on Sunday, there was a fairly large crowd of folks waiting for their orders. Periodically one of the two workers inside would bellow an order number through the open window and a hungry looking person would scamper over and get their food.

Once the throng thinned out a little, I was able to place my order. I inquired as to what The Custard Stand considers everything and got an unexpected response: "Chili, slaw and oninons." What, no mustard? I am used to having to ask for a modified version of "everything" at lesser HDJs who serve a variation from the generally accepted toppings but usually it involves the deletion of ketchup or such other offensive addition; rarely - if ever - do I have to ask to add mustard.

My mustard request was accepted easily enough and soon I had joined the ranks of the waiting. While I did so I was able to look around a little, but there was not much to look at: This place is very humble and spartan, even for a roadside HDJ. The most interesting feature was the world-class kudzu patch on the hillside above the parking lot that looked like it might overtake the delivery truck that was parked next to it. Luckily, I didn't have to wait too long.

My hot dogs were nestled in paper boats and wrapped in wax paper. The consistency of the slaw and the careful wrapping job made the hot dog an almost perfect specimen of a Utilitarian Dog: The slaw compacted nicely into the shape of the wrap and was easy to eat without worry of spillage. The bun was soft and steamed. While I am not the biggest fan of the store-bought Custard Stand Chili because it lacks spiciness, the slightly sweet slaw seemingly had no vinegar or other tartness inducing ingredient and it was perfectly matched with the tame chili. The onions were embedded under the slaw and were nicely sweet.

This hot dog tries hard for 5 Weenies, but because I had to ask for Mustard I can't see a way that I could do that with the high ethical standards that we maintain here at WVHotDogs.com. Big Daddy had a slightly different experience at the Flatwoods location where he got mustard and he gave them a Five. Perhaps I caught the order taker on a bad day, but you have to be on your toes in the dog eat dog world of WV hot dogs. 4.5 Weenies for the original Custard Stand on this day.

Pendleton County HDJ Review: The Front Porch Restaurant

With possibly the most scenic view of any HDJ in the state, the Front Porch Restaurant's front porch over looks US 33 and looks across the Potomac River at Seneca Rocks, one of the most magnificent rock formations in the state - any state. If the weather is suitable you can see little specks of color moving about the face of the rock - those would be climbers. When you you look around the restaurant, either the inside dining room or the namesake front porch, you can see people with satisfied smiles and lots of cuts and abrasions on their arms and legs - those would also be climbers; fresh from their ascent earlier in the day or perhaps the day before.

Once in a while you might see someone taking a picture of their food, perhaps a hot dog, sitting on the railing of the porch - those would be Weenie Wonks.

This Weenie Wonk stopped by The Front Porch one day at lunch time. I was pretty sure that they would have hot dogs on the menu, but I wasn't at all sure that I would find a real WVHD since this was uncharted territory and one the extreme eastern edge of the known WVHD frontier. But good news: Chili and slaw are right there, listed among the "everything" items on the menu. Of course I had to weed through and discard things like relish and ketchup, but after hours on the road I was happy to even have the option.

No sense wasting a lot of time here: The weenie was good, grilled and beefy. The bun was a little stale. The chili was so-so and the slaw was watery but tasted decent. Overall this was an average effort and scores 2.5 Weenies.

But that view...

Dunbar Controversial HDJ Review - Veteran's Connection

We don't typically review hot dogs sold at temporary locations, but this little hot dog stand on wheels has been all over the news lately so I thought we should check it out.

Some background from the Channel 13 WOWK-TV website:

For the past year and a half, Veteran Lisa Groves has been manning her hot dog stand from the corner of the Fas Check parking lot. She originally set up shop there temporarily, but Fas Check granted her permission to stay for good. The problem is she's breaking a city ordinance, which states trailers are not allowed to be parked in front yards. And according to police, several people have come forward complaining about the stand and its noisy generator. "It makes me sad that some people don’t want me here. This little connection may not be the greatest looking, but I used my own personal money to renovate this," explained Groves.

You can see the Channel 13 news story video here.

On Monday the Dunbar City Council told Groves that they weren't going to change their zoning ordinance for her and she responded by say that the City could expect a lawsuit.

While WVHotDogs.com is a non-partisan and somewhat apolitical organization, we do believe in truth, justice and the American way of free enterprise. More importantly, we believe in the rights of the citizenry to have a good hot dog and so I made the trip to Dunbar to judge this case on its most important merits - not the legality of Ms. Groves' business, but the quality of her hot dogs.

At only $1.00 each these hot dogs certainly appear on paper to be a good value, and it was easy to decide while I waited to get two hot dogs just in case they were tasty. When the infamous Ms. Groves appeared at the window I nearly had to order my two hot dogs by pantomime since the din of the nearby generator (see complaints from neighbors) made it almost impossible to communicate. I was able at least to hear her tell me that everything included ketchup, which I immediately declined. She took my order and said something else to me, but the noise level made it difficult to know if she was complaining about the City government's oppression or the weather (which had turned a little damp and dreary). I nodded my head in agreement, which seemed to satisfy her.

When my hot dogs were delivered into my hand, they were wrapped in aluminum foil with a handwritten "thank you" note on the outside. I had to carry my order a distance away so I could hear myself think. The weight and haphazard wrapping job made me feel certain that these were going to be good Utilitarian Dogs. Upon unveiling them, however, I found that the term "utilitarian" wasn't so terribly appropriate since these dogs were extremely sloppy and difficult to eat: Not that that is necessarily a bad thing, but "Utilitarian Dogs" are made to be eaten efficiently, and these weren't at all.

Even without the ketchup, the chili on the Veteran's Connection hot dogs was red and tomatoey. The slaw was the main reason for the aforementioned sloppiness as it was extremely mayoey. The taste together wasn't bad, but wasn't very good either. I'm going to be generous and give it a 2.5 Weenie score. I am certain that by giving these hot dogs such a poor review that I will be labeled a veteran hater.

A final comment on the legal battle that could soon ensue: A few years ago the City of Morgantown shut down The Hot Dog Barn for essentially the same reason that Dunbar is likely to shut down The Veteran's Connection. The major difference - the only difference that matters as far as WVHotDogs.com is concerned - is that The Hot Dog Barn was a bonafide 5 Weenie HDJ. Five Weenie hot dogs are worth fighting for. The ones they sell at Veteran's Connection are not. Zoning, schmoning, serving a mediocre hot dog with ketchup as a standard option is reason enough for a "cease and desist" order.

Campbells Creek HDJ Review - D's Tasty Freeze

Back before there was such a thing as a Weenie Scale (the 0-5 Weenie rating we use to rank the deliciousness of hot dogs we review) I reviewed Peggy's Dairy Treat on Campbells Creek near Charleston. That establishment has gone out of business and a new HDJ has taken over the space called "D's Tasty Freeze." When I discovered this change in ownership I decided it was time to brave the treacherous, coal truck-filled Campbells Creek Drive to check out the D's offerings.

D's was hopping at lunch time the day I was there, and the clientele seemed to be regulars. I felt that I stood out a bit and even more so when I pulled out my camera and photographed my hot dogs. For the rest of my visit I felt as if there were eyes on me at all times and I am pretty sure that I was the subject of conversation at at least one table (This is why I usually get my orders to go, so I can photo-document in private!).

In spite of my possibly justified paranoia, I soon was too busy enjoying my hot dogs too much to worry about it. These are very good hot dogs. The chili - as always in the Upper Kanawha Valley - was a little tame but the slaw matched up well and was very complex; tart and sweet with nearly perfect texture. The bun was warm and soft and the onions were sweet and finely chopped. All in all a really good hot dog that earns a 4.0 Weenie rating.

Berkley Springs HDJ Review: Creakside Creamery

(ed. note: This is the first review by Frank, our Eastern Panhandle Weenie Wonk, and it marks the first EP HDJ  review in the 4 1/2 year history of this blog. Now some might say that the EP is not really West Virginia. We at WVHotDogs.com believe the best criteria by which to judge whether the EP belongs is their hot dogs. Whether it settles the issue or fuels the debate, we feel a duty to report the unvarnished hot dog truth. )

After hearing from a few friends that the Creekside Creamery was worth visiting, I made a point to give it a try during a recent trip to Berkeley Springs. The Creekside Creamery is located a block off the main street in downtown Berkeley Springs, South Washington Street, on Congress Street. There are two cozey outdoor seating areas, but I chose the indoors due to the 90 degree heat.

Without reservation, I can tell you that the Creekside Creamery is not a normal WVHD joint. Almost all the walls in the creamery are lined with things for sale, with children's toys and women's beauty products predominating. But what makes the creamery truly unique is the glass case displaying handmade gourmet chocolates for sale. Specifically, the chocolates were made by Sweet Shop USA and were on sale for the gourmet price of $24.95 a point. I have been to other WVHD joints that sell a variety of things, but gourmet chocolates is definitely a first for me.

There was also another glass case displaying homemade pies and the like for sale, as well as a large board displaying all sorts of ice cream selections. The special of the day was quiche lorraine. However, I was there in search of a delicious WVHD. There were two hot dog choices on the menu- a 1/4 pound dog and the standard version. I stuck with the traditional, and ordered a Combo #2 which is two hot dogs, chips, and a drink for about $4.50. However, the price of my combo went up two dollars when I was charged $0.50 for each addition of chili and slaw to the two hot dogs.

The service was friendly, but provided at a leisurely pace. When I placed my order for chili, slaw, mustard, and onions, the lady behind me chuckled and said that I would need someone to clean my tie afterwards. After I assured the lady that I had some experience with these toppings, the owner jokingly informed me that they did not sell bibs. When I received my plate, the fork on my plate showed that the cashier was indeed worried about my cleanliness.

The first thing I noticed about my hot dogs was that the chili was placed over the slaw. I also noticed that the weenie was larger than what you find on a standard WVHD. The weenie was tough and somewhat hard to chew and undercooked. The taste of the weenie overpowered the rest of the parts. The taste was not unpleasant, but it overpowered the rest of the ingredients of the dog. I had to taste the chili and slaw individually to get a good sense. For fifty cents a piece extra on each dog, I could have used more chili. The chili was thick and meaty, and weak on spice. There were medium chunks of cabbage in the slaw,it was not creamy and matched the chili's blandness. The mustard and onions were both overpowered by the taste of the weenie. The bun was warm, but could have used some steaming.

Overall, I give the Creekside Creamery 2.0 weenies. I had high hopes for the Creekside Creemery, but those were dashed by bland chili and slaw and an overpowering weenie. Stop in the Creekside Creamery for some ice cream or even some gourmet chocolate if you are feeling ritzy, but don't go out of your way for the hot dogs.

Back to Work - The Hot Dog Hiatus Ends

Yawwwn! OK, I know it's been a while since any new reviews have been posted, but with summertime entering its waning days it's time to get back to work. A couple of notes about what we've been up to at WVHotDogs.com:

• New Eastern Panhandle Reviewer - Tomorrow you will be able to read the first review posting from our newest Weenie Wonk, Frank. Frank lives in the Eastern Panhandle and will be providing commentary from that remote part of our territory regularly. Welcome, Frank. 
• My recruiting trip to the Eastern Panhandle gave me the opportunity to gather new data for our Slaw Mapping Project. Look for an updated map soon.
• I attended the Greenbrier Classic last week but could not force myself to fork out $5.50 for a hot dog that had no chili or slaw. It's a shame they didn't make an effort to provide an authentic WVHD experience ala Greenbrier. Their little outpost in Tamarack had a decent effort (about which you may read here). The fried green tomato sandwiches , though, were $1.75 and delicious.
• Lots of reviews were done over the summer, but not many merited a write up. Still, I'll be catching them up over the next few weeks.
• Several trips out of state this summer during which I had the opportunity to partake of the local hot dog fare. This blog, however, is about West Virginia Hot Dogs and we stick to our mission.

Old Charleston HDJ Reminiscence - The Gold Dome Drive In

I think that when it comes to HDJs of yesteryear, the Gold Dome Drive In gets more mentions on this blog and on our Facebook page than any other. Sitting on the East End side of the old Kanawha City Bridge, this place was legendary for its hot dogs. In one of the very first posts on this blog I reminisced about how my mother would get their hot dogs and purposefully not eat them until after the 10 minute drive home so they would be nice and gooey. Others have written about their 10 or 12 (or even 13) for $1 deal. Whatever your memory of this place, here is a photo that will help bring it back: