Downtown Charleston HDJ Death Match Round 3

Yesterday's winner, The Fresh Seafood Company - a small locally owned establishment - today takes on a corporate giant: Dairy Queen.

Now first, all Dairy Queens are not created equal. There two major divisions, the first being Dairy Queen Brazier which is a brand within a brand and sell products unique to that sub-brand. Then there are regular old DQs that mostly sell corporate's dairy products but are left to figure out hot dogs, french fries and other hot foodstuff on their own. In my view, the regular DQs do a much better job on WVHDs than the corporate-directed Braziers. If you are interested in reading the many different reviews of various DQs that WVHotDogs.com has done over the years, follow this link.

The Town Center Mall DQ is not a Brazier outlet, but interestingly enough they still seem to use the standard corporate issue Coney Sauce on their hot dogs. Now this stuff can be doctored to taste OK, but by itself it's rather bland. TCDQ does not doctor theirs at all.  The slaw they serve is standard food service stuff that is tasteless, coarsely chopped and kind of tough.

New England Style Split Top bun fans will like TCDQ's buttered and grilled bread, but this is not a standard WVHD offering so they win no points here.

Today's death match was really no match at all. The Fresh Seafood Company's hot dog is so far superior to TCDQ that it's like they are not even in the same class. We'll see how it fares tomorrow when we walk down the mall when we go to another ice cream joint that sells hot dogs, Maggie Moos.

Downtown Charleston HDJ Death Match Round 2

The Fresh Seafood Company

Today we have yesterday's survivor (just barely) Diana's Snack Bar on Summers Street taking on The Fresh Seafood Company's Capitol Market location.

I couldn't believe it had been six years since I reviewed the Fresh Seafood Company's hot dogs, but it's true and you can read that review here. The review is so old that it pre-dates our Weenie Ranking system! I guess it was easily time for a re-review anyway.

So how will Diana's mediocre hot dog hold up against a place that sells hot dogs as an "oh, by the way" offering?

Well, first off, at least Diana's assembles your hot dog for you, where TFSC makes you do it yourself. Unfortunately this hasn't changed since the last review and it still irks me.

But as far as taste goes, TFSC beats Diana's by a country mile. Every part of this hot dog is superior; the bun is softer, the weenie is tastier, the chili is better. And then there is the slaw:

TFSC slaw is the same slaw that they serve as a side dish with their seafood platters and it is scrumptious. The only negative about it is that it is grated far to coarsely to be considered perfect hot dog slaw.

Tree huggers won't like the fact that TFSC uses not one, but TWO styrofoam coffins - one inside the other - to package their orders.

As I wrote above, the last review of The Fresh Seafood Company's hot dog pre-dated the Weenie Ranking System, so I thought I would take this opportunity to assign it a score: 4.5 Weenies. If the slaw was finer and I didn't have to assemble it myself it probably would be a Five.

But as far as the Death Match goes, no doubt about who the victor of this round is: The Fresh Seafood Company at Capitol Market.

Next up: TFSC does battle with Town Center Dairy Queen.

Charleston Downtown HDJ Death Match Round 1

Round 1 pits Diana's Snack Bar against Donna's Cafe. Donna's Cafe sits in the building formerly known as "The Carbon Building" at the corner of Kanawha Blvd and Leon Sullivan Way. Most people know it best as the home of the bronze statue of a man standing in its entryway. The Cafe sits just inside the lobby.

Diana's Snack Bar sits across town, at the corner of Brawley Walkway and Summers Street.

Diana's Snack Bar hot dog (left) is served in a coffin, while Donna's Cafe (right) wraps theirs in paper.

 First, the similarities: Both HDJs think that ketchup should be included on an everything dog. Both use standard buns.

The Good: Diana's hot dog has a better presentation - A few darker green cabbage leaves are left in the coleslaw to give them a fancier, garnished look. Donna's bun is buttered and grilled and has a nice flavor. Donna's hot dog had far more of everything on it.

 The Bad: Donna's slaw tasted old and musty. Unfortunately, as noted above, there was a lot of slaw too, which served to increase the overall oldness and mustiness. The chili had the same musty undertone. Diana's slaw was rather tasteless and the chili was served far too sparingly to know what it tasted like. 


The Winner: Almost everything about Donna's hot dog was lackluster or worse. Diana wins almost by default, but I do not expect her hot dogs to live much longer. Any decent hot dog is going to vanquish Diana's Snack Bar - probably in the next round when it will face...


The Fresh Seafood Company at Capitol Market.

Downtown Charleston HDJ Death Match - Game On

At WVHotDogs.com we believe that the single most important questions that we face as a society is "who has the best hot dog in town?" 

In our relentless pursuit to provide the best, unbiased opinions on this most important question we have decided on the "Death Match" approach: One Hot Dog Joint against another, with the winner surviving to take on another challenger. This process will be repeated until there are no more challengers and the winning HDJ will be crowned as the champion. 

Our first Death Match is for Downtown Charleston HDJs, with "Downtown" being defined as the area bounded by Kanawha Blvd to Piedmont Road, and from Clendenin Street to Morris Street.Today's match up was originally  originally was scheduled to pit Diana's Snack Bar against The. Blossom, but the latter closed up for good after Friday's lunch service, so Diana's wins by default.

Rather than postpone the match, we'll bring in a substitute for The Blossom: Donna's Cafe - thereby pitting two women-owned HDJs against each other in a hot dog cat fight of sorts.

Results to be posted later today.

Welch HDJ Review - The Sterling Drive In

The town of Welch in McDowell County, West Virginia has seen its share of changes over the years. This once thriving city that was the economic center of the southern coal fields was a major campaign stop for JFK during his run for the presidency because of its regional importance. It has shrunk in population to a couple of thousand people and now most of the storefronts on the main streets of town are empty. 

One thing that has stood the test of time in Welch, though, is the Sterling Drive In. Since the 1940s its sturdy curb service canopy has provided shelter for thousands of diners who prefer to sit in their cars, and its dining room has no doubt seen many thousands served as well. The restaurant also houses the McDowell County Sports Hall of Fame. Sitting alongside the main road into Welch from the north, it has been the eating place of first resort for generations of Welch residents and other McDowell Countians. These days it is not unusual to see ATVs lined up outside because of its proximity to trail systems and McDowell County's lax view of ATV travel on public roads. 

So on a recent trip to Welch, I felt the need to check out the hot dog offerings  of this venerable HDJ. I ordered up a hot dog but to my surprise I had to ask for slaw. I have heard natives of McDowell County call their homeland  "The Free State of McDowell" but had no idea that they eschewed the cultural norms of West Virginia in their attempt to establish their own identity. But there, on the menu board mounted to the outside of the restaurant, was all I needed to know: "Slaw Dogs" are a stated menu item.

So I ordered a "Slaw Dog" and a milkshake. When I popped open my styrofoam coffin I found a messy hot dog made with a grilled NES bun - at least I think it was grilled but it might just have been stale. It was hard to tell because it was HARD. The weenie was of the small caliber version and the chili was tasteless. The slaw that I had to special order actually tasted pretty good and had a good texture, but by the time I noticed it was too late and judgment had been passed on this hot dog. 2 Weenies is a generous score.

The milkshake was excellent, by the way, and I'm sure that the Sterling's other menu offerings must be good or else it would have closed up long ago. Perhaps hot dogs just aren't their thing.

I hope that somewhere in the town of Welch there is a better hot dog joint so the people of the Free State of McDowell can know the pleasures of a real WVHD. Who knows? The taste of a good WVHD might be enough of an inducement to lure them back onto the fold and help them to take their rightful place as one of the 55 counties of West Virginia.

Pineville HDJ Review - Pinnacle Drive In

Almost as soon as I began the West Virginia Hot Dog Blog in 2006, people began to write in about their favorite Hot Dog Joints in places all around the state. After a while there seemed to be five or six places that stood out above all the others as far as the frequency of the recommendations. Some of these I already knew of and had tried before, but many of them were in places that I seldom travel and therefore it took me a while to get there. The last of these frequently suggested HDJs on my list was Pinnacle Drive In.

My experience with most of the other frequently recommended HDJs led me to be optimistic about the quality of Pinnacle's WVHD offerings. Most of the time - really with only one exception - when I finally made the trek to frequently recommended HDJs I have found that there was good reason for the enthusiasm.

So on a beautiful early Spring day I set out on the two hour trip to Pineville in time to arrive just at lunchtime. Finding Pinnacle was a little difficult, but once I followed my instinct to try Pinnacle Creek Road, I soon stumbled upon it. The last couple hundred feet of my journey I followed a caravan of ATVs right into Pinnacle's parking lot. The ATV riders got the jump on me though because after seeing the sign on the door that said "No Credit or Debit Cards" I realized that I had to make a side trip to the nearest ATM before I could eat lunch.

"Drive In" usually means that curb service is offered, but not here. A few tables and a small lunch counter are available for inside dining. After procuring the necessary greenbacks I went inside and began the process of procuring hot dogs: Two with chili, slaw, mustard and onions. And a side of onion rings.

When my order arrived I was surprised to see the grilled New England Style buns because I did not recall any of my reader mail mentioning that aspect of Pinnacle's hot dogs. Regular readers of this blog know that we automatically deduct a half-point for these non-traditional buns (yes, I know they taste good but they are made for New England oyster sandwiches, not West Virginia Hot Dogs).

My first bite didn't impress much. The small caliber weenie seemed a little over cooked and the NES bun overwhelmed the chili and slaw. Sampling the chili and slaw separately I soon understood the reason they were overwhelmed: They had a very subtle flavor. The chili tasted like very mildly seasoned ground beef. The slaw tasted fresh, but other than mayonnaise, cabbage (and perhaps a hint of vinegar?) there was not much else to taste. They worked well together, but as I said they were lost in the bulk of the NES bun.

I really hate having to do this, but editorial honesty makes it necessary to say that I was very disappointed in what I found at Pinnacle. Perhaps like the other frequently recommended HDJ on my list that I found disappointing, maybe it is the lack of other quality HDJs in the area make Pinnacle seem great by comparison. I know that the dozens of people who have recommended Pinnacle over the years won't like it, but by our objective Weenie Ranking System, Pinnacle Drive In's hot dogs score only an average 3 out of Five Weenies.

West Virginia Legislature Makes Slaw Mandatory

One small but very important piece of legislation that was passed in the recently concluded regular session of the West Virginia Legislature slipped by, seemingly unnoticed by regular media outlets, but we think our readers would like to know about it.

Hidden inside of the bill known officially as HB4112, and less officially as "The Junk Yard Protection Act" was one of the best laws passed in this or any other legislative session in memory. Section 4, Paragraph 1 of this bill makes it mandatory for all restaurants in West Virginia that serve "sausage sandwiches, commonly known as hot dogs" to offer slaw as a topping. Three paragraphs of the statute take on the daunting task of defining what is appropriately called coleslaw and does a pretty good job closing loopholes. For the purposes of this legislation, coleslaw is defined as "finely grated cabbage with mayonnaise based dressing" and doesn't get into matters of texture, sweetness or tartness.

The statute has no provision for charging extra for slaw, so it's only a matter of time before we'll see a lawsuit filed by a consumer against some hot dog joint for trying to charge for this legally mandated condiment. Here at WVHotDogs.com, we are not taking an official stance on whether it is legal to charge for coleslaw, but we maintain that a moral obligation does indeed exist to include the cost of the topping in the stated price of a regular hot dog.

We applaud the tireless efforts of Morris County Delegate Nathan Mayer who sponsored the bill and for Martin County Senator April Simpleton for working so hard preserving the language of the original bill and taking it on the end of her Junkyard bill. On the surface it would seem to be a stretch to include a food service requirement in a bill that dealt with the rights of junkyard owners to use car parts as signs, but Senator Simpleton made it fit. Kudos Senator! You made us proud!

It should be noted that the passing of this bill was made much easier by the flood waters in Marion County that kept the entire Marion delegation preoccupied during the session. Tough break Fine citizens of Fairmont; See you in court.

This new law was signed into law by Governor Tomblin and will take effect on April 1.

Fayetteville HDJ Review - Wild Flour Bakery

When we were contacted by The Travel Channel about doing a West Virginia Hot Dog segment for the "Pit Stops" portion of their New River Gorge feature, we were a bit concerned when they said we were going to film at a bakery. I was afraid that we would get there and find that they only sold this kind of hot dog. Luckily, the owners of Wild Flour Bakery are savvy WVHD aficionados and had the real deal. Very real.

I arrived a little early of the appointed time and Jennie, the production company's contact person with whom I had been communicating for the past month or so, told me to relax and she would find me when the time came for our interview. With time to kill in a bakery, it's hard not to really work up an appetite what with all of the gorgeous baked goods in the case and the lingering aroma of hot dog chili emanating from the kitchen. To make matter worse, Jennie brought out a lovely looking specimen of a WVHD and sat it in front of me and left it there for the fifteen minutes that it took the camera man and the gaffer/gopher to set up the shot. It was almost too much to stand and I am sure that I drooled a couple of times during the interview. I really hope they weren't shooting in hi-def.

So after the interview was complete I was allowed to finally taste the hot dog that I had driven all this way for and subsequently tortured with.

It was worth it. Worth the torture and worth the drive.

Now to be honest, the hot dog was room temperature by the time I got to eat it, but even tepid, this thing was great. The chili, as is usually the case with chili in Southern West Virginia, was not spicy but had a complexity to it that included a little bit of chili powder and the dark, rich taste that only a long-simmering pot of tomato and onion product can have. The onions were so finely chopped that they were almost invisible but tasty and fresh tasting. The bun was soft and the weenie was perfectly cooked. And then there is the slaw.

You know how some ice skating judges never give out a perfect score of 10 because they allow that there can always be something better to come along? That's how I am with slaw. I have used superlatives like "nearly perfect texture" or "nearly perfect flavor" to describe lots of slaws over the years; that changes today. This slaw is freakin' perfect! This might be "The One True Slaw" that I have been looking for for the better part of 7 years doing this hot dog blogging. It is PERFECT in texture (finely chopped and exactly the right amount of dressing), PERFECT in taste (sweet enough to make itself known as sweet, but not enough to cover the cabbage flavor) and PERFECTLY matched with the chili. And if that's not enough, they serve it in a very generous helping.

Without any fear of dispute, I proclaim this as a 5 Weenie WVHD worthy for consideration as one of the very best hot dogs in the Great State of West Virginia.

In a bakery. I know, right?

Salem HDJ Review Willie's Hot Dogs

Salem has long been on the list of places that was in need of a visit to research any hot dog joints that it may home too. I had already made it a point to return there in order to check out a couple of places that had been mentioned to me. Unfortunately, the heavy rains and minor flooding that came through over this past week forced me to postpone my trip by a couple of days.

Along main street sits a row of buildings that harken back to the early days of the city. Nestled in the corner of one these old buildings --which ironically sits next to a relatively new Dollar General store-- is a humble little HDJ called Willie's Hot Dogs. Willie's adjoins a pool hall right next door, and there's even an open doorway right beside the counter where you place your orders. Looking around, I don't think I saw more than two pieces of furniture that matched. Whether unintentional or by design, it actually gave the place a little charm. Don't get me wrong, the place still has "dive" written all over it, but that's all superficial when it comes to the quality of the dog.

As I walked up to the counter, I noticed a sign on the back wall that clearly stated that "everything" for Willie's was mustard, onions, and chili. Not unusual in this area, but at least they had to smarts to call it chili and not the derogatory "sauce". I'd like to contend that the belief the term "sauce" is overused in this region is nothing more than an urban legend, but I digress. I ordered one with everything, plus slaw. The nice gal taking my order didn't blink or flinch over the request for slaw, so that was a good sign.

I watched her put my order together. She was very meticulous in putting all of the components together, which I took as a good sign that I'd come across a place that actually took some semblance of care and pride in their product. Even the way the hot dog was handled while it was wrapped was convincing. While she put the second hot dog together, I strolled around looking at some of the photos and decorations adorning the walls. I noticed there were plenty of pics of a

flood from 1944. Kind of ironic, considering the bad weather that had hit the area a few days before. But what really caught my eye was the poster to the left. It seemed like a pretty honest statement.

As I started to sample the goods, I was taken aback by how much the chili reminded me of the variation that is favored in the southern part of the state. By that, I mean that it didn't have an overwhelming amount of spices. It had a terrific quality of hearty meatiness, both in taste and texture. There was just enough sauce to permeate the bun, but not enough to soak deeply into it.

The slaw didn't have a lot of the creaminess that I'm used to, but was actually a bit "drier", for lack of a better term. However, this worked out well as it did not overwhelm the other flavors of the dog, which is a frequent problem with poorly prepared WVHDs. I was pleasantly pleased that the onions were finely shredded and stirred into the slaw just before it was added to my hot dog. That was a nice touch. I've had onions in the past that were cut or chopped down to the size of thumbnail-sized Rubik's cubes. These hit the mark.

Unfortunately, there were two notable shortcomings to the dogs I sampled. First, the buns were only slightly warm. I couldn't tell if they'd just been warmed over somehow, or perhaps steamed at one point and then taken off the steam. Secondly, the weenie of the first dog was water-logged to the point of near mushiness. The second one was slightly over-boiled, but not as bad as the first. I can give the benefit of the doubt in that I was visiting in the after the lunch rush on a weekend, so perhaps the turnover of product was not what it could be. Still, these two dings would normally be enough to put any other HDJ rating down a couple of notches.

I've been wanting to get out of the habit of using "half weenies" in my ratings unless absolutely necessary. With that being said, I'm going to be generous, round up, and give Willie's a four weenie rating. Hopefully they have more consistency as far as the weenie and bun prep go during regular lunch periods. However, the chili is fantastic and the slaw is very well done.

Barboursville HDJ - Dave's

I was stuck at the Huntington Mall the other day while my car was being repaired. Since it was around lunchtime, I strolled over to the food court for some Chick-fil-A or Big Loafer. Curiously enough, I noticed a new hot dog joint open in the former Dairy Queen location. I figured it was worth a review.

The toppings list was concerning. In clear defiance of WV hot dog culture, the toppings list included "ketchup" and exotic ingredients like "jalapeño," "kraut," and "mayo." While slaw was free, the sauce (called "chili" despite being in Cabell County) cost an extra $.25. Very confusing indeed.

After making my order, I stood at an angle where I could watch the preparation process. For some reason, they microwave the buns, leaving them somewhat rubbery. Next, the chef de weenie took a frank from a roller (beats a water bath) & then added the toppings (including sauce from a crockpot).

The end result was an enjoyable if flawed utilitarian WV hot dog experience.

First, the problems. The mouthfeel created by the inexplicably nuked bun was downright odd. It seemed like something one would do in a college dorm, not at a hot dog stand. The homemade sauce, while thoughtful, needed a bit more salt and some sort of heat.

Now, the good. The weenie was an Eckrich frank and the onions were just the right texture. The homemade slaw was sweet, creamy, and as good as any that can be found in Huntington.

Overall, this place gets a 3 weenie rating with lots of room for improvement. A few tweaks of the sauce and a better method of bun warming and this place is easily in the 4-4.5 range. I'll give them some time for the constructive criticism to soak in and will re-review in a couple of months.

Charleston HDJ Review - The Smokehouse

Frustrated by the lack of new HDJs to review locally and a shortage of free time to travel to distant ones, I have resorted to re-reviewing some local Charleston HDJs that I haven't been to in years. This is not a bad thing because if a Hot Dog Joint is still around after the six years of this blog's existence then it must be pretty decent, so I'm likely to get a good hot dog.

Today I thought we'd revisit The Smokehouse, a West Side institution. The last time we reviewed it was 2006. You can read that review here. When this review was done we hadn't even invented the Weenie Scale yet, so there was ample reason for me to give them another shot.

The Smokehouse is one of those places that knows hot dogs and knows what its customers like. This is evidenced by two things: 1) Hot Dogs are first on the menu, and 2) their hot dogs come with chili, slaw, mustard and onions - period.

The Smokehouse hot dog is a classic Utilitarian Dog with a wonderfully soft and sticky bun that has been steamed to perfection. The chili and slaw are thin in texture and compliment each other well; the chili is meaty and spicy and the slaw is tart and creamy. The onions and mustard did not detract. The only negative I can give to this hot dog was that the weenie was a little waterlogged; that takes off a half-point from an otherwise great hot dog. We'll give The Smokehouse 4 1/2 (out of 5) Weenies on this day.

The Smokehouse is on the corner of Washington Street West and Stockton Street. It is a great place to eat lots of other things besides hot dogs and while the rear dining room and bar look a little rough the front dining room is a nice, comfortable place to dine.

Charleston HDJ Review - Betty Lou's Diner

Today we review the latest incarnation of Betty Lou's Diner. Read this review for background on the restaurant and its history, but don't bother yourself with what we said about the hot dogs then because they have changed!

Moving from its obscure location on Central Avenue on the South Charleston hill had to be a good thing for this HDJ. The new location is at the corner of Greenbrier Street and Oakridge Drive, which seems ideal for a carry out - 1 minute off of I64, on the way to the airport, Coonskin Park and Capital High School - but the spot has has seen a parade of HDJs and other fast food places move in and out over the years (the last place went in out so fast that I didn't even get around to publishing the review I wrote on its hot dogs).  Betty Lou's, though, seems to have something going for it than none of the others had; quality and experience. Time will tell.

As I said before, the hot dogs have definitely changed since our last review, and for the better. This time I found a much better combination of chili and slaw: neither are great by themselves but they work nicely together. The chili has a low, slow spiciness and is perfect texture. The slaw is also perfect texture and has just enough sweetness to compliment the chili. Add a nicely steamed bun, a decent weenie, fresh tasting onions and mustard and you have a hot dog worthy of 4 1/2 out of 5 Weenies.

This might be the best place in the Charleston area to hop off the interstate and grab a good hot dog if you are passing through town. Let's hope they live long and prosper in this location.

Charleston Area HDJ Review - Ridgeview BBQ, Institute

In the spot formerly occupied by Jenn's Southern BBQ  - across Rt. 25 from the WV State University Campus - this BBQ joint also offers hot dogs and recently they posted on our Facebook page an invitation for us to come and do a review. I had already been there once several months ago and had their BBQ (which I found to be a little lacking) and was a little hesitant to try their hot dogs. But hey, it's what I do, right?

So I was passing by, had a little time and a hot dog sized appetite so I figured I'd stop. Hot dogs are fairly hidden on their menu, but with the help of the courteous order taker I soon saw their offering: Two all beef hot dogs and chips for $4.99. I was gratified to see they proudly listed the toppings as chili, slaw, mustard and onions; a good sign. A few minutes later and I had my order.

The first thing I noticed was the dark brown ends of the weenie sticking out from under the toppings, looking like it had been overcooked. Other than that, though, nothing gave me any pause nor any reason to think this wouldn't be a good hot dog.

The first bite, all I could taste was a smoky flavor. It seems that the chili and the overdone weenie together made the hot dog taste like it had been in the pig smoker that sits out front to the restaurant (not necessarily a bad thing, just a surprise). The chili had a lot of chili powder flavor but not much else. It was, however, nearly perfect in texture. The slaw was rather tasteless and a little too dry, but it seemed to work pretty well with the smoky chili. The bun was nicely steamed and overall this was good hot dog. I'm going to give it a 4 Weenie ranking since they got the standard ingredients right and the slaw and chili seemed to be designed with each other in mind; the sign of a real WVHD.

I'm glad to see that Ridgeview BBQ is at least trying to live up to the standard that was set by their predecessor in this location. While they aren't quite up to Jenn's 5 Weenie hot dogs, they are doing far better than most and serve one of the best hot dogs in the lower Kanawha Valley.

Charleston HDJ Review - Sister Act Cafe

Note: This review was performed when Sister Act first opened. Since this review was posted we have revisited their hot dogs and found them to be quite good. See this post for a more recent review. 

In the location formerly occupied by Diana's Capitol Street Cafe, Sister Act Cafe has been open now for a few weeks and was due a visit by your friendly neighborhood Weenie Wonk (I heard that Diana's has moved to a new location, but I'm not sure where).

The motif of the cafe has changed and a bunch of photos hang on one wall of people I would guess to be sisters, and furthermore guess that it would be these sisters who own the cafe. Otherwise there has been few changes: The place still has a few inside seats and the counter/kitchen locations are simple and convenient for a crushing lunchtime business that they are likely to have in this location, and which indeed they were in the midst of when I visited.

Despite the crowd, my order came out quick and the friendly staff made me feel at ease and confident that they might know how to put together a decent WVHD (except they did ask if I wanted ketchup which is often a bad sign).

My two dogs were wrapped nicely in wax paper (the preferred packaging method of WVHotDogs.com) but then were curiously placed into an oversize coffin. When I unwrapped the first hot dog I was a bit dismayed to see the giant pieces of cabbage in the slaw, but otherwise the hot dog looked fine; a good-looking specimen of a Utilitarian Dog.

Beauty is only skin deep, though, and this hot dog lost its beauty about halfway through the first bite. The slaw was dry and almost tasteless, and unfortunately the taste it did possess was bad. The chili was OK, but served in such a small quantity that it too was effectively tasteless. The weenie was marginal. Because of the dry slaw and the lack of any other good flavor I found myself looking for a mustard package to make the second dog edible. I think ketchup might have even improved this thing.

Rarely do I give a 0 Weenie score, but Sister Act Cafe's hot dog this day truly deserves it.

Charleston Area HDJ Review - Mr. Choo Choo's Big Dogs

Location, location, location. The three most important things in business, right?
The owners of Mr. Choo Choo's Big Dogs probably thought it was awesome to have a location for his new hot dog cart right beside one of the busiest interstate off-ramps in the state of West Virginia (Leon Sullivan Way) but...

OK, first the hot dogs. This won't take long: They are big, as advertised. A huge Nathan's Famous weenie  dominates the regular old hot dog bun and leave little room for toppings. The chili, slaw, mustard and onions were spilling over the side of my hot dog. The mediocre slaw was straight out of a food service tub and the tasteless chili was a runny mess with beans floating in it. I took the first bite as I was walking back to my car and the whole thing was a temperature somewhere between lukewarm and cold. I had to take it back the office to nuke it before I felt safe eating it. The Nathan's weenie was tasty, so I'll grant Mr. Choo Choo's a generous 1.5 Weenie score.

Now back to Mr. Choo Choo's choice of location. Now remember, this is a cart that is completely mobile. It could be placed anywhere the City would grant a license for and/or the property owner agreed to. Placing it next to a busy off-ramp, like I said before, might seem good on the surface. Two things make this a bad choice, though:

First, when cars get to the bottom of the ramp they are going waaay to fast to stop near the cart's location even if (second) the cart wasn't BEHIND part of the building and completely obscured from the view of traffic! As I tweeted on Saturday when the Gazette ran a photo of the cart, it is two blocks from my home and I never knew it was there. Small wonder after seeing where they have hidden it.

Why are HDJ owners so often so clueless?

WVHotDogs FAQ

On our former website we had a page dedicated to Frequently Asked Questions about West Virginia Hot Dogs but we haven't had it posted since moving to the Blogger platform. Recent Blogger changes has made it possible to have this list on a dedicated page accessible from the main page. Notice the link to the FAQ page in the sidebar to the right.

Q&A from Readers

FreeHollowBooks writes and says "I'm hankerin for a new review......I check everyday. Who has the hottest sauce in WV btw?"


Well, FreeHollow, I just posted a new review. And there is no question that Yann's Hot Dogs in Fairmont has the hottest sauce in the state. It is insanely hot. So hot that it has apparently killed the brain cells of many Fairmont hot dog fans since they are nearly the only ones in the state who stubbornly insist that coleslaw shouldn't be put on hot dogs.


HaveFoodWillTravel asks  "is there a festival that truly captures the wv dog culture? i would like to know if there is. my favorite dog to date is from the parkway in logan, wv."


Unfortunately no, HaveFood. The Southern Ohio Hot Dog Festival that is held in Huntington each July is called The W.Va. Hot Dog Festival, but we all know the truth. Last year some of the vendors didn't even have slaw. And kudos to you for liking Parkway;s hot dogs; just another great HDJ in Logan, where they know how to do hot dogs right. Hey, why doesn't Logan have the REAL WV Hot Dog Festival?

Charleston Area HDJ Review - Riverside Cafe, Port Amherst

Near the mouth of Campbells Creek is one of the most unique little communities in the state. Port Amherst is private property that is home to several business that support the coal and river transportation industries. Kind of a early twentieth century business park, some of the buildings in the park look more like stately residences than industrial offices and 19th century sternwheelers often are docked at the riverfront.

A recent addition to the Port Amherst Community is the Riverside Cafe, a tiny little restaurant that sells basic food to those who work nearby and to those who happen by and see the sign on Piedmont Road, like me.

It should be no surprise that a place like this would sell hot dogs, but I was surprised at the poor quality of those hot dogs. Usually blue collar places like this have solid Utilitarian Dogs, but not so here: The small caliber weenie was overcooked and rubbery, the chili was lifeless and bland. The coleslaw was decent but couldn't make up for the rest.  1 1/2 Weenies.

Tornado HDJ Review - Big Bend Golf Course

I used to play a lot of golf. In addition to the joy of pursuing an ever higher level of proficiency chasing a little white ball around a glorified cow pasture, playing a lot of golf also allowed me to dine at great Hot Dog Joints in disparate places. It seems that every golf course in these parts has really good hot dogs, or perhaps they just seem really good because of the context in which they are enjoyed. Since I haven't played regularly in years, I haven't had the opportunity to review many golf course hot dogs.

Yesterday I found myself with an unusually light work schedule and the weather was so nice that I decided to venture to one of my favorite local public courses, Big Bend Golf Course in Tornado. Since my tee time was just before noon I decided to do double duty and piggyback a hot dog review. I am so glad I did.

Many times when I go back for an official review of a HDJ from my past (aka "The Good Old Days") I am let down because the quality has either slipped or can't stand up to my romanticized memories. This time I was not disappointed: The hot dogs were as good as I remembered.

First, let me say right off that this is one of those classic WVHDs that is greater than the sum of its parts. Sampled individually, the chili or the slaw would be just passable. But both chili and slaw seemed to be designed for each other on this hot dog: neither have strong flavors of their own. The sweet onions sitting on top also were perfectly matched and the weenie was basic with no heaviness and cooked just right.

The only negative about this hot dog was that the bun wasn't steamed. I will deduct a half-weenie for that, but this hot dog deserves its 4 1/2 Weenie score.

(I will only add to this review that the hot dog must've had some mystical golf powers because after eating two of them I played very well despite having not set foot on a real golf course in 2-3 years. )

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!