Saturday, July 23, 2011

Hot Dog of the Week: Snoopy's

People can say a place has good hot dogs. At times, you wish your favorite location was a bit closer to home so you could enjoy the dogs more.

When a hot dog place has multiple locations, and they all seem to thrive, you know you have hit the market well.

Snoopy's in Raleigh, NC has four locations throughout the college based city.

One of the unique things about Snoopy's website is that they give you the recipe's to some of their cookin'. You have to be a pretty secure restaurant owner to advertise your recipe's to the general public.

Enjoy Snoopy's!

Monday, July 18, 2011

Doumar's

Norfolk, VA

When in Norfolk there is THE place to eat. The place would be Doumar's.

Known for their barbecue, Doumar's has been featured on the Food Network's hit show Diner's, Drive-in's & Dives.

Though this would be a place that serves hot dogs, and not a hot dog place, it was a great atmosphere that took you back to small town America.

The diner was about the size of your storage shed, but the ample parking and car hop service that was offered multiplies the customers.

The dog itself was very small and cut down the middle on a bun. Nothing to special about this dog, in fact it was very pedestrian. But that does NOT MEAN you should not try it on a visit to Doumar's.

One of the coolest pieces of Americana is here and millions of people world wide need to thank Mr. Doumars for it. Behold, the original waffle cone machine. Not only is this THE machine that first started producing waffle cones, but it is still run daily by Mr. Doumar's himself. He had just taken a break when we were leaving so we didn't get a picture with him but here is the iconic piece that has contributed to many sugar induced comas over the years.

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Perfectly Frank

Norfolk, VA

We have featured a lot of hot dog places in college towns. I mean really, when the midnight munchies come along and you have had your share of barley beverage, few things sound better than a hot dog.

Well directly across the street from the Convocation Center/basketball arena at Old Dominion University is Simply Frank's. Where not only can you fill your munchie needs, you can wash it down with a barley beverage. Complete with a variety of beer inside you can even get the college student favorite, Natural Light, with your meal.

Cooking all of their dogs on a grill, you can cozy up to the counter top and watch them cook it or have them bring it to your table. All dogs are made to order.

Out of all of the places we have reviewed, this is one of the rare places that serves a true New York Red Hot. Encased with a zippiness that is just enough to pat your brow, the dog went down easy. Topping the dog is their chili. The server said there is no secret recipe, or homemade legend, just local mass quantity chili atop the dog if so ordered. For being mass produced, it was mighty good and complimented to spice of the red hot.

Atmosphere- When walking in the first thing to catch your eye is the vent cover over the grill is covered in stickers. If you bring in a sticker, they will add it to the collection. Simple as that. ODU pictures and memorabilia are on the walls, but it also has that touch of college bar to it with beer advertising pieces. If I went to college in this town, I would be here all the time! We chose to sit on the front patio and enjoy the sunshine. I imagine when school is in session this place is hopping. But in the end of June, and not much reason to be in Norfolk, there was just a trickle of people. B

Value-
College kids don't have much money. What money they do have is usually spent on...well school 'supplies'. The meaning of supplies may differ from person to person. Though I was fine pushing my $3.19 across the counter, I think for a business that depends on college kids they could do better. But with the price of beer at Simply Frank's you get your money's worth one way or another. No beer bought on this trip for me, so I only got half of the bargain. C+


Side Dish Jody says...
The menu had many not hot dog options, although nothing jumped out at me. Everything was kind of boring and plain. I ended up sharing a grilled cheese and fries with our daughter and left unimpressed. D+

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Nathan's 4th of July Contest

Joey Chestnut is king once again.

For the 5th consecutive year the hot dog eating machine known as "Jaws" consumed 62 hot dogs in the 10 minute time allotted contest.

Click HERE to read the full article courtesy of ABC news

Friday, July 1, 2011

National Hot Dog Month Quiz

July is national hot dog month, and what better way to start of this glorious time of year than with a hot dog quiz.

Below is a 13 question quiz courtesy of Hot Dog City, with answers at the bottom. Post your results if you want, let us know how you fared.


1. Name the only Major League Baseball ballpark that sells more sausages than hot dogs per season?

a. Yankee Stadium in New York
b. Wrigley Field in Chicago
c. Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles
d. Miller Park in Milwaukee

2. Who, when transitioning from the silent screen, uttered “hot dogs” as his or her first ever on- screen words?

a. Charlie Chaplin
b. Mickey Mouse
c. Greta Garbo
d. Groucho Marx

3. What is the average weight, fully loaded, of a baseball park hot dog vendor’s bin?

a. 40 lbs
b. 100 lbs
c. 10 lbs
d. 25 lbs

4. Which of these four artists DOES NOT have a song titled “Hot Dog?”

a. Perry Como
b. Elvis Presley
c. Three Dog Night
d. Led Zeppelin

5. According to a NHDSC poll, which player (past or present) would win a virtual hot dog eating contest?

a. John Kruk
b. Tommy Lasorda
c. David Ortiz
d. Babe Ruth

6. In a popular TV series, who offered Ms. Rhode Island a hot dog during a Yankee game?

a. Homer Simpson
b. Jerry Seinfeld
c. Joey Tribiani
d. Norm Peterson

7. What famous movie character uttered the phrase, “Nobody, I mean nobody, puts ketchup on a hot dog?”

a. James Bond
b. Dirty Harry
c. The Terminator
d. Jason Bourne

8. Who said that hot dogs and champagne were among their favorite foods?

a. George Bush
b. Marlene Dietrich
c. George Foreman
d. Jane Fonda

9. True or False. Hot Dogs are included as a menu item at the Vatican.

10. Which blonde bombshell was named Miss Hot Dog Month early in her career?

a. Kim Basinger
b. Jayne Mansfield
c. Lauren Bacall
d. Nicole Kidman

11. Which city’s hot dog has the most toppings?

a. New York
b. Philadelphia
c. San Francisco
d. Chicago

12. What kind of hot dog does Tatum O’Neal refuse to eat at the diner in 1973’s “Paper Moon”?

a. Corn Dog
b. Chicago Dog
c. Coney Island Dog
d. Chili Dog

13. What is the name of the popular children’s book series that features a Hot Dog superherosent down from the planet Dogzalot to protect the Earth from evil space-alien attacks?

a. The Hot Dog and Bob Series
b. The Adventures of Super Dog and Friends
c. Mighty Dog
d. The Super Frank Chronicles

ANSWERS

1. D. Out of all 30 MLB parks, Miller Park in Milwaukee is the only one in which sausages outsell hotdogs per season. Miller Park is home to the famous “Sausage Race” during each game.

2. B. The first words Mickey Mouse ever uttered in a cartoon were “hot dogs” (in “The Karnival Kid, 1929). The cartoons he was featured in were silent ones up until that point.

3. A.
A fully loaded bin weights approximately 40 pounds. And vendors typically walk 4 to 5 miles per game, up and down steps. They move fast – they work on tips and commission!

4.C.
Although they have “dog” in their name, Three Dog Night never recorded a song titled “Hot Dog.”

5. D.
The Great Bambino crushed the competition with 42 percent of the vote. John Kruk finished in second with 17 percent. Legend has it the Babe gorged himself on a dozen to 18 hot dogs before blacking out on a train ride in April of 1925.

6. B.
During “The Chaperone” episode of Seinfeld, Jerry offers Ms. Rhode Island a hot dog to which she declines, and says that she is watching her weight. Jerry replies, “Ah. I'm watching my height. My doctor doesn't want me to get any taller.”

7. B.
Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry uttered this line in “Sudden Impact,” the fourth film in the Dirty Harry series.

8. A.
Marlene Deitrich was famous for her preferred meal of hot dogs and champagne over anything else.

9. TRUE.
Holy hot dog it’s true! Visitors can purchase a hot dog at the Vatican Snack Bar.

10. B.
Jayne Mansfield was the lucky winner and proud to represent everyone’s favorite All-American food in 1950.

11. A.
The Chicago dog includes yellow mustard, dark green relish, chopped raw onion, tomato slices.

12. C.
Tatum O’Neal’s character Addie emphatically refuses to eat a Coney Island Dog purchased for her by her father during one of the early scenes of the movie. This performance contributed to her eventual Oscar win at the ripe old age of 10.

13. A.
The Hot Dog and Bob Series, featuring a talking hot dog and an ordinary boy named Bob, is a favorite of beginning readers.