A Chicago Legend - Jim's Original Hot Dog, Chicago,Ill.

Usually, on our way out of Chicago, I would see it.  A yellow hot dog stand that stood out from the other buildings.  After seeing the place on t.v., I decided to give it a try. Jim's Original Hot Dos Stand has been a Chicago tradition for 70 years. They were originally located on Halstead street and later moved to their current location on Union St.
  Their menu features Polish Sausages, hot dogs, fish, chicken and pork chop sandwiches.  All f their sandwiches come with fries.  I decided to try the sausage and Rebbel got the hot dog.  We got these as soon as we arrived because we had a lot of eating on our schedule.
  The sausage is especially made for Jim's with the same blend f spices they have had since the 1940's.  It has mustard and grilled spanish onions on top.  I founf it to be more peppery tasting than I care I like.  Rebbel cot a natural casing hot dog that instead of a nice snap was rubbery. Maybe it was on the grill too long.  The fries were good, though.   After reading all the positive reviews of this place, I was expecting a bit mre and maybe that is why I found this place disappointing. At least the fries worked out.  Jim's original is located at 1250 S Union St in Chicago, Ill. They also have a location at 16 E. 95thSt. You can find the on the web at : http://www.jimsoriginal.com/jimsoriginal/Menu/

Choice Rules! -The Dog House Restaurant - Tecumseh, Michigan

One of my favorite hot dog places is located very close to us.  At this place you can visit hot dog styles from all over the country in just one restaurant.  The Dog House is located in downtown Tecumseh and offer beef hot dogs, turkey or pork dogs.  Your choice. You can go large if you want with quarter or half pound dogs.  Many choices of dogs such as the Rueben, Monte Cristo Dog, Classic Chicago Dog and really so many other choices too numerous to mention.   They also have Polish Sausage and Brats. Not feeling like a dog?? They have Paninis and other sandwiches and salads.  Dessert is also offered. You can get a pan of monkey muffins for heaven's sake!!  We had the Chicago Dog when we were last there, and itwas made to perfection. About the only thing I see they lack is a snappy dog (natural casing), or a Jackson style Coney.   Maybe I'll mke a suggestion on their website at :

. http://www.thedoghouserestaurant.com/

Backyard Charcoal Taste - Ted's Hot Dogs, Buffalo,New York

First off let me say,we weren't very impressed with the chilli dog at Ted's.  The hot dog is charcoal
broiled which you can smell the charcoal the minute you get out of your vehicle.  That is a great smell that takes me back to grills in neighbors backyards when I was growing up. Truly a great smell of summer, but for us, this cooking method robs the hot dog of juiciness. We prefer a boiled hotdog that preserves that,  We had the chilli dog that held another surprise.  Here in Michigan the chili is of a spicy variety of chili. At Ted's the chili is actually on the sweet side, which we gave a thumbs down.
They did use a natural casing hot dog that I give a big thumbs up.  A friend at my work calls these dogs snappy dogs, I call them delicious.  We understand other people seem to feel different about Ted's hot dogs, because they have been around for 90 years and have locations in and around Buffalo and even one in Arizona. We visited the downtown location at 124W Chipewa St.

They also offer onion rings,hamburgers and fries. Undecided on fries and rings ?  You can get a half and half order. You can find them on the web at https://www.tedshotdogs.com/

Another Day, Another Coney - Virginia Coney Island, Jackson, Michigan

  Today we are in Jackson, Mi.  We decided to try Virginia Coney Island.  They are located  on Michigan Ave and were voted the best Coney Dog in Jackson by MLive and 5th in Michigan. My wife went inside and she said they are a bit cleaner looking than my favorite coney down the street.  The thing I didn't like about Virginia's was the onions. They were finely chopped which Rebbel really likes, but they had a bitter taste and took away from the coney sauce. I knocked the rest off and the sauce was pretty good because it wasn't too spicy and left a great taste in your mouth.  Alas, the hot dog has no snap.  Both Virginia and Jackson Coney Island are very similar in my view.  Maybe you can grab a dog from both places and hold your taste own contest. Virginia Coney Island is located at 649 E Michigan Ave in Jackson Mi. You can find them on the web at:www.virginiaconey.com

Move Your Buns!!! - Rudy's Hot Dog- Holland, Ohio

   Rebbel signed up to work and sent me on one of my least favorite chores. Grocery shopping! Always too many people getting in your way,  and I always end up going somewhere else because the super duper store, with miles and miles of shelves, don't carry that one item that your wife requested. On this quest it took three stops and the bread lady was in my way, but not with the bread I needed.  In my head I just thought " I wish she would move her buns!!",and chuckled to myself.  Anyway, I try to make an unpleasant task better by lining up some good food. I thought about my options and decided on Rudy's Hot Dog in Holland,  Ohio.  Rudy's is a Toledo area landmark.  The President even stopped there on his way to the Jeep plant. I stop and get dogs when I am in Toledo,  and the craving hits me.                          
   The chili dog looks a lot like a coney dog to me, but they call it a chilli dog. The sauce is kind of spicy but not extreme.  the sauce is mainly what you taste in this dog.  The dog itself is not real impressive.  it is a boiled hot dog that in my opinion, washes away a lot of the flavor. There is no snap to them either. I found out you can ask them to be grilled so next time I will do that. They also tend to wrap them together if you order two, and that makes it hard to eat and drive.  Ask for them to be wrapped separately. Rudy's  might not be the best dog I ever had,  but with six locations and drive thrus,  they are handy.   They are one of the best you can get in the Toledo area.   The location I visited is 7170 Orchard Centre Dr in Holland, Ohio.  It's located in the area of the new big, beautiful Krogers. Note to shoppers trying out the new beautiful Kroger's... Sign up for the customer card if you expect to get the sale price or you might just end up at another grocery store you don't want to be in with the bread lady in your way!  You can find Rudy's Hot Dog's other locations and full menu on the web at www.rudyshotdog.com                  

Go To Kalamazoo For A Good Jackson Style Coney! - Coney Island Hot Dogs,Kalamaoo, Mi

Coney Dogs are not Chilli Dogs, and mixing up the two is just plain ignorance!    The real coney dogs were first made in Jackson, or Flint, Michigan...depending which side you are on.   They are the loose meat variety and not a bunch of tomato sauce dripping all over the place.  One of the cleanest places I ever had one of these delicious dogs though,  is located in Kalamazoo, Michigan at Coney Island Hot Dogs. 
The dogs here are cooked right next to the front window on a grill.  Then you get the sauce which isn't real spicy but it compliments the dog perfectly.  It is then topped with crisp white onions and mustard.  It was then wrapped in an aluminum foil wrapper that kept it smoking hot and juicy.  I give this dog pretty high ratings for cleanliness, fresh onions and properly cooked, tasty hot dog.  The only thing I think would make it better is if it had the snap of a natural casing, but that's just my taste.  Yours may vary.   Coney Island Hot Dogs have two locations.  We tried the one downtown.  You can find them at 266 E Michigan in Kalamazoo and in the Westwood Plaza at 4634 West Main in Kalamazoo, Michigan.  You can find them on the web at: http://www.coneyislandkalamazoo.com/

What'll You Have, What'll You Have !?? The Varsity, Atlanta Georgia

We were just outside of Atlanta when my wife says, "Call your sister(AKA Directory Assistance), and find out where this place is. I don't feel like driving all over Atlanta to find it." For some reason I couldn't find the Varsity in the Points of Interest in the Tom Tom, even though the Varsity has been in Atlanta since 1928, and is the biggest drive inn restaurant in the world.
My sister got the exact address and we plugged that in, and continued our drive down I - 75. Atlanta isn't the easiest city to maneuver around. It seemed like the highway went from 6 lanes down to 2 at one point, creating a nice bottleneck. Highway exits jumped out just daring Rebbel to take them and be hopelessly lost. Then there is the construction. It seems there is always construction there. Don't they know you're supposed to put away your orange barrels in December???
In the past we have spent many hours in Atlanta on our way to Florida. Neither one of us can recall seeing the Varsity. Our trustless Tom Tom tells us to take the exit. We exit close to Georgia Tech. We start looking. Where could someone hide an 800 car drive inn that sits on 2 acres???
Rebbel looks around and sees a big red Varsity sign. "There it is!", she exclaims.
Some one had slapped it right next to the northbound lane of I-75. Can't imagine how we missed it all these years, but then again we are the people who couldn't find the cheese steak place in Philly, or a decent steak in Dallas.
We walk through the doors and step up to the counter. We get the famous phrase, "What'll you have?" We ordered some chili dogs and some rings. The rings were real good and the chili dog was o.k. But we didn't come here for just the food.
The Varsity is a unique experience that everyone that travels through Atlanta and calls themselves a foodie really needs to try. Just look for the big drive inn off of I-75 with the big red Varsity sign. You can't miss it. If you can't find that particular location, they have 5 others. You can find those and a menu at http://www.thevarsity.com/index.php That's where I got some of the particulars about them and you can find out more!

A Hot Dog Place You Wouldn't Believe - Hillbilly Hot Dog, Lesage,W.V.

Rebbel and I first heard of Hillbilly Hot Dogs on Diners, Drive Inns and Dives. We thought it looked pretty wild. After our visit, I have to say what you see on t.v. is very accurate.
If you have never heard about Hillbilly Hot Dogs, in LeSage, West Virginia, let me briefly try to explain it.
First they took a shack and connected a bus. Then they connected another bus to the back. The out side of the establishment is adorned by everything and anything that could be found at local yard sales. These items were mostly "donated" by customers. There is even a boat and an outhouse. Inside the decor is definitely hillbilly. Everything is covered with writing from past customers, even the eight track tape collection.
The co-proprietor of the place, Sonny Knight, greeted us and gave us a menu. His weenie wife, Sherrie, had left for the day. We ordered the Hillbilly Dog, the West Virginia and the Pizza Dog. They had a very wide variety, and it was really hard to make a choice. They even have a "HOMEWRECKER" hot dog that is 1 lb. In its loaded state it is 3 1/2pounds. It is deep fried has lots of stuff on it including peppers. If you eat it in 12 minutes you get a free t shirt.
They also have many different burgers including a 10 lb double wide!
Rebbel gave Sonny my name and we sat and looked over the place. Sonny would sing his theme song when someone would finish their whole meal. One lady didn't and he offered people her fries from her plate that were left over. It was never a dull moment!
When our order was ready, Sonny clanged his bell and called for David. When Rebbel went to pick up the tray he told her that she didn't look like David. While there, he also was giving her a hard time for coming back from Florida to this weather. He even knocked on her head to see if anything was in there for making that decision.
The food was great too. We have to get back and try more dogs,and maybe even a hamburger. This is a don't miss experience. As an added bonus, if you can sing the theme song from memory, you get a free hillbilly hot dog! You can go to their website at http://www.hillbillyhotdogs.com/.

In Search of Coney Perfection - Jackson Coney Island, Jackson,Michigan

Jackson Michigan is the birthplace of many things. After all, it is the birthplace of the Republican party, Tony Dungy, my friend Tim B.,who now resides in Durango ,Co, and Jackson is known as the crossroads of Michigan. After all those things, it seems that Jackson could just sit back and say we did enough, but lo and behold, I have found out that Jackson, Mi. might also be the birthplace of the coney island hot dog! Now according to an article in Wikipedia, some people in the New York area refer to a spicy pork hot dog with kraut as a coney, but I am referring to the dog with meat chili, onion and mustard. Which in some parts of New York is called a hot dog with Michigan Sauce.
There is some discussion if the sauce from Michigan was developed by Todoroff''s in Jackson, or in Flint, or at American Coney Island in Detroit. I have decided, I don't care where it was originally created. I just want the best!
The best I have had so far, is at a place called Jackson Coney Island in Jackson, Michigan. It is located at 615 Michigan Ave. by the Amtrak station. The coney meat tastes great and is hard to duplicate. We have tried. The hot dog looks like a grilled beef dog, not the greatest, possibly a Gordon's Food Service, but not awful. The coney sauce more than makes up for it though. People buy these things by the bagful. We ate some in the truck and the delicious aroma was there the next day. You can start a taste test of your own, there is a Virgina Coney Island on the same block. Drop me a line telling me your favorite coney place at bullwinkle1961@gmail.com .

Dog Gone Huge! - Tony Packo's, Toledo, Ohio

The Mother of All Dogs, MOAD for short. That is what Tony Packo's calls their huge hot dog I had to have. We arrived at Packo's after going to Jackson, Michigan in search of the original coney dog. Sadly that place was closed, maybe forever, and our second choice was also closed.
We really wanted a special hot dog by that point, so it was off to Tony Packo's in Toledo. Most people probably wouldn't drive from Jackson, Michigan to Toledo, Ohio just for a hot dog.....but we aren't most people and this was THE MOTHER OF ALL HOT DOGS!!
We went to the Tony Packo's Cafe on Monroe St. There are five other locations you can choose. One location is at 1902 Front Street, probably the most famous, and the others are located in stores throughout the Toledo area.
Tony Packos has been a Toledo institution since 1932. They were mentioned by Toledo native Jamie Farr several times in the television show M*A*S*H* and have been visited by many celebrities and politicians as the signed buns that are on the wall attest. The hot dog bun signing started with Burt Reynold's when he was in town for a play he was acting.
The M.O.A.D. is a sausage type dog covered with spicy chili sauce, onions and mustard, and natural casing for a crunch. Tony Packo's is a Hungarian Restaurant, and that is probably why things are a little spicy.
It is served with spicy chunks of Tony Packo's pickles surrounding it. We also tried the pickles deep fried and they were delicous. It is definitely the biggest hot dogs I have ever eaten and worth trying out. Just be warned the chili is not your mild mannered variety, and neither are the pickles. If your head sweats like mine when you eat something spicy, you might want to grab a couple of extra napkins. You can find more at this website: http://www.tonypackos.com/index.php