Back to a favorite

It’s been a long time since I posted on this blog but here I am.

Yesterday I was having lunch with a close friend, Jack, who works in the heart of the UAB medical center. He doesn’t have long for lunch so I picked him up as he walked out of the hospital and went directly to one of my favorite hot dog places, Scott’s Koneys. When we arrived I was pleased to find this establishment flourishing. Scott’s has the biggest dining area of ANY hot dog stand in Birmingham. Since he is the sole survivor in what was once a food court attached to the old Liberty National Building he now has the entire seating area for his customers. Since he is in a parking deck he also will validate a parking ticket for free parking, what a deal.

 

We walked in to find a crowd dining in the large dining area as well as more people working to serve customers than I had ever seen here. Scott was back in the cooking area but spotted us through the open windows and came out to talk as soon as our order was under way. He apparently has a good memory for faces and remembered talking with Robert and I on previous visits here and here. He was in good spirits due to the good business he is doing and the growing prospects for more.

  

 

Now to the important part, the food: On my recommendation Jack and I each ordered a “smoked sausage dog” all the way. I must confess I also ordered a chili dog, one of my favorites. I watched Jack take his first bite and heard him say; “This is good!” I agree, the smoked sausage dog is a great hot dog. With hot dogs I usually eat two, but this dog with some chips and a drink makes a pretty good lunch for anybody, especially ageing men who can easily eat more than they should. Both Jack and his sweet wife Jan are health professionals and know how to eat right so he restrained himself. But I ate more than him, we had a good and memorable lunch as well as some really good conversation.

I must add that I was amazed to see how the Southside area is flourishing way beyond what we think of as the “medical center”. The development of UAB and its surroundings is spreading rapidly toward downtown as well as to the east and west. The opening of Railroad park and Regions Field have obviously helped revitalize this area. Five Points has been an active area in recent years, but there is much more going on than just Five Points.

By the way, on the left is Jack who even bought my lunch!

After getting him back to work I drove around a little to check out some of the downtown hot dog places. I’ll report on that soon and give a good list of current downtown servers.