Five or Two Men, Brothers, or Guys

I think everyone is familiar with this place except me. I couldn't keep the name straight. I knew it was a name with a number, either two or five, and another word, men, brothers or guys. There are quite a few ways to put some of these words together as a name. Well, I now know that two brothers, Robert and Karl, have paid a visit to Five Guys restaurant in Hoover Alabama. I'll try to keep from confusing Five Guys with another local business, Two Men and a Truck.

This place has a reputation for good burgers; but they also have hot dogs on their limited menu. That, together with their location which is fairly convenient for us, made this our next stop on the hot dog tour.
I have noticed an abundance of specialty hamburger places in recent years. I once referred to some of the chain restaurants as; "five dollar hamburger places". Those place have now left five dollars in the dust as they have moved their prices even higher. These new specialty hamburger places have come along selling burgers that bear little resemblance to anything on the menu at Micky D's. But on this day we were not looking for burgers; we wanted hot dogs.

When we arrived at Five Guys I liked what I saw from the outside, lots of big windows and sidewalk tables for warmer times than February. Stepping inside we encountered a decor that reminded me of a school lunch room. Everything is very basic. The decorations on the walls consist entirely of bold black and white signs and quotes from reviews of their restaurants in other cities. I could easily envision doing no damage whatsoever when cleaning this place with a hose. But we weren't there for the ambiance; we wanted hot dogs.


One more digression before we get to the meal. Five Guys has several large containers of roasted peanuts (in the shell) available for all at no charge. There are paper french fry trays ready to be loaded with peanuts to shell and eat while waiting for an order. Their french fries, which are very good, come in a cup which they place in a bag along with a generous handful of fries to overflow into the bag.



There is no standard hot dog on the menu; rather the customer chooses toppings from all available hamburger toppings. This presents the opportunity to build a really unusual hot dog, an option chosen by Robert when he ordered his hot dog with mushrooms, tomatoes, grilled onions and bar b.q. sauce.



Since one can't just order a hot dog "all the way" or a chili dog (They don't have chili) I attempted to build a Chicago style hot dog by asking for mustard, relish, dill pickles, tomatoes and green peppers. I'm sure my hot dog was no where near a Chicago style hot dog in the end; but I tried.
(Sorry, I took a bite before I remembered to take a picture.)




They prepare their hot dogs by splitting the dog down it's length, then grilling it on both sides. They then place it in a bun and add toppings. My hot dog had enough toppings that the bun was pulled apart and they attempted to build it like a sandwich. This skinny sandwich with lots of toppings was difficult to eat since almost everything on the sandwich tried to slide out of one side or another when I took a bite. The flavor was good but the experience was frustrating. I guess I should have either wrapped the foil tightly to peal back as I ate or just asked for a knife and fork.

Even after the frustration I had with my sandwich I will probably return. I think the key to ordering a hot dog at Five Guys is to keep it simple and limit the toppings. I know tomatoes are one of the standard ingredients on a Chicago style hot dog; but I have concluded that the tomatoes just add to the mess while their flavor gets lost with so many toppings. I'm sure that's heresy to the connoisseur of Chicago style dogs. I'll even have them as I continue the search for the real Chicago dog in Birmingham.

Speaking of Chicago style hot dogs. there was a comment left by a reader known as "This is my dad. He's got a bald head". I was disappointed to see he removed it himself. I appreciated his comment.

More to come on Chicago style dogs in the weeks to come.

Dining in Beverly Hills (kind of) - Johnny Rocket's

Yes you can see yourself visiting Beverly Hills, South Beach or Beautiful Downtown Burbank by simply eating lunch at Johnny Rocket's right here in Birmingham. This diner is literally in Birmingham since their location, which appears to be suburban, is actually located within the strange meandering city limits of Birmingham.

We recently paid a visit to Johnny Rocket's to try their hot dogs. Both Robert and I were generally pleased with our meal and impressed that their hot dogs are given real attention. Since the hot dogs are clearly of the jumbo size we each restricted our order to one chili cheese dog each with a shared order of onion rings and out drinks. We left well fed but not overly stuffed.


The kosher hot dogs appear to be well grilled and are served on a lightly toasted bun with the toppings of choice. The onion rings were really good, served hot and fresh.

The "fun" diner atmosphere was dampened a little by the dried ketchup spill on the table. Their dark tabletops make it a little difficult to spot spills so I can understand why wait staff might easily miss them.

We actually have an evaluation sheet we complete for each of these hot dog excursions. There are several options for overall impression:

• Love it and want to return
• Like it and will recommend it and return
• Might go back but won't suggest it
• Not very good, but not horrible. Don't plan to return
• Ugh! Will not return

Robert and I both rated it somewhere between the second and third bullets, thinking we liked it but probably won't go back for hot dogs. While the food was good the prices are high (What one would expect in Beverly Hills or South Beach). I couldn't help but think about Lyric Hot Dogs in downtown; if you want to eat at a diner, go there! The prices are better, it is a one of a kind historic Birmingham business, and the food is just as good if not better.

Oddly, as I was writing this I actually considered stopping in there to pick up lunch for a brown bag lunch meeting tomorrow but have decided against it.

Max's Chicago Style Hot Dog

Where can you get a Chicago style hot dog?

The obvious answer is Chicago. But if you live in Birmingham and don't want to go to Chicago for lunch there are some local places serving what they call a Chicago style hot dog. I am no expert on the subject since I have never had one served up fresh in Chicago; but I have looked into the subject a little. I was asked recently if anyone in Birmingham serves a Chicago style hot dog, this by someone who spent several years in Chicago. This question has prompted a new interest in finding out more.

There is also the local item called a "junk yard dog" which usually has a little of "everything" on it. This is different from the Chicago style hot hog but is like it in that it is loaded. But let's think about the windy city rather than the junk yard.

According to Wikipedia A Chicago-style hot dog is a steamed or water-simmered, kosher-style, all beef frankfurter on a poppy seed bun, originating from the city of Chicago, Illinois. The hot dog is topped with yellow mustard, chopped white onions, sweet pickle relish (often a dyed neon-green variety, sometimes called piccalilli, a dill pickle spear, tomatoe slices or wedges, pickled sport peppers, and a dash of celery salt. The complete assembly of a Chicago hot dog is said to be "dragged through the garden" because of the unique combination of condiments. Some variants exist, adding ingredients such as cucumber slices, but the canonical recipe does not include ketchup, and there is a widely-shared, strong opinion among many Chicagoans and aficionados that ketchup is unacceptable. A number of Chicago hot dog vendors do not even offer ketchup as a condiment. To read their whole entry go here.

This all raises numerous questions. The first that occurred to me was; "What is a sport pepper?" I read the link in Wikipedia and still don't really know. I do know that I've never seen a pepper labeled as a "sport pepper" anywhere around here. I like peppers and buy them, cook with them, eat them and have even developed my own unique pepper sauce. I have even used the dreaded habanero pepper, but never a sport pepper.

I hope to determine which of the local offerings are attempts rather than the real thing, maybe even attempts to make the customer think it's a Chicago style hot dog. This particular project will involve some time and effort but should be tasty, filling and fun.

OK here we go.I had discussed with Robert my new interest in checking out the local offerings of Chicago style hot dogs so he suggested going to Max's Deli at the colonnade to try theirs. We had visited Max's many months before during "national hot dog month" and written about that visit here. During this visit we discovered that the offer from July has become their standard menu option, order one, get two.

We arrived at a crowded Max's for a late lunch. Our order was taken by Steve, the owner of Max's. He told us that he named the deli after his father who was known as Max.

On this visit we departed from our usual order to get Chicago style hot dogs. These hot dogs are big. Steve told us he uses only Hebrew National quarter pound hot dogs which can't be bought in the grocery store. Most hot dog sellers would label this as a "jumbo"but not here; at Max's they are business as usual.



So how were the dogs? They had all the ingredients except the pepper. They even use a poppy seed bun imported directly from Chicago since they are not available in Birmingham. Steve told us how, so far, he has not bought the "sport peppers" because they can only be purchased in huge quantities. He seems to be rethinking this ingredient. Regardless, I must say we really enjoyed our hot dogs. We weren't the only ones, they were even enjoyed by some guys at a neighboring table who stopped by on the way out to tell us our dogs looked delicious and how they enjoyed watching us consume them. We had doubts about our ability to finish two of these hot dogs each... but we did it.

I have already talked with the young lady who piqued my interest in Chicago style hot dogs and asked her to join me to give her reaction to some of the local offerings. Unfortunately she wasn't with us on this trip so I might have to return to Max's with her later. I look forward to getting the reaction of someone who has had the real thing and likes them.

I'm sure I'll be writing more about Chicago style hot dogs later. Some of the other places we will visit on this quest are:

Chicago Mike's Hot Dogs
2701 18th Street South, in Homewood
Two blog entries: here and here.

Pop's Grill
1207 20th Street South, in the Five Points Area.
My previous blog entry here.

and

Tony's Hot Dogs
1922 Highway 31 South, Helena (Near Valleydale Road)
My previous blog entries here and here. (The second entry deals with their Chicago dog.)

Sneaky's by the Brook

I had spent the better part of the day working with a friend on a project and left his office around 2:00 ready to eat. The nearest hot dog place was Sneaky Pete's in Mountain Brook Village so that became my destination.


The old-timers may remember Britling's cafeterias in Birmingham. Britlings was a chain in Birmingham and other cities. Many years ago there was a Britling's Cafeteria located very near the location of this Sneaky Pete's which they labeled "Britling's by the Brook". So in my strange mental gymnastics this Sneaky Pete's has become "Sneaky's by the Brook".



Let's get on with the visit. This Sneaky Pete's doesn't appear to be owner operated but has always served good hot dogs. I've been there before on several occasions. I'm not a "Brookie" but pass through there often. They do have the recipe down pat. The presentation leaves a little to be desired but after all, they are just hot dogs. I ordered my usual order for an "official visit"; a hot dog, chili cheese dog, chips and drink. I was quickly served and went to one of the many less than clean tables to eat. I immediately noticed that the toppings on the chili cheese dog were a little skewed toward one end. I remedied this using a chip and started eating. When their hot dogs are done right they are good, and these were. My only complaint would be that I prefer real 100% cheese rather than "nacho cheese" (yellow sticky melted cheese flavored food product).


Eating at Sneaky's by the Brook is an interesting experience, somewhat like eating at Pete's Famous. You will see a real cross section of society stopping in for a quick dog. Not everybody will admit it but hot dogs have an appeal that crosses all kinds of boundaries. Actually I have noticed how easily conversations can start up between customers in a hot dog place. This has happened for us numerous times.

Returning to Yaya's and Full Moon

Lately we have revisited a few places we have already written about. One day when Robert called me and said he wanted to go back to YaYa's I offered no argument what so ever. If you missed Yaya's take a look at the original posting Here.


YaYa's still serves up one of the most unique "samiches" you will find. Their Q-Dog is a hot dog with kraut topped with enough bar-BQ to make a decent sandwich itself, finished off with their unique sauce. All this served by Mr. Personality who loves his business and his customers.

The day we revisited YaYa's was a damp, cold winter day, not the best time to eat outside. Robert had called his friends, the Ackers who own Crossroads Cottage, Home of Forgotten Arts, which is right behind Yaya's. They came out and placed an order and we all went into their shop for a sit down visit and lunch. This was the perfect way to deal with the "dining room" at YaYa's which is a picnic table under an umbrella. Of course Mr. YaYa offered to dry it off for us and make us as comfortable as possible which was tempting but we opted for the great indoors.

During this visit I asked about his sauce which prompted quite a discussion. He even gave me his recipe along with the comment; "Bar-BQ guys aren't supposed to tell their recipes, are they?" Well his recipe is safe with me. I'll never tell or even make it. It calls for ingredients which must be purchased in very large quantities making it impractical to make for yourself.


Another Revisit:

I like the unusual hot dogs so I recently went back to Full Moon to pick up some "moon dogs". Read about the original visit here.
Yes, they do serve great ribs but the moon dog is just as good. On this visit I took the dogs back to the office where a friend and I sat down and devoured them together. He is also a hot dog lover but had never had a moon dog before. He has now found a new and memorable dog to have every now and then. I'm sure I'll be having more!


And Another Revisit:

One Saturday my wife and I found ourselves close to Sammy's Old Fashioned Hot Dogs and I was able to convince her to eat lunch there. Read my original post here. During these revisits sometime we try something new since Robert and I usually stick to a "standard" order for comparison purposes. This time I went right for the dog I originally called their "special dog". I came to discover when I ordered it that what I got was a blank stare from the teenage guy manning the counter on Saturday. They call this dog a "beef dog". It's a hot dog topped with their hot beef concoction. Other hot dog stands call a similar product a "special" but I offer no argument in giving their dog a different name. It is so much better than the usual "special" it deserves a name of it's own.

My wife had the "beef on a bun" sandwich which is basically the same hot beef that I had on my dog, but served on a hamburger bun. It is something like a sloppy-Joe, but different. She isn't a big fan of hot dog stand type food but really enjoyed this item. I want to go back now and try one of their legendary hamburgers.


A Couple of Unexpected Hot Dog Pictures
Finally a couple of parting shots. During a recent visit to Nashville I had to stop and take this shot of Houndogs Hot Dogs and Flip Flops. What a combination,. Maybe the flip flops are some food item. I didn't hang around long enough to find out. We had just finished a large breakfast and the weather was cold so hot dogs and flip flops had no appeal. Why were we in Nashville? To go to the Garth Brooks concert, of course. Anyone who knows me was just as surprised as I was to find us there, but it was fun.

And I simply must include this shot of a Christmas gift from Susie. Yes, it's a gummy hot dog. I haven't tried it yet. Maybe I should do an entry just on the gummy hot dog.

Paul's Hot Dogs

The holidays have slowed down the progress of the hot dog tour but we are trying to get back in the saddle. A couple of days ago I counted the places we have visited and found we have visited 28 local hot dog servers as well as 2 not so local. That makes 30. After visiting that many hot dog places some truths seem to be surfacing; more about that later.

This week we visited Paul's Hot Dogs in Trussville. There are two locations to visit, but we opted to visit the location on Chalkville Road. One thing that must be emphasized is that order number 25 is ready and should be picked up. We were treated to numerous notifications of that fact while we were there. Actually, he did finally pick up his presumably cold sandwiches. It seems he was very occupied with his walkie talkie (aka cell phone).

Now about Paul's. This place is a good basic hot dog stand with hot dogs that are predictable offerings in our area. Looking at their menu I see numerous items that don't always appear on the menu such as a "blackened bologna sandwich". Other items are just varieties of selected toppings that can be ordered or excluded. Robert and I took a couple of other companions (Aaron & Susie). Susie proceeded to order a hamburger and fries which she reportedly enjoyed. Of course the hard core hot dog guys ordered various hot dogs. The usual order for comparison sake id a hot dog and chili dog, both all the way. I also added a corn dog just to sample this offering.

I have always liked corn dogs when done right; so seeing one on the menu I couldn't resist. Perhaps I should have resisted because I have definitely had better. Maybe that should be my next quest...the perfect corn dog. Right now the best I have found around here is at Lyric Hot Dogs.

Paul's has a loyal following and was doing a brisk business. The chili on the chili dogs is good and their "special sauce" is also good. The orders take a little longer than at most hot dog places, but their signs say this is so they can serve a quality product. I'm not sure I agree; I've had equally good hot dogs served much faster.

Now regarding my comments above about the truths I am seeing after visiting this many hot dog servers. I have found that hot dog places seem to fall into two categories; predictable/ordinary and unusual. The ones I would call "predictable" are the normal hot dog places. They often have a sauce similar to Sneaky Pete's sauce and their dogs are similar. There are definitely differences as some are better than others but the basic serving has a predictable nature. On the other side are the unusual offerings. I have found that I really like the unusual products. The predictable ones can be very good, but I seem to love the new unexpected dogs I have found. At some point I am going to develop a ranking of sorts. I can see that it must include two basic categories; the predictable and the unexpected.

Mr. Hot Dog in Bessemer - Lunch with Cousin Cliff

Not only did I have lunch with Cousin Cliff (not to mention Popeye), but this was right next door to Big Mama!

Yes, you guessed it, I had lunch at Mr. Hot Dog in downtown Bessemer with Cousin Cliff keeping watch over my table.

Mr. Hot Dog is a long time hot dog server located within a half block of the Bright Star in Bessemer. Talk about competition…. Wow. I was alone on this visit. There were 7 of us from my office who were in Bessemer on this day, but I alone went for hot dogs rather than going to the Bright Star. As I look back I remember my conversation with Mr. Hot Dog himself; as we talked he asked me how I came to start the hot dog tour. I responded; “I guess I’m just crazy”. Maybe the fact that I passed up going to the Bright Star is a confirmation of that. Oh well.

Regarding Mr. Hot Dog, if you need a quick easy lunch while in Bessemer, this is the place. I enjoyed the various pictures on the wall which featured various reminders of past decades.

Can one eat too many hot dogs?

My precious wife, a survivor of colon cancer, expressed her concern for my repeated hot dog lunches. Friday night I looked back at the last eight days and saw that I have had hot dogs for lunch five out of those last eight days. I can’t argue that this might be a little over the top. Accordingly my consumption of “tube steaks” might be reduced a little in coming days.

There is this urban legend that you don’t want to see hot dogs being made. I have watched a video on that topic and it didn’t discourage me. Take a look.

Deb’s Hot Dog’s in Bessemer

Our efforts to visit every hot dog server in the Birmingham area has become a little harder. I have a list of these places that includes areas around town that would require over an hour of travel time for a round trip to lunch.

This week my work is making it necessary for me to be in Bessemer for two days. I am taking advantage of this to have lunch at two hot dog servers in Bessemer. The first one I visited was Deb’s Hot Dogs, the second was Mr. Hot Dog (look for the next post).

Deb’s is a small white building that is easy to miss. We had good directions and still missed it on the first pass. Once we were there we found a down home atmosphere with a loyal following. For these visits Robert wasn’t with me but when I went to Deb’s I was accompanied by 3 people who work with me.

Our experience at Deb‘s was very good. None of these guys had been on a hot dog tour visit with me prior to this visit. They really got into the experience giving it somewhat of a party atmosphere. Even the food was good. After all, that’s what this is all about.

We all enjoyed our hot dogs and sides. The dogs at Deb’s are predictable hot dogs, very typical of the hot dog servers in our area. Interestingly when I told Deb about the blog she asked me; “Did I pass?” She most definitely “passed”; this place is a good place to stop when you are in Bessemer.

WOW! Steve Malone Serves A Great Chili-Dog

This week Robert and I decided to make up for lost time over the last few weeks. We decided to go for dogs two days in a row. I even ended up doing three days in a row, but more about that later.

We went to Sneaky Pete's in Hoover on Thursday, then decided Friday morning to visit another vendor. I am always at a loss of what to call these guys; hot dog stands, hot dog restaurants, hot dog vendors... None of these seem to fit for everybody. Nevertheless we decided to search a NEW street vendor in downtown Birmingham. I don't remember who first told me about this guy, but somehow I heard about Steve Malone's new venture. I actually knew him in a "former life", but haven't seen him in several years.

Lets get down to business... the business of hot dogs.

I must say that his chili dog is possibly the best I have ever eaten! But, here's the whole story. Robert and I arrived at Steve's corner (6th Avenue North & 20th Street - right in front of the Church of the Advent). We were a little late for lunch and arrived to see him beginning to shut down. We immediately asked if he could still sell us a dog and were pleased to hear him offer chili dogs. As we waited a couple of other customers came up and also wanted to eat. Within the time it took us to finish he had sold slap out of hot dogs and chili.

I was taking pictures as usual so I told him about this blog and what we were doing. He then urged me to come back and see him in "full operation" with the perfect opportunity the next day, Saturday, at The Summit Shopping Center. This would be his first day at the Summit. Since this location is very close to my home I decided to drop by on Saturday to have another taste of his chili dogs as well as see the full operation.



Friday, downtown, Robert got his second dog after I did, and he ordered a chili-slaw dog and then proceeded to rave about it, but didn't offer me a sample. So, Saturday I was there at the Summit and really really wanted to try one of these. As it was being prepared I asked Steve to fix it like he likes 'em. He told me he calls it a Steve dog, locally prepared mustard, chili, relish and slaw (from the Urban Standard). It was great... I had intended to eat just one but had to order another. While I was there a rather hefty female customer came up and ordered a hot dog. I suggested to her that she should try a "Steve dog" which she did. After she had finished one she ordered two more (for herself). Wow, I just love to see somebody enjoy their food, and she did.



Have I said enough? Just in case I haven't I'll tell a little about the chili. His chili is a vegetarian chili complete with Wickles relish (a great Alabama product). This is unusual chili, not something one would eat a bowl of but designed just for hot dogs. The flavor is a little unexpected but is very good; then when combined with the slaw makes an outstanding package. Steve is a little low key about this dog but I think he should be a little more aggressive in offering this unique product. As I look back at my pictures I find I totally missed photographing the "Steve dog", but it wasn't around very long, neither one.

We have always been on the lookout for distinctly local and Southern products such as Golden Flake Potato chips. Steve has taken this to a new level by using a local boutique mustard, serving Buffalo Rock ginger ale and crediting Urban Standard for the slaw. There is nothing like supporting the local economy! Something else we always enjoy is finding a hot dog with a unique flavor or twist and this is definitely one. I hope to return for more.

Sneaky Pete's in Hoover - The Owner Operator

This week after a week off for the Thanksgiving holiday we decided to make our first visit to the major chain of hot dog stands in town, Sneaky Pete's. We have admittedly avoided Sneaky Pete's in order to first visit many of the independents. Our first visit to the chain was to the Hoover location at 1550 Montgomery Highway, Hoover, AL. For those who haven't memorized street addresses for the city, this is in the shopping center just south of the intersection of I-65 and US-31 at the foot of Shades Mountain, just south of Vestavia.

Through the years I have been to many Sneaky Pete's locations on many occasions. The quality is somewhat inconsistent from location to location, but the product is generally good. On this visit to this location we discovered an owner operated franchise location run by Barry and Patty Marsh. Bary and Patty obviously take pride in their restaurant; they keep it clean and sell quality food.

Bottom line, this is one of the best Sneaky Pete's locations one can visit.

Somehow this outing grew to include quite a group. We had an entourage of six when we placed our order. Robert and I have this illusion that we keep out presence low key.... but this is blown when we start taking pictures. Maybe we should always try to take a big group so they are so busy filling our orders we don't get any attention. Nevertheless as we were leaving today, as we usually do we made our introductions and explained what we were doing. Barry was all smiles and welcomed our attention. That's what you get when the management is the owner, they know they are doing a good job.


Among the group we ordered a variety of hot dogs, but I heard no complaints. At my table I observed a foot-long hot dog, cheese fries, a special dog and of course a chili dog and regular hot dog all the way. This visit was enjoyed by all despite placing our lives in peril by riding with Huggy Bear.

A while back I suggested a "hot dog diet". My logic was that ones stomach couldn't handle a steady diet of hot dogs and one would eventually be forced to eat less. Sneaky Pete's urges one to visit "Morning, Noon & Night. Based on the experience at this location I have my doubts that my diet would work; this food is just too good.

Dee's Cart With A Heart

Somehow both Robert and I were too busy to make a hot dog excursion last week; so we were ready for hot dogs at lunch on Thursday. We are at the point where we are having to get a little more creative and go to a little more effort in our quest (to visit every hot dog server in Birmingham). We have both heard several glowing tributes to a hot dog cart in the area of UAB Hospital on Southside; so we decided to start finding the street vendors. We weren't even sure where to find Dee's but had no trouble spotting her at the busy corner of 7th Avenue South and 20th Street. Every day the weather permits, Dee parks her cart just around the corner from tho old University Hospital right outside the Dentistry Building. Her bright umbrella and hot dog shaped cart are hard to miss.


Here's an article about Dee that was in the Birmingham News a while back. LINK

So what did we find at Dee's. A surprisingly good product sold by a busy vendor with a loyal following! I went to our first street vendor prepared to lower my standards due to the difficulties of doing business from a cart only to find that Dee can compete with the best. We placed our order and chose to stand next to the cart to dine rather than walk down the block to some benches. It was interesting to see the mix of customers who came and went during our short time there. We noticed that she greeted several regular customers by telling them their usual order with a question mark on the end. One noticeable customer was a well dressed man in coat and tie who was buying his usual, an all beef dog with relish and mustard. He looked a little sheepishly at us and remarked how he should try some other options sometime; but I think he has found what he likes and doesn't need to experiment any more.

Here are some great positives we noticed:

• The chili on the chili dogs is definitely fresh home made chili with a great flavor. Maybe she should sell it by the bowl.
• Her drinks are stored in big tubs of ice and served ice cold.
• The hot dog shaped cart is a real winner.
• The prices are among the best values we have found anywhere.
  
• Dee is a stickler for hygiene putting on a clean plastic glove every time she starts an order.

There are thousands of people within a close walk of her stand every day; and parking can be difficult in that area. So one would not expect much drive up activity, yet we were able to park within 20 feet of her stand and saw at least one customer pull up and pause in the turn lane for an order, an order that was communicated by a wave. I don't remember seeing anything like this at any of the other places we have visited.

This is one of those places I plan to return to. My next visit will most likely coincide with a trip to UAB for some reason other than lunch, but also will most likely involve some special planning in my schedule. It is worth the effort.

Sammy's Old Fashion Hot Dogs

Today Robert and I visited Sammy's Old Fashion Hot Dogs. Sammy's is located in the strip shopping center just east of the location of the old Eastwood Mall. This shopping center is where K-Mart is located and backs up to Montevallo Road near Crestwood Blvd. I give the specific location because it is a little difficult to spot. The narrow space they occupy is located to the right of Dollar General almost behind a huge column.

Sammy's was started years ago by Sammy Guarino who is now a founder of Pop's (see last week). The current owners have had it for years and seem to have built a loyal following. I must say that Sammy's ranks among the friendliest hot dog stands we have visited. Early in our visit Robert told them about this blog and we talked a little about what we are doing. It is easy for these people to think this is a bigger deal than it is so I tried to put things in perspective.


Nevertheless, Michelle who works the counter, came out to talk with us as we ate. During our visit we learned about the pride they take in their hamburgers; we saw one and it definately looked good. Michelle thinks they have far surpassed the big specialty hamburger place nearby. We also talked about other items on the menu as well as some they don't carry. About the time we were finishing "Ike", Michelle's husband and master of the grill, showed up and gave us a "special dog" to try. Robert promptly cut it in half and we woofed it down.

That gray-headed old man is me preparing for my first bite of a Sammy's hot dog.
(Please ignore the expanding waistline)

We had talked about the special dog with Michelle as an item that they also pride themselves in. The few longtime readers of this blog may remember some of my previous comments about special dogs. They have never been a favorite of mine; in fact the usual presentation of a hot dog with a soupy gray beef concoction poured over it is something I really don't care for. BUT, the special dog at Sammy's is the first "special dog" I have ever had that I liked. The beef topping wasn't gray and was spiced sufficiently to add a good flavor. I'm glad I have found one of these special dogs that I like.

Overall the food at Sammy's ranks among the best we have found during the Great Birmingham Hot Dog Tour. The chili on the chili dogs was excellent, as well as their own special hot dog sauce which has a great flavor. We have observed that many hot dogs are served a little on the cold side; but not at Sammy's. The buns were fresh, soft and generally perfect.

I would offer them one piece of advice. I think they would do more business with better signage. As I said above, the narrow little shop is difficult to spot and easily missed. They should try to get a creative sign, maybe neon like Pete's, and have it placed on the big column that hides them from one side. Try to use the architectural barrier that makes them hard to see. Also it wouldn't hurt to redo the sign above their space to get it into good repair with a more eye catching design.

The bottom line is that I plan on returning to Sammy's for more.