In Search of the Ultimate Chili Dog

Wimpy’s Grill – Durham

admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 18:54:38 +0000

I tought I’d try Wimpy’s Grill today. This place was a disappointment, I may have had my expectations set too high. The sausage… junk. Just a poor quality sausage and when it was served the temperature was somewhere between hot and warm. The chili looked really good and I was looking forward to it but it seemed to lack any real flavor. It’s made on premises so it has potential but just not enough flavor for me. The bun was the standard grocery bun. Wimpy’s earns a whopping 2 out of 5. I probably won’t be going back there.

Charlie’s Pub & Grill in Durham

admin — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:50:46 +0000

A friend suggested I try Charlie’s Pub & Grill on 9th St in Durham. Thank You John!! The sausage was very well seasoned and hot (not spicy but temp) I didn’t ask the brand but it was very good. The chili was made on premises and it is truly a stellar chili. Very meaty, sweet and with a hint of something picante. My mouth is watering as I recreate it in my mind. The bun was also not ordinary. My guess is the bun could be from a local bakery. It was more dense than grocery store buns and had more flavor. All in all this was an excellent experience 4+ out of 5.

I think I do need to mention that after I arrived I waited a good 5 minutes before I had a server stop by. When I walk into a place and nobody acknowledges that I am there for 5 minutes I get real close to leaving. After I did get a server the service was just fine.

Sonic Drive-In

admin — Sun, 13 May 2012 18:36:59 +0000

Today I decided to give Sonic a try. I ordered the Footlong Quarter Pound Coney w/Chili and Mustard. It says on their menu that this is not available at all Sonics. The sausage was OK but lacked much flavor, it could use more seasoning. The chili was not quite meaty enough for me but the flavor was pretty darn good. The bun… just plain ordinary. Sonic gets a 3 out of 5.

Steve’s Place in Raleigh

admin — Fri, 11 May 2012 19:27:45 +0000

Drove over to Raleigh for lunch today and met up with Stephen and Rick at Steve’s Place in Plantation Square. This is a serious Hot Dog place. They do offer other sandwiches but… Hot Dogs are the reason for going there.

I ordered a 1/3 lb foot long with Chili and Mustard and it was good! The sausage was a Nathans and as you would expect well seasoned with lots of flavor. The jury is still out on the Chili. It was certainly meaty and had an excellent flavor. I couldn’t tell if it was made on premises or out of a can so I guess that’s kind of a good thing. The bun was a standard packaged hot dog bun nothing special.

Though it was my first visit I understand this place is an institution. Rick and Stephen had both been there before. They both ordered the Jalapeno Dog with brown spicy mustard, chili, and onions.

One fun aside is the hats. The ceiling is covered with hats of all varieties. Sports teams and products. I even saw a Waffle House hat. Steve’s gets a 4 out of 5.

Dairy Queen

admin — Mon, 07 May 2012 13:14:01 +0000

When I was stationed in Mt Clemons, MI back in 1964 I used to go to the Dairy Queen to get chili dogs. Yesterday while I was driving home from Statesville I saw a Dairy Queen sign and it was past lunch time so…

This was a good sausage it had flavor and a good consistency. The chili tasted a lot like Armour Chili w/no beans and was pretty good. The bun was a standard packaged bun. All in all, I’d give it a 3 on a 1 > 5 scale with 5 at the top.

I wonder why chili dogs are often so full of chili that you are unable to eat them without spilling chili over the front of your shirt. Look at this picture, how are you supposed to get this out of its box without getting messy? Maybe that’s part of the experience.

The Depot in Hillsborough

admin — Fri, 04 May 2012 18:42:56 +0000

So now I’m getting somewhere. Today I went to the Depot in Hillsborough and had a Depot Dog which is a local natural beef and pork long dog from the Weeping Radish Butchery in Grandy, NC. It was quite mild, I expected it to be spicier but it had a natural casing and I really enjoyed it. The Chili was made on site from grass fed beef and was very good. And finally, the bun was excellent. It was soft but dense and really complimented the chili dog.

There are still a lot of places to go and chili dogs to eat but I feel much better after today. Thanks Depot!

Snoopy’s in Raleigh

admin — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 13:00:04 +0000

Today I was in Raleigh so I figured I’d try Snoopy’s. I haven’t been there in years and now I remember why. I tried the beef hot dog thinking it would be a better quality sausage but I don’t know if it was or not whichever, it was common. The chili was out of a can and though not bad, it was also not good. I think I need to broaden my search. The bun stuck to the cardboard folder that it was in so when I went to eat it, it sort of pulled apart. It was a beautiful day and I enjoyed eating outside.

Any suggestions?

Sheetz in Mebane

admin — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 12:00:21 +0000

I am going to resume my search for the ultimate chili dog. This search ended about 37 years ago when my friend Ken Baer found Poppy’s somewhere off the Merritt Parkway. It was an AWESOME chili dog. One of our friends called it 7 napkin chili. One to wipe your mouth and 6 to wipe your forehead.

Anyway today I went to Sheetz in Mebane, NC and tried their 3 for $1 deal. All I can say is they were Ok. Sheetz used to have a quarter pound hot dog that was very good. These were average. Regular hot dogs with canned chili and the bun was out of a package. I could have done better at home.

If you have any suggestion of places to try in the Triangle please let me know!