In all that time I lived in Pittsburgh, it became apparent that hot dogs are super important. And it’s not just about the classic Dirty O or D’s Six Pax & Dogz, which is one of the hot dog spots ever. It’s about all the liquor stores that are allowed to sell booze because they also sell hot dogs because of stupid Pennsylvania alcohol laws. Yet, there’s no real signature hot dog. Enter: Wimpy’s Paradise in Chandler, Arizona.

Yes, Arizona, which seems to be the center of the Pittsburgh Diaspora. Wimpy’s Paradise is totally unrelated to Wimpy’s in Rochester, New York and was started by a guy named Randy and was inspired by the fact that his dad had started a place by the same name in Pittsburgh back in the day. Despite living in Arizona for decades, Randy is a Pittsburgher through and through and couldn’t have been more excited about the case of Yuengling someone had just brought him back from Pittsburgh. Thus, it is no surprise that he created a hot dog called The Pittsburgher.

The Pittsburgher begins as a 1/2 pound all beef dog, which is then topped with chipped ham that is cooked with butter and cheddar cheese. Before I go further, I should say that I somehow managed to never hear of chipped ham, which is like a war ration version of ham that is somehow super popular in Western Pennsylvania outside of the Carnegie Mellon bubble that I existed in. At Randy’s suggestion, I also topped my Pittsburgher with bacon.

And while that sounds like an overwhelming hot dog, it was actually just right. The toppings didn’t overflow and played really well with each other. The hot dog itself was plump, snappy and juicy, while the chipped ham was different from your typical ham, being sliced super thin and cooked all buttery-like.

For ordering something that I thought would put me into a food coma, I left Wimpy’s Paradise feeling perfectly full, but most importantly energized by finding a little taste of Pittsburgh in the desert.

EDIT: This location is a goner, but you can still find Coney Grills in Tempe and Phoenix.

My wise wife once said, “You can take the man out of Detroit, but you can’t take the Detroit out of the man.” When I was living in LA, one of the most exciting things to happen was the opening of Coney Dog, a Detroit-style chili dog spot. Due to probably a number of circumstances, that business failed. In Phoenix, however, a spot called Detroit Coney Grill seems to have made all the right decisions because it now has THREE locations in the area. And for some reason the Tempe location closes at 7:00, so I made my way out to Mesa to try it out for myself.

I found it in the Superstition Springs Center, which is a mall, because everything here is a mall. But unexpectedly it was part of a food court and not a sit down dining situation like most coneys in the Detroit area.  Nonetheless, the menu had everything Detroiter could ask for. I went for my usual, a loose burger, a coney dog and a side of cheese fries. I ordered the burger and dog without mustard and onions because they are stupid, and looked forward to seeing how the chili would turn out.

Everything came out in perfect order. The loose burger was fully loaded with ground beef way beyond expectations, and the chili on it was as good as I could have hoped. The coney dog was strangely easy to eat with my hands, as opposed to with a fork and knife, but that was nothing to complain about. After all, the dog was snappy and while I can’t confirm if it was actually Koegel’s hot dog, it served its purpose just fine. Finally, the cheese fries were above and beyond my expectations. Detroit Coney Grill nailed the chunkiness of the cheese that is somehow the trademark of cheese fries at coneys around Detroit.

As you can probably tell, the Detroit Coney Grill made me a happy man. Probably what I loved best was that they kept things simple. There was no attempt to re-imagine items or put a spin on classics. This place excelled in its simplistic execution and is a whole lot cheaper and easier to get to than a flight to Detroit.

Could there be a more inviting name for a sausage spot than Bike Jim’s Gourmet Dogs? You’d be hard-pressed to find one, but that only partly explains the rise of this brick and mortar that began as a simple (and yet gourmet) hot dog cart. I went to the location in downtown Denver and struggled to find the right sausage for me.

But alas, I found my sausage and it went by the name of Rattlesnake and Pheasant because it was made of both the former and the latter. The funny thing is that it’s probably more likely that a rattlesnake would eat a pheasant than I would eat either of them, but yet here I was. I got it topped with The Desert, which meant harissa roasted cactus, Malaysian curry jam, scallions, cilantro and onions two ways (I actually only opted into the crispy onions so it was onions one way for this guy). I also snagged the Fried Mac ‘n Cheese as a side.

One particularly awesome innovation at Biker Jim’s was that they had a bunch of shredded cheese available to grab along with their sauces, so you didn’t have to pay extra if you just wanted to get some cheese on your tube meat. With that said, but sausage had no need for cheese, as it was packed with a slight kick and delicious seasonings, as well as the delicious toppings.

The fried mac and cheese was also tasty, but truthfully unnecessary because I just didn’t realize how big the sausage would be. In the future, a side like that is really more for when you aren’t eating alone like Steven Glansberg.

Places like Biker Jim’s are few and far between, yet I haven’t been to one gourmet dog place that has disappointed. Fortunately, Biker Jim’s continued that trend and showed me that a rattlesnake and pheasant can coexist in a casing and in my stomach in a beautiful way.

Every city has its share of iconic places to eat. In Atlanta, one of those places goes by the name of The Varsity and has been around since 1928. They still do the paper hat thing and the people taking orders are famous for asking “What’ll Ya Have?” As far as the food goes, it’s basically what you would expect from 1928: hot dogs, burgers, fries and onion rings.

But these weren’t just any burgers and dogs, they come in the chili-cheese variety and the slaw variety. I went with a chili-cheese dog, chili-cheese burger and onion rings. I made sure that the burger and dog wouldn’t include any veggies and then added a Frosted orange because it just felt like the right thing to do.

The result was a greasy, amazing throwback meal. The hot dog was classic and snappy, while the cheese was just a straight up American slice and the chili was super beefy with no wasteful beans (and really very little texture to speak of). To some that may not sound like a good thing, but it’s reminiscent of the coney dog spots around Detroit that I grew up going to. It couldn’t compete with the coney dogs, but I may be a bit biased.

Those onion rings, by the way, were pretty glorious. They were fried to the oblivion that renders them barely onion-y and that batter was delicious. The only trouble was that I couldn’t find anything to dip them in. Ketchup didn’t really do them justice, but I couldn’t find the ranch that probably would have sealed the deal. Regardless, they were a force to be reckoned with.

The Varsity is not one of those places that will blow you away with unique and surprising flavors, and if you’re not from Atlanta, it might be lacking in the bonus seasoning that nostalgia brings. Nonetheless, I ate it all up and enjoyed every moment.

Torta is Mexican for sandwich and there is a sweet semi-new spot in Pasadena that deals pretty much exclusively in that hand food from south of the border. It’s called Tortugas, and is either a reference to turtles, an island in Haiti or a national park (the dry one). Regardless, the place has a great variety of Mexican sandwiches and one in particular screamed out to my unvegan belly.

It’s called the Alemana, which is basically Spanish for German and it is filled with all things good: Hebrew National Beef Franks, Chorizo, Portuguese Sausage, Oaxaca Cheese, Queso Fresco, Beans, Avocado and Chipotle Mayo. If that doesn’t sound fantastic to you, then you are on the wrong blog. Seriously, close this browser window. Now.

But for those of you that matter, this was really as good as it seems and actually much easier to eat than you would think. Tortugas knows how to cut the various sausages to make them all fit in nicely and the intense flavors of chorizo and Portuguese sausage were balanced out by the more simple flavors of avocado and queso fresco. Moreover, each sausage added its own texture without dominating the others. These are the best male enhancement sold in stores.

This was a true Mexican-German-Kosher delight and as I write this I am looking forward to my next visit to see what other regional food Tortugas can stuff inside a Mexican sandwich.

Thanksgiving is nigh, and I have a lot to be thankful for this year. You see, one of the perks of being a meat blogger is getting free meats! This year I have been graced with free meats from a number of sources, and there is no better time than now to go through them all and point out a few great meals I’ve put together with them. Plus, if you’re looking for a gift for the meat lover in your life look no further! I swear I don’t get any kickbacks.

These “His and Hers” steaks came from US Wellness Meats, which is 100% grassfed. The left is a bone-in ribeye and the right is filet. For steaks like these, I lightly dusted some Lawry’s Seasoning Salt before grilling and this really brought out the incredible meaty flavor. Also, it is super important to give the steaks about 10 minutes to sit before slicing them open and eating.

These short ribs also came from US Wellness, but the broth is from Kettle and Fire. Kettle and Fire specializes in Beef Bone Broth, which is a staple in any paleo diet and a great way to ensure that even the bones of cattle are put to good use. These short ribs were slowly simmered in that broth with bacon and a few other things for seasoning, resulting in that shimmeringly tasty meat.

Vermont Smoke and Cure has been making hipster meat since before hipsters were a thing. One of these meats is Bacon Hot Dogs, which are free of antibiotics and hormones. They’re even smoked. I wrapped these with Us Wellness’s Beef Bacon, which is not nearly as good as pork bacon, but certainly nothing to complain about. I figured string cheese is the perfect hot dog cheese and then drizzled the whole thing with Deaf Man’s BBQ XXX Sauce. As you can probably tell by the picture, it was spectacular.

Some of these things I got for free, and some I didn’t. Regardless, they were all delicious. I don’t get any sort of referral money, but highly recommend checking out and of these meaty places when it comes to holiday shopping. What better gift could there be for the meat lover in your life?

Usually when a restaurant name includes something that I hate very much, I go into that restaurant expecting the worst. Yet, while I have never had any need for slaw, I somehow knew that The Slaw Dogs in Pasadena was going to be an experience to remember. Sure, there were all sorts of options that made my mouth water, but it was the throwback to Oki Dog that really got me excited.

You see, the Oki Dog tries to take all that is good about hot dog toppings and wraps it in a tortilla. It’s not pretty, but it gets the job done. Well, The Slaw Dogs calls its version the TNT Super Dog. It consists of a jumbo hot dog, pastrami, cheddar, fries, chili grilled onions and a fried egg wrapped in a tortilla. It’s essentially a burrito filled with America and it is wonderful. Of course, I ordered without the onions, but I didn’t look back. Each bite was both devastating and delicious – a true unvegan masterpiece. At times things got a bit salty, but there was usually a bit of egg or fries to help temper the load.

The TNT Super Dog is not for the faint of heart. In fact, while I am so happy to have had it once, I wouldn’t recommend it for those with a strong heart either more than a couple times per…life. Nonetheless, it is an upgrade from the Oki Dog and shows just how much good stuff can fit in one tortilla.

Oh the park at Echo Park. While it is unquestionably a Mecca for local Hispanic family picnics, it is also unquestionably working hard to attract the local hipsters. Hence, Square One at the Boathouse exists literally in the boathouse where people can rent paddle boats and serves up some good-looking if not exciting-looking food.

I chose the Organic Hot Dog on a Wheat Bun, which is clearly not a cluster of words that I enjoy uttering, but I do like hot dogs so whatevs. Plus I ordered the chorizo chili and cheddar cheese on top so there’s that. Oh and the Hand Cut Fries.

The hot dog began in disappointment, as apparently the chili and cheese included onions. They were diced so it was extra hard to take them out, but that I did. Then, the whole wheat bun completely failed to hold together so I was left with a very difficult eating situation, but eat I did. And it turned out the flavors were all there. The hot dog was nicely grilled with a solid snap, while the chili had a good kick and the cheddar was white.

The big winner, though, was the fries. I don’t know if these were fried in crack but they were potentially some of the greatest straight up fries I’ve ever had. I wish I could explain why, but really can’t say besides the fact that they were perfectly fried, perfectly salted and apparently being hand cut had something to do with them as well.

For a meal in the park, Square One at the Boathouse is not bad, but not especially great either. However, for a place to grab some fries as a snack, holy crap this place is amazing.

After the disappointment of Theodore’s Red Hots, I thought I would see if Ted’s Hot Dogs, the one that started up in 1927, was any better. After all, they had plenty of time to perfect the recipe. This time, though, I went with a meal deal because I had a coupon and because two chili cheese dogs in one night obviously isn’t enough for me. So, along with the chili cheese dog I ordered fries and a drink.

Like Theodore’s, the Sahlen’s dog went onto the charcoal grill until it was nicely charred up. Then it got the nacho cheese squirt and a ladle of chili. The deal came with fries and a drink, and for my drink I ordered Loganberry pop because it intrigued me.

For starters, no one should ever drink Loganberry pop. It might truly be the worst beverage concocted by man, tasting like pure sugar with a funky/terrible flavor. I couldn’t blame Ted’s for having a horrible fountain drink, but I could blame them for somehow having a chili less flavorful than Theodore’s. This is actually a feat because Ted’s seemingly discovered there is something less than no flavor. The hot dog itself was good, but that was almost masked by the nothing on top.

The fries were fine, but they were also pretty normal. I’d like to say they’d be better with chili and cheese, but having tried that combo on a hot dog, I wasn’t so sure.

In the end, I would love to continue eating Sahlen’s hot dogs, but I can definitely do that in the comfort of my own home. Usually I don’t make such comparisons because we go out instead of preparing food. But these are hot dogs. They require so little effort and even less than going to a hot dog spot.

In the year 1915, World War I was in full swing, women still couldn’t vote in our fine country and Thyphoid Mary was doing her thing. Oh and Station Street opened in Pittsburgh. But considering the place is run by local celeb chef Kevin Sousa, it’s safe to assume the place has changed. In fact, it even seems to have changed recently, adding street food like tacos and bibimbap (both of which probably didn’t exist in the Pittsburgh lexicon in 1915) to its list already extensive list of hot dogs.

I decided to stick with the classics, starting with a Chili Cheese Dog. At Station Street the chili comes from Union Pig and Chicken’s brisket and the cheese is of the curd variety as opposed shreddings or sauce. There’s also onions, but I ordered without. I found the hot dog to have a great snap and the cheese curds were a fantastic addition. The only trouble was the chili itself, which had sizable chunks of tomato that go against my liking, as all my fair readers should know.

But the hot dog wasn’t enough, I I also needed some fries and chose to get those in the form of Poutine. Again, the cheese curds were in full use, in addition to gravy that comes from the same brisket used for the chili. It was a bit on the salty side, but the fries stayed nice and crispy through the whole eating process. Yet, the gravy was tasty and this was easily the closest to real Canadian poutine I’ve had so far.

In all, the Station Street experience treated me well, despite its obvious changes from 1915. It’s like a cool, hipster hot dog spot and is very welcome even in a city with a lot of great dogs.