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| - This place serves up some excellent wieners (and sausages), but an excellent wiener doesn't automatically insure an excellent hot dog - whatever version you're having - one of their Signature Hot Dogs, or one you choose to build yourself. The wiener is only part of the composition of a great hot dog, the most important part, but still just a part. The roll, the toppings (individually and collectively), cooking method, and finally the assembly process itself will determine the ultimate pedigree of the dog - Best of Breed, Mutt, or something in between.
We tried 3 Signature Hot Dogs - JJ's "No.1" Red Hot, The Char Heel, and The Joliet Jake (Chicago Style) - and I was underwhelmed with all 3 from the point of view of taste, texture, and composition. The very first think you notice when you unwrap the dog (any one of them) is the omnipresence of the color yellow (check out the photos) - the mustard, rather sharp mustard at that, is applied last, and with a heavy hand. On the first 2 Signature Dogs we tried, the mustard is applied to a large layer of slaw, and these 2 items overwhelm all other aspects of the hot dog - the excellent wiener gets lost, as do the other toppings, which are fairly small quantities to begin with - in fact, I don't know if I like their chili or not, never found enough to taste. These 2 dogs cost $3.49.
The Joliet Jake ($3.99) is not an outstanding version of the Chicago style dog. There were no whole Sports Peppers, the tomato was limited, and the Pickle Relish was bland, and the deli mustard was applied last and too liberally for my taste. I do not care for Potato Rolls, in general, and this one didn't change that opinion. All in all, these heavy hot dogs are overpriced, and do not rock you with flavor, mainly for the reasons mentioned. I would not order any of the 3 dogs we tried as they were served.
I went back, and ordered a simple dog with Sauerkraut and mustard, with the mustard applied before the kraut, and this was a very good dog, showcasing the excellent wiener, but cost $3.99 - very much over-priced. I don't consider this a hot dog destination kind of place, especially not in the Charlotte area, which boasts a number of outstanding dogs, include the Southern Chili Dog at Green's Lunch, a variety of good dogs by The Chili Man, and a number of very good Chicago Dog choices, including the outstanding one at Poppa's in Mooresville.
I imagine this place could do very well, it is the trendy kind of place some folks flock to - look at the success of Skippy's and their Pretzel bun in Winston - but I'll probably not be one of the flock here. Love the wiener, love that it is grilled, but the dog as a whole is another thing.
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