St. Louis Hot Dog Tour; Part 1
March 15, 2009By Rob Hoffmann
The idea of doing a St. Louis Hot Dog Tour started out because I was complaining that you couldn’t get a good hot dog in St. Louis. Chicago has Portillo’s, Los Angeles has Pink’s, and New York has Nathan’s, but what do we in St. Louis have?
Apparently more than I thought.
While they may not be world famous, I have received what seems to be an endless number of suggestions on where to find really good hot dogs, and I’ve made it my mission to try as many of these as possible. Below you will find the first three stops on the St. Louis Hot Dog Tour 2009.
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QuikTrip
3410 S. Kingshighway
St. Louis, MO 63116
www.quiktrip.com
QuikTrip is the standard by which I judge all other hot dogs and is what a hot dog should be – simple and cheap. Are they the best? Maybe. Sure, they might not have the garden of vegetables some places serve on top of their hot dogs, and sure, they may have been sitting on the rollers under a sneeze guard all day before I come in, but they get the job done.
QuikTrip Hot Dogs
QuikTrip has a decent variety of toppings – if ketchup, yellow mustard, and pickle relish aren’t your things, they also have fancier dressings, including a chipotle sauce and a sweet and sour sauce (although that may be more for the eggrolls). They also have chili and cheese sauces available for an additional $0.50. As for me, I’ll stick with spicy mustard. For under $5.00 (my total was $4.46) you can get two hot dogs, a bag of chips, and a soda. They may be of questionable quality, but they sure are tasty.
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Dr. Jazz Soda Fountain & Grille
29 N. Gore Ave
Webster Groves, MO 63119
www.drjazzwebstergroves.com
Being the first official stop on the St. Louis Hot Dog Tour 2009, I had high hopes for Dr. Jazz Soda Fountain & Grille. Dr. Jazz opened in Webster last fall and was spotted by my friend Beth of Craves, Caves, & Graves (which you should be reading!), but it wasn’t until recently our troop made it over there. I ordered the Chicago Style Jumbo Hot Dog, which is a quarter pound, all beef hot dog served with tomato, onion, cucumber, pickle relish, and yellow mustard on a poppy seed bun.
Dr. Jazz's Chicago Style Jumbo Hot Dog
Checking the menu again online, it says there are supposed to be sport peppers on it too, but I don’t remember tasting any, which is sad because I like a little heat. It was a tasty enough dog and I liked the fresh vegetables, but they also overpowered much of the hot dog taste (which may be the point for a few people). I was a little disappointed with the price – my bill for the dog, a side of fries, and an iced tea came to $10.10 before tip. Maybe it’s just me, but that seems a couple dollars too much for a hot dog.
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The Bleeding Deacon Public House
4123 Chippewa St
St. Louis, MO 63116
www.thebleedingdeacon.com
The Bleeding Deacon Public House is another relative newcomer to St. Louis (established 2008) and was recommended by a friend. I ordered the “Curly Dog” which the menu describes as a “[f]oot long all beef frankfurter, specially sliced & cooked to curl, served with our ‘red’ BBQ sauce, pickles & charbroiled onions, on a cracked wheat bun.” My first thought when I saw “cooked to curl” was that it would be vaguely “U” shaped but nothing really special.
I was wrong.
Bleeding Deacon Curly Dog
Look at that thing! Its like a buzz saw of flavor!
This is probably the closest I will come to calling a hot dog beautiful. It was served like a traditional sandwich, but it was all hot dog goodness. The BBQ sauce was sweet and tangy (not too unlike the McRib sauce at McDonald’s) and the onions and pickles added to the flavor instead of masking it. It is served with your choice of French fries, smoked mashers, or spicy Brussels sprouts. My bill for the hot dog, fries and a beer came to $13.00 before tax and tip, which for the size of the sandwich and presentation, I say is a good deal. Yes, I may have just displayed a double standard after complaining about the price of Dr. Jazz above, but I see this as paying for art.
Want more hot dog goodness? Check out part 2 of the tour!
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So, there you have it! This will be an ongoing series as I have many more places to try. If you have any you would like to suggest, let me know at pandoraslunchboxblog@gmail.com
Hahahahaha, buzz saw of flavor.
The Chicago-style dog you were served should not have cucumber, but rather a pickle spear (usually the same length as the dog). You’re right, it should have had sport peppers (similar to those you find on the table at Steak ‘n’ Shake), but it should also have a dusting of celery salt on there, too.
I grew up in STL and live in Chicago now. My hot dogs growing up were always BBQed with some ketchup and sometimes some melted American cheese. (I was not an adventurous eater). I drunkenly had a Chicago dog one night and fell in love. Now there’s one tattooed on my arm.
I am looking forward to more posts here! Cheers! -Bridget
Great, I now feel that Dr. Jazz has wronged me in some horrible, unspeakable way. I want my celery salt! Hmmm…
I’m beginning to think that maybe a St. Louis Style Hot Dog is is served with ketchup and American cheese, because that’s how my brother and I did it too! Microwaved and served on a piece of white bread… Yeah, not sure how well that would fly.
Thanks for the comment!
A buzzsaw of flavor is my new catch phrase.
hahaha I was reading the comment above and as soon as I got to “one tattooed on my arm” I thought, “Bridget??”
I, too, and laughing at buzz saw of flavor. it’s amazing what a little presentation does for the amount you are willing to pay for a hot dog.
Robbie, your heart called and asked for you to stop this immediately.
How about a fruit smoothie review? Or maybe even a salad review? Not to be a buzz kill, but I’m just not so sure about this…
If I was eating them everyday, or even every week, which I’m not, I would understand your concern. These are going to be pretty fairly spaced out, and yes, I do plan on covering other things besides hot dogs.
You should have a little faith that I’m not a complete idiot.
I wish I could remember the name of the hot dog stand that was in Crestwood mall just as that ship started to sink. (2003-ish?) It was in the weird otherwise empty corner near Bissingers and Dillards and I just remember those dogs being super tasty. It was a bit like a Subway experience in that there were many little bins of toppings to choose from, and most importantly, there was dill relish. Obviously it’s long gone now, but maybe they relocated or had other locations to begin with. /hot dog nostalgia.
Buzz saw of flavor. hehehe
I hope Woofies is on your list to try.
There used to be a hole-in-the-wall place called Billy Burk’s way back when I worked at Sumner. It was just a dog cut down the center and served on Wonder Bread, but DANG. I think they sprinkled crack on it or something.
[...] Pandora’s Lunchbox is back, and what better way to mark the occasion than by the continuation of the St. Louis Hot Dog Tour! If you missed the first leg of the tour, you can find it here. [...]