St. Louis Hot Dog Tour; Part 2

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. On to part 2!!!

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7-Eleven
5200 Chippewa St.
St. Louis, MO 63109
www.7-eleven.com

While doing the St. Louis Hot Dog Tour, I have discovered something profound about myself – I’m a convenience store snob. While I have no problem getting a hot dog from QuickTrip (see part 1), I found myself very reluctant to try one from 7-Eleven. They both serve hot dogs of questionable quality that have been sitting under sneeze guards all day, but I have somehow managed to convince myself that QuikTrip is just somehow… classier.

The 7-Eleven Big Bite surprised me by being edible.

So with that prejudice in mind, I was actually both surprised (an relieved) that the 7-Eleven Big Bite Hot dog is actually pretty edible. It does a good job of tasting like a hot dog, and they have a good variety of toppings to choose from. My only real hang-up with it was that the Big Bite’s problem was in the name – you really had to bite into it. The resistance the hot dog gave me while biting into it, while I’m sure is unnoticeable to most everyone else, and probably even a normal quality a hotdog should have, was a little disconcerting. I felt like it was trying to fight me.

When I bought the Big Bite, 7-Eleven was running a special where you get the hot dog, a bag of 7-Eleven branded chips, and a soda for $2.99. You win this round 7-Eleven.

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Woofies Hotdogs
1919 Woodson Rd.
Overland, MO 63114

When word got out that I was touring St. Louis hot dog establishments, the first question most people asked was either, “Are you going to try Woofies?” or, “Have you been to Woofies yet?” Woofies is probably St. Louis’s best-known hot dog stand, complete with pictures of local and national celebrities who have eaten there. I can now finally answer, yes, I have been there and I have eaten the Big Herm.

Actually, the menu refers to it as “Big Herm: A Super Jumbo Dog.” The hot dog I ate has a friggin’ subtitle! Woofies doesn’t screw around – the Big Herm is a 1/3-pound hot dog that had to be serviced by two regular hot dog buns, and it was so completely loaded with relish, pickles, onions, sport peppers and tomatoes that it could have passed for a salad.

Even covered with all the veggies, the hot dog flavor of the Big Herm managed to shine through, which, after the lackluster performance of the hot dog from Dr. Jazz in the first leg of the tour, has redeemed Chicago Style hot dogs in my eyes.

The Big Herm from Woofies earns its title of Super Jumbo Dog.

The Big Herm costs $5.49, which at first might sound a little expensive for one hot dog, but this thing is huge and is filling enough that you don’t need to get a side of fries. Overall, I’m very impressed with Woofies.

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Random Hot Dog Cart
Corner of Washington Ave & 14th Street (Outside Levin’s)
St. Louis, MO 63103

Running around the City Museum on a Friday night (and its newly opened roof section) is a pretty good way to work up an appetite. Luckily Washington Ave. is dotted with street vendors who are more than happy to serve you chicken kabobs, polish sausages, bratwurst, and, of course, hot dogs.

The blue neon glow of the shop window is a must when enjoying street food.

The hot dog I had wasn’t really all that impressive or special – it looked about the size of a packaged (think Oscar Meyer) hot dog, but it was cooked in such a way that the flavor managed to compete with some of the bigger ones I’ve had. Toppings were limited to ketchup, mustard, and relish. I’m not exactly sure how much it cost – I just handed the guy some money and told him to keep the change, but I’m guessing under $3.00. Nothing special, but still pretty good. Maybe I’ll revisit a street vendor if I cover the best foods to eat when drunk.  These guys are probably loved by the drunks stumbling out of the clubs.

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And that concludes part 2! I apologize for the quality of a couple of the pictures – my main camera is on the fritz and I have to rely on my cellphone camera. I still have many more places to try, including one that I heard serves their hot dogs with pineapple. If you have any you would like to suggest, let me know at pandoraslunchboxblog@gmail.com or by commenting below!