Lisa and Peter Fleck, owners of Buzzy & Bear's Grill, enjoy a flame-broiled slaw dog on their "signature" griddle-toasted roll.

Hot-diggity-dog! I've spent the several weeks taste-tasting the official food of summer -- the hot dog.

It has been an informal tasting expedition and I have by no means tried every dawg in Charlotte, but I've eaten my share I can assure you. So, take this as some advance guidance on just where to find the best hot dogs in the Queen City and get ready to eat your share.

Before I begin, a couple of tasting notes:
I grew up in Jacksonville, Fla., but my Dad was from Chicago and my Mom from Boston. In our house hot dogs were served with mustard and relish. Ketchup was reserved for hamburgers, fries and occasionally used as a spread for leftover meatloaf sandwiches, but never, ever, did we eat ketchup on hot dogs. These days I still look for mustard, relish and occasionally sauerkraut on a good dog, and that is what I went in search of here.

During my hot dog eating adventure, my 6-year-old niece, Mariah Edidin, joined me for a week - to visit me (and my cat, Scruffy) from her home in Seattle for her annual trip to "Camp Heidi." I took her with me to sample hot dogs in several locales and learned a lot about what children look for in a great hot dog.

First, and foremost - there is to be none of the "all the way" stuff that the grownups like to order. Mariah's actual comment was, " No way I'm eating that!" when she saw the dog I ordered topped with chili, slaw, mustard, relish and onions. No, Mariah, like most kids her age, likes her dogs unadorned and unadulterated. She ordered hers plain. If there were to be any condiments, it was ketchup and mustard only, please. In addition, kids also seem to prefer their hot dogs boiled or steamed rather than grilled and prefer them to be served on soft steamed buns. None of that hard crusty skin and stuff for them, although, to be frank (pardon the pun), the "hard crusty skin" and the snap of a bite it renders are my favorite part of eating a hot dog.

I started my pursuit for the best dog in Charlotte at a cute little hot dog stand I saw at Metrolina Flea Market. Buzzy & Bear's Grill offers flame-broiled dogs and brats with a half dozen or so variations on the theme. I was pleased to think I had hit gold from the start. Grilled to perfection, these dogs are served on toasted buns with your choice of condiments, including homemade chili, fresh-made slaw, white wine kraut, mustard, onions, relish and yes, even ketchup. You can taste B&B's hot dogs, German Brats, Sweet Italian Sausages, polish Kielbasa and their delicious home-smoked pork barbecue at Metrolina the first weekend of every month, in addition to catching them for lunch at 101 South Tryon St., across from the First Citizens Building, from around 11 a.m. or so until about 2:30 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Next Mariah and I had a dog or two at one of my favorite neighborhood spots, Five Steps Down on Middleton Drive just off Providence Road. This little pub and sandwich shop is located just "five steps down" under the recently reviewed Primo Tuscan Grille. The dogs here are steamed and served on soft buns, but still full of flavor. Get them any way you like - the slaw and chili are both good - served with a side of your choice.

Mariah and I also hit the hot dog shop in the food court at Carolina Place, Frank N' Stein. This place is another winner, offering a variety of dogs and sausages in a number of sizes with lots of different toppings. I particularly like the kraut here, served steaming hot; it's my idea of the perfect way to top a tube steak, and Mariah's plain dog with ketchup and mustard yielded a big "thumbs up."

After I took Mariah back to Seattle, I was feeling a bit like a stuffed tube steak myself, and decided to take a break for a couple of days. During my hot dog hiatus, I attended a little wine tasting and the subject eventually turned from wine to my lastest eating exploits. At the mere mention of the word "hot dog" a group of guys - all avid golfers - stopped to tell me where to find the best dogs in the city. They're "at the turn" at Myers Park Country Club! Now, the hitch here is that Myers Park is a private club, and so to taste these dogs you have to befriend a member of Myers Park and ask for an invitation to lunch (and maybe a round of golf). Know that it will be worth any means of persuasion you might need to employ - these are indeed great dogs. They come hot, straight off the grill with chili or without. Condiments include a sweet red pepper relish, dark and yellow mustard, grated cheese, pickle relish, chopped onions, mayo, ketchup and hot sauce. The chili is quite good and the red pepper relish is fabulous. A perfect way to take a time out between the nines. I would be remiss here if I didn't also mention that in addition to the hot dogs, the fine dining at Myers Park is also superb. So, if you've talked your friend into the invitation to lunch, talk a bit harder and longer and get yourself invited over for dinner - it's a wonderful dining experience!

After lunch at the club, I dropped by Spoon's Restaurant, the one on Hawthorne Lane. Spoon's has been in Charlotte a long time and in addition to great dogs, there are also fine burgers, and, of course, those triple-thick short, square ice cream sandwiches.

After Spoon's, it was over to the Soda Shop at Park Road Shopping Center. You can eat at booths or at the counter or get your dogs to go. The chili here is fare to middlin', but the slaw is quite good and the dogs themselves pretty tasty.

At 617 Sharon Amity, you can pick up a great dog at Eddie's Place-Danny's Too, located in the same shopping strip as Hotel Charlotte. In addition to serving breakfast anytime and a host of entrees with a slight New Orleans flavor, Eddie's offers Bernie's Hot Dogs, big grilled dog served one or two to an order, grilled with a choice of chili, slaw, mustard and ketchup.

Katz NY Deli tucked away at the back of the Arboretum Office Park at 8045 Providence Road also offers a great grilled dog in two different sizes. There's the all-beef frank, the smaller of the two or the all-beef special, a large grilled knockwurst. Both are served topped with your choice of all the standard condiments, plus great sauerkraut, with homemade slaw and a sour kosher pickle served on the side. Try these dogs with Katz' homemade fresh-cut fries - delish!

In the SouthPark area? Drop in at Arthur's on the first floor of Belk - it's really not as hard to get around all the construction as it seems. The hot dogs here are served on a hard hoagie roll - a nice change of pace from steamed buns, served with grilled-to-order onions, chili, relish and mustard. While you're there, stop by the wine shop, browse through the selection of fine wines and tell my good friend Robert Balsley to set you up with a bottle of something nice for some summertime sippin'.

Finally, it's over to Phillips Place to Spot'z for Gourmet Dogs and Frozen Custards. The dogs here are grilled, served in a half dozen or so specialty combinations. My faves are the Carolina Dog with mustard, onions, chili and slaw; and the Parthenon dog with a creamy tzaziki sauce, onions, lettuce, tomatoes and parsley; but I ended my taste-testing with the Windy City Dog, a Midwest classic topped with mustard, relish, pickle wedges, tomato and celery salt and served with a root beer float.

Six-year-old Mariah Edidin enjoys her hot dogs with ketchup and mustard only, please.

Well-known Charlotte restaurant critic, food writer, cooking instructor and connoisseur of food and wine, Heidi Edidin writes "South Charlotte Weekly: Culinary Corner," a restaurant review or food feature that appears weekly. Contact Heidi with questions and restaurant, food or story ideas by email at heidi@southcharlotteweekly.com.

SCW photos by Sean Busher.

This article first appeared in "South Charlotte Weekly" on June 14, 2002. "South Charlotte Weekly" is a free, locally owned, independent newspaper that's "About the Community, For the Community," available every Thursday in South Charlotte and Uptown.

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