The List: Atlanta's Best Hot Dog?
"A hot dog at the ball park is better than a steak at The Ritz." Humphrey Bogart
I love hot dogs, but I think it's silly to eat all of those nitrates and mystery elements unless they are super SUPER tasty.
In my humble opinion, the best dogs are at Dodger Stadium, period. However, since that's not an option for my current self, I usually stick with the dogs I make on my own grill (cut in a twist!). And so, with only 27 items left to try on Creative Loafing's 100 Best Dish List, the hot dog was naturally near the bottom of the list.
Fortunately, the dive-y location in a strip mall was strangely encouraging. I liked that the owners of Barkers Red Hots weren't trying to go upscale with the hot dog. In fact the "cooked over real charcoal" subtitle hinted that goodness would in fact follow.While there are a gazillion options of how to order your dog, The List specifically calls out "Original Red Hot with Slaw and Hot Texan sauce." OK then. That's what I ordered. As it turns out, the Hot Texas sauce isn't very hot, but IS very flavorful. It's made with grilled onions and a tomato concoction (don't you love the precision in my food descriptions?) that's positively divine.
In fact, and I'm stunned to report, without hyperbole, this was the best hot dog I've ever tasted.
This "find" is right up there with Gio's Lemon Chicken in terms of rocking my culinary world. Love, love, LOVE it! If you work at The Weather Channel or anywhere close to the Powers Ferry/Windy Hill area, there's no reason not to lunch here weekly.
I opted for the tomato and cucumber salad as a side, and it wasn't special. The onion rings look MUCH more promising, so if you can take that kind of cholesterol, go for it. Next time, I'll also order two.
Thank you Creative Loafing!!