While you are in Wayne

. . . check out the Lancaster County Farmers Market. In addition to all of the other vendors selling local baked goods, meats, cheeses, flowers, and handmade gifts, there is Country Twist, who makes these delicious little Party Dogs (mini hot dogs rolled in puff pastry). Just take them home and pop them in the oven for a few minutes. My brother and his wife served them at their house once during an Eagles game and I couldn’t get enough of them. My brother called me out on my love of them in a phone conversation with my mom the next day, much to my chagrin.

Johnnie's Dog House, Wayne

On Saturday, Stacy and I headed to Wayne in anticipation of Johnnie’s Dog House, which is a franchise (as I just found out). I had taken a look at the menu prior to our trip, but had decided not to make up my mind until I got to the House. That might have been a mistake because I panicked once we got there and just wound up ordering the same thing as Stacy. They have many combinations of dogs in addition to your standard hot dog and sausage sandwiches, so be prepared to stand there for a while taking in the menu if you are a newby like us.

We each got a Texas Ranger (bacon, bbq sauce, and grilled onions) and a Chicago Style Dog (yellow mustard, sport peppers, chopped onions, tomatoes, pickles, and a shake of celery salt). I’m not going to pretend like I know anything about what the hot dog itself was made of or where it came from, but I know it was delicious. Johnnie’s also grills their buns, which gives them a nice buttery crunch on the inside. I started with the Texas Ranger, which turned out to be my favorite of the two. While I could not taste the bacon, I pretty much love anything that is smothered in barbeque sauce. The onions also had a nice texture and flavor that allowed them to stand out from the sauce. As for the Chicago Style Dog, the tanginess of the mustard and the subtleness of the celery salt really appealed to me, but the soggy bun left me feeling disappointed as the sandwich disintegrated in my hands. Even with the messiness of the second hot dog, I still finished both like a champ and may have managed to impress Stacy by my ability to crush my hot dog challengers. Maybe?

All in all, if I’m ever in the Wayne area again at the same time that I’m craving a hot dog, I will definitely stop at Johnnie’s Dog House.

And now for gratuitous hot dog photos! By the way, I am torn about whether or not to post pictures of us actually eating hot dogs on this blog. Let’s face it, it’s embarrassing. So for now, I will just post us looking cute and sitting next to hot dogs.

Stacy's PS: While I entirely agree with Cathy's hot dog assertions, I would like to add several things. First the picture of the soggy hot dog bun debacle.

And Second I would like to bring up Sports Peppers... Prior to eating the Chicago Style hot dog I didn't know what a "Sports Pepper" was. Upon first viewing, I got excited thinking that this hot dog had three different pickled products on it, thinking the elusive "Sports Pepper"was a sweet gherkin. (A quick aside: could there ever be such a mega pickle hot dog? Would anyone besides me eat it?) Once I took a bite though, the mega pickle hot dog dream was shattered when my mouth started burning. Apparently "Sports Peppers" are hot. One or two of these babies on a hot dog would be a delicious little kick, sadly mine was laden with about 6. One more note on Sports Peppers, I tried to google them and apparently they only exist in relation to Chicago hot dogs. They don't even have a wikipedia page (get on that people)!

Hot Dog Blog is Real

Oh hi. Welcome to our hot dog blog. This blog, unlike a surprising number of other blogs with hot dog in the title, is about hot dogs. The three of us will be tracking down any worthy hot dogs in the greater Philadelphia area and telling you about them, along with anything else deemed wiener-tastic (including but not limited to the world's first hot dog musical).
*Image found on etsy. Buy it for me.
**"Don't buy all the hot dogs" is a quote from 30 Rock. Be prepared this blog is gonna get Liz Lemon-y.