Bad Daddy's Burger Bar, August 2015

Last night I had a hot date. She has curly blonde hair, big blue eyes and uses a high-chair. :)

For this this Daddy / Daughter date night, I chose Bad Daddy's for four major reasons.
1) The food/service is usually fast
2) The food is delicious.
3) They serve hot dogs -- my daughter LOVES hot dogs.
4) My wife is out of town and I was too lazy to cook.

Fortunately, it was a Monday night in Birkdale, so there was no line (if you go on a Friday night, you'll probably have to wait). After we were seated, and my daughter was given some crayons, the waitress asked if I'd like something to drink. Being unfamiliar with the beers on tap, I chose my old standby: a bottle of Sam Adams Boston Lager...

Poppas Hot Dogs (Mooresville)

Some of you may remember a recent post that included an article about Poppa's Hot Dogs. What I found strange about that post were the two extremely negative comments, left by readers, who really didn't like Poppas.

So, this made me want to go even more! I mean, would this place make it into my hall of shame??

Short answer: No.

Long answer: I actually enjoyed my meal there......

I walked in, and was greeted by a no-frills hot dog joint. Straight ahead, across a few tables there is the counter and behind it, a small kitchen. The walls are adorned with NASCAR memorabilia -- fenders, autographs, sheet metal from cars, and photos are in plan view. This makes sense, after all, this place is home to the local cable show "The Race Review" -- be sure to visit early to get onto the audience list.

I walked down the line to the left, to place my order. On my way to the register, I walked past a wall mounted menu. In addition to many other types of hot dogs, they also have Chicago, New Jersey, and Carolina style dogs. But I already knew what I wanted -- a chili dog. So I placed my order for two chili dogs (I interpreted the menu to read that the 2 chili dogs were part of one order. It read "Best of two great dogs..." I was wrong and would up paying for two separate chili dogs, this increased the price, but really, they were still cheap).

The dogs were prepared quickly, and in about 3 minutes my order was called. I picked them up and this is what I saw. Two dogs, in steamed buns, covered with chili and nacho cheese. This isn't a specific type of chili, just kinda s general chili. Bot dogs were covered in the perfect amount of chili and cheese. Enough to fill you up, but not enough to make a mess. In fact it was so perfect, I never used the fork and knife!

I gotta admit, these were the best chili dogs that I've had in the greater Charlotte area. I've tried chili dogs in Charlotte, Huntersville, and Davidson, and none of them compare to the chili dogs at Poppas. The buns were soft, but not too mushy. The chili was spicy and meaty. It was great, but didn't overwhelm the flavor of the dog. In addition, the nacho cheese was actually good (and I usually hate nacho cheese)!

All in all, a mouthwatering meal, that left my tummy full, and me letting out a notch on my belt!

Score:
Atmosphere: 2/5
Food: 4/5
Service: 3/5 (service was quick, but I'm taking one point for the misleading menu)
Total: 9/15

Price: $
Kid Friendly: Yes

Conclusion: A REALLY good chili dog, for a really good price. This place is no frills, and the napkins are paper towels. But the food delivery speed, flavor, and value are very good.

Restaurant Info:
Poppa's Hot Dogs
510 River Hwy # 13
Mooresville, NC
p) 704-664-7677
http://www.gtkdata.com/

Hot Dogs and Chili in Mooresville...

Hey everybody, I'm swamped today, so I won't be able to post a restaurant review. BUT, I did want to share a GREAT article by Joe Marusak at the Charlotte Observer. It talks about Poppa's Hot Dogs -- a hot dog and Chili place on 150 in Mooresville.

Personally, I think this place sounds great. And since I love me a chili dog, I'll be going here soon.

But I'd like to hear from you... have you been to Poppa's Hot Dogs? How was it??

Here's the link:
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/275/story/982178.html

Big League Hot Dog Company (Mooresville)

I have several addictions in life. Most All of them legal -- depending upon the State. (Nevada, I'm looking at you!) Two of these addictions are baseball and hot dogs. So, when I learned of the Big League Hot Dog Company in Mooresville (just off of exit 33), I was destined to review it.

Just like the force that drove all those people to the baseball field in Field of Dreams (The only movie that makes me cry -- every time!!), I was drawn to the Big League Hot Dog Company. The movie features a line that says "If you build it, they will come." Much like that line... they built the restaurant -- so I'll come for a hot dot!

As you might have guessed this restaurant is done up in a baseball motif. But it's done REALLY well. They have lots of photos of the Mooresville Moors, which played ball from 1937 - 1953. There are TV's showing live baseball games. There are photos of the Red Sox (At least it's not the Yankees!), baseball cards, and other assorted memorabilia. This place is a baseball fan's dream come true!

After I looked around, I stood on home plate, and placed my order. I went for their Big League Dog, fried (not steamed), with yellow mustard, neon relish, onions, and an order of their Buffalo Fries. My friend and I got our drinks and sat down in the dugout.

This place was packed. There were only a couple of empty tables, even the stools at the counter were full -- the seats at the counter were almost filled too!! :) (my apologies to those sitting at the counter!)

The food arrived after a brief wait. How the server knew the order was for us, is beyond me. But she brought it to our table, and we ate. The toppings for the dog were top notch, and the chopped white onion was fresh. The bun was steamed, but not too soft, so it didn't fall apart. The toppings were applied so that there was no need for a fork. The Buffalo fries consisted of crispy fries with Buffalo sauce poured over them. It was really good -- why didn't I ever think of that??

I took my first bite of my fried hotdog. The bun and toppings all worked together, but for some reason, I found the dog to be lacking flavor -- I really didn't taste much. It wasn't bad -- but I just really didn't taste too much. I'm guessing the dog was a traditional pork and beef mixture (which I find has less flavor than the all beef), and that the frying, while giving it a crispy skin, took some of the flavor away. Next time I'll get the hotdog steamed to see if there's any difference in flavor.

The Buffalo Fries were awesome. Spicy sauce, fried potatoes, blue cheese dressing.... seriously, why didn't I ever think of this?? I enjoyed the basket. Please note that two people would have a hard time with one basket. I didn't come close to finishing it. It was HUGE!

I really enjoyed my experience at Big League Hot Dog Company. They built it, and I'll come back again, and again.

Score:
Atmosphere: 5/5
Food: 3/5
Service: 4/5
Total: 12/15

Price: $ (less than $10 for the dog, fries, and fountain drink)
Kid Friendly: Yes. Kids menu items, and a concrete floor in case your child likes to throw food.

Conclusion: The atmosphere is waaay better than any other fast-food restaurant hence the 5/5 score. If you have a baseball lover in your family, they need to eat here. Though I found my hotdog to be lacking in flavor, I got the impression that may just be my faulty taste-buds. They place was packed for a reason -- people loved the food here. I'll be back to try it again. Next time I'll try the foot-long hotdog!

Restaurant Info:
The Big League Hot Dog Company
235 Medical Park Rd.
Suite 102
Mooresville, NC 28117
p) 704-799-6660
http://www.bigleaguehotdog.com/

The Soda Shop (Davidson)

I first visited the Soda Shop while looking for a new house in the area. We were tired after a morning of home shopping, and saught refuge in this restaurant. I liked it then. Almost two years later, I visited the Soda Shop again last week. I've gotta admit, I still like that place.

The Soda Shop has been around since 1951, and I don't think that much has changed in that time. Walking though the door you get a wave of nostalgia for another time. There are still the old-fashioned fountain drink dispensers and milkshake mixers. They still play music from the '50s, and much of the menu was probably available in the 1950s too.

My wife and I grabbed a booth in the back, and took a look at the menu. Since I'm always in the mood for a hot dog, I ordered one with mustard, relish, onions. and melted cheddar cheese. For the side I asked for onion rings, and I had a sweet tea to drink.

After about 7 minutes, our meal was brought to our table, and I took a bite. This is one heck of a large hot dog. It's about 1/4 lb, and had plenty of toppings. There were a couple of instances where I made a mess (cheese and relish dropped on my hands) and used many, many napkins.
The only disappointment for me about this hot dog was the "melted cheddar" cheese. It's not so much cheddar as it is nacho cheese. If it was room temperature, it would still be a gooey liquid. However, everything else was so good, this is really a very minor issue.

The onion rings were quite good. The batter on the outside was fried to a crisp, and the rings were nice and large. Also, the sweet tea was excellent.

This is a great, informal, family friendly restaurant. I need to visit more often, and I highly recommend it.

Score:
Atmosphere: 4/5
Food: 3/5
Service: 3/5
Total: 10/15
Price: $ (Food, drink and tip were under $10)
Kid Friendly: Yes. This is definitely a family friendly restaurant.

Conclusion: This restaurant has been open for over 50 years for good reason. Its relaxed family-friendly atmosphere is a draw. And its nostalgia makes you wish for a time before modern technology. This is definitely one of my favorites in the area.

Restaurant Info:
The Soda Shop
104 South Main Street
Davidson, NC
p) 704-896-7743

Matt's Chicago Dog (Cornelius)

Baseball season started this week (GO A's!), so it seems appropriate that I review a place that focuses on hot dogs. Think about it, hot dogs and baseball just go together. For those nay-sayers out there, yes, Cracker Jacks also go together with baseball . However, this place isn't called Matt's Chicago Cracker Jacks -- so I'll stick with reviewing hot dogs.

When I walked in I found a small fast-food style restaurant. After walking through a small seating area, I found my way to the counter, and placed my order. A Chicago Dog combo -- this includes fries and a soda.

I took my styrofoam cup, filled it with Pepsi, and took a seat. Though it's in Cornelius, this place has a decidedly Chicago feel to it. The mural painting on the wall, the Chicago-style blues playing, and the wood panel counter just felt like a place I'd been to in Chicago.

After a short wait, my meal was brought to my table. Where was my hot dog?? Oh, wait, it's underneath the HOT fries. Those fries were just cooked, and they're "dirty" (skins still on) -- just the way I like them. I gotta say, these are some great fries.

I made my way to the dog, wrapped in paper. And it had the mustard, onions, and the unique neon green Chicago-style relish. The all beef Vienna dog was good, and so was the bun which was topped with poppy seeds.

But really, the highlight to me for this meal were the fries, I just couldn't stop eating them. Now, all I need are some field level seats along the first base line (and a good beer), and I'll be in heaven.

Score:
Atmosphere: 3/5
Food: 4/5
Service: 3/5
Total: 10/15
Price: $ (dog, fries, and drink for under $7)

Conclusion: This place has a good hot dog, and GREAT fries. I'll be going here again, and maybe the next time I'll try a sandwich or a burger. Yeah, right. Who am I kidding? I'll be ordering the same thing.

Restaurant Info:
Matt's Chicago Dog
19732 One Norman Blvd
Cornelius, NC 28031
704-892-5005
(If you know the website, please post it in the comments section -- I can't find it.)