That Was Fun

Don and I had a lot of fun visiting those spots. We found most of the places to be friendly and welcoming.
We even feel like we made some friends.
We have done all the small mom and pop hot dog places we could find, if you know of another one we will happily go visit them and have a hot dog.
We give Burlington a thumbs up for great hot dog places!

Jim's

A stones throw out of Burlington on Elm Street you will find the friendliest place we have been to so far. 

Jim's 

Everyone kept  telling us we needed to be sure to go to Jim's

 so we did.  

Walking in we noticed the bright colors, the red diner chairs and faded pictures of ice cream hanging above the counter. 

The menu has a lot of choices but we were there for a hot dog. 

We asked the counter waitress what is the best selling hot dog, so to give me the right answer she introduced us to Jim! 

We met Jim himself. What a delight! 

We explained to him our project of blogging about 12 local restaurants in 12 months and he was very happy to help. 

He didn't mind at all. He acted as if he had all the time in the world to help us. 

I ordered the hot dog he liked the best, it was the hot dog with cheese, slaw, chili and mustard. I think it's called the combination. 

It was mmm good! 

Don ordered the sausage dog. 

He said he wants to go back and get a 

"nuther one"

We were impressed by the camaraderie. 

The business has been open for over 50 years! 

Jim and his wife Barbara started the restaurant together 

and until her death, 

were together every day. 

They raised a family and ran the restaurant. 

Jim works with his sons and his niece. The waitress has been there off and on for over 30 years. 

As the customers came in we could see that they were coming to a familiar place. There was laughter, chatting and sociable fun.

Jim

Jim and his sons, 

Jim and David

Here was the whole crew there that day. 

 Jim and his sons are proud to be Shriners. 

 Jim's restaurant had a great write up about them in the Times-News

  To finish off our delightful visit we had to try the ice cream. 

As you can see, here is another happy customer

Bright, cheerful, good food. 

Yes, Jim's IS a good place. 

We're glad we went. 

July

July at Stavro's 

Stavro's

 Here is Stavro's. It looks like a quiet little spot that no one would seem to take notice. But, that is not true. They were just finishing up a busy lunch rush. As we sat down, after the lunch rush, the employees were still bustling, helping the customers. Keeping everyone's glass of tea filled, checking to see if they had everything they needed. 

Inside, it looks that same as it has for many years. That's what makes people keep coming back. Familiar. Kinda like a friend. 

The chili is made fresh - and they make 

a lot of it. 

I ordered the combination. Hot dog, cheese, slaw, mayo, onions, chili. It was the works. 

What do you think? Looks pretty good, doesn't it?

 It was.

 The onion rings were crunchy and you could have ketchup and/or ranch dressing to dip your onion rings. 

Here is Don's double bacon cheese burger, with fries. I tried it. MMM. It was good. 

I really like this restaurant. The food was good but the star of the show was our lovely waitress, Teresa. 

She made us feel welcome, even introduced us to the crew. 

She has been there for 22 years. Recently, she waited on a couple that were celebrating their 50th anniversary at the restaurant. 

There is a lot of history there. The restaurant has been a part of the daily lives of many. 

Familiar and friendly. 

May

Hot Dog Blog - May

We went to Zack's restaurant for our May's hot dog. 

We brought our Zack

 all the way from Salt Lake City, Utah. 

 Zack's mom, our beautiful daughter Kimberly 

and his little sister.  :) 

   

Here is uncle Benj, playing with C.W. 

Uncle Benj, always makes it a party. 

Zack said "Yes, it's a good hot dog" 

Here is a killer hot dog if I ever saw one. 

 Zack's little brother. 

Affectionately known by me as, The Young Prince  ;) 

This is our beautiful daughter, Erin. She came from Georgia. 

This is me, Mary  :) 

It is always such a good time to be together as a family. 

I must admit, it was an awkward visit. I took the owner and his employees by surprise when I told them I was writing a blog post about them and may I take some pictures in their restaurant. 

The friendly waitress seemed comfortable with that idea. 

The owner, busy, trying to take care of customers, was taken off guard. In the end he was friendly and gave me permission to write about his restaurant. 

What a great way to have lunch ...

hots dogs all around 

and wonderful grandchildren.

But, not ALL the grandchildren. 

We were missing and thinking about 3 that couldn't come. 

and loving them all ... EVERYDAY. 

March

Just For Fun March

Hot dog fun in Burlington. 
The hot dog blog.

In March we went to Danny's Cafe. 

A cute shop in the heart of 

historic downtown Burlington. 

On that March day, we asked Penny, our waitress, which hot dog was the best seller and she said it was a hot dog with homemade chili, fresh onions, coleslaw, mustard 

with a side of tater tots. 

So that's what we ordered. 

The hot dog was pretty good.

The homemade chili stood out. Their special chili recipe does not include any tomato sauce. Their chili dogs are one of the few that people with tomato sensitivities can eat. 

We ordered something else this time, we asked what else was a big seller and we were told it was this hamburger 

Don gave it a hearty thumbs up. Messy and good. 

Danny's restaurant prides themselves on serving quality meats and the freshest ingredients. 

Not your usual hot dog place, 

we ordered the fried angel food cake.

 I chuckled knowing that ONLY in the south will you find that on the menu. 

You can see Don's fork .. poised and waiting.

Delightful. A must try. 

They have a steak special on Friday nights, 

5:00 PM to 8:00 PM.

I forget the cut of meat but I remember being impressed by it. $11.99 for hearty dinner made with the quality ingredients. 

Here is Danny, very friendly. 

His mission is to serve quality food 

at affordable prices. 

So, to rate the hot dog I would say that it is a good hot dog. If you get a craving for a hot dog, 

this is a good place to try. 

110 West Front Street

Burlington, NC 27215

(336) 226-4422

February

SATURDAY, MARCH 3, 2012

Just For Fun - February

February quest 

for the best hot dog in town. 

We decided to try Skid's restaurant. We have seen that there are at least 3 of these locally owned restaurants. We decided to go to the original restaurant.

The sign says "Since 1949" That is a LONG time ago. In fact, 63 years ago. How much life has come through this restaurant in that much time? Here is a pic of the Skids on Church Street. I see they used to (or still) have a car service. I can imagine it was a hopping little place back in the day.

We walked in and were surprised. The seating capacity is about 20. The small restaurant was a blast from the past. We saw crowded booths (5 total) in a folksy setting with a line of bar stools (6 seats) which were all full with happy customers and we had to wait to get a seat. After a short time we were seated.

As we settled in, we ordered coffee. Don has determined that the coffee is VERY GOOD. They use fresh ground beans and a Bunn coffee maker. That is a great combination.

  We asked our waitress what their best hot dog is and although not a hot dog eater herself she told us the Hot Dog Combination was ordered a lot, so that is what we ordered.


As we sat and enjoyed our coffee this restaurant reminded me of a place right out of The Andy Griffith Show. We even had two police officers taking a break from the endless duty of caring for all of us here in Burlington. They were very friendly when I asked if I could use their picture in my blog.

Officers Faucette and Cumer



Our order came out right away, delivered by our  helpful waitress, Rebekah 

Hot dog with American cheese, 

homemade chili and coleslaw with mustard. 

and of course, a side of onion rings.  

We had a pleasant visit to Skids 1 on Church Street. The restaurant was filled with a constant stream of satisfied customers. For Don and I, we enjoyed the homey atmosphere, we were slightly disappointed by the hot dog, it was a bit soggy and the American cheese was a weak flavor but we would definitely come back for another cup of their wonderful coffee and a plate of onion rings. 

Plus, I heard their hot fudge cakes are awesome. 

Until next time

Living where we live...

Don and Mary