[Hoot Gibson]

To me, the test of a good hot dog is whether it tastes good with nothing but mustard on it. If you have a hot dog that passes that test and top it with a good hot dog sauce (as opposed to chili), then you have something special.

The Paintsville Dairy Queen has been known for its hot dogs for many years, but the hot dogs that they use don't pass the mustard only test. Their hot dog sauce is very good, but IMO, it used to be even better years ago.

My dad knew the owner of the Dairy Queen years ago and he told dad that the secret to a good hot dog sauce is to use lots of finely chopped onions. Dad's hot dog sauce tastes like the DQ's hot dog sauce did 20 or 30 years ago.

Fairmont, West Virginia is home to several well known hot dog restaurants, but the only one that I have tried so far is Hometown Hot Dogs, which is very good. Hot dog restaurants seem to be more popular in West Virginia than Kentucky.

In northern Virginia, you can buy great hot dogs in the stores like Wegmans, but finding good ones in restaurants with good sauce is not easy. I have been trying to time my trips back to Kentucky so that I can try more of the Fairmont hot dogs.