King's Court Frankfurter Express

It's been a while since I've updated CarolinaHotDog.com. I've been out of town, mostly spending time with my partner who is home for the summer. We've done a bit of travelling over the past several weeks, and that includes a couple of hot dog experiences I want to share.

The first is in San Antonio, where I spent several days while my partner took a course on teaching AP Physics. I decided to Yelp! for hot dogs and found a place that really interested me: Dirty Dogz. The eatery is in a shopping center that seems to be created from old train cars, tucked behind some larger buildings on one of the major north/south streets in San Antonio. Not only was the place hard to find, it was closed for vacation the week I was there. The handwritten note on the door indicated it would re-open the day I left, but it didn't. In short, no idea how their dogs are, but their desire to be open seems questionable.

The next hot doggery I found was King's Court Frankfurter Express, a hot dog stand made from an older home... complete with a white picket fence and twists and turns inside from dining area to dining area. When I arrived it was dark and quiet except for a friendly guy working as order taker, cashier, and chef.

The Heaven Dog

The choices were nearly endless and overwhelming, and I didn't immediately see anything resembling a Carolina Dog. I let took the friendly guy's suggestion and ordered the Heaven dog, a brat with grilled onions, home-made guacamole, and mayo. Sadly, on that trip I didn't notice the trimmings bar and just ate the  dog "as is." As is, it wasn't bad, cloud-like, actually. It kind of sounds heavy, but it wasn't. It was mostly a fluffy canvas that would have been great if I had added some kick--perhaps pico de gallo or peppers.

After leaving, I regretted that I hadn't tried the toppings, and I regretted I hadn't tried other dogs... So I returned the next day. By this time, I'd reviewed their menu online, and I wasn't overwhelmed. In fact, I found their slaw dog: a 100% beef hot dog, covered with chili and "creamery" coleslaw.

The Slaw Dog

KCFE features three different kinds of chili: Texas chili, Coney Island chili, and Cincinnati chili. Unless otherwise specified, the slaw dog comes with Texas chili, and it really is similar to the Texas Pete chili readily available in cans in North Carolina. Their Cincinnati chili is made in-house with a recipe reminiscent of  Skyline Chili, and the Coney Island chili is also made in-house, more of a Greek chili, the beefy chili I grew up on here in NC.

The slaw dog was tasty concoction. I do prefer the Coney Island chili, but the combination was still pretty good. I added a little pico de gallo and loved it. Still wanting to try their Coney Island chili, I ordered one Hot Dog Express, a dog with or without chili and enjoyed it with onions and mustard; another win.

The Hot Dog Express

It was great to find a hot dog stand so far away from home that offered not only their take on my familiar favorites but several other combinations to make my mouth water. If I'm ever back in San Antonio, I'll be sure to go back... for hot dogs and conversation. What a great find!

My verdict: 4 weenies