Oh Boy, O'Betty's!!!

No trip to Athens, Ohio is complete without a stop at one of the Midwest's finest hot doggeries: O'Betty's Red Hot. A dog joint dressed up like a old tyme house of ill repute, O'Betty's has been serving up daring but classy dogs since 2003. I have to confess, I've never been to O'Betty's while the sun was shining, or while their dining room was open. Being based in this venerable college town, students and other lovers of the nightlife simply line up on the sidewalk to place their orders on the establishment's stoop, and then wait for their name to be called with the promise of imminent, delectable tube steaks.

The night menu is a stripped-down version of the day menu, but there's apparently no difference in the quality of the dog. You can pretty much get whatever toppings suit your fancy, but the suggested combos are pretty spot on. The "Dixie" is a traditional coney dog: chili, cheese, onions, & mustard. The "Blaze" is a delicious combo of bacon and home-made creamy coleslaw. No matter the toppings, the star is the hot dog itself: listen to the natural casing snap perfectly as you bite into that 1/4 pound of all-beef delight.

I was feeling a little adventurous upon my last visit, so I strayed from my favorites (the aforementioned Dixie and Blaze) and scooped up these fantastic franks...


The "Mata Hari": spicy chili sauce and the previously mentioned house cole slaw. Much like the Dutch exotic dancer of the same name, this dog's sly seductive powers come primarily from its combination of hot & sweet.


The "Varla": not sure if this is named after the character in Faster Pussycat Kill Kill played by Tura Satana, or the character Varla Jean Merman played by Jeffrey Roberson in drag. I'm guessing the former, but the latter would make sense if you look at that picture and imagine a heap of sauerkraut on it (the way it is supposed to be served). Like, you can dress it up as much as you want, but there's still a wiener under there. Get it?

ANYWAY, that's bacon, 1000 island dressing and horseradish sauce. I had them leave the sauerkraut off because, well, I think it's disgusting. I wasn't sure how this flavor combination would work together, but it's fantastic. Horseradish is such a great complement to beef, and 1000 island dressing has been trusted to adorn sandwiches as various as the Reuben and the Big Mac. Bacon can not, nor will it ever, ruin anything to which it is added.

In addition to these great hot dogs, O'Betty's also serves some amazing fresh-cut french fries. Get them topped with fresh garlic if you aren't planning on making out with anyone. They're so good they'll make you forget what a loser you are.

Before you accuse me of having some weird hot dog fetish based on previous posts here, try these dogs. They are worth the raves.