There is something satisfying about a hot dog. It is a comfort food that brings back fond memories of cookouts with my family. When I learned of a fairly new hot dog hot spot in Birmingham I knew I needed to check it out. Located in the Avondale area is Hot Diggity Dogs.
It is located in the same building as Fancy’s on 5th. It is located on the second floor, looking at the building head on you may not notice the side door. I actually missed it the first time I walked by.
As I was walking up the stairs I could smell the hot dogs on the grill. I sat at the counter so I could watch everything being made.
I looked over their options. All the hot dogs are 100% Kosher beef. I wanted a simple, plain hot dog. Nothing on it. I wanted to be able to taste the beef flavor. I also got a side of tater tots.
The hot dog bun was not typical. It was more like big slices of bread. The hot dog did have great meaty flavor. It was satisfying. The tots also hit the spot.
While I was watching them cook, I noticed they were making homemade pork rinds. That was the coolest thing I have ever watched being made. They take slices of pig skin and just dump them in the hot frying oil. Then they puff up to be airy and crunchy.
The cook was super sweet and gave me a few to try. They were really good. The flavor was smoky tasting. Even though they were fried, they were not greasy. I would recommend ordering these because they taste great and it is not something you see on a menu very often.
There was another surprise in Hot Diggity Dogs that I was not expecting. In the corner of the restaurant was a blue phone booth (a Tardis for all those Doctor Who fans out there).
What I learned was this Tardis was the secret entrance to a speakeasy called The Marble Ring. You needed to call using the phone inside the booth to see if you would be allowed in.
If you are lucky enough another door will open to let you in. I was not lucky that night, so I could not go in. Looks like I have to try again.
If you are craving a hot dog, then head to Hot Diggity Dogs. Visit their website at http://hotdiggitydogsbham.com/
Enjoy!
T
