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@Pavlov now that's a column I would read.. the "hot dog hitchhiker".!
But yes Roanoke is definitely worth a stop if you're driving through, both for the hot dog joints and the City Market where you can pick up everything from hot sauce to country ham, produce, crafts, etc...

@PoorOldMama
Yeah I sort of wish I had been there late night, Imagine it's quite a scene.. next time..

@Devil's Anger
I tried both places more than a year apart, so might have missed the subtle differences, although I do remember the Weiner Stand chili being slightly "Greek", although both were very much on the mild side compared to some of the more exotic hot dog/coney/texas sauces I've had in other parts of the country.

Thanks for the recs. Don't know if I'll be in the deep south anytime soon but West Virginia is good possibility later this year. That "Ohio Valley" style pizza looks terrific, and I'd like to see how it compares to Philly tomato pie.

@Leo G- Special K is $10.95.
Yeah Koch's is a bit pricey but these sandwiches are ENORMOUS.

@toad300 yeah it was pretty "moist" - I wouldn't wrap it up and eat it a day later - but not as wet as you're probably thinking. The pot. salad is pretty tight and there was no additional mayonnaise other than the russian dressing. One of the reasons I liked it so much - I was expecting a total mess but it wasn't....I've had cole slaw topped hoagies from other places that were far sloppier.

@brian CT
Yes to be clear these 12 are my personal favorites from the last year's worth of Hot Dog Of The Week columns.. not "best hot dogs in the country" or anything.

We did that last year where you'll find Rawley's and SuperDuperWeenie.. we've also done Blackie's and Capitol Lunch.. but yes I admit we need some more Connecticut hot dog coverage here, so let me know your favorite spots..!

@Devil's Anger
Thanks for the awesome recs. If you like southern slaw dogs and nascar you'll love Pulliams. Yann's is a good possibility later this year, if you know anything else good in that area let me know.. I'd love to find some really awesome west virginia coal country pizza...

@lastbatch
Good question. It sort of depends on the place. Your method is pretty much right on for a standard hot dog joint. Although i skip the ketchup except for special occasions (German or Euro stuff w/ curry ketchup, Mexi - South American dogs, Yesterdog).

Mine is more like

1) Plain Dog
2) Chili Dog or Coney / Texas Weiner (Slaw Dog if in the south)
3) Signature, weird concoction, or regional specialty dog
4) unique side, sausage, or burger (if they look worth it)

Only do relish in areas where it's important/homemade/etc. Where I live more often than not it's from a jar.

If I'm at a place with a million different dogs on the menu, I go for the signature dog, most unique, and/or most regionally appropriate, or whatever's the most popular, usually a few of the above, If i can't eat the whole menu (helps to bring friends).

I tend to avoid things like incorrect Chicago Dogs outside of Chicago (why are they everywhere?) and anything called "Philly" that comes topped with green peppers and onions.

I ate this soup out of Caroline's kitchen 2 days ago. It is DELICIOUS!

Thanlks! yeah that Stromboli bread was incredible. I don't know what they do to it but it's worlds away from the greasy "Stromboli" you get from most Pizzerias (in Philly anyway)

I need to get up to try this "Pitza" some day.. are there other places that make it up there as well??

@Rodzilla
Johnstown seemed fine to me.. not too different from other small PA towns. We went through some others on the same trip that were much worse.. Also yea we're doing Pittsburgh but not Indiana.. is there an amazing hot dog place there?

@mocklenuck
I always thought the "hairy arm" was a Rhode Island Hot Wiener thing.. they didn't do it here but definitely did in Altoona - check out the picture at the top of this post..

@fiestyfoodie
like the hoagie roundup last week, not exactly a "best of" but more like "places we love and places we tried that you don't hear much about that were also delicious". Also nice post - excited to see your roast pork throwdown!

@bigcheesy
love Philip's, always super consistently good...

@gingercookiewithlime
I actually love Pat's. They do a great job there especially for how insanely busy it gets. I'd pick Pat's over Tony Luke's any day.

@Hollymoore
Thanks!
Steve's is great. We just didn't make it there for this one.
George's you'll see here soon. Where is Jake's??

that first one looks incredible. Yeah... I've never seen cannoli with these green bits in Philadelphia. Looks delicious.

@BeerWeezil
If you tell me where to get a hoagie where the bread is "cut all the way through" in the Philly area I will definitely try it. Personally I never have a problem with meat falling out.

@carmason
HA! I had "Hoagie Jaw" several times during the process of writing this article.

@Sarcones
Went to Sarcone's and it didn't make the cut. Maybe my fault for ordering something bizarre in an attempt to mix it up for the slideshow. Will definitely go back and write up for a future Sandwich A Day post.

@Wawa / Slacks
I've eaten plenty of Wawa Hoagies but don't really feel the need to write about them. The quality is inconsistent especially in the city where most of our Wawas are all jammed up.

For an "American" style hoagie (soft bread, ham, baloney, salad oil, iceberg, etc) I'd rather have Lee's or Slack's which was much better than I expected especially with the hot pepper relish.

Adam - nice one that pie looks incredible!

Philly "upside down pizza" (santucci's, stogie joe's, frank pica's) is about the same thickness as the above grandma pie, but made with sliced (not shredded, not fresh) mozz and/or provolone under the sauce. It's REALLY good and probably the first thing you should eat the next time you come to Philly.

Philly Tomato pie (not the same thing as trenton style) is also pretty unique and definitely falls into the category of "bakery pizza" that dmcavanagh was talking about. I love it, but people who didn't grow up with it aren't usually impressed, although they are usually floored by the awesomeness of upside down pizza.

Awesome photos. I shot some 35mm at Uncle Oogie's but didn't use them, don't remember why maybe I thought they were too blurry, but this looks awesome!

@hotdoglover @vinniecap
A thorough tour of New Jersey is definitely next on my list. Especially the pork stores that make their own.

Man Bites Dog sounds like an awesome project. Awesome that he stopped at Charlie's Pool Room.