W.Va. Hot Dog Joint Review

Almost Heaven Barbecue

Clendenin

With one 4 1/2 Weenie and one full fledged Five Weenie HDJ, Clendenin is already arguably blessed with more great HDJs per capita than any other town in West Virginia. What would be the odds that a new place that just opened up halfway between those two excellent HDJs would be a winner, too? If this were a typical town I'd say slim to none, but Clendenin seems to know its hot dogs so I went with an open mind.

Almost Heaven BBQ is a little window service carryout located on Spencer Road (the road that connects Clendenin with I79). While primarily a BBQ joint, the banner across the front of the building proudly states that they have hot dogs, always a good sign, and when I asked what everything includes I got even a better sign: "Chili, slaw, mustard and onions" I was told without equivocation. It only got better from there because my hot dog came wrapped in wax paper! My anticipation grew by the second and was rewarded when I opened up the paper and saw a huge mound of slaw that was finely chopped and just creamy enough. The slaw was rather colorless, with no carrots or anything else showing, but it tasted nearly perfect. The tiny pieces of cabbage were crisp and fresh, and slight sweetness matched the chili perfectly since it was fairly tame, spice-wise. It had a nice flavor, but was served very sparingly.

The weenie was remarkable because it was large in caliber and very tasty. I couldn't tell how it was prepared, but it was quite good. The bun was standard. The mustard was perhaps a little lightly applied.

We're gonna give Almost Heaven BBQ a 4.5 Weenie score. A little spicier chili would have kicked it up to a Five, but it is still a great hot dog.

Now please pay attention to this fact: Along one stretch of road in Clendenin there are two 4.5 Weenie HDJs and one 5 Weenie. Take a left and head a short distance up Elk River Road and you'll find another 3.5 Weenie HDJ that is a teaspoon away from a 4. I am very close to naming Clendenin as the hot dog capital of West Virginia, but I need to make another trip to Logan before I do that.