There are moments in my life when I just want a doggone down and dirty hot dog. When that moment comes I just pray to the food Gods that they make it a day that I am back stateside where I know that my desire can be fulfilled.
This time though the Gods had deserted me and I was bereft of hope, I was a wandering soul in need of a sign, something to guide me on my quest.
At that moment I found myself in The Trent Bridge inn (The T.B.I), the gateway on the river to West Bridgford. I looked to the sky for divine dogintervention.
Praise the lord, Wetherspoon’s is not my religion of choice, but these days I will pray at any door that welcomes me across the threshold with open arms and a licensed bar selling alcoholic beverages at reasonable prices.
So it was and it came to pass that when I really needed that Dog, the minister from Wetherspoon’s had left me a note on my table asking me to take solice with one of their Hot Dogs.
This grand old lady can still throw up the odd surprise.
Classic Hot Dog with Chips
The Hot Dog flyer had offered me a ‘Classic Dog’ with an alcoholic drink for £5.75, I could have had one with a soft drink for £4.75. There was no option for just the dog. Now considering that I had a pint of the excellent Trent Bridge Inn Bitter which is at least 3 quid, I was getting a pub meal for about £2.50-£3.00.
So anyway the Classic Dog was a ‘Pork Hot Dog, Brioche Bun, served with chips’. I was pretty dubious when I ordered it, but based on the fact that I needed something to eat prior to drinking a lot and the fact that it did seem to be pretty good value, I was prepared to go along on this ride.
The Promise
Ok now look, I did find that this meal did what I hoped in filling me up, so I have no complains on that front. I had a nice pint of beer to wash it all down with, another expectation fulfilled.
Is it a real ‘hot dog’ though? It was probably pretty good for an Englishman that thinks a hot dog is a sausage in a bun (probably one out of a tin), and one that has never eaten a hot dog from a cart in Central Park, or at a Ball Park in Wrigley Field, or any random bar anyway in the states. I liked it, but it ain’t no Hot Dog, and it ain’t no “Classic”
Things to like – The actual dog itself was quite alright, it was more of a Frankfurter in style. It had no discernible snap to the bite, but it did have that wet salty taste and texture that you get from a classic dirty water dog from a street cart. I liked that part well enough.
Bun wise, a brioche bun might have been OK, I think I had more of a poor mans French stick, so there was way too much bread to dog ratio. I love yellow mustard on my dogs, all they had at Wetherspoon’s was Coleman’s which is totally wrong for this type of snack as it is too strongly flavoured. I apologise for adding ketchup which is a Federal Offence in the States past the age of 13.
All in all, for the price I was happy with what I got and I had a decent ‘value’ meal.
In the tagline I say that this sorted me out mainly because I was expecting little more that a Bonfire night / Hamburger cart (UK) effort and I actually was served something quite a lot better than I honestly expected.
The Full Offer
I am going to keep on gainfully hunting for a proper ‘USA style’ Hot Dog in Nottingham for a while, until I give up forlornly.
I probably will not pay the sort of prices that they expect for something that only costs a couple of bucks, but I will be game for an opportunity! Let me know if you have a genuine lead.
Trent Bridge Inn
I like the Trent Bridge Inn in West Bridgford. It lies on the South Bank of the River Trent at the edge of West Bridgford as you cross into South Nottinghamshire. It is world famous for being adjacent to Trent Bridge Cricket Ground, home of the County side and occasional home of England Cricket Team.
It is a classic pub to drink at and it is probably one of those destination pubs for any sporting fan coming to the city
I like to drink here before any Twenty-twenty match for Notts Outlaws, an England game (if I get tickets), before the Pies play, and whenever it is raining and I am waiting for a bus 🙂
You can Follow Wetherspoon’s on their Twitter Feed and on their Facebook Page