Gone Shopping

Last night, we decided to try out a new restaurant that we’ve been waiting to see open. Dacula Dogs, located - believe it or not - in Dacula, says it is “a Chicago style eatery with a splash of Southern charm.”

We received a warm, Southern-stye greeting (”welcome y’all”). The staff was friendly and helpful. They were knowledgeable about the menu (which we’ve found is not always the case in newer restaurants).

For anyone who doesn’t know, Chicago-style means no ketchup - Chicagoans reserve the right to make fun of anyone who orders a hot dog with ketchup on it - much the same way that Southerners reserve the right to make fun of anyone who orders unsweetened tea.

We did ask about their ketchup policy, and they said they would put the ketchup on the dog if requested, but they wouldn’t be happy about it.

D. had a Falcon dog with mustard and relish. I was feeling adventurous, so I ordered the Dacula Sampler. It comes with 3 mini-dogs with varying toppings - I got to choose any three specialties from the menu. I got a plain w/mustard and onion, a Chicago Style Hot Dog, and an Appalachee Slaw Dog).

We both got “platters,” D.’s came with fries and coleslaw, and I paid the extra $.50 to get the onion rings with mine. You can substitute beans for coleslaw at no charge, but we both prefer slaw.

Having never seen the neon-green Chicago style relish, D. was in a bit of a shock. But it tasted so good, she didn’t even miss the ketchup. She really liked the steamed poppyseed bun too.

The mini-dogs (3-inch-long hot dogs) I got were really cute. Now, that’s rarely a word I use in describing food, but in this case, it was accurate. And they were all good. I wasn’t too sad that the mini buns didn’t have the poppy seeds because they still tasted good.

The mayonnaise-based coleslaw was good and went well with the meal. The onion rings were also good, better than your usual fast food. The fries appeared to be breaded - they weren’t bad, but we didn’t love them. The owner, Scott, told us that he had tried them on the advice of his supplier, but planned to switch back to regular fries.

We also asked Scott about the chili for the chili dogs. He gave us a small sample and we both agreed that it would be good on the dogs or the fries - but D. assures me that my chili is still her favorite.

Overall, we really enjoyed it and will go back. We had a good time chatting with Scott and the other employees. The only thing we don’t like is that they are closed on Sunday … one of our favorite days to go out to a neighborhood haunt for a meal. But, we can work around that.