Winchester hot dogs launch WinCity Chowdown

Today I’m launch­ing a new series here at WinCity Voices. Given the amount of fan­tas­tic food options we have, it’s time to tuck in to some of the culi­nary delights that can be found right here in Clark County. 

As both a writer and a chef, it is my goal to cre­ate delight and exem­pli­fy the best of our indus­try. It is with great pride that I bring you a glimpse into what your next break­fast, lunch, or din­ner could look like. Whether it’s an old favorite, or a new expe­ri­ence, there’s some­thing for every­body right here in Winchester!

It feels like we’re all say­ing some­thing to the effect of “I remem­ber when a dime cost a pen­ny.” Our dol­lars don’t stretch as far as they once did. A cheeky grab and go lunch can feel like a major expense.

Yet one food that always sat­is­fies with­out break­ing the bank — the hum­ble hot dog — remains at the top of my list for ease and afford­abil­i­ty. Yes, even clas­si­cal­ly trained chefs love a glizzy when the oppor­tu­ni­ty to chow down presents itself, and boy do we have some fan­tas­tic oppor­tu­ni­ties around town. We’ve got lots of local hot dog options, pre­pared by folks that do good by their neighbors. 

Here are my top choic­es around the coun­ty that will give you the best fla­vor for the price.

Our Market at Forest Grove

I’m start­ing off with the new­com­ers, Our Market LLC, who have a vari­ety of deli­cious brats, sausage, steak, and even exot­ic meats. 

The team has expand­ed upon their suc­cess in Mt. Sterling by focus­ing on uplift­ing local culi­nary / agri­cul­tur­al brands and host­ing a vari­ety of local­ly-sourced gro­ceries in their new store­front. If you’re not famil­iar with this hid­den gem, it’s just a quick right, one minute down the road from GRC. 

I stopped by on my day off and was greet­ed with deli­cious options to take home for lat­er or try pre­pared on site. They pri­or­i­tize sea­son­al fla­vors and avail­abil­i­ty, work­ing with local farm­ers to show­case the tal­ents we have across the region.

Given that my spouse was com­ing home from a long day of lock­smithing, I decid­ed to try their Parmesan Garlic Bratwurst, pota­toes, and corn to pre­pare at home. I was able to make four serv­ings for $10 with what I picked up from Our Market. 

Though the sides were great, the brats were even greater. The fla­vor was rich, the grind on the sausage was per­fect, and the brats were so plump and juicy. I test­ed their mer­it by cook­ing half in the tra­di­tion­al German method and the oth­er half with a reverse sear. Regardless of method, these deli­cious sausages hold their struc­ture well. 

This was my first time vis­it­ing the new busi­ness and I’m hap­py to say I will be there as often as they are open. Is a brat a type of hot dog? That’s a ques­tion for y’all to debate in the com­ments. The hot dog at Our Market is also a killer deal and I can’t wait to go vis­it the Mt. Sterling loca­tion for lunch as well.

This is the first food busi­ness I have vis­it­ed here that under­stands and caters to those who are suf­fer­ing from alpha-gal. They car­ry a vari­ety of rare meats that are safe for those who have con­tract­ed it. The own­ers of Our Market under­stand how to make sure you’re get­ting what is best for you. 

It is so cool to see these kind folks share their knowl­edge of the con­di­tion, and its sub­se­quent dietary restric­tions, giv­en how many peo­ple have recent­ly been affected.

The Bodega: Home of the ‘Sloppy Dog’

I hope at this point we all know and love Bodega. If you haven’t been there, go as soon as pos­si­ble. They feed many of our first respon­ders, teach­ers, and road crews every week­day from 11–6.

For the Yankee trans­plants, heads up! This is the only place in Winchester where you can get an authen­tic chop cheese. 

But, we’re here to talk about hot dogs — and this small store­front puts out some seri­ous­ly good spe­cials. Sure, you can go tra­di­tion­al or Chicago style, but hear me out. The Winchester Dog is where it’s at. Hashbrowns, scal­lion, cheese, and ketchup. It tastes like a big back brunch, and you know you can def­i­nite­ly pow­er through the work­day with Bodega on your side. I have nev­er put hash­browns on a hot dog but some­how it just works.

They also have my all-time favorite type of hot dog, the Sonoran Dog. During my trav­els food blog­ging for Summer By Rail, I became obsessed with the robust fla­vors of the many Sonoran ven­dors across the south­west. We’re talk­ing pico de gal­lo, bacon wrapped hot dog, may­on­naise, onions, grilled onions & sport pep­per. You can ask for nacho cheese, jalapeño and hot sauce if you want to kick it up a notch too. Whether you get one of their home­made sides or fresh crispy crin­kle fries, this is one of the best afford­able grab and go lunch options between down­town and the Bypass.

JK’s at Forest Grove

JK’s is the first place I ate at after mov­ing to Clark County, and I go back as often as my wal­let allows. Open 11–3 on week­days, they tru­ly have some­thing for everyone. 

My shoutout goes to who­ev­er cre­at­ed their chili recipe. While it may appear to be a sim­ple chili cheese dog, the women who run JK’s have made THE chili cheese dog of your dreams. It’s a clas­sic thin chili sauce that some­how takes the best fla­vors of Cincinnati and Texas chili (no beans, warm spices) and com­bines them in a sub­tle, time­less union. Be sure to keep an eye on their Facebook page because they reli­ably post when they make a fresh batch.

JK’s also allows afford­able hot dog cus­tomiza­tion with a vari­ety of top­pings to ensure your order is exact­ly what you want with­out break­ing the bank. On aver­age, lunch here costs under $13 even with adding on one of their fab­u­lous home­made desserts. 

The team behind JK’s are some of the nicest peo­ple you could hope to meet and their gen­er­ous smiles are matched by their gen­er­ous por­tions. If you find your­self between GRC and the riv­er with a lunchtime crav­ing, take the turn towards Colby/Becknerville and check it out!

In the com­ing months I will be cov­er­ing every­thing from coun­try break­fasts to BBQ, veg­e­tar­i­an options, pas­tries, cof­fee, cock­tails, and more. If there is a food ven­dor you think we should high­light, please send me an email and let me know. Let’s show­case the best of what our friends in WinCity have to offer!