Sam's Hot Dog Stand, Harrisonburg, Virginia

While on our annual vacation to Ocean City the boys and I took a Side Trip Adventure to Mount Crawford, Virginia to visit a Buc-ee's as this is the closest location there is to our home in Maine.  

If you want you can read all about our vacation to Ocean City and our Side Adventure on my family travel blog: 2026 Ocean City Adventure this post is being put up before the vacation blog so you many need to go back and read that one.

While researching places to see in the area of Buc-ee's I came across Sam's Hot Dog Stand so of course I had to look into it.

The first Sam's opened in 1983 in Huntington, West Virginia and there are not currently over 40 locations in Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, and 1 in Wilmington, North Carolina.  The location I went to had a drive thru and walk up service window, there was no inside dining. 

The two people working there were wicked nice and we had a great brief conversation.  He ran down their brief menu, all beef hot dogs, slow cooked pulled pork, that they make the chili and coleslaw daily, and cut all their onions in house, he made a point of say that.

As the boys really wanted to go to Waffle House,  I only ordered a hot dog with chili & cheese and a side of French Fries.  Waffle House is another place we do not have in Maine and the closest one is in Pennsylvania.

The hot dog was AMAZING, the side split bun was steamed to perfection, hot dog had good flavor, chili was delicious and the cheese sauce was subtle.  The fries were just ok, nothing special, I should have gotten two dogs.

I would not hesitate to go to a Sam's Hot Dog Stand again in the future, it was terrific!

Until Next Time!

Bolley's Famous Franks Waterville

I have been a supporter of Bolley's Famous Franks in Hallowell for over 25 years but this is the first time that I have been to the Bolley's Famous Franks Waterville.  They are only open Monday to Friday 10:30 to 3:30 I had just never been in the area when they are open.

Bolley's were opened by the same family in the 1950's with Hallowell being the first location and Waterville the second location.  I read that there was an Augusta location as well, not sure if that is the current Dogg House on Mount Vernon Avenue or not.

On Friday the 19th I had the day off, Kate, Wesley and I found our way to Waterville for errands and I decided today was the day to hit Bolley's Waterville.

Parking lot was packed and on the second lap around we found spot.  Unlike Hallowell they are not open for breakfast and do not have inside seating.  

The menu is basic, with dogs, burgers, French fries, onions rings, beverages and hot dog toppings.  What more do you need at a hot dog stand though.  It's Maine though, so they have lobster roll seasonally.

You order and pay at one end of the counter and head down to the other end to pick up your order.  Kate got two dogs Bolley's way which is raw onion, mustard, and relish.  I got my dog with mustard and got us small fry and small onion to share.  The dogs are cooked on the flat top and the top split New England style roll is steamed to perfection.  The onion rings are excellent!  The French fries are crinkle cut in house and were outstanding!  I gave them a heavy dose of vinegar.  

In a rookie move I forgot to take a photo of our order to share...guess we will have to go back someday. 

They have a double burger challenge, the current record is 6 in twenty minutes!  They also have a wall of shame for those who have tried and failed to beat the challenge!  

I need to go back and grab this shirt, it's pretty fantastic!

Bolley's Waterville was excellent!  While different in many ways from my Bolley's in Hallowell, they both are worth checking out.

Until Next Time!

The Bus - Houlton, Maine

Today, June 9th, I as in Houlton for work and at lunch time headed over to The Bus, a season food truck that you can find at the corner of Broadway & Military Street right at Monument Park.  I ate here last month and at that time I got the Ricker Burger, I got it because my half brother's last name is Ricker.  It was damn good.

Today though I got me a specialty hotdog of theirs, The Whistler.

It's a natural casing hot dog wrapped in bacon with Velveeta cheese in a toasted bun, I had them add mustard to it as well.  It was a solid hot dog, that's for sure!  The bacon was crispy which is a must for me, I don't care for undercooked bacon.

The French fries are hand cut and are amazing!!  I soaked them in vinegar and a touch of salt, just perfect!  They off frozen fries as well for the same price, but who would want frozen over handcut!!

I'm sure I'll sample something else on the menu next month when I'm back in town.

Until Next Time!

The Blue Rooster Food Company

5 Dana Street

Portland, Maine  04101

(207) 747-4157

Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

UPDATE: Closed in 2023

On August 17th my buddy John and I were in Portland because I had won free tickets to the Goo Goo Dolls, Collective Soul, & Tribe Society concert at the Maine State Pier.  We decided to wonder around the Old Port for a bite to eat before the show started.

We happened across the Blue Rooster Food Company which I had just read about somewhere because of their deep fried brussel sprouts, I had no interest in them.  What drew me in is when you get right down to it, they are a hot dog eatery and they serve tater tots!

After looking over the menu which is extremely unique, creative, and full of comfort goodness, I chose the Wagon Wheel Hot Dog while John went for a flat bread getting the Beefsquatch and we split a large order of Tot-tine, tater tots with cheese curd and gravy!

The Wagon Wheel is a Maine Family Farms natural casing beef & pork hotdog that is wrap in bacon and deep fried.  It is then nestled in, what looks to be an Italian roll cut in half that is lightly toasted then smothered in barbecue sauce, cheddar cheese, and fried jalapeno.  I opted to not get the jalapeno, it was delicious!

John loved his Beefsquatch, steak, salsa verde, lettuce, queso fresco, pico de gallo, crema, & cilantro wrapped in a flat bread.

The tot-tine was amazing!  The tots are deep friend to a crispy golden brown, and taking after the Canadian counterpart poutine, topped with real cheese curd from Pineland Farms and smothered in house made gravy.  Again, amazing! It tasted so darn good, with the curds all melty!

The thing is real poutine has cheese curds and in my opinion and other type of cheese is a waste of time and not worth eating, and should never be called poutine!

The seating area inside minimal with a few booths and a counter top on at the window with some stools, which is where we sat.  Beverage choices range from water to iced tea, beer, and more.

The prices ranged from fair to a bit high for me, but I am very frugal.  I would definitely come back again, I know the wife would love to go.

Thanks for reading, please take a moment to leave a comment and check out my other posts.

Later Readers!

Baseball and Hot Dogs: Fenway Frank

Hot Dogs and baseball have a long history together dating back to late 1800 / early 1900's.  I know whenever I go to a baseball game having a hot dog is a must.  How can you go to Fenway Park and not get a Fenway Frank?

Since 2009 Kayem out of Chelsea, Ma has been the supplier of the beef hot dog that is known as the Fenway Frank. My last trip to Fenway was on May 21, 2014 when Kate and I took our Mom's to a Red Sox vs. Blue Jays game.  It was a fantastic day, sadly the Red Sox couldn't pull off a win.

At Fenway you can get a Fenway Frank from almost all of the concession stands in the concourse, that's not for me.  I like getting them from a vendor that walks through the stands.  They carry this large steamer that has the buns on one side and the franks on the other.  It's 50 cents more this way, but it's worth it!  Needless to say, they are awesome!  Like all my Hot Dogs I like my dressed with just yellow mustard.

During April vacation this year my mom and I took the kids to a Sea Dogs game at Hadlock Field in Portland.  As the Sea Dogs are the AA club for the Red Sox they too serve the delicious Kayem Fenway Frank, and I had two during the course of the game.

The Red Sox are not the only team to have their own signature hot dog. The Texas Rangers have the two foot long Boomstick, the Arizona Diamondbacks have an 18 inch corn dog called the D-Bat, The Los Angeles Dodgers have the 10 inch Dodger Dog, and Kayem also makes the Rays Dog the official hot dog of the Tampa Bay Rays.  This is just a small sampling, every ballpark has their own take on it.

Thanks for reading, please feel free to leave a comment with your favorite ball park hot dog.

Later Readers!

Hot Dog Eateries of Maine

This page exclusively features eateries in Maine that sell Hot Dog's.  It could be a restaurant, hot dog stand, convenience store, or anyplace that serves a Hot Dog. Some places maybe featured on the Eateries of Maine page if they sell more than just Hot Dogs.

Flo's Steamed Hot Dogs - York

Simones' Hot Dog Stand - Lewiston

Bolley's Famous Franks - Hallowell

Brud The Hot Dog King - Boothbay Harbor

Hott Dogg House - Augusta

Burger Boy - Caribou

Featuring The Whitstler 

Burger Boy

Burger Boy

234 Sweden St

Caribou, Maine 04736

207-498-2329

Facebook Page

On my honeymoon the wife and I traveled to Northern Maine cutting in and out of Canada along the way from Fort Kent down to Bar Harbor.  Along the way we took in many historical sights and places of natural beauty.

I located Burger Boy on the internet and it was a must stop as I love old school drive in style eateries and Burger Boy is just that.  Opened in 1968 with a classic drive in decor and a large menu beyond the realm of just burgers and dogs.

One item in particular stood out to me on the menu and that was something called The Whistler.  It's an Old Tyme brand natural casing red hot dog stuffed with America cheese, wrapped in bacon and deep fried served on a toasted New England style stop split bun, yes please!

This was so good!  The dog had a snap to it, the bacon crisp, and the cheese was gooey! I had the dog with no addition toppings as well.

I also had a one of their signature cheeseburgers, they grind their own beef almost daily for fresh never frozen hamburger patties.  The burger was juicy cooked to perfection, living up to their Burger Boy name.

Kate had a Pizza Burger which is a hamburger topped with pizza sauce and mozzarella cheese.  We'd never heard of them before but saw them advertised all over the place in the area and curiosity got the better of her.

If we are ever back in the area I will definitely be stopping in for another Whistler!