New Review Coming Soon!

Sorry for the long delay! Between health troubles between the two of us, plus a trip we took to visit a friend of ours, we've been unable to post an update to our blog (but did post to our Facebook page - if you don't like us on there, what are you waiting for??). But, good news! We will have a new review from our recent trip to Minnesota to report very soon! It's the furthest away from home we've reviewed to date and ranks up there with one of the best restaurants we've been to... this review will be heading your way soon and you won't want to miss it! Stay tuned! Until then, catch you on the flip side!

--Tom and Crissy

Hot Dog Charlie's - Rensselaer, New York

Hot Dog Charlie's - 150 Columbia Turnpike, Rensselaer, NY 12144

Hot Dog Charlie's Facebook Page

On the outside, this place isn't much to look at...

(Photo credit: Hot Dog Charlie's)

Just a lonely little location inside a mini-mini shopping center with just a Subway restaurant and a Chinese take-out place keeping it company. Not the best looking location on the outside, but you aren't supposed to judge a book by the cover. On the inside, they're whipping up some amazing tasting little hot dogs, hence their namesake.

Hot Dog Charlie's got its start in 1922 when the first location was opened in Troy, New York by Greek immigrant Strates Fentekes under the name New Way Lunch. People began calling him Charlie, so the name stuck. People would come to order their Charlie's mini hot dogs (which at the time were sold for a bargain 5 cents each), loaded up with anything from ketchup, mustard, kraut, onions, relish and Charlie's legendary secret chili meat sauce recipe. In the old days, Strates would line up a dozen minis on the length of his arm and load them up with their toppings, creating the "hairy arm" technique that few have been able to duplicate. 

Charlie's seems to be the earliest known restaurant to serve these mini hot dogs, which is one reason they've managed to stay around for as long as they have. The brand of hot dogs they use currently is Sabrett's (although they had recently tried using Hembold's for just their mini's recently, which did not go over well, which caused them to switch back to Sabrett's - thank God, I like the full length hot dogs they serve, too, but it's just not the same thing). 

A size comparison of a mini verses a regular size hot dog from here:

(Photo credit: Hot Dog Charlie's)

How would you get your hot dogs? Tom likes his with just the sauce (the regular, not the hot), and ketchup. Crissy, who has an intolerance to onions, which are one of the ingredients of the sauce, prefers them with just mustard and ketchup. You, however, can get them with any combination of their toppings (ketchup, mustard, relish, onion, sauerkraut or their chili meat sauce) to your own liking.

How that little grill in the back can cook so many great tasting hot dogs, along with other foods at the same time, is pretty amazing. Wait, they have other foods besides hot dogs? Yes. Our friend George loves their cheeseburgers, and all of us go wild for their curly fries (which they refer to as twister fries), which are better than pretty much anywhere else. 

On a recent visit, Tom got his mini's while Crissy got two regulars, and we each ordered the twister fries. We were so excited to enjoy our meal, we dug right in and Tom had one mini completely gone before realizing he hadn't yet snapped a picture of his delicious lunch, which is why you see three mini's on the plate above, instead of four, Tom's usual. 

As for some more of the other foods they serve, their fish fry is known to be one of the best in the Capital region. I also enjoy their clam roll, and the popcorn chicken is pretty good as well.... but the real reason for coming here is the hot dogs, the rest of these foods are for when you bring your whole family and some of them are less interested in hot dogs (hard to imagine, I know). 

They also have some pretty good milkshakes which are great all year round, but especially in the summer time. 

Today, Hot Dog Charlie's is run by Chuck Fentekes (the third generation in the family to run the restaurant), and Florence Dimitiadis. Aside from this location in Rensselaer, they have three other locations in Clifton Park, Cohoes and Latham, New York. This one is by far the best location, though. 

The famous chili sauce they put on top of their hot dogs can be found in local area supermarkets, can be purchased in any store location, or can even be ordered online from the company's main website. I might have to do that myself sometime when I'm unable to get to New York to get some hot dogs. The local brand we have in Erie is Smith's and while those are decent dogs, they don't compare to these, and the sauce wouldn't taste the same on them.

It's time for us to be hitting the road again. We'll check in again soon with our next review. If you have something to say about this restaurant, leave us a comment on this post. If there's a restaurant in your local area (whether or not it is local to us) that you'd like us to check out for a possible review on our blog, let us know by messaging us on our Facebook Page. If you have your own pictures or reviews to add to our blog on any of our reviews (or if you just want to add one of your own to our blog), drop us a line because we would love to add further reviews for this business as well as other restaurants to our blog.

Until the next time, we'll catch you on the flip side.

For Diehls On The Road, this is Tom Diehl, signing off....

The Peanut Shoppe - Akron, Ohio

Peanut Shoppe Of Akron - 203 S Main St, Akron, OH 44308

Peanut Shoppe Of Akron Facebook Page

Boy, I just let time slip by in between my reviews, don't I? Truth is, in between my time spent working on this blog I have several other projects I work on, plus a regular job. Most importantly, Crissy and I like to spend a lot of time together (sometimes when we're out we look for places for this blog, but not always). We just celebrated our first wedding anniversary last Sunday. The laptop we currently have seems to be on its last legs as it runs very slowly, but eventually we will upgrade (though hopefully not to anything with Windows 8 or newer). 

Last week we reviewed an Akron restaurant, and this week we remain in Akron once more. That said, our review today is not actually for a restaurant. While we like to find the best food on the road for you to try, we also love local shops that give you something unique, something that takes you back to the good old days. We've found it in a wonderful place called the Peanut Shoppe of Akron. 

(Photo Credit: Tim Davisson)

The Peanut Shoppe of Akron is one of just a dozen Peanut Shop/Shoppe locations left from when there were over 200 locations all over the country, opened by the National Peanut Corp. between 1930 and 1960 as a means of selling Planters Peanuts to customers. In 1961, Standard Brands bought out Planters Peanuts and began closing up the retail shops. Akron's location, around since 1933, remained open, but in the 82 years since opening, the store has seen three owners and three business locations, all on South Main Street. 

(Photo credit: Lisa Abraham, Akron Beacon Journal)

When the city of Akron purchased the building that housed the previous location of the Peanut Shoppe, they helped store owner Marge Kline find her current location, which allowed her to expand the business to include more than just nuts.

They have almost every kind of nut or candy you can imagine in this store, available to purchase by weight, even as little as 1/4 of a pound if you are only craving a small snack. They have a wide variety of nuts, chocolate candies, hard candies, something to satisfy any craving. We've come here numerous times for their fresh roasted peanuts, sunflower seed kernels, chocolate toffee squares, juju candies, valentine hearts (in season, of course), brazil nuts, malt balls, banana chips, even their fresh made popcorn. I could go on and on, but you can see for yourself from the pictures (many of which were taken by our friend Tim for The Peanut Shoppe's Facebook page) just how much this store has to offer. They even have ice cream available in both prepackaged ice cream bars and soft serve flavors.

When you come to visit, don't forget to say hello to Marge, and while you're here, try to spot as many Mr. Peanuts as you possibly can...

As you can see, Mr. Peanut sure knows how to get around. Crissy and I do too, and when we are in Akron, we're always sure to stop in on the Peanut Shoppe! Perhaps best of all, the Peanut Shoppe of Akron does accept credit cards (you know, for those times when you're hauling out two plastic bags filled with goodies like i've done in the past).

It's time for us to be hitting the road again. We'll check in again soon with our next review. If you have something to say about the Peanut Shoppe of Akron, leave us a comment on this post. If there's a restaurant in your local area (whether or not it is local to us) that you'd like us to check out for a possible review on our blog, let us know by messaging us on our Facebook Page. If you have your own pictures or reviews to add to our blog, drop us a line because we would love to add further reviews for this business as well as other restaurants to our blog.

Until the next time, we'll catch you on the flip side.

For Diehls On The Road, this is Tom Diehl, signing off....

El Puente Mexican Restaurant - Akron, Ohio

El Puente Mexican Restaurant - 2329 Romig Rd, Akron, OH 44320

http://elpuenteakron.weebly.com/

Has it really been two weeks since an update? Oof, sorry about that! Between both of us, we've been sick quite a bit lately, not to mention two recent hospital visits from Tom for some recurring ear issues. We wanted to give a review when we were best able to present our honest opinions.

A couple of weeks ago, in between all of our sicknesses, we spent some time in Akron, Ohio, house sitting for a friend. Of course, we decided to check out some local places to review. One of our friends had once taken us to a different Mexican restaurant in Akron, called Mi Casa, when we were visiting some friends in the area, Well let me tell you, I'm not big on Mexican food (Crissy is more so since she comes from Southern California). When I was growing up in Maryland, we had one local place that is apparently still around (and until looking them up today, I had no idea they were local - I thought they were a national chain!) but it was never my favorite place to eat.

Coming to El Puente and a few other places recently has really changed my mind on Mexican food. We were warmly greeted (in Spanish) by the host of the evening, who then took us to our seat. We had our drink orders taken (Coke products, including Cherry Coke!) and were given a basket of fresh made tortilla chips and salsa (I don't care for any kind of salsa, Crissy enjoyed it, though). The chips were nice and hot and tasted great.

When I was first reading about this restaurant online (which had many, many positive reviews), I had looked the menu over and planned to have Arroz con Pollo (Chicken and Rice), which I decided on trying simply for the fact that it had been mentioned in one of the most famous episodes of I Love Lucy, Job Switching:

I can't get the Youtube page to start on my blog right where I want it to, so for reference start at 11:45 into the episode.

I didn't really know what to expect, as it was something new I was trying (my father would be so proud of me for trying something new!) and I figured I would enjoy it anyway since this restaurant was busy! There were lots of customers here, and they all seemed to be enjoying themselves.

If you like peppers, tomatoes and onions, this would be the perfect dish for you. I am not fond of them so I picked all of those out (okay, i left some onions in but took out some of the bigger chunks), and was left with about 2/3 of my dish. The rice tasted amazing, the chicken was incredible. I think I would've loved the dish more if it was just the chicken (cooked exactly the way it was in this dish) and the rice, but I loved it just the same.

Crissy had what the restaurant called their vegetarian combination #3, a bean burrito, a cheese quesadilla, and what they said was a chalupa (though Crissy says it looks more like a tostada). See it for yourself:

As for how things tasted, Crissy says, coming from California, the food was very authentic Mexican food. It has a lot more flavor than many other "Mexican" restaurants, and it lives up to the standard of many Mexican restaurants out in California, and has a home-cooked feel to it.

As for the actual name of the restaurant, it does get confusing. Their Facebook page calls themselves "El Puente Mexican Restaurant & Grill", Their website says "El Puente Mexican Bar & Grill", and their actual building just says "El Puente Mexican Grill". 

We've already been back here a second time. Yes, I got the same thing once again, Crissy got something different and loved it, and the place was just as packed. If you like authentic Mexican food, this is the best place in Akron to try. It's well worth the trip to get here and the prices are extremely reasonable for the amount of food you get. The next time we return to Akron, I know where we'll be heading for dinner.

It's time for us to be hitting the road again. We'll check in again soon with our next review. If you have something to say about this restaurant, leave us a comment on this post. If there's a restaurant in your local area (whether or not it is local to us) that you'd like us to check out for a possible review on our blog, let us know by messaging us on our Facebook Page. If you have your own pictures or reviews to add to our blog, drop us a line because we would love to add further reviews for this and other restaurants to our site.

Until the next time, we'll catch you on the flip side.

For Diehls On The Road, this is Tom Diehl, signing off....

George's Restaurant - Erie, Pennsylvania

George's Restaurant - 2614 Glenwood Park Ave, Erie, PA 16508

Facebook - George's Restaurant

We've been in Erie for some time now, and have had a lot of time to check out a lot of the local restaurants. This one has been under our radar until recently. After a few recent stops to the doctor due to ongoing sinus problems I've been experiencing, we would pass this restaurant on the way home and would always say "we should try that place out". They boast of their "real homemade mashed potatoes" which made me wonder if anything else there was good. Let me just say that yes, we've enjoyed everything we've had here!

(Photo credit: George's Restaurant Facebook Page)

We decided to go in and see what all of the hoopla was about regarding their mashed potatoes. They offer a wide variety, including garlic parmesan, cheddar ranch, bacon horseradish, onion and bacon, verdi and pepper jack, jalapeno, and broccoli and cheddar among other flavors. 

These mashed potatoes lived up to our expectations, and then some. We now know why Erie's oldest restaurant has remained, and why they still have such a loyal fanbase. Tom had the broccoli and cheddar potatoes while Crissy had the garlic parmesan. Both flavors were fantastic. The garlic parmesan is a little on the salty side but some people certainly prefer it that way. These are not huge portions of potatoes (you couldn't necessarily make a meal out of a bowl), so we ordered them to go with our main courses.

Tom got his usual, all-american cheeseburger, cooked medium at my request, and they made it exactly the way he likes it. For an extra charge, you can get fries and coleslaw, which are well worth it. The fries taste like they're fresh cut, even if they aren't (we can't tell). The coleslaw was very creamy and had a sweet taste, definitely homemade, and very delicious.

Crissy ordered the club sandwich. It came with bacon, lettuce, tomato, turkey and mayonnaise. The bacon was crisp, the turkey had a good flavor to it, and it was such a large sandwich, she had trouble eating the whole thing (it was a very tall sandwich, with an extra piece of bread in the middle). She also opted for the fries and coleslaw and enjoyed them as well. 

The restaurant offers sodas (excuse me, we're in Erie, they call it Pop here - you can tell I still feel like an outsider), but you only get one free refill with your meal. A major plus is that they accept credit cards here, which we were unsure of as a number of local restaurants seem to be cash only.

This restaurant is known for its breakfasts, though we have not tried them yet (I guess this means we'll just have to go back again soon). I'm a sucker for a good belgian waffle and I'm hoping to get one the next time we come here. This restaurant has been an Erie landmark since 1926 and I'm sure it will be around for a long time to come.

A little side note, Crissy is a big fan of Coca Cola, so she was thrilled to see that this restaurant was covered in Coke memorabilia. We even spotted this at our booth:

On the way out of the restaurant, there is a newspaper article hanging that gives the headline of George's Real-Deal Meals. That's the kind of food we like to spotlight on this blog, and we sure hit the mark today.

It's time for us to be hitting the road again. We'll check in again soon with our next review. If you have something to say about this restaurant, leave us a comment on this post. If there's a restaurant in your local area (whether or not it is local to us) that you'd like us to check out for a possible review on our blog, let us know by messaging us on our Facebook Page. If you have your own pictures or reviews to add to our blog, drop us a line because we would love to add further reviews for these and other restaurants to our site.

Until the next time, we'll catch you on the flip side.

For Diehls On The Road, this is Tom Diehl, signing off....

Rest In Peace Mike "Bossman" Hardin, Co-Owner of Hodad's in San Diego, California

(Photo credit: NBC San Diego)

Howdy, this is Tom posting here tonight...I learned earlier tonight of the passing of Mike Hardin, co-owner of Hodad's in San Diego, California. He was 56 years old and passed away last week from a heart attack in a hotel room in Oregon, where he was visiting family. I took my first trip out to California a few years ago and fell in love with Hodad's burgers on a trip to Ocean Beach. I've never had a better burger anywhere. Plus I just loved the atmosphere of the restaurant. Their milkshakes were amazing, too. Reportedly the restaurant will keep on going with things staying exactly the same, which is how Mike would've wanted it. 

Hodad's was featured on an episode of Diners, Drive-In's and Dives, which is how I first was introduced to the restaurant and it was this clip that made me want to check it out. It lived up to the expectations I had for the restaurant and then some. Take a look:

Rest in peace, Mike "Bossman" Hardin.

Mike's Hot Dogs - Schenectady, New York

Mike's Hot Dogs - 1135 Erie Boulevard, Schenectady, NY 12305

Facebook - Mike's Hot Dogs

Mike's is a restaurant we have been coming to for years. Twice a year Proctor's Theater in Schenectady holds a fantastic oldies concert with usually four or five fantastic acts. Before each concert, our friends and us come to Schenectady for dinner. It started out that we would eat at another local establishment, Morrette's, which also had some great desserts, but after a few bad dinner experiences at Morrette's we decided to go down the street to check out Mike's and see if they were better, and they were!

As for Morrette's, our last several times in there to try to get some hot fudge sundaes were met with "our ice cream machine is broken", and it turns out the service and quality at that restaurant had gone downhill since being taken over by a new owner recently, but we are happy to keep having our dinner at Mike's. 

Now, Mike's is known as Mike's Hot Dogs, but we had never come here for those. When we would go to the Proctor's concerts, we would eat here because we had heard they had some of the best cheesesteaks outside of Philadelphia, The first time I ate here, I was craving a good cheesesteak and I was hoping it would be better than what I'd had at Morrette's. It was much better. The steak was sliced thin, piled high, and melted in my mouth like butter. 

Now, they only call them Steak Sandwiches. The cheese costs extra but it's well worth it. The peppers also cost extra, however you can get the sandwich with onions and sauce at no extra charge. I prefer to get mine with just cheese on it and I like to add ketchup to it (as you can see above, for our recent visit, I kind of jumped the gun a bit and put my ketchup on before I took the picture of the sandwich, as I was so excited to be getting one of these sandwiches again). 

The sandwich tasted just as good as it always did. If I had one complaint, it would be that they cooked the sandwich on the same grill as they had previously cooked a fish fry without cleaning it afterwards, so part of the sandwich did end up tasting like fish. I didn't mind, though, as I love the sandwich anyway, but if anyone from the restaurant reads this, please learn to cook your foods in different locations specifically for those foods. 

Anyway, since we weren't here for a concert on our most recent visit (as it was just Crissy and myself), we were able to take our time here and not feel rushed to get over to the theater. I decided, what the heck, I would try some new foods here that I hadn't yet tried. Mike's is known for their hot dogs so I had to see what was so special about them:

I was asked if I wanted it with the works (which was sauce, onions and mustard), and I was originally thinking of just ordering a plain hot dog, but I decided to get it with the sauce. It's not quite a chilli sauce, this seems to be a bit like the Greek Sauce we can find around Erie. The sauce had a great flavor to it and really added to the hot dogs. I don't know of onions or mustard are even necessary with the dog but most people seem to prefer them that way. As much as I love the steak sandwiches here, I will be coming back more often for the hot dogs, which are my new favorite item here. 

My friends and I would often get the french fries while we were coming here before a concert, but this time around we decided to try the curly fries here, which we had never had before:

Amazing to think of what we had been missing by getting the regular fries instead of these. I think these would go good with some kind of seasoning on them, but they were wonderful as-is, too. 

By this time, we had been completely stuffed and did not have any room for desserts, though they looked very good. I think next time we will have to try one of them. We are also hoping to make it back sometime for breakfast, as they have a large breakfast menu available until 11 A.M. which people seem to enjoy. 

The prices here are for the most part reasonable, especially when it comes to the hot dogs and the breakfast foods. I suspect if they lowered the prices of their steak sandwiches, they would sell a whole lot more of those. I am already looking forward to my next visit in town (which will likely be before the next oldies concert at Proctor's) to make another trip to Mike's. 

It's time for us to be hitting the road again. We'll check in again next week with our next review. If you have comments about this restaurant, please let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment on this post. If there's a restaurant in your local area (whether or not it is local to us) that you'd like us to check out for a possible review on our blog, let us know by messaging us on our Facebook Page. If you have your own pictures or reviews to add to our blog, drop us a line because we would love to add further reviews for these and other restaurants to our site.

Until the next time, we'll catch you on the flip side.

For Diehls On The Road, this is Tom Diehl, signing off....