Quirky East Nashville hot dog stand serves ‘em up tasty

Alisa Martin is a self-professed hot dog queen.

She has a hot dog tiara, a hot dog costume and hot dog-themed trinkets, T-shirts and cookbooks. She even has a burlesque dance she performs to the 1930s song "Frankfurter Sandwich."

Her obsession with the pork product began 18 years ago at a July 4th party where guests were asked to bring a hot dog dish.

"Someone made hot dog rice from hot dog water. My boyfriend and I made cream of hot dog soup. There were some of the most disgusting things ever, but that's when my love started and it just kept growing and growing," Martin said.

When Martin, 37, was tapped to own and operate the hot dog stand, I Dream of Weenie, on 1108 Woodland St., she was more than a willing business woman, she was a true cheerleader of the product.

A mesquite charcoal grill rigged in the window of a gutted and transformed VW van, the hot dog stand was the invention of Bret McFadyen, who co-owns Art & Invention with his wife, Meg, and Wayne Goodwin, the proprietor of Wonders on Woodland. The two men's properties are side-by-side, with I Dream of Weenie sandwiched on the lawn in between.

Buddies with much in common by way of art and antiques, McFadyen and Goodwin often joked about starting a small business together. When McFayden blurted out, "I Dream of Weenie," the pop culture pun struck a cord and Martin's dream job was born.

Before we even tried a hotdog, we were amused by the concept of I Dream of Weenie — and especially the designs of McFadyen, who built the stand. If a hot dog could strike a sultry pose, he achieved in the stand's sign, and hot dog-shaped flower boxes are a nice touch.

With her nearly two decade's worth of wiener experience, Martin can cook up a mean dog. One hot dog is filling, but our testing team indulged in two a piece. The menu features six regulars that come standard with mustard and onions:

- The Frank & to the Point, the standard-grilled weenie with ketchup and sweet relish, $2

- The Slaw Weenie with Martin's homemade coleslaw recipe, $2.50

- The Dill Weenie with a dill spear nestled beside the weenie, $2.50

- The Chili-Cheese Weenie with spicy hot chili and cheese, $2.50

- The Rebel Yelp with Chow Chow (a southern sweet and spicy relish) and jalapenos, $3

- The Flamin' Frank, which is the Chili-Cheese Weenie fired up with hot salsa and jalapenos, $3

Turkey and tofu dogs can be substituted for the same cost.

We started with a couple beef and turkey Frank & to the Points to test the dogs on their own before any condiments could mask the taste.

The simply-dressed hot dogs were plump, juicy and flavorful and were delivered in a melt-in-your-mouth bakery bun. We'll never look at grocery-store buns the same. Those who are waistline conscious will be pleased with the turkey alternative.

Next we tried the Chili-Cheese Weenie, which we topped with Chow Chow. One of us has a penchant for things sugary and salty, and this combination delivered. The chili was pleasantly spicy and salty, and the Chow Chow had the traditional sweetness of a pickled relish.

Finally, we tried the Rueben Weenie, the day's special.

The queen of hot dogs is also the connoisseur of hotdogs and Martin can whip up some crafty creations. The day before was the New Orleans Olive Dog with mozzarella, provolone and a boscoli olive salad. She also makes a special-recipe pimento cheese to top a dog as well as an Italian dog with marinara and mozzarella and ones with grilled-pineapple salsa, a grilled Vidalia onion marmalade and a fresh corn relish with basil and tomatoes.

Some are her own flavor concoctions and others are tried-and-true toppings she found from cookbooks or the National Hotdog and Sausage Council.

We'd pass on the Rueben Weenie if it's featured again, but it's worth branching out and trying Martin's boundary-testing dogs.

We did not brave a tofu wiener, but customer Sarah Fritsch was moved to order the meatless version for herself after watching her two children, Bean, 4, and Oli, 7, devour their bare dogs.

"I don't normally eat hot dogs, but everything smells so good it made me want one," Fritsch said.

She sat with her youngsters on plastic table covers that the hot dog stand provides for its patrons. A sign in the window explains, "Inquiring minds want to know...why don't you provide a place to sit? Because I Dream of Weenie is a mobile food vendor, Metro says we're not allowed to provide seating. Go figure!"

It's almost for the best — thanks to Metro you get a pleasant picnic experience in the shade of a maple tree while watching the bustle at the post office across the street.

If there were any complaints, they were turned inward. We would have used more napkins. And with the dogs piled high with toppings, we'd like wider mouths.

What: I Dream of Weenie

Where: 1108 Woodland St.

When: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday