Northern West Virginia is noticeably devoid of staple hotdog stands compared to more southern counties that set strict standards for these culinary classics.

However, there are just a handful of places here that specialize in these beloved BBQ necessities. Hometown Hot Dogs, located in the Westover/Granville area is one.

It's not particularly new, and it's not far, but it just doesn't have a huge presence in town. It's pretty small and a little off the beaten path, so it's taken me some time to find it. But I finally did.

Parking is a bit precarious, and it's not huge inside. Everyone's eyes are on you as you walk inside - or at least they were on me and my group. We quickly took a seat at an empty table and looked over the menu plastered behind the bar area.  I ordered two dogs with mild chili, slaw, mustard and onions, with a side of fries. Vicki, former AP journalist extraordinaire, treated Tony and I to lunch. They don't take cards, so be sure to have cash handy.

It's fairly tight dining quarters (I kept getting bumped for folks trying to use the restroom), and you just kind of randomly find a spot at the bar to order, but they did hand us our food pretty quickly. We each had hotdogs, as well as communal order of fried pickles.

The hotdog - the slaw was this very mayo-type that really dominated the whole flavor. It was a little too much. But the sauce was good, and the hotdog itself was average. Pretty good overall, and definitely good for north central WV.

Both Tony and Vicki loved the fried pickles. They were pretty good - not something I'm crazy about in general. But not bad.

The fries were not cooked consistently. Some were crunchier, while other soggy. But good flavor and tasted more homemade than most places.

Here's their Facebook.

Grade: B