(This college football season, Arizona football beat reporter Justin Spears is trying out popular restaurants in towns the Wildcats are playing in. Up next: Provo, Utah.)
PROVO, Utah β In other parts of the country, "dawgs" is another title for the Georgia Bulldogs or the Washington Huskies. But in Provo and other parts of Utah, a "dawg" is an all-natural hot dog served at J. Dawgs. Here's their story:Β Β
Restaurant:Β J. Dawgs
Food:Β Hot dogs and friesΒ
The rundown:Β Founded in 2004 by BYU student Jayson Edwards, J. Dawgs' first location was a tiny shack just off the BYU campus. The location on the BYU campus has the original J. Dawgs shack in the parking lot to honor the restaurant's history. J. Dawgs has eight locations and is served at sports venues, including BYU's LaVell Edwards Stadium, Utah's Rice-Eccles Stadium and the Delta Center, where the Utah Jazz (NBA) and Utah Hockey Club (NHL) play. J. Dawgs' menu is simple: beef or Polish hot dog (cut in crisscross pattern), fries, "special sauce" and the following condiments: onions, jalapeΓ±os, sauerkraut, banana peppers and pickles. To celebrate 20 years in business, J. Dawgs gave away free hot dogs on June 25.Β
The order:Β Polish hot dog with special sauce, onions and jalapeΓ±os.Β
The final verdict:Β A simple hot dog with mustard from Costco will always get the job done, like a consistent pocket-passing quarterback, but a fully-loaded hot dog with fresh ingredients is dual-threat quarterback status. The special sauce is a sweet brown glaze that gave the hot dog some extra flavor β and complemented the jalapeΓ±os. It's no Sonoran hot dog (we're spoiled in Tucson), but it was filling and a top-tier hot dog. 7.2/10
Bonus verdict:Β After dinner, I walked through the BYU campus to find "Swig," a soft drink chain known for its "dirty sodas," which are popular sodas with flavored syrups, creamer and fruit-purees. Founded in St. George, Utah in 2010, Swig rose to popularity in the Beehive State due to members of the Latter-day Saints church abstaining from hot caffeine and alcohol. I ordered a "Poppin' Pineapple," which is Sprite with watermelon and strawberry flavoring and strawberry popping pearls. The "Texas Tab" β a Dr. Pepper with vanilla and coconut cream β nearly got the nod, but the Poppin' Pineapple was refreshing and not overly sweet. 7.5/10
