FOOTHILL FLAVORS

“The” Place to Pig Out

By Antoinette May Herndon

“Your restaurant reviews are kind of pricey,” Some readers have said. Others opine: “Your choices always sound so elegant. The gist of it all seems to be: “Where does Antoinette go when she just wans to kick back and eat?”

After nearly a year of reviewing, I can easily say there is no better place to fill that bill than Hawg Dawg’s in Valley Springs. Open just three years, the jazzy eatery has already become a legend in its time.

Think hot orange walls decorated with great old posters— Marilyn Monroe with her skirt blowing up, Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda on their motorcycles and Frank Sinatra with his Rat Pack shooting pool—think shiny grill and bar, think great owner-hosts, Anna and Jeff Solari, who do it all and do it well.

Charles and I rendezvoused at Hawg Dawg’s recently with his daughter, Marion and her son, Andrew. They were coming from Stockton. It was a Tuesday night; we expected the place to be deadsville. No one there but our little foursome.

Guess again, the place was filled. Everyone was there including two old friends, Madeline and Patrick, who we hadn’t seen in way too long. So long we that didn’t even know they knew each other, much less had become a couple. That’s Hawg Dawg’s for you, crossroads of a million private lives. Practically like a Parisian sidewalk where if you wait long enough everyone you know strolls by. Well something like that anyway.

Consideer Hawg Dawg’s a lively, friendly, innovative Valley Springs version.

The place is biker-friendly, but it wouldn’t surprise me either to see a senior citizen tour bus pull up there and feel equally welcome. You just want to “have fun?” Seems like that’s the buzz word these days and Hawg Dawg’s is tailor made.

Our new old friends. Patrick and Madeline, joined our table and we settled into the serious business of ordering beer. There is almost every kind, but on this night, all six of us ordered Hawg Dawg Pale Ale. It was the perfect accompaniment to what was to follow.

There are fourteen dawg variation from which to choose but that only begins to plum the offerings of what this rich menu has to offer. Deluxe Chile Dawg called me from the start ($5.99). It comes compete with chile, cheddar cheese and lots of onion. I loved it, thought it the perfect dawg. Why not, the Solaris make their own sausages from scratch and wow, are they yummy!

Charles went with Anna’s Polish Dawg ($5.99), polish sausage topped with sauerkraut and onions. Having stolen a bite, I’d call it the perfect Pol.

One an evening out without her husband and Marion went wild. Her rebellion took the form of the Home Wrecker ($8.99), a 1/2 lbs. Dawg with four toppings of her choice. It looked so good that Madeline through all caution to the wind and ordered the same.

Andrew, a recent college graduate with a toe into construction, went with the Western ($10.99),

a 2/3s of a pound burger with lettuce, tomato, onion, cheddar and Mayo topped with deep fried onion rings and BBQ sauce. It looked so good that old new friend, Patrick, a retired colonel, had the same. Not too surprisingly, they both liked their Western Dawgs very much.

Now I’m going to have to admit that our party of six was not content with our luscious Dawgs alone. We got greedy. It started with Madeline’s Pesto Hawg chips ($4.25) which we shared as an appetizer. But we couldn’t stop there. We had to have giant onion rings ($4.75) and finally potato skins with bacon, onion, garlic, cheese and sour cream ($5.99). What a wild bunch!

Hawg Dawg’s is such a sinful place. Anna and Jeff have managed to conceal their horns and tails;they’ve stashed their pitchforks behind the bar. But the devil’s clearly in the Dawgs. If you’re ready to throw calories and cholesterol to the winds, if you just want to have fun. Hawg Dawg’s is the place.

VITALS: Hawg Dawg’s is in the Valley Oaks Shopping Center at 200 Hwy 12, in Valley Springs. They are open from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 4 p.m. to 9 on Sunday. Closed Monday. Phone: 772-1987. Credit cards accepted.

amherndon@sierralodestar.com

PICTURES

Anna Solari owns and manages Hawg Dawg’s in Valley Spring

Digging into a delicious Chili Dawg.

Andrew Lauter watches as Madeline Kriska does goes creative with her dawg.

The décor at Hawg Dawg’s is creative and fun.