Buggies, buggies, and more buggies

The Burrito Buggy is an Athens tradition. The buggy, which has been around for over 25 years, is one of the first things you hear about upon setting foot on Ohio University's campus. I'll never forget visiting OU as a high school senior just three years ago. It seems like just yesterday, but the girl who was giving my campus tour told us we had to do two things before graduating OU: eat at Burrito Buggy and climb the rock-climbing wall at Ping Center. I'm not much for rock climbing, but I love food, and it's sad that three years later I have yet to do either of those things. I decided this needed to change and after my classmate, Anne Culhane, suggested I do a post on all of the buggies by college gate, I finally had a reason to give it a try.

(Photo credit: http://www.burritobuggy.com/, The Burrito Buggy)

While Burrito Buggy is the original and most recognizeable buggy uptown, a few new ones have recently burst onto the scene. Ali Baba's, Bagel Buggy, Zaanti, and A-Town Pies and Fries have all taken up residence in "Buggyville" by college gate. The unique thing about all of these buggies is that they all offer much different cuisine.

Burrito Buggy offers a wide variety of burritos. You can get bean, beef, or veggie buritos. On my first ever trip to Burrito Buggy, I ordered the Beef Supreme. It was loaded with beef, cheese, lettuce, tomato, olives, jalapenos, and sour cream. Because I'm a guacamole fiend, I ordered it with guacamole for $0.75 extra. Needless to say, for $5.25, I was absolutely stuffed.

"Burrito Buggy is awesome, especially late at night," junior Ronnie Corey said. "I go through withdrawals when it goes away for winter quarter."

Ali Baba's is known primarily for their gyros. The gyros come in three sizes: econo, regular, and supreme. I've had the regular and it's absolutely delicious, and a ton of food. I don't even want to know what the supreme looks like. A variety of other Mediterranean items are available on the menu such as falavel, baba ganoush, and hummus. There is also a variety of baked goods from cookies to baklava that you can order as well. The majority of the ingredients are purchased at the Athens Farmer's Market and are always fresh. You can also sample some of the items on the menu that you may not be familiar with. Ali Baba's has quickly become an Athens favorite among students.

"I go to Burrito Buggy or Ali Baba's about once a week," sophomore Chris Barkley said. "They hook you up. Burrito Buggy loads the burritos up with more than enough meet. At Ali Baba's, I always get the supreme size. I guarantee you will be stuffed after eating one of those and it's so good, too."

Bagel Buggy offers bagel sandwiches that are much different than the one's you would find at Bagel Street Deli. The bagel buggy offers many generic sandwiches in the form of a bagel sandwich. You can get a pizza bagel, ham and cheese, or even a hot dog bagel.

Zaanti is another one of the unique buggies uptown. "Zaanti" is the Sanskrit word for "peace." Zaanti offers Indian cuisine. According to an article in The Post, "[Zaanti] serves two curries with rice and salad for $5.50, and customers can add a piece of flat bread or a drink for $1 and soup for $2.50." While I've never been to Zaanti, I do enjoy curry and plan on giving it a try sometime. The thing about this blog is, there's so much to try, but so little time and money. Hopefully I get around to trying it at some point in the near future.

A-Town Pies and Fries specializes in essentially what its name suggests. This cart provides customers with slices of pizza and french fries. Although I've never had the pizza or fries, they've gotten good reviews from people around campus.

All of Athens' buggies are locally owned and operated and are some of the many interesting things that make Athens unique. Give the buggies a try, they're cheap, different, and delicious. Who knows what new buggy will surface on your next trip to "Buggyville."

The Boss Hog Challenge at Kiser's BBQ Shack

106 people have attempted the Boss Hog Challenge at Kiser's BBQ Shack. Only 31 have left victorious. I've always had a curiosity about food challenges and wondered what it would be like to do one. My roommates, Matt Snow and Ronnie Corey, and my buddy, Greg Wilhelm, and I all went up to Kiser's on Thursday night so that I could attempt to tame this beast. Greg had been wanting to do the Boss Hog Challenge for a while, so he threw his name into the hat as well. As for Matt and Ronnie, they were there to heckle us and watch in pure amazement as Greg and I tried to eat what seemed to be the equivalent of three Thanksgiving dinners in under 30 minutes.

The Boss Hog Challenge consists of two half-pound angus burgers, three pieces of bacon, four ounces of cheese, a half pound of chopped pork, lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, four ounces of barbecue sauce, and finally one pound of fries. All of this must be eaten in under 30 minutes. If you win, you receive a $10 gift certificate, a t-shirt, your picture on the wall in the restaurant, and ultimate glory. If you lose, you go home with nothing but a bad case of heartburn and indigestion. Having never done a food challenge before, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. After playing hockey for 15 years, I had never subjected my body to the intense pain that would eventually be brought on by the Boss Hog Challenge. But once that clock started ticking, there was no turning back.

Below is a picture slide show, revealing the worst 30 minutes of my life. All photos are courtesy of Matt Snow.

O'Betty's: Not your average hot dog

Maybe I'm biased, but I always thought that the best hot dogs were from Chicago. Having grown up there, I can honestly say that Chicago-style pizza is far and away better than any other pizza on this planet. I'm a firm believer in the mantra that, "Pizza isn't real pizza unless you have to eat it with a fork." Just as Chicago-style pizza is known for it's deep-dish style and obnoxious amounts of cheese and sauce, Chicago-style hot dogs are known for containing almost every topping under the sun. I say "almost" because O'Betty's in Athens, OH has seemingly transformed the world of your traditional hot dog toppings. Up until coming to Ohio University, I considered Chicago-style hot dogs to be the best. O'Betty's, however, has since become top dog.

A traditional Chicago-style hot dog consists of mustard, onion, sweet pickle relish, a dill pickle spear, diced tomato, diced green pepper, and celery salt, but NEVER ketchup. Putting ketchup on a hot dog in Chicago is a cardinal sin. When my little sister and I order our hot dogs with ketchup, my dad gives us this look as if for a brief second he thought about disowning us from the family, but of course my father would never do that. So, what would my father say about a hot dog covered in...cole slaw? Jalapenos? Sour cream? He'd probably think I was joking, but at O'Betty's all of this is possible and let me tell you, I love it!

O'Betty's has been a favorite between my friends and I since I was a freshman. Upon entering the small establishment, you'd think you were in a hippie hangout or a museum dedicated to the twentieth century burlesque era, rather than a hot dog restaurant. The restaurant is so small that I'd be willing to bet that it seats 20-25 people at full capacity.

(Photo credit: http://obettys.com) Restaurant interior

Despite its small size, O'Betty's has a very inviting environment. The cooks and clerks are as friendly as they come. Everytime I'm in there, they are always talking to me and asking me about my day, while cooking my food.

My roommate goes there practically two times a week, and by now he's established himself as one of the regulars.

"I go there so much that the workers know that I'm ordering a Dixie with fries before I even open my mouth," he said. "O'Betty's is by far my favorite restaurant in Athens."

The walls are lined with photos that pay homage to great burlesque stars. In fact, each hot dog is named after a burlesque star. Names range from Syra, Dixie, Lily, Varla, and many more. They also have a section that is a hot dog museum of sorts. The hot dog museum contains hundreds upon hundreds of historical hot dog items.

(Photo credit: http://obettys.com/) The Hot Dog Museum

On my trip to O'Betty's earlier this evening, I decided to try something different. My go-to hot dog is the Mata Hari, a hot dog smothered in cole slaw and chili sauce. It's delicious, and it was tough to try something new, but I was feeling rather adventurous. I went with the Tempest. The Tempest is a prime example of how O'Betty's is not your average hot dog place. It is a hot dog covered in jalapenos, hot habanero salsa, sour cream, and sharp cheddar cheese. These are two of the many outrageous combinations that O'Betty's features on its menu. Other toppings include sauteed mushrooms, mayo, swiss cheese, baked beans, bacon, and many more. Don't worry all of you traditional hot dog lovers out there, they offer "normal" hot dogs as well. The fries are also some of the best fries I've ever had, and the chili-cheese fries look like a meal rather than a snack. The food is affordable, too, ranging from $2.50 to $3.25 for a hot dog, and $2 to $3.50 for fries depending on the size and the type.

So, there you have it. O'Betty's is delicious, affordable, and a great overall dining experience. I'm not the only one who thinks so either. O'Betty's has won numerous awards and gained acclaim from other food bloggers such as CMH Gourmand. Trust me, if you're ever in the mood to try something new or exotic, or if you simply just love hot dogs, check out O'Betty's. They have such a wide variety of toppings that something on the menu ought to catch your eye. Hell, maybe I'll even convince my dad to try a hot dog covered in jalapenos. Nah. Probably not. He can stick to his guns and order a Salome. It's O'Betty's code name for a Chicago-style hot dog.