Coney dogs, beer, and pinball in one small joint spells fun
Posted: Aug 23, 2007 by Natasha Gorbachev
This week my heart was set on one and only one destination to start off the weekend after all the buzz I’d heard around town: The Red Hot!
This is the latest bar to join the Sixth Avenue family, located at 2914 Sixth Ave., Suite B; but don’t expect it to be much of anything like it’s Sixth Avenue siblings.
This joint really smoothes out the Ave. You know I love the mid-range to high-end international cuisine on that street, but I also love the affordable, punk rock T-Town style that The Red Hot is pumpin’.
Red Hot is modeled after one of my favorite Seattle establishments, Shorty’s.
But there’s already a great distinction between the two. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but The Red Hot cranks out dogs that are far better than Shorty’s. Woah!
Red Hot is a cozy little joint with a long bar (hooray for purse hooks under the bar!), several tables and two pinball machines.
And truly, the best thing about Red Hot is those damn dogs. OMG.
Shortly after I arrived, Brad Allen rolled in, sat down and told me that he was going to eat hot dogs until he pooped a bun. That almost made me pee my pants. I guess you could say we were quite a dynamic duo.
We took on the task of trying four different dogs, and it was so tough to pick the best amongst them: the Chicago, the Red Hot, the 6th Ave. Strut and the Tideflats. I won’t tell you what’s in each because I want you to go in and experience those magic dogs yourself, but I will say that the 6th Ave. Strut’s cream cheese and onions had me begging for more.
In terms of beer, there are 10 on tap, from Pabst Blue Ribbon to Black Butte Porter. I giggled when proprietor Chris "Trashcan" Miller told me that he’s serving only boxed wine, and then agreed with him by saying that anorexic girls who only drink wine won’t fit in very well at The Red Hot.
Mr. Trashcan has had a blast since he opened the door for the first shift (that starts at lunch) last week. He said you’ll find everything from laid-back T-Town locals to the stiffest of suits chomping down a couple of dogs because they love how good they are and how fast the food comes out. He even served one petite unassuming woman four (yes FOUR) dogs in one sitting. Nice work, grrrrl!
As for me, after footing the bill for the savory sampler and taking in a few PBRs, my tab came to just $19. AWESOME.
And watching Brad make a mad dash to the bathroom was obviously worth every penny.
[The Red Hot, 2914 Sixth Ave., Suite B, Tacoma, www.theredhot.net]
Tell me where you like to party here.