Flatwoods Edition: The Custard Stand

I had seen a few signs for the Custard Stand on my travels to southern West Virginia. After doing some research, I discovered they are famous statewide (and beyond!) for their hot dog chili. What started as a restaurant expanded into a couple restaurants and eventually a retail product - their chili.

Chris and I aren't usually traveling the state together, but we were both along for the ride after visiting my folks for Thanksgiving. So we decided to stop in Flatwoods to check out the Custard Stand. The other sign I saw was in Oak Hill. They have a few others sprinkled around the state, the first being Webster Springs.

We pulled up to the small building and noticed you can walk up to the outside and order from there and dine outside. It was too chilly so we walked inside. There are only about a half-dozen seats inside, and most were taken up. We walked up to the counter and looked over the menu - clearly something that the locals don't do. A man behind us was impatient, so we stepped to the side and he recited his order, as if known by heart.

After a few minutes, we were ready. I just ordered two dogs with chili, slaw, onions and mustard. The cashier looked at me and said "with the dog?" Puzzled, I said yes. Looking up at the menu, there is an option to order just the bun. And apparently it's popular. I also ordered a small peanut butter cone because you have to try the custard - which is actually just ice cream. They gave us a number, and luckily a seat opened up so we took it over.

They called out our number, and Chris went to fetch our bag. Everything is ordered "to-go," I assume. I pulled out two dogs wrapped in wax paper and housed in small cardboard cartons. Pretty good dogs! The slaw was chopped really finely, and the onions added a bit of sweetness. The chili was good, too. I'm not a chili connoisseur, but tasted good to me! Chris also got cheese fries, which were pretty good, too. Served with a nice tub of nacho cheese, the fries were hot and crispy.

After devouring the hotdogs, I went up for them to make my cone. Boy, I'm glad I ordered a small. It was HUGE. The only "small" part is the cone itself, which is pretty tiny. The amount of ice cream they pile on there is quite surprising. It was a nice little stop along the way, and a townie fav. I'll be stopping here along the way soon.

Grade: A