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P-Dog's

Rob Young

This much is clear: The Lowcountry ain't hurtin' for great hot dogs.

Taste the truth at any number of joints: Johnny's, Skoogie's, Jack's Cosmic Dogs, The Tin Roof, Jake's at Boone Hall.

And now, another blessing: the fantastic P-Dog's, a small, three-month-old restaurant in Summerville run by Perry Cuda.

Yep, that Perry Cuda.

The former Parade magazine All-American. The 6-foot-3 QB who led Summerville High to 41 straight wins and two state championships. The same guy legendary coach Bear Bryant personally signed to play at Alabama.

Cuda left Summerville in the early '90s, returning 18 months ago. He spent his time away learning the food business, opening the psych-a-deli restaurant in Atlanta, where he offered lobster BLTs alongside PB&Js.

Given the time, we'd eat all 28 varieties of P-Dog's all-beef kosher hot dogs on soft sesame buns ($1.95-$2.85). Given a lunch, we dined on the Rebel ($2.65), a tasty treat with white barbecue sauce and super-crunchy bacon and onions. And we tried the Big Willy ($2.85) — No. 12 on the menu, but No. 1 in our hearts — with homemade chili, cheese and coleslaw.

Other concoctions to tweak eyebrows (and likely taste buds) include the Gus, gussied up with grilled onions, black-peppered bacon and blue cheese; and the Pittsburgh with chili, onions, mustard, ketchup and fries (Hello, Primanti Brothers!).

P-Dog's also serves fried grouper and marinated shrimp tacos ($4.85) with avocado-lime sour cream, citrus slaw and tropical salsa. And they make fine mini-bison burgers, the lil' morsels booming with Southwestern spice.

The restaurant is keen on wild game, with the specials so far being venison, rabbit, duck and ostrich made into sausage, burgers or steak. And — get this — Cuda says to expect kangaroo soon.

Krickey, that's some kinda hot dog stand.

Address: 119 W. Doty Ave.

Phone: 871-9730

Hours: 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Mon-Sat.

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