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Parker's Hot Dogs, located on Foothills Blvd. in west Roseville, as their slogan states, is "Not Just A Hot Dog! Home of the Knuckleheads!" Now that's quite a statement! You don't have to be a knucklehead to enjoy a great hot dog at Parker's, but if you want to take them up on their Knucklehead Challenge, you certainly have to be one, or at least a reasonable facsimile of a knucklehead. Friday morning, February 25, 2011, I wasn't feeling up to attempting the Knucklehead Challenge, but I was in the mood for a delicious hot dog, so on the way home from the grocery store, I made a stop at Parker's.
Photo: Parker's opens early, at 0900 to be exact, which is very early for a hot dog restaurant, but co-owner, Art Quezada, told me that they're planning to expand their menu to include breakfast hot dogs. Why not? In Mexico, tacos are a huge favorite for breakfast, and there are separate varieties of breakfast, lunch and dinner tacos, so why not spread the wealth to the hot dog kingdom? Parker's has the right idea... In my case, after working a 16-hour shift on the all-nighter, nothing seems better than to chow-down on a Parker dog. The Foothills Blvd. location had been closed for quite some time, but they recently opened again on February 14th, with new decor, a new menu, new owners, and a whole new attitude. The store is owned by Eric Owen and Art Quezada, and during my visit today, I had the pleasure of meeting Art, and enjoying a Western Hot Dog, which is only one of many tempting selections on their hot dog menu.
Photo: As I walked in the front door, co-owner of the restaurant, Art Quezada was behind the counter, hard at work at the grill. Note the sign advertising the Knuckhead Challenge. If you're a fan of the Travel Channel's Man vs Food show, you may remember that Adam attempted to conquer the Knucklehead, and in this case, food beat man... but Adam gave it the good ol' college try and he came mighty close to victory. If you're up to it, Knucklehead Challenge consists of a 5 lb chili cheese dog that is sure to blow you away. It showcases five 10-inch hot dogs topped with 3 lbs. of chili, cheese, onions, tomatoes and pickles all topped with a pound of fries. If you can wolf it all down within 20 minutes, you win, and the meal is on Parker's dime. My future plans include attempting the Knucklehead Challenge - I already know that I can't conquer it - but I'll give it the ol' college try, and I'll have plenty of leftovers to enjoy at a later time.
Photo: From the back of the restaurant, I'm looking forward towards the spotless kitchen. The format is simple, as you walk up to the counter and order from the menu, posted on the wall. Art, or whoever is working the counter takes your order, you pay your hard-earned dollars, and then within a couple of minutes, you're rewarded with a hot dog of your dreams. Parker's Hot Dogs offers plenty of seating in a spotlessly-clean, family-friendly environment.
Photo: Art puts the finishing touches, which just happens to be barbecue sauce, on to my Western Dog.
Photo: Art Quezada, co-owner of the restaurant, graciously photographed me with my Western Dog on the table, with me ready to devour it. Thanks Art, for taking my portrait.
Photo: I couldn't resist a close-up photo of my Western Dog before I bit into it... but it was hard to resist, as the dog looked soooooo good. Check this out, as the Western Dog has these elements: A large, really fresh bun.... a large, natural-cased weiner that "snaps" when you bite into it... a strip of grilled bacon... onion rings... pepper jack cheese and it's all garnished with barbecue sauce. Oh yes!!!!
Photo: Art said he wanted to take a photo of me biting into my Western Dog, and I was happy to oblige. Yeah, that's "me," taking my first bite of "heaven on a bun," at Parker's Hot Dogs. Some day, when I really grow up, I will attempt the Knucklehead Challenge, but not as a potential conqueror, but only as a "wannabee." Parker's Hot Dogs serves great hot dogs, and the folks are friendly. If you're a lover of hot dogs, then Parker's just might make Roseville a "target destination" for you... anyway, Roseville is on the way to Reno, and offers a convenient alternative to Sacramento restaurants. If you're a lover of hot dogs, then Parker's is a restaurant that you'll definitely want to pay a visit to. Now, let's take a look back to 2007, during a previous visit when the restaurant was under different management... Since you're reading this page, there is no doubt in my mind that you and I share at least two things in common: 1) We like to surf the world wide web, and... 2) We love hot dogs. I might also assume that you live in the greater Sacramento area, have visited the area, or are somehow attracted to the area. I'm not a spokesman for the Chamber of Commerce, but I can tell you that it's a great place to live, as we have almost anything that your heart could desire, including great hot dog stands, and hot dog restaurants.
Photo: Porter's Hot Dogs has a prime location in an upscale strip mall, on Foothills Blvd., in west Roseville.
Photo: When you enter the restaurant, you're greeted by two friendly girls who take your order, and prepare your delicious hot dog, while you watch the action. OK, that lead-in brings me to Parker's Hot Dogs, located on Foothills Blvd., in Roseville, about 20 miles north-east of Sacramento, where I happen to live. Parker's Hot Dogs is a small chain of two restaurants in the Roseville area, that specialize in great hot dogs, and that might be an understatement, as they serve only hot dogs, but they do have the usual side dishes and drinks, such as potato chips, soft drinks and bottled water. For some reason, their official name is Parker's Hot Dogs of Santa Cruz, but when you Google that string, you come up empty handed, as the query will lead you back to Roseville. During my visit to Parker's, I neglected to query them about that; I'll save the question for a further visit and update this web page with the answer.
Photo: Here's Porter's menu, which is posted on the wall, above the kitchen. Yes, they serve tamales if you're interested... but you're at a hot dog restaurant, right?
Photo: A peek into the kitchen, just behind the counter, as the girls discuss the weird things I'm doing, like asking stupid questions and taking photos. Friday, July 20, 2007, I ambled into Parker's a little past 11:00 A.M. just as they opened for business, and I was greeted by two friendly, attractive young ladies. Being the dirty old man that I am, I love to walk into a restaurant and to be greeted with "eye candy," especially the friendly sort that I found at Parker's on Foothills Blvd. Anyway, I walked up to counter, checked out their menu, posted on the wall behind the counter and the kitchen, and checked out all the many choices they had to offer. Which one? Since I didn't see a Coney Island hot dog on their menu, I ordered a Chicago Dog with everything on it, for the small price of $3.55, which is a small price to pay to sample a piece of Heaven.
Photo: Delicious Chicago-style hot dogs are not born; they're created at places such as Porter's Hot Dogs, in Roseville, CA, by this lovely hot dog chef. After I ordered my hot dog, I whipped out my business card and my camera, and asked permission to take a few photos. Both girls were quite surprised, and asked the usual question of "Why do you want to take photos?" Almost everybody asks that question, and I can't say that I blame them, as to them, at their work, it's just an everyday thing, mundane, plain, and just part of their routine. But think of this... photographs capture a slice of life that can never be repeated, and seconds after the photo is taken, this moment captured in the photo is history... Just think of many of the great photos that were taken on the spur of the moment, such as planting the American Flag on Iwo Jima, during World War Two... Well, I'm not equating taking photos at Parker's Hot Dogs of Santa Cruz to Joe Rosenthal's famous photo, but you get the idea of my opinion of historical photographs...
Photo: Oh boy! A perfect Chicago-style hot dog, only from Porter's Hot Dogs of Santa Cruz, located in Roseville. The beautiful brunette wearing the ball cap identified herself as the owner of the restaurant, and when I asked her how long they had been at this location, she replied seven months. Meanwhile the blonde was busily engaged in assembling my Chicago dog, as watched her pull a dog off the vertical grill, place it on a poppy seed bun, in true Chicago hot dog style, add mustard, mayonnaise, relish, diced tomatoes and pickle slices. After I bit into my delicious Chicago-style hot dog and heard the natural casing of the hot dog snap, I knew I was eating the real thing, that reminded me of the hot dogs I'd enjoyed during my last visit to Chicago, during the early 1990's. When you're enjoying a hot dog served by Parker's, it's not your grocery store variety of hot dogs.
Photo: Here's my Chicago-style hot dog, up close and personal, ready to enjoy. Note the attractive presentation and the juicy, fresh condiments. The wiener really snaps at you when you bit into it, which is a trademark of a premium hot dog. Parker's Hot Dogs features fresh, delicious hot dogs, served to you by wonderful people. If you savor a hot dog that's definitely a huge leap above what the street vendors, hot dog stands, and hot dog carts offer, then you should treat yourself to a hot dog, at Parker's Hot Dogs. Parker's
Hot Dogs Copyright(c) 2011 eRench Productions. All rights reserved. This site has been on the web since December 22, 2002.
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