~ In search of one fantastic dog ~

We like to find favorite local eateries when we visit a new area. Word of mouth is always a good way to do this. We talked to several locals about where we might find a good hot dog in Panama City. Guess we didn’t ask the right locals. The only answer we got was the new Dairy Queen down off Hwy. 98. Being from Atlanta, we feel like we know good hot dogs, i.e. the Varsity, and DQ is not near the top of our list (although for a chain, not bad). We’re talking about dog dives that would be on Food Network’s "Best of….” series.

Not being ones to give up, we turned to the next best source of info….the internet. It only took one search to find Tom’s Hot Dogs in Panama City. Although they don’t have their own website, they turned up on CitySearch. We checked them out the next day and have been back four times since. It’s a wonderful 20’ x 40’ hole in the wall in the downtown area. They do the cooking behind a counter on one side of the room and stools line a counter on the other side. In between, there is room for a single file line to place your order and pay up. At the back of the room are 4 tables seating 4 customers each and out front, on the sidewalk, are two more tables. They are open from 9:00 to 3:00 and around lunch hour the line is out the door.

The menu lists 11 types of dogs in three sizes. They also serve up half-pound burgers, chicken salad, smoked sausage and a few other delicacies, all topped with Tom’s special sauce. The chili dogs don’t quite match up to The Varsity’s, but do rate very high on our search for one fantastic dog.