In the Dawg Haus

Tucked away in the little shopping centers that line the main drag of Corvallis called 9th street, there is an eatery that specializes in that American favorite, the hot dog.

AJ's Dawg Haus has a selection of ten different specialty hot dogs which you have your choice of an all beef hot dog or a Polish sausage, along with sandwiches and wraps. For those who are over 21, they also serve beer and have video poker machines.

Some of the specialty dogs include the Fire Dawg, served on a sandwich roll with hot sauce, jalapenos, onions and mustard, insuring that you will not have a date that day. There is also the Boston Dawg with ketchup, mustard and cheese. I tried the old standby of a Chili Dawg and was quite impressed.

All of the dogs and sausages come from Costco and are about a foot long. The Chili Dawg came piled with meaty chili, shredded cheddar cheese and diced onions. Also sitting on the side, even though there was almost no room for it, was a side of macaroni salad. This was not the kind of chili dog that you can just pick up and eat, it took a fork and knife to get it down.

With prices ranging from three dollars to four dollars for the Hot Dawgs and the sandwiches and wraps going for no more than $4.50, you can get an inexpensive lunch that will fill you up quite nicely.

Visit AJ's Dawg Haus at 1420 9th St. Corvallis, OR 97330.

On a Pillow of Egg

Beth's Cafe on Aurora in Seattle has been around since 1954 and they are famous for their omelettes. They only have two sizes there, the six egg and the 12 egg and each omelette comes with toast and all you can eat hashbrowns. Although I have never tried the 12 egg, I have had to split the six egg with a friend.

Beth's does carry a full menu of diner fare, including sandwiches and burgers, plus breakfast that is served 24 hours a day. As you sit down at a table, you can look around at the artwork on the walls. The walls are coated with crayon art from patrons of the restaurant. Blank paper and crayons are available at the front counter.

The omelette that we ordered came on a platter sitting on top of a slab of hashbrowns with four triangles of toast sitting on the side. You have your choice of white, wheat, sourdough, rye, or English Muffin. The sourdough smelled and tasted like it came straight from San Francisco.

The eggs of the omelette were fluffy, giving way to my fork easily. The cheese inside was melted and the veggies were soft without being over cooked. The hashbrowns were crispy on the outside without being too greasy on the inside.

As I said, although I have never attempted the 12 egg monster, I have had the luck of being at Beth's when someone has ordered it. Although he made it through the throw pillow sized egg concoction, he didn't quite finish the toast and hashbrowns. I give him a lot of credit for getting as far with it as he did.

Before: A pillow of egg.

After: Just some hashbrowns and toast left.

Hattie's Hat

Hidden in the Ballard district of Seattle is a wonderful restaurant and lounge called Hattie's Hat. As you walk into the door, the first thing you notice is the hand carved wooden bar that reaches to the ceiling. According to the website, it was carved in France and shipped to Seattle and installed in 1904.

The staff is very friendly and the environment is laid back. You seat yourself, grabbing a table or a place at the bar. The brunch menu contains the usual things such as Eggs Benedict, Biscuits and Gravy and Pancakes with Eggs.

The biscuits for the Biscuits and Gravy are large enough that one biscuit split in half covers the whole plate. You have your choice of white country gravy or the chicken gravy. I opted for the chicken gravy, with chunks of onion and a light spiciness, it complimented the large, fluffy buttermilk biscuit.

On my next visit, I tried the Chicken Fried Chicken and Eggs. Or as they call it, "the mother and child reunion". Although the humor was a little twisted on that one, I couldn't help myself. The Chicken breast was juicy, as I was able to cut it with a fork, and covered with the spicy chicken gravy. The hash browns still had the skins on them, being freshly made from real potatoes in the kitchen, instead of being dumped out of a bag into the pan. The reunion of the mother and the child was quite successful, as they both met in my stomach.

The crown jewel of the brunch menu is the Eggs Benedict. They are offered with your choice of ham, spinach/basil/garlic, or smoked salmon. The first bite of the Eggs Benedict was a wonderful mixture of creaminess from the hollandaise sauce, the salty flavor of the smoked salmon and the distinct flavor of the egg yolk. The English Muffin underneath was soaking up all those flavors together.

If you happen to be gluten intolerant, as my friend Wendy is, they will gladly make your Bennies without the muffin and throw some extra hash browns underneath the eggs for you.

I would recommend Hattie's Hat for anyone that would like to try something other than IHOP, Shari's or any other chain restaurant that can spit out heated up frozen food that tastes the same every time.