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Friday, November 03, 2006

Zach's own my soul. Or is that my colon?

GO TRIAD -- Like Christmas without family, it just wouldn't be Burlington without Zack's.

The menu is simple: hamburgers, sandwiches, breakfast until 11 a.m.

But the hot dogs are the main attraction, enough so that the staff assumes they are what you'll be ordering. A vague "two with chili and slaw" gets me exactly the meal I want.

Chili is what makes or breaks a hot dog, and Zack's has been making it for more than 75 years.

Theirs is light and meaty, perfect for coating a hot dog and not dripping down your arm. Top it off with a couple squirts of "Mr. Zack's Secret Hot Sauce," and you have what may be the most sought-after dining experience in the Old North State.

People grow up on these hot dogs; my family has been eating there for three generations. My dad would leave his high school during lunch and, on days he had time to fight the crowd, get a large plate of fries. Zack's previous location, just a few blocks away from where it is now, was across the street from the firehouse where my grandfather used to work.

Full column

I'm not joking when I say that Zach's is a part of my family. Burlington is the hub of McIntyre cuisine; there's usually a pint of chili being mailed to some family member stranded by a job in some strange land like Colorado. Between my grandmother's sweet pickles, Zach's, and liver pudding (don't knock it till you try it), I don't know how I'll survive life outside of North Carolina.

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