The great thing about a baseball game in Visalia California is not only that it has the quaintest and coziest ballpark in the entire California League, but the stroll through downtown Visalia to get to the stadium if you park downtown. The Rawhide are a lucky bunch to call Visalia home, it is one of those small towns that makes you forget you are still in the Golden State. And it sports one of the neatest hot dog hot spots on the planet.
As you make your way down Center Avenue, nestled among bungalows turned into businesses, you find Taylor Brothers Hot Dogs. It is a smallish building that has outside dining only and the coolest neon hot dog sign I have ever seen (and I have seen a lot). The sign is a neon-animated running dog. So cute you want to hug and squeeze the neon gas right out of its glass tubes. I would have if I could have found a way on the roof.
The dogs are simple: onions, mustard, relish and chili. That’s it. You can also order up a six pack of dogs. It would take two to fill me, but they are cheap ($1.60) As I was on my way to the ballpark where I had to sample a dog anyway I opted for one. As much as I love hot dogs they don’t taste nearly as good when you have to force one down due to a full tummy. Plus, I have to keep an eye out on my girlish figure.
I could not dig up much infor on the Taylor Brothers, and the workers didn’t seem too chatty, but I do know they have been a Visalia fixture since 1952. Anyone that can stay in the hot dog business for that long is doing something right. While I was not blown away by the taste, it was pretty good and the ambiance makes up for any slack.
The next time you are exploring central California add the Taylor Brothers Hot Dog stand to your list of places to do the dog dance with your gullet. And be a man...get a six pack.
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