Clearly, I am no hot dog expert (which gets me thinking, does anyone actually have the official job title of "hot dog expert"?).
But Barkers Red Hots does serve out a solid dog.
"Original" Barkers Red Hot w/ Onions, ketchup, mustard and pickles
They toast the bun on the grill, which gives it a nice crunch, as well as instills a char flavor. (It's more apparent in the next photo.) In addition, they take their time grilling the dogs, so that they have a nice crusty crunch to the casing and a more subtle flavoring to the hot dog, which I like.
I think the drawback to grilling both the bun and the hot dog is that together they come across on the drier side (I think, which is partially what made Rawley's seem so astounding.)
The condiments were decent, but really, this place is all about the actual hot dog and secondly, the bun.
Crinkle Cut Fries
Satisfying. Freshly deep fried. It has a larger potato to batter ratio, so it comes off a bit more starchy than most fries these days, but the crinkle cut gives a bit of a crunch.
"Original" Barkers Red Hot w/ Sauerkraut and pickles
All in all, I can't argue with the quality of Barker's Red Hots, but the dryness somehow prevents me from ever craving these dogs.
Barker's Hot Dogs
3000 Windy Hill Road Southeast #128, Marietta, GA(770) 272-0407