Marysville drive-up makes a doggone good hot dog

When in Marysville, do as the Marysvillians do.

Order the Marysville Dog at My Awesome Dogs.

Cream cheese. Srirachi mayo. Jalapenos.

That’s what comes lathered on this $7.50 hot dog.

It’s one of the specialties that Melody Patrick serves up at her hot dog stand on Smokey Point Boulevard.

The drive-through kiosk is easy to spot. It’s painted in ketchup and mustard colors.

“What else would you paint a hot dog stand?” said Patrick, who set up shop seven months ago.

She applies the same simple logic to Melody’s Sweetness, a hot dog smothered in apple pie filling and topped with mustard and cheddar cheese

“What’s more American than a hot dog and apple pie?” Patrick said. “Let’s put it together.”

The concoction stems from fond childhood memories of melted cheddar on hot apple pie.

She says customers love it.

Maybe so, but Melody’s Sweetness was a bit too weird for the Herald newsroom folks who tried it. Comments included: “Did they invent that abomination hoping that a marijuana store would open next door?”

Patrick’s other franks were praised as awesome dogs, just as the name says.

A favorite was the poppy seed bun on the Chicago Dog garnished with tomatoes, peppers, pickle spears, relish and celery salt.

Herald Business Journal editor Jim Davis polished off the Virginia Dog with cole slaw, chili and onions.

As he put it: “Cole slaw on a hot dog, not cole slaw with a hot dog. Who knew? But the combination, along with chili and onions worked. The Virginia style dog may not be something I reach for the next time I go to My Awesome Dogs, but it’s a gateway drug into the restaurant’s different combinations. It’ll be a while until I get into the hard stuff, you know, the dog with apple pie filling.”

Cup o’ slaw ($3.50), cup o’ chili ($4) and nachos with cheese ($4) are available as side dishes.

Specialty dogs are $7.50 to $8 and an undressed dog is $4.50. Chips and drink are included. There is parking and a patio table for those who don’t want to risk spilling relish and apple pie filling on their leather car seats.

I’m not a hot dog person, but the Marysville Dog hit the spot and I ate the whole thing. I would have also enjoyed the three toppings on bread minus the dog.

The special this month is the Hawaiian Dog, covered with Canadian bacon, barbecue sauce and pineapple.

“Last month was the Beanie Weenie, pork and beans on a hotdog,” Patrick said.

“It is kind of fun to put names on dogs.”

She doesn’t dream up all the ideas on her own. “I really take into account what customers have to say,” she said.

They helped her come up with the fixings on the Marysville dog.

Which brings up the questions: What should the Everett dog have on it? How about the Mukilteo dog? Lynnwood?

Patrick will also custom make a dog your way. “Anybody can design their own dog,” she said.

Not any old frankfurter will do. Hers are ordered from Vienna Beef, a Chicago company.

Before going to the dogs, Patrick’s jobs included fast-food manager and a food demonstrator at Costco.

Her love of the hot dog got her to come out of retirement.

“A friend and I used to go every Tuesday to have a hot dog,” she said.“I like a good, high-quality hot dog.”

Costco made it on her approved list: “I like their hot dogs.”