Debora Wessinger of Cats and Dawgs.by Cassady Sharp

Just when you thought Asheville was all about tofu, these local joints dish up nothing but iconic American foods. The summer essentials? Hot dogs, ice cream, barbecue, cookies. Some are straight-up classics, some have an Asheville twist. They’ll all make you nostalgic.

And hungry.

Dawg Days of Summer
If you plan on waltzing into Cats and Dawgs and ordering a classic Chicago dog—complete with mustard, peppers and pickles—be prepared to heed a stern NK-17 warning. “No ketchup over 17,” says Debora Wessinger, the owner of the six-year-old Grove Arcade eatery. “You can’t put ketchup on a Chicago dog!” Choosing from nearly 60 toppings to pile atop the shop’s Vienna beef dogs is a daunting task, especially considering certain taboos regarding condiments. You can even order up a tasty lunch that comes with a little World War II history. “We call it ‘The Occupied.’ Polish sausage topped with German sauerkraut,” Wessinger laughs while taking a break from a busy lunch shift.

The walls at Cats and Dawgs are decorated with memorabilia from Wessinger’s life, including her photos with the Moody Blues and the Beach Boys from a past career as a booking agent for bands. Wessinger’s love affair with the Chicago dog began one night when she got snowed in at Chicago’s O’Hare airport. She didn’t even like hot dogs at the time. Now the Florida native says she eats a Chicago dog four times a week. The self-proclaimed hot dog snob encourages customers to get creative with the lengthy scroll of toppings. One regular customer routinely orders his dog topped with sauerkraut, pineapple, melted cheese and bacon. Others pile them high with anything from vegetarian chili to artichoke relish. “You’ll never have to get the same dog twice,” she says.

Cookie Cutter
VERVE’s new rule: you are never too old for milk and cookies. Especially warm cookies served in a pizza box. Next time you celebrate your sweet tooth’s everlasting youth, why not let a sassy Jersey girl whip you up a batch up of classic chocolate chip, or her personal favorite—oatmeal, cranberry and white chocolate? “I gained 30 pounds the first year I had the shop,” says Jaime Hadnagy, owner of Asheville’s Sugar Momma’s cookies. Hadnagy headed south from Parsippany in 2005 to open Sugar Momma’s, which is moving to a new downtown location. The oversized cookies have become a regular sweet pick-me-up, sold around town at Malaprops, Izzy’s and Double Decker Coffee.

Brand New ‘Cue
You can find it hickory-smoked, soaked in vinegar or slathered in mustard with a side of hush puppies, baked beans or collard greens. No matter what your preference, the options are vast here in the state that produces nearly 20 percent of the country’s pork. Can’t stand another minute in the mile-long line at the original 12 Bones? Try their Arden location, which is less crowded and open on Saturdays. Or head over to the recently re-located Luella’s Bar-B-Que on Merrimon Avenue for Texas dry-rub beef brisket.

Bacon ice cream, anyone?
And you thought a jalapeno jellybean was over the top. Now Ultimate Ice Cream on Tunnel Road has come up with a truly unusual ice cream flavor, maple sugar bacon. That’s right, bacon ice cream. Owner Kevin Barne’s latest flavor is surprisingly and thoroughly sweet, despite the bacon. Who says you can’t have ice cream for breakfast? Or beer, for that matter? For the last few summers, Ultimate has been mixing up a wild ice cream concoction using Highland Brewing Company’s Black Mocha Stout.

Across town Ashley Garrison, the new owner of The Hop, has been working on an ice cream for dogs. (Think yogurt, banana and peanut butter.) The Texas native and her husband Greg bought The Hop last August, right after the previous owners moved the ice cream shop from its longtime location in an art deco building on Merrimon to its current bright, sugary-smelling location on Merrimon Avenue in the same plaza as Circle in the Square Pizza. “It just kind of fell into my lap,” says Garrison, a 2005 UNCA graduate who worked at the shop all through college.