Trina's Starlite Lounge

Trina's Starlite Lounge is located on the Cambridge Somerville border, right where Hampshire Street turns into Beacon Street in Inman Square.

Mrs. Hotdogman, who makes her 2012 "season debut" on Hot Dog Stories, and I popped in for some cocktails and to sample Trina's Gourmet Hot Dog of the day.

Trina's Starlite Lounge is a funky little neighborhood bar with a kitschy, 1950's vibe. 

There's nothing like highballs and haute dogs on a Friday night!

There's lots of cool old signs and 1950's era memorabilia all over the walls.

They serve up all sorts of comfort food classics. I was hard pressed to stay focused on hot dogs because everything looked so good. Tonight's Blue Plate Special was a triple cheeseburger!

The manager and our server greeted us warmly, but were "camera shy."

Chef and chief hot dog maker Suzie Maitlin was more than happy to share her inspiration with us though.

We ordered up some onion rings and a corn dog to share. Mrs. HDM, after getting assurances that all the cheese in the joint was of the fresh, grated variety, ordered up a chili cheese dog while I opted for the dog of the day: The Parisian. This is a split, griddled, all beef Kayem frank served on a baguette with pecorino cheese, arugula, and the house spicy mustard blend.

Alas, it was very dark in the dining room, and we didn't get good photos of the dogs. I shot some "night vision video though."

Mrs HDM and I both give Trina's Starlite Lounge

TWO THUMBS UP!

Check out the whole story of our visit to Trina's on Hot Dog Stories. 

Two Hot Dog Stories this week

With the advent of Spring, the Hotdogman begins venturing out to explore new and exciting places to munch on that most ubiquitous of encased meats: the hot dog. I have two trips scheduled this week.

On Thursday, I will be heading into Boston's Chinatown to check out a Bostonian version of Vancouver's Japadog, which just opened an east coast location in New York City. Fei Fan Eatery is not affiliated with Japadog, but the style of hot dog and spirit of the place is the same. Joining me will be Drew Bennet from the Benspark Blog. Drew likes his hot dogs and will be accompanying me on the National Hot Dog Month Tour 2012 as co-host and camera man. He'll be coming on some of the Springtime jaunts as well.

Friday night features the return of the lovely and talented, processed cheese hating Mrs. HDM as we have a date night planned in beautiful Somerville, MA at Trina's Starlight Lounge. Trina's features gourmet style "haute dogs" on the menu every Friday. Boston Food Bloggers are invited to join us and CHOW DOWN on some dogs whilst quaffing their favorite libations from Trina's bar. Hope to see some fellow foodies from any food genre at the bar!

Hot Dog Stories: the Month Ahead

With Spring upon us, The Hotdogman will be venturing out much more to a variety of hot dog joints and other hot dog venues. Highlights of upcoming visits include the first appearance of Mrs. HDM in a Hot Dog Story for 2012 as we venture to Trina's Starlight Lounge next Friday, March 30. Each Friday, Trina's serves up a gourmet "Haute Dog" to kick off the weekend.

Of course the annual jaunt to Florida is coming up as well. We plan on visiting Mad Dogs new location in Venice, FLA. We went to their first location last year. We are glad to hear their business is successful and growing! Whilst in Florida, I am also planning on popping in on Dream Maker Hot Dog Carts- a hot dog cart manufacturer in St. Petersburg.

We are also planning on being there for the Larry Joe's New England Fire Pit grand reopening. Larry had a bit of a problem last fall- an electrical problem burned his trailer to a crisp!

Larry assures his rabid fans that he'll be out slinging dogs again in a few weeks. His trailer is almost ready for delivery.

There are plenty of other surprises in store in the coming weeks as we ramp up for the National Hot Dog Month 2012 Tour. You may nominate a Hot Dog Joint for inclusion on the tour HERE.