Rikoson - Venezuelan - SW 3rd and Ash St. -- JUMBO Chili Dog...

Today was one of those days where I just wasn't sure what I was in the mood for, so I hit up an ATM and just walked around a few of the cart pods, hoping something would 'jump out at me' as inspiration for lunch.

I decided on Mexican after a bit, as it's been a while since I went to a Mexican food cart... so I headed to one of my standard Mexican stops -- turned the corner, and... they weren't open today. Oops.
(insert sad trombone sound here)

So much for that idea - off I headed a little further North than usual, toward Ash street. As I turned on to Ash, the cart in the former home of La Sangucheria (where I used to love the award-winning Chicharrons) was Rikoson, a Venezuelan cart. I'd walked by at a distance a few times, and from the photos of the menu items, I had assumed this was a hot dog/burger cart. Not so, I realized, as I got closer and was able to read the descriptions of the items in question.

Funny thing, though - for some reason, I saw the "Jumbo Chili Dog" on the menu - Ah HA! I never see chili dogs at food carts... and hey, it sounded kinda good today... So, I stepped up and ordered my chili dog - then started noticing... they had a board out advertising Arepas and Tostones, which weren't listed on their standard menu board. Oops. I love both of those things, I guess I'm going to have to come back and try the 'real' Venezuelan food after this.

My chili dog was quickly presented, and it was MASSIVE. It's a sausage inside, a good sized one, and the bread is the same as they use for their sandwiches.

A good helping of chili was inside, along with fries that are pretty much almost as thin as potato chips, nice and crispy, which add a nice touch to the whole package.
This was way more food than I was expecting to get. Sure, it said "Jumbo Chili Dog" on the menu, but figured that was just because it used sausage instead of an Oscar Meyer Wiener. The bread was fantastic, and didn't come apart when exposed to the chili. This is a big plus.

This thing hit the spot, and then some - I am stuffed to the gills at the moment, and I think I need a nap... and a wet-nap, as well, I managed to get a good amount of this on my hands and face.

So, my first try of this Venezuelan gem (5-star reviews all around on Yelp) and I have a chili dog, but hey, I'll be back to check out their less American themed offerings soon, because if they can do a chili dog this awesome, I'm certain their other foods are going to be amazing.