This stretch of Pulaski Highway, with the Gentleman's Gold Club and the Adult Video Outlet to the west, and to the east the old Wagon Wheel (now the Player's Club) and the city impound lot, draws a tough crowd, well matched to the toughest dog served at Pulaski Liquor Emporium and Dog House Tavern: the Joe Reuben.
The Joe Reuben is a Reuben on a hot dog: an extra-large bun stuffed with an extra-large frank, corned beef nestled on a bed of sauerkraut dressed with Thousand Island, and melted Swiss cheese. Want more than one dog? Negotiate the $4.25 price tag (includes pickles and chips) to get another one stuffed in. A two-in-one monster meat morsel that, with repeated visits to the Dog House Tavern (it opens at 9 a.m.!!!), will make your image in the bathroom mirror look like a Rubens portrait.
You'll need that girth, though, to hold your own when this spanking-new place becomes a side destination for patrons of its dicey, hormonally active neighbors. It's a liquor store, too, so cops come through often, keeping the stickup artists at bay, and that's good. But a little heft of your own can't hurt if you're in a bind. Hit those double Joe Reubens, heavy and often. If you hang out in those parts long enough, you may be glad you did.
