Restaurant is king of carnival food

You have to love a king who reigns over the land of wieners.

Street vendor Ed Canto, aka The Sausage King, has moved his food-cart concept indoors and cranked it up a notch or two. Now when it rains, you don't have to run to your car to chow down on one of his hot dogs or sausage sandwiches, but rather dine in comfort at his new Main Street venue. This is a special treat to the after-hours crowd Canto wants to draw in during those late weekend nights and early mornings.

But you don't have to party hearty to love the food at Sausage King. We visited two times -- for lunch and for dinner -- and no, not on the same day.

On our first trip we kept it simple. Mr. and Mrs. T for T ordered Barkers ($2.45), all-beef natural casing hot dogs; his with just mustard and relish and hers with sauerkraut (95 cents extra) and mustard. We thought the dogs were juicy and flavorful, and the rolls were substantial, not just a throw-away item or -- as Mr. T for T calls them -- spun bread rolls. We also had a couple of cold sodas ($1.59 each), and Junior T for T indulged in an order of Mozzarella Sticks ($6.49) and a lot of ogling at the cool, giant Fenway Park photo mural taken when the bearded Johnny Damon was still a Red Sox player.

In fact we all enjoyed the Red-Sox-o-bilia, like the Yawkey Way sign and the menu items -- Infield Greens for salads, On Deck Circle for appetizers and the Green Monsta gourmet dog, which has green and black olives, not to mention feta cheese and melted cheddar.

On our next trip, we went full out in our ordering for dinner. We started with some appetizers including the -- wait for it -- Spicy Deep Fried Pub Pickles ($5.40).

If this sounds like county fair fare, you're right. There's a lot of that on Sausage King's menu, which adds to its charm.

The jalapeno-infused dill spears are coated with beer batter and deep fried. The T for Ts were a split jury on these. Mr. T for T was turned off by the jalapeno aspect of this item. Mrs. T for T liked the little kick and the thick batter. But both agreed that one should be able to order one or two pickles. A half dozen just seemed like too many to eat alongside a sandwich, but we could see knocking them back with a bunch of friends, with a beer chaser, of course.

We also shared Black and Tan Onion Rings ($5.95), which, as you might have guessed, are prepared in a batter made with a black and tan beer blend. They were crispy with a nice, sweet taste.

We also ordered sandwiches. Mr. T for T had a Sausage King Famous Italian Sweet Italian Sausage ($6.25), with grilled onions and peppers. You can also chose a spicy ($6.45) or Garlic Cheese ($6.85) version. All are served on a tasty Italian roll, and all are made with a big, filling sausage and piles of seasoned grilled onions and peppers.

Mrs. T for T sunk her teeth into the Hall of Famer Marinated Steak Tip Sub ($8.75), which Sausage King calls the "best steak tips in town." It is not lying. This is truly the best steak tip sandwich we have ever had. First of all, there must have been nearly a pound of beef on the roll and just enough perfectly spiced and cooked onions and peppers. The beef was tender and peppery, with a wonderful marinade. It all worked, and it became clear why Sausage King has such a devoted fan base flocking to carts on Main Street, home improvement stores and other locations.

If it sounds like the vegetarian in your life won't be able to find something to eat at Sausage King, not true. While the menu is definitely meaty, there is a Vegetarian Sub available for $3.75, and there are several salads available, including a Greek Salad ($6.40). And then, of course, there is dessert.

Again, think county fair here. Sausage King offers up a mess of deep-fried sweets, including Twinkies ($2.55), Oreo Cookies ($4.95 for a bowl of four) and deep-fried candy bars -- Milky Way, Three Musketeers, Snickers and Reeses ($2.25).

Junior T for T picked the Deep Fried Snickers, which came battered and on a stick, with whipped cream and a drizzle of chocolate syrup. It looked like a corn dog but tasted like, in Junior's words, "melted chocolate and peanuts wrapped in a pancake" -- and he meant that in a good way.

****The Sausage King

53 Main St, Nashua.

204-5110, www.thesausagekingofnashua.com.

Food: ****

Service: ***½

Value: ***½

<b>CUISINE:</b> Deli.

<b>Prices:</b> $2.45-$8.95.

<b>Hours: </b>10:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday; 10:30 a.m.-2 a.m. Friday and

Saturday.

<b>Handicapped Accessible: </b>Yes.

<b>Vegetarian Friendly:</b> There is one vegetarian sandwich on the menu.

<b>Alcohol:</b> Not yet, but there will be beer in the future.

<b>DRESS: </b>Casual.

<b>WOULD WE GO BACK?</b> Yes.

***** = Perfect

**** = Excellent

*** = Good

** = Fair

* = Poor

<i>Overall rating is not necessarily an average of Food, Service and Value ratings.</i>