July is National Hot Dog Month, and in honor of America’s finest cuisine, every week from now til the end of July Mike Seely and I will be sampling dogs from a few of Seattle’s favorite sausage purveyors. The hot dogs will then be rated on the Wiener-Eater-Meter on a scale of 1 through 10 — 1 meaning I’d rather eat dog food than this dog, 10 meaning I’d sell my own dog for a lifetime supply of this dog. Yeah, it’s not July yet, but we couldn’t wait to get started on this frankfurter feed. And what better way to kick things off with a bang than a massive, meal-sized dog from an old-time Seattle establishment?Where’s the dog?The place: Mike’s Chili Parlor (1447 N.W. Ballard Way)The dog: Mike’s Chili Dog ($8)The makeup: A mountain of cheddar cheese, jalapenos, white onions, and shit-tons of spicy, succulent chili bury a plain, unassuming dog atop a white, toasted bun, soaked in chili juice.The verdict: The hot dog here is an afterthought; it’s so completely avalanched underneath the chili that you kind of just have to trust that there’s a dog somewhere in there. It is nice when you get a bite of sausage every now and then, kind of like when you’re eating a banana split and get a bite of the actual banana, but the chili’s so good, I didn’t even want the dog — I wanted the Big Ass Bowl ($11). The rating on the Wiener-Eater-Meter: The dog’s a 6, but only because its star isn’t allowed to shine. The chili’s a 10, and if you’re soused around Ballard, I doubt there’s a more satisfying late-night dish than this thing.