by Steven Doyle
Do hot dogs make you lose control? All year long we have been hearing about the hot dog moving in on the Dallas mainstays such as the almighty burger and cheap-to-eat taco. We have already witnessed new doggeries (I am selling this term to Webster, so feel free to use at will) such as Bowery and Jerry’s Wood-Fired Hot Dogs that is based in California.
My friend, Chef Johnny Carino called and left me a message this morning that he had heard that Jerry’s was now in Dallas and was planning a trip to the new store soon. Carino is somewhat a health fanatic, so those dogs must be pretty damned good to motivate him to actually eat one.
“When I was out there [in California] I ate there four times in a row. The menu is nice and they cook everything over wood,” said Carino in his message.
Then we have the enigma that is Brian Luscher who has an award winning fine dining bistro on Greenville Avenue, The Grape. He is still drawn back to his roots in Chicago where they sell the red hot, another name for a dog yet so descriptive in what they actually taste. A red hot is more sausage-like, and not the creamy mess of mystery meat that is often boiled to lose distinction.
Luscher is one of the undisputed kings of charcuterie, and has been selling his own brand of hot dog at the White Rock Market every other weekend in a tiny booth under the Luscher’s Post Oak Red Hots brand. He also offers the red hot in a bready biscuit casing each morning at Hypnotic Donuts. The Hypno-Dog is only available in the month of November 2012. That is some pretty wild stuff to wake up to. Luscher seems to want total meat domination; his burger was listed as the state’s very best by Texas Monthly.
As the dogging question progresses, we look a few weeks into the future and see the next dog in the revolution taking over the Dallas food scene, Hofmann’s Hot Dog.
Hoffman’s first store is set to be located in the up-and-coming Trinity Grove area just across the crazy new bridge that leads Dallasites west. The dog can currently be purchased at your local grocer, and I have tasted this beast. The dog has promise and look forward to the east coast treatment.
Before all this dognation took place we published a list of our favorites. Check out the list, it’s still pretty powerful.
Where is your favorite hot dog?
As you were writing we were eating. Loved the Franks Italian sausage and the pastrami dog and being from NY a simple kraut and mustard. As soon as you walk in everyone greets you, its very clean, great colors and the smell of wood is in the air as they cook each item fresh. Great prices this s a must try, was there at 11:10 by 11:30 line out the door, pricing and great food tend to do that. Oh try the real onion rings, thick and crispy. LA loves this place now we have one and I am sooooo happy.
When are you going to come sample our gourmet dogs? You can’t miss us! Silly truck – serious food.