Dog Days of springtime?
The Slaw Dogs means never having to wait for August
By Erica Wayne 04/08/2010
Dang! The Slaw Dogs has only been open two months and already the Weekly (that means yours truly) has been scooped by the LA Times and about 110 Yelpers. That’s not to mention that when hubby and I finally got over there yesterday, a gal was photographing her double beef patty with American cheese ($6.99) and some beer-battered o-rings ($3.99) for her blog. “So many restaurants, so little time,” one of my T-shirts proclaims. All I can do now is play catch-up for our readers, most of whom have probably heard of this little North Lake Avenue treasure already.
So, here’s the deal. The Slaw Dogs is to sausage as Cherry on Top is to frozen yogurt or Souplantation is to salad (except you don’t get to comingle the ingredients yourself). You start out with any one of 11 different wursts, from a basic Vienna all-beef ($3.49) to exotics like spicy Calabrese or chicken-apple ($4.99), steamed or charbroiled or even “rippered” (deep-fried) upon request, then you pick three of 24 “standard” toppings for free, with additional choices costing 39 cents each.
As if that weren’t enough, another 22 “custom” toppings will set you back 99 cents apiece. Some are as exotic as kim chi, truffle oil, goat cheese or fried egg. Others, like coleslaw, seem oddly placed when you consider that sauerkraut didn’t make it past the standards. Nor did pico de gallo or grilled onions. However, in the face of 46 add-ons, our duty is not to wonder why — it’s to be overwhelmed at the myriad combinational decisions to be made before sitting and chowing down.
One easy out is to go for the menu’s specials. Even some of these are hard to get your head — and mouth — around. For example, the TNT Super Dog ($8.88), aka “the Good Timer,” consists of a “rippered” dog, with chili, cheese, bacon pastrami, fries and grilled onions wrapped in a giant tortilla with a fried egg upon request. YIKES! Or the Caesar dog ($6.59) with chopped romaine, roasted garlic, parmesan, garlic croutons and Caesar dressing piled on top of a chicken sausage. What, no anchovies?
My mate loves Reubens, so he picked the (misspelled, but still compelling) Rueben Dog, a butterfly spicy polish with pastrami, Swiss, sauerkraut and Russian dressing on grilled rye ($6.59). I chose the Thai Slaw Dog, for the same price. It advertises chicken sausage, spicy peanut-coconut satay dressing, cilantro-carrot slaw, crushed peanuts and “siracha” (Sriracha?) aioli. Mmmmmmm!!!! Bind me with promises of heat and I’m yours forever.
Once we got our meals, which we combo-ed with “Belgian” fries and iced teas and a cubic inch of “Amy’s homemade fudge” (hats off to Amy!) for $3.49, with a 50-cent upgrade to o-rings for me, we were able to relax and assess the dogs. They were relatively small (a common complaint of the Yelp contingent). But, especially with the Rueben, the additional ingredients made for a filling (and messy) meal. The rye was tastier and better-textured than the soft pre-fab white bun that comes with the Thai dog, but the sausage makes the sandwich lumpy and kind of unwieldy.
The Thai dog was delicious, with most of the (moderate) spice coming from the meat itself. Nary a hint of coconut, peanut or chili from aioli or dressing, and cilantro seemed absent from the sparse shreds of slaw. A few chunks of peanut were visible, and the unctuousness of the mayo was a pleasant if understated presence. I think perhaps the Green Monster ($5.59) with roasted green chili, chipotle mayo, gilled onion, pepper-jack and spicy garlic sausage might be a better bet for diners who like to play with fire.
Our fries were good, but Belgian? I dunno. The Oinkster’s staff fries their Belgian fries in beef fat, but lots of recipes call for vegetable fat or even lard. Some call for double-frying for an extra crisp surface. Whatever. These weren’t exceptional, but the seven or eight huge onion rings were fried a deep, rich brown. I could easily have devoured another order or two without hesitation.
Many Yelpers warn of crowds waiting to order dogs, so we picked an off hour (3 p.m.) to have lunch and found the cute little leather- and pine-accentuated dining area empty except for the photographer and two TVs (Tyra on one and a swimming competition on the other). A contemporary rock and rap tape provided background syncopation.
Desserts (aside from Amy’s fudge, of course) are almost nonexistent. But there are smallish containers of Choctal ice cream in the cooler above the soft drinks. Choctal only makes vanilla and chocolate (eight variants, each more fragrant and exotic than the next). If you don’t have room after your dogs, head over to Whole Foods and grab a few pints to compare and contrast.
Our meal set us back about $22, plus tip. Even though that’s high for hot dogs, the creativity of the concept and the concoctions seemed well worth the expense, even if actual execution on one or two items was less than ideal. Maybe, if we’d had to wait or if the afternoon had been hotter, we wouldn’t have been quite as positive. But The Slaw Dogs’ pups aren’t only for the dog days of August. Try them now. I’m “Sirius!”
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