$9 hot dog?

Interesting article about  "gourmet" hot dogs in Philly:
 
http://www.philly.com/dailynews/features/20090910_Bun_there__done_that__Restaurants_reimagine_the_hot_dog.html

Nice article. Thanks.

There are plenty of people with plenty of money and no sense of how to spend it. They're the ones who would pay money like that (at a place which probably has other, more sensible food in that price range) (Well, I don't mean sensible, but you know what I mean). Either way, I'm not one of them. But thinking back, double Italian hot dogs at Jimmy Buff's are almost $8.00. Then as I talk to myself once more, these $9 hot dogs in the article are probably just singles and on a plain roll.

I have on more than one occasion driven over a hundred miles for a hot dog. If it is really first class I would buy it. I would definately try it. Someone in Philly needs to buy one and review it...Russ

I'd do it.  Absolutely.

This was a fun article to read.  Here is the one that captures my attention!

Chef R. Evan Turney, of Varga Bar, raises the bar even further, delivering a beer-braised Kobe topped with Kobe beef chili and melted aged cheddar ($9). "We first tried offering a Kobe dog at Valanni, topped with a mango and tomatillo chutney, and everybody loved it," said Turney.
A hot-dog fanatic as a kid, he played around with the Varga dog until it was just right. "We simmer them in beer until they plump up and then we grill them," he said. Served in a poppy seed bun with a side of smoked paprika onion rings, the dog is a true thing of beauty, and that's before it's topped with chili.
"Really, who doesn't like a chili dog?" Turney said. Truer words were never spoken

Heck, with the side of  onions rings, I would buy that in a minute.

Here is a place in San Diego that gets  $9.40 for a 1/2 lb Vienna Dog.
http://www.chicagoonabun.com/ec_coabmenu.htm

About the ritziest hot dog I've ever eaten is made by the esteemed Tucscon chef Janos Wilder of the Westin La Paloma Resort in the Catalina Foothills. It's a giant beef hot dog imported from Chicago that gets topped with chopped cactus pads, chorizo-flavored black beans, poblano crema, chopped red onions  and stone-ground mustard, served with French fries on the side. The price? An amazing, loss-leading $2.75! The catch? It's available only during happy hour, from 5pm to 6:30pm, in the bar. But there is no rule about having to order drinks or anything else. You could have three of these jumbos for under $9, plus tip.

Boy is that ever one busy hot dog !!!

I think I like things a little more simpler in life.  Bun, hot dog, mustard, chili and onions. 

Maybe I need to get out more

In my opinion $9.00 is too expensive for a hot dog; I don't care what they put on it. In fact, that price is too much for a double Italian Hot Dog, which to many people is a meal they can't even finish.

I've had the Kobe beef dogs and they were nothing special. But it was only one brand of Kobe (Wagyu), so I can't speak for all of the Kobe dogs. But if it was really something special to be savored, why top it with chili and other things that would only serve to mask the flavor?

Price isn't always an indication of quality. None of these fancy pants dogs could hold a candle to a Syd's dog (R.I.P.) or even a delicious natural casing dog from Jerry's walk up stand in Elizabeth, N.J.

Bark Hot Dogs in Brooklyn serves what many consider a gourmet hot dog. They use a high quality Hartmann's beef and pork wiener (6 to a lb) and offer many homemade toppings. One of the owners is a chef. While $5.00 won't make you go broke, to me it is expensive. I'd rather buy a pack of these at Wegmans for $7.49, which is high for even a premium hot dog, prepare it at home on my griddle, and top it with a quality mustard.

$10, 1/2-pound, Kobe-beef hot dog at Cooper's in Palmetto Bay, Florida:


 
Served with house-made potatoe chips, coarse mustard and house-made pickled onion relish.  $10, and worth it.

One thing to note about the three places serving $9 and up hot dogs: they are sit down restaurants with waiter/waitress service and liquor licenses. These are the types of places you will sit around in for at least an hour and drop about 30 bucks per person after tax and tip. I have to agree with Harriet that there are better "buys" in such restaurants.

This article also smacks of "vaporware".  The Supper Restaurant claims to make their own franks and bake their own buns. A $9 charge might be justified. I've never had a hot dog in a restaurant that was made on-premises. I have no idea what it would be like. For food safety reasons, franks would have to be made from boxed beef and pork cuts of meat as used in restaurants. They couldn't risk using the stuff the commercial plants use.

There is only one problem with the Supper Restaurant's offering. I can't find any proof they ever sold any home-made hot dogs. Their present on-line menus don't list any. None of the online reviewers ever reported on them. The newspaper article states they will offer three types of hot dog entrees when they open for lunch in October. Then, the article lists the breeds of pork the restaurant uses. Do pork producers really specify what breed of pork is in that cardboard box? No doubt the restaurant also uses pigs from the Flying breed. It will be interesting to see if they really start serving hot dogs at Lunch in October. Maybe their PR guy just wanted to get them a free plug in the newspaper.
 
The next helpful article to come from this writer: Which Philadelphia area restaurants provide Splenda.

Alice Cooper's "Cooperstown" Restaurant in Phoenix AZ near the Ball Park Honors Randy Johnson with a Dog called "The Big Unit". It's a ONE POUND, 22" Vienna Beef Weiner served in a French Baguette. It's only $12.99!!
 Add Cheese, Chili or Beer Sauerkraut for only .99 cents for EACH Condiment. Get one with "The Works" and it's only--$15.96!
http://www.alicecooperstown.com/coops_menu.html
I think this might be the same Frank that CSD Calls "The Big Wally"

Although I've never been to the Supper Restaurant, I seriously doubt that they make hot dogs on premise. Every time I've been to a place that makes this claim, I ask to see the sausage making equipment. There is none. Because they are lying. And at least twice the establishment admitted falsely making this claim. I could write a book on places that claim to have their hot dogs made special for them when I know it isn't true. Take what you hear from these people with a grain of salt. Excellent post, David. I almost spit out my coffee laughing.

I don't like when restaurants charge a lot for extra condiments. .99 cents for a little sauekraut is too much. I was at a pub recently where I enjoyed the beer and food. I had a burger and it was excellent. I found out later that they charge $2.00 for a slice of American cheese!

P.T. Barnum was right. But I guess I qualify because I paid it.

Foodbme


Alice Cooper's "Cooperstown" Restaurant in Phoenix AZ near the Ball Park Honors Randy Johnson with a Dog called "The Big Unit". It's a ONE POUND, 22" Vienna Beef Weiner served in a French Baguette. It's only $12.99!!
 Add Cheese, Chili or Beer Sauerkraut for only .99 cents for EACH Condiment. Get one with "The Works" and it's only--$15.96!
http://www.alicecooperstown.com/coops_menu.html
I think this might be the same Frank that CSD Calls "The Big Wally"

That's great, the "Megadeath Meatloaf" sounds really good too :-)

I'd try it if it came with onions rings and a beer!
 
Andrea

I'd try it if it came with a big slice of chocolate cake and huge scoop of vanilla ice cream

I set my limits low. No more then a couple bucks for a chili dog...  I support the carts and small mom and pop shops, not the ones that need to be lined with big screen TV's, over priced decor, etc. Just a simple dog for a simple price.

$9.00 for one dog, I would rather have four Mealies from Charlie's Pool Room, Alpha ,NJ - or for an extra .50 I could get seven dogs from Donny's Dogs in Newark,NJ, topped any way you like.

MidAtlantic in the University City section of Philadelphia has a $16 hot dog on it's menu as a Wednesday lunch special.  It is only available then.  Actually, for that price one gets two hot dogs and a mountain of chips.  The dogs are made there, all beef with a natural casing.  I'm guessing they bake the bun there too.

The dogs arrive covered with fresh fried potato chips.  I brushed away some of the chips just to get the ends of the dogs to show through.  Seems dumb to me.  Going to all the trouble of making the dogs and baking the buns - then hiding them, the star of the meal, under a pile of chips.



Pulling off the chips - the sauerkraut that covers the dog is not shredded but a section of a cabbage leaf.  Under the dog, cooked mustard.



Finally, the dog and bun au natural:



Obviously they serve two dogs to build the check.  One alone, at $8 or even $10 would be reasonable.

The dog, itself was good.  Loose pack, could have had some more smoke and spices.  The bun - as is the lot of most buns baked on premise - fell apart after a few bites.

Both Supper and MidAtlantic are decent dogs.  But I'd be much happier with a couple lf rippers or a couple of dogs from the hot dog truck at 25th and Passyunk.

There is a high end steakhouse in Cincinnati that is serving a $23 foot long Kobe dog.  We were there the other night and the waiter said he has yet to see anyone order it. 

http://www.jeffruby.com/cincinnati.html

Foot Long Kobe Hot Dog - Boardwalk Fries, Deli Slaw - 22.95