‘Secret’ spot on 118th Avenue serves up top dogs
The Dog Address: 9567 118th Ave., 780-424-6823 Hours: Open Tuesday-Sunday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Noise level: moderate
Psst … Wanna buy an awesome hotdog? It’ll be our little secret.
In defiance of what seems to be the restaurant’s concerted effort to remain undiscovered, I reveal to you The Dog, a casual, fun little spot serving up unique, delicious, gourmet hotdogs.
Don’t bother searching for a website, Facebook page or Twitter handle — in a puzzling feat of reverse-marketing, The Dog has virtually no web presence. Unless you regularly cruise down 118th Avenue around 95th Street, you’d be hard-pressed to find the place, in the renovated location of the former Absolutely Edibles (now operating as a catering-only business). It’s still owned by the same folks, who also run Sloppy Hoggs, the barbecue joint next door.
Inside, The Dog has been thoroughly made over to give it a diner-esque feel, with a cool, corrugated metal bar along the front and a dozen stools, plus table seating for two dozen more. Some of the stonework and dark wood shelving remain along one wall from its former days, adding a cosy, wine-bar vibe. Overall, The Dog’s new look is fresh and fun, with some vintage bar signs, an ’80sera tabletop Ms. Pac-Man game and a playlist of classic rock favourites. Outside, a neat stack of metal tables and chairs await warmer weather, promising a perfect spot to enjoy a dog and a beer come summer.
Two things impressed me most about The Dog: the menu, which offers surprising variety while sticking to the hotdog theme, and the attention to quality ingredients.
Virtually everything here is made in-house, from the pickles and mustards and wild game sausages to the buns and potato chips. The hotdogs — choose from beef or a combination of beef and pork — are made locally by Real Deal Meats.
For those who don’t know where to start their tubesteak adventure, the menu suggests a wide variety of combinations, from the classic Chicago — a beef dog with pickles, mustard, green relish, tomatoes and hot peppers — to the exotic Narita, a beef-and-pork dog with wasabi mayo, kimchee and pickled ginger, topped with crushed, dry ramen noodles.
You can also go rogue, picking your own crazy toppings from a long list on the chalk board above the bar.
For variety in the dog itself, try one of the exotic versions made on-site, from elk, wild boar, alligator, kangaroo(!) or seafood. We tried the wild boar ($12), infused with maple and topped with pickled cabbage and Dijon mustard — both homemade of course. The sausage was meaty and flavourful, the tart cabbage and slightly sweet mustard perfectly complementing the gaminess of the meat. The house-baked bun had never seen the inside of a bag, and was substantial enough to contain a mess of moist toppings, while simple enough in flavour to not compete with any of them.
For purists, the Chicago dog ($6) was just as good — simple and generously dressed with fresh, tasty toppings that didn’t overpower the flavour of the dog itself.
There are sides, too, including fries, onion rings and several kinds of poutine with kooky toppings. A couple of salads stabilize an otherwise wobbly food-group pyramid. Though we didn’t try either, the caesar at a nearby table was huge and tempting, and the spicy avocado salad, garnished with crushed Fritos, sounded yummy, if a tad hypocritical.
In the meatless category, there’s a falafel dog and a couple of “tofuturkey” options, or you can substitute a veggie dog into any of the specialty combinations. Gluten-sensitives can get a gluten-free bun.
If a basic dog with sides won’t fill you up, there are appetizers too, including my fave, the deep-fried pickle, which The Dog does beautifully, crisping its own, homemade dills with a simple breading alongside some ranch for dipping ($6). The Puppy Nuts ($9), which thankfully do not contain puppies, nuts, or puppy nuts, are bite-sized nuggets of deep-fried mac and cheese, which, because they were made with Kraft Dinner, were the only disappointmentinourmeal.The cute names( Puppy Nuts, Dog Bones, French Bulldog) are an extension of the menu at sister restaurant Sloppy Hoggs, home of the memorable sand-wich awesomely named My Ridiculous Fat Ass.
I particularly appreciate The Dog’s careful attention to detail in serving its many messy finger-foods. The dogs come in bun-shaped metal baskets with disposable cardboard liners for ease of eating and balancing. Appetizers arrive in similar cone-shaped baskets lined with waxed paper printed to look like newspaper, with little cup-holders on the side for dips. And each table is thoughtfully stocked with hot sauces and a big stack of dinner-sized napkins for easy cleanup of errant condiments.
Drinks include milkshakes, floats, local beer, a decent variety of mid-priced wines and “moonshine”-based cocktails, the one item both me and the AGLC hope is not made in-house.
For dessert we tried “redneck pie” ($9)— a combination of pudding, whipped cream and Oreo crumbs served in a Mason jar, or you can sub out the Oreos for coconut or banana. While the idea is clever, the serving was way too big, even for two of us, and tasted like it had been hanging around the trailer park for a couple of days already.
The Dog only opened at the end of March, and seemed fairly busy on the Saturday night we visited, despite its low-key profile. Hopefully, it develops more of a web presence soon. In the meantime, consider yourself enlightened, and feel free to tell your friends.