Top dogs: Houston’s best franks
From gild-the-lily gourmet sausages to classic Coneys to food-truck franks, Houston is blessed with top-notch options to feed our hot dog cravings. Here’s an honor roll of some we like best.
James Coney Island’s chili cheese dog
Here’s a taste of Houston history, swaddled in a softly steamed bun. It’s not so much the mild, thin chili bath that grabs the palate, or the low-key dog itself, or even the aerosol cheese — a latter-day innovation some old-timers scorn but that worked out quite nicely, thank you very much. It’s the happy way it all comes together with a sharp jolt of mustard and a sweet cushion of ever-sofinely-minced onion, steamed into gentle plushness. Close your eyes and it’s 1923 all over again, the year JCI opened its doors downtown. Multiple locations; jamesconeyisland .com. — AC
Becks Prime hot dog
This hot dog sandwich gives glorious new meaning to the term “quarter pounder.” Becks takes a custommade Boar’s Head dog, splits it down the middle and grills it over mesquite coals. The dog is sandwiched in a fresh-baked egg bun with plenty of mustard, chopped white onion and pickles. Everything comes together — flamelicked meat, honest bun, zippy mustard and crunchy innards — in one swoonworthy bite. Multiple locations; becksprime.com. —GM
Good Dog Houston’s Ol’ Zapata dog
Amalia Pferd, the goddess of Houston hot dogs, can do no wrong at the two little restaurants she runs with her husband, Daniel Caballero. No matter how unlikely one of their combos sounds, Pferd’s gift for balancing her house-made condiments makes the finished hot dog sing. First among equals ever since the pair opened in a food truck in 2011 is the Ol’ Zapata dog, a Texas-made frank wearing an umami-rich meld of bacon, Muenster cheese and caramelized onion, all lit up by a jalapeño relish that speaks to the Houston palate. 902 Studewood and 1312 W. Alabama; gooddoghouston .com. — AC
B.B. Lemon’s Texas Wagyu chili cheese dog
A hot dog made from the highest grade of beef might be considered a bit over the top. But this lush, snappy, quarter-pound frank smothered in beefy chili is an experience to be savored. The dogs are sourced from Gearhart Ranch outside Marfa, and the Berg Hospitality Group is the only one in Houston that carries them. They’re also available in Berg’s butcher shop at B&B Butchers & Restaurant and at the group’s ultraposh Turner’s served with pushcart onions, sauerkraut, pickle relish and chili. 1809 Washington; bblemon.com. — GM
Los Perros’ Hawayana dog
This tangentially “Hawaiian” dog gets its name from the veritable river of minced pineapple sauce that courses down its length — along with a madcap array of other condiments. It’s a specialty at Los Perros’ two Colombian food trucks, an original on far-west Richmond and another parked along Washington’s nightlife row. They’re open well into the wee hours, which is when the wild combo of garnishes makes a certain demented sense. Taste to believe the concatenation of mustard, sour cream, pink secret sauce (“salsa rosada”), pineapple and fruity red sauce, all crowned with a hardboiled quail egg. You can hardly taste the hot dog, and maybe that’s the point. 4216 Washington and 9413 Richmond — AC
King’s Biergarten and BierHaus hot dogs
It’s hard to choose at the German-Austrian beer halls in Pearland and Houston: bratwurst and sauerkraut on brioche bun; Wagyu hot dog done up in Chicago manner on poppy seed bun; cheese wurst with street corn, guacamole and pickled jalapeños on brioche bun; and nubby wurst with cheddar bier sauce and pulled pork on a pretzel roll. Oh, what fun. King’s Biergarten, 1329 E. Broadway, Pearland; kingsbiergarten .com and King’s BierHaus, 2044 E. T.C. Jester; kingsbierhaus .com. — GM
Kenny & Ziggy’s New York Delicatessen natural casing franks
Two years ago Ziggy Gruber set out to improve his franks repertoire by working with a USDA-certified hot dog factory in New Jersey to produce Jewish deli-style hot dogs to his specifications. The naturalcasing beef wiener sports a terrific snap. These franks can be ordered with a variety of different toppings, but we are partial to the good sauerkraut and deli mustard. One bite of these proprietary hot dogs will likely spoil you for any others. 2327 Post Oak and 5172 Buffalo Speedway; kennyand ziggys.com. — GM