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News & ArtsFriday, October 2, 2009
Chow The Seattle Dog
Posted by Bethany Jean Clement on Fri, Oct 2, 2009 at 2:16 PM
- Stranger Flickr
- "NOM NOM NOM!!!" by Sylvie In Seattle
Serious Eats takes a serious look at the Seattle dog. Among other observations:
I'm surprised by the lack of Seattle Dog coverage even in local Seattle papers and food blogs. Either it's taken for granted or every food writer in Seattle is vegetarian...
Well, we know THAT'S not true—there's me, with my Slog-commenter-disapproved meat-agenda. I've never written about the Seattle dog mostly because I don't like cream cheese on my hot dog. It sounds even worse with barbecue sauce, an iteration I haven't seen.
1
Huh, I didn't know the cream cheese and grilled onion dog was just a Seattle thing. I do, however, know that they are delicious.
2
freaking delicious! pioneer square has the best version where they split the hot dog in the middle before they grill it along with the bun so its all crsipy. then i like to add honey mustard...amazing
3
I've been stumbling out of bars in Seattle to get cream cheese dogs from street vendors regularly for three years, and I've never seen BBQ sauce offered once.
4
Yeah, I'm with @3. They're perfect with cream cheese, onions, kraut, sriracha and mayo and/or mustard if you're feeling like being particularly gross. BBQ sauce? Although I love it on hotdogs, no thanks to pairing it with the aforementioned condiments.
5
What #3 and #4 describe is great, sans bbq sauce. KETCHUP, however, does not belong on a hot dog. And yellow mustard makes me sad.
6
I take mine with just cream cheese. Unless there are dill pickles, because sweet relish is the devil's condiment.
And when I was a vegetarian, I got the vegi dog with cream cheese. The best thing *ever* at 2 in the morn.
And when I was a vegetarian, I got the vegi dog with cream cheese. The best thing *ever* at 2 in the morn.
7
The only hot dog carts I ever see are the ones that show up at night directly outside of bars, which I think explains the cream cheese. Cream cheese on a hot dog seems like a great idea when you're drunk.
I don't know of any hot dog stands that are open for lunch, as this article claims. I must work in the wrong neighborhood.
I don't know of any hot dog stands that are open for lunch, as this article claims. I must work in the wrong neighborhood.
9
That's a Seattle dog? I would have thought it would have to have a whole wheat bun, and either a veggie-dog or some kind of hand-massaged, homeopathicly-treated, organic wurst seasoned with asian fusion spices.
10
@9, yeah no doubt!
Love the cream cheese dogs. The flavor of the cream cheese vaguely reminds me of the remoulade they put on Icelandic hot dogs. If only they served those crispy fried onions here.
Love the cream cheese dogs. The flavor of the cream cheese vaguely reminds me of the remoulade they put on Icelandic hot dogs. If only they served those crispy fried onions here.
11
Why is cream cheese so distinctly Seattle? It's in all the "Seattle" sushi rolls in town as well (which is just as vile as putting it on a hot dog).
12
no ketchup on a hot-dog! none! it doesn't belong there.
now that's settled [dusts hands],
you-all can move on to the: "where's the fancy chipotle salmon curry and kimche (in order that it's a true Seattle dog?!"
now that's settled [dusts hands],
you-all can move on to the: "where's the fancy chipotle salmon curry and kimche (in order that it's a true Seattle dog?!"
13
If you're going to split and grill a hotdog, you should put it on toast and add a fried egg. With ketchup, that's some good ol' breakfast.
16
I have only ever seen cream cheese on hot dogs in Seattle. But why should a food blog or newspaper be covering them?
17
This is a new trend? Food that foul has usually been around since time out of mind -- witness the Philly cheesesteak -- a pile of inedible beef nurds and grease.
18
While there is no denying @14, I am SO gonna try @13! One man's poison is another man's other poison.
19
Although I admit to a fondness for cream cheese in general, putting it on a hot dog just doesn't work for me - I may be one of the handful of people here who consistently order mine sans cream cheese.
Grilled onions, however, are divine on a dog. And my personal guilty pleasure? Although they never have it at the stands, sprinkle grated cheddar on a toasted bun (so it gets nice and melty when you lay the sizzling wiener on it) BBQ sauce down one side (and yes I see it fairly regularly at Seattle Dogs at least), pickle relish down the other, onions (or kraut) in the middle, and brown spicy mustard on top.
Scream all you want purists, but to me that is pure hot dog heaven.
Grilled onions, however, are divine on a dog. And my personal guilty pleasure? Although they never have it at the stands, sprinkle grated cheddar on a toasted bun (so it gets nice and melty when you lay the sizzling wiener on it) BBQ sauce down one side (and yes I see it fairly regularly at Seattle Dogs at least), pickle relish down the other, onions (or kraut) in the middle, and brown spicy mustard on top.
Scream all you want purists, but to me that is pure hot dog heaven.
20
"I've never seen BBQ sauce offered once." Neither have I. That's not par for the course, I don't know why people tacked it on.
21
Jeezus fucking christ .. hot dogs are a food you like when you are about 9 or 10 along with mac and cheese before your mind and taste buds figure out how to go beyond salty-bland-middle amorica.
22
Oh, zipzap, don't be such a foodie Philistine. Even such noted culinary sophisticates as the late Vincent Price and Julia Child were known to enthusiastically extol the virtues of the common frankfurter. Price's testimonial to the hot dogs at Dodger Stadium on page 399 of his 1963 "A Treasury of Great Recipes" is a highlight of the book. Child, bless her soul, was apparently quite fond of Costco hot dogs of all things, according to those who knew her..
Now, unless you wish to argue these culinary authorities had the emotional maturity of a nine year-old, I'll take their unabashed praise for the humble hot dog over your smug disapprobation any day.
Now, unless you wish to argue these culinary authorities had the emotional maturity of a nine year-old, I'll take their unabashed praise for the humble hot dog over your smug disapprobation any day.
23
There is nothing in this world that I enjoy more than a hot dog.But a quality hot dog without all of the crap that many people put on it. And that even includes those in my home state of New Jersey, the Hot Dog Capital of the world. Here in Jersey we have access to hot dogs that are way beyond what most people in other parts of the country are used to eating. I'm talking about frankfurters made from whole cuts of quality beef or beef and pork. Not just trimmings and fillers. These dogs have casings and are naturally smoked in old fashioned smoke houses. They are so good that they are best enjoyed (in my not so humble opinion) with a little mustard. And that's it! No ketchup, no cream cheese, no kimchee, no barbecue sauce, no crushed fritos, no raisenets, no gummy bears, etc.
I would advise you to stick with what you know and what you do best: craft beer. Leave the hot dogs to those of us on the East Coast; specifically New Jersey. It's like a craft beer lover (like myself) coming to Seattle and ordering a Coor Light. Just as Lite beer is for people who really don't like beer, I feel that ordinary hot dogs, which is probably what you use there since the emphasis is more on the toppings than the actual brand of dog, topped with everything but the kitchen sink is for people who really don't appreciate a top quality hot dog. The best ones can stand alone and don't need anything to mask their flavor. In Jersey we do have some mild (not bland) top quality dogs that go well with chili or some basic toppings which complement rather than overpower the hot dog. Ninety per cent of the time I enjoy a great hot dog with mustard only. We have great commercial brands here as well as many European butcher shops and pork stores that make their own franks and sausages.
I would suggest trying some of the franks mentioned in the article. I think they are from bavarianmeats.com. Time to move up to a real hot dog. Time to take off the training wheels. Or in a beer analogy, time to enjoy a quality beer unencumbered with distractions such as fruit.
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I would advise you to stick with what you know and what you do best: craft beer. Leave the hot dogs to those of us on the East Coast; specifically New Jersey. It's like a craft beer lover (like myself) coming to Seattle and ordering a Coor Light. Just as Lite beer is for people who really don't like beer, I feel that ordinary hot dogs, which is probably what you use there since the emphasis is more on the toppings than the actual brand of dog, topped with everything but the kitchen sink is for people who really don't appreciate a top quality hot dog. The best ones can stand alone and don't need anything to mask their flavor. In Jersey we do have some mild (not bland) top quality dogs that go well with chili or some basic toppings which complement rather than overpower the hot dog. Ninety per cent of the time I enjoy a great hot dog with mustard only. We have great commercial brands here as well as many European butcher shops and pork stores that make their own franks and sausages.
I would suggest trying some of the franks mentioned in the article. I think they are from bavarianmeats.com. Time to move up to a real hot dog. Time to take off the training wheels. Or in a beer analogy, time to enjoy a quality beer unencumbered with distractions such as fruit.
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