#17: Hot Dog

I LOVE hot dogs. As a child I frequently devoured street dogs in Manhattan every chance I got, without a single discerning glance at the cleanliness of the water. And when a random man started selling hot dogs from a cart in the small Vermont town of Middlebury (where I went to college), I braved the cold to purchase one weekly. However, hot dogs are also kind of gross. And a low quality dog, while previously a delicious mystery, has been revealed to contain some suspect items, even for a meat eater. This is why New York has gifted the public with high end hot dogs… hot dogs that, while still highly processed and within an intestine, have enough ingredients revealed that they can be eaten somewhat guilt free.

Crif Dogs, in a small underground space on St. Marks, wins this “thing” award for a couple reasons. One: creativity. The menu includes a bacon wrapped dog with avocado and sour cream, and another smeared with cream cheese, topped with scallions and everything bagel seeds (I have a feeling the inventor of these combos is a fan of marijuana, based on the time I saw my friend in an altered state smear guacamole on a bratwurst and declare it delicious). The second best thing is Crif Dogs took the concept of high end hot dogs to a new level when PDT came into play. After entering, you will notice a telephone booth to your left. A phone, with only one button to press, gains you entry into one of NYC’s many “hidden” cocktail bars. Reservations are a must to get into PDT, but it is so worth it to have an amazing $14 cocktail* with your $4 Crif Dog, which is passed into the bar, freshly made, through a little window.

I also recently ate at Snackie’s in Williamsburg for the first time. And oh me oh my their kimchee hotdog, of the many snackies we tasted, was the one that put the biggest smile on our faces. The hotdog was salty, with cold spicy kimchee and a warm mayo sauce. Cant honestly claim this one has the high end guarantee but ya know….

*I badmouthed fancy cocktails earlier, but I have to say they really know how to make a drink.