The Truffle Dog

The Truffle Dog, originally uploaded by ~db~.

This is my favorite hot dog from Umami Burger in Toluca Lake, and the only one I've ordered more than once, well at least so far.

The Truffle Dog is the standard Umami beef frank and custom bun, topped with their excellent roasted garlic aioli, creamy truffle infused port onions, and melty house truffle cheese. It is good. You want one. Or two. My only issue is that in toasting the bun, it sometimes ends up being too dried out, as was the case here. I ended up picking off a lot of crunchy bits of bread. You might like this. Me? Not so much. Still, that's a small complaint because did I mention it was good?!?

I also ordered a half-dozen Cheesy Tots. Crunchy and full of flavor, they too were pretty excellent, especially just as they are served, hot and ready to be dipped into one of the sauces provided. Hot Dog and Cheesy Tots, under $11.

S'Links West Virginia Slaw Dog

S'Links West Virginia Slaw Dog, originally uploaded by ~db~.

I went to S'Links yesterday, thinking I'd try one of their burgers, but instead opted for a chilidog. My mistake.

The West Virginia Slaw Dog is their regular wiener, topped with the house chili and coleslaw, along with mustard, sweet onions, and pimento cheese. All of is in set into the new, slimmer Monrovia Bakery bun.

The main problem is that it's so overstuffed. For many people I suspect this is a feature, but in practice is means that the whole thing falls apart once it's picked up. And after a couple of bites, the bun, soaked with the chili, begins to disintegrate.

The flavors are okay, but I found the spicy heat of the chili overpowered everything else. Again, your mileage may vary when it comes to the amount heat, but for me it was too much. The slaw was nice and crunchy, but rather bland and unable to cut through the chili. After a few bites, I ended up just setting the thing down and eating it with a fork. I hate eating a hot dog with a fork.

So, while not bad, I doubt I'll try it again, at least for a while. But if a messy, spicy hot dog which falls apart in your hands sounds good, then this in the one for you. Hot dog, about $6.

S'Links Sonoran

S'Links Sonoran, originally uploaded by ~db~.

For my latest visit to S'Links, I got the Sonoran which is their version of an LA Street Dog. In addition to their natural casing frank, there are a lot of toppings, including bacon, tomatoes, onions, mayo and mustard, pinto beans, tomatillo salsa, cotija cheese, and avocado. As always, that's all set in a bun from Monrovia Bakery.

The good news is it tastes pretty great. The bad news is that it's a mess. It's the kind of overstuffed dog that requires a fork to eat all the stuff that falls off. It seems the buns have been adjusted from my previous visits and are a bit longer and narrower. Ironically, where I didn't like the extra bread in the previous two dogs I ate, that wider bun would have served its purpose well with this Sonoran Dog. As it was, much of the toppings just fell off, to be scooped up later.

So, definitely a good dog, and a full meal. Just don't plan on eating it without making a huge mess. Hot dog, about $6.