Review: Old Town Hot Dog from Dog Haus
Bottom Line: The Old Town from Dog Haus delivers a tasty, gourmet hot dog while also bringing a bit of heat.
The Dog Haus near me is a place I like to frequent when I am craving a good hot dog and a craft beer on tap, and they also make some pretty darn tasty smash burgers and chicken sandwiches (you can read my review of the latter here). I stopped by recently and found that they have added a few new menu items, and the Old Town looked particularly tempting. Here is the description from their website:
100% all natural Creekstone Farms black angus beef dog, caramelized onions, pickled jalapeños, cotija cheese, chipotle aioli, on grilled King’s Hawaiian rolls.
The hot dog is plenty big, and it reminds me of a Polish sausage with a good meaty flavor and a nice snap to it. I first thought the caramelized onions were sauerkraut (but I double-checked the menu), delivering some sweetness with a bit of a tart pop, and they work well with the sausage. The chipotle aioli adds some creaminess and just a touch of smoke, while the jalapeños deliver some tang and a kick of heat. The cotija cheese does not stand out too much amidst the other ingredients, but it does add a nice touch of saltiness. The grilled King’s Hawaiian rolls (an interesting but brilliant substitution for the standard bun) are good and toasty, adding some more sweetness and helping to bring everything together.
As for the heat, there is not too much, but enough that you get a nice tingle in your mouth. The bites with the aioli and the jalapeños bring a bit more burn, but overall, this works out to a little above Mild on my scale. It won’t set your mouth on fire, but the combination of flavors will certainly wake up your taste buds.
They don’t give the calories for their menu items, but I can assure you that the Old Town is not diet food! I would assume it comes in somewhere between 500 and 700 cals, which is not too bad for the dog itself. But if you are tempted by one of their appetizers or sides (and you will be), that will pile on the calories. I split an order of the Totchas (which also bring a nice kick) and planned some extra time on the treadmill the next day.
Dog Haus is a growing chain that offers handcrafted hot dogs and sausages as well as burgers, chicken sandwiches, wings, and more. And some of the locations, including mine, have a biergarten with a nice selection of craft beers. They are currently in fourteen states plus the District of Columbia, and you can check for a location near you on their website.
