Urban Hotdog Company

Gourmet hotdogs? Yup.

First visit: February 25, 2013

Interior

The Duke City houses several gourmet burger shops and several gourmet pizza shops, all excellent. Now we have a bona fide gourmet hotdog emporium, and it’s about tine. The Urban Hordog Company is the brainchild of real estate entrepreneur David Kleinfeld. The Bloomberg Businessweek states on January 21, 2013:

“Move over, gourmet burger phenomenon: The day of the dog is here. Urban Hot Dog Company at 10250 Cottonwood Park Dr., near Ellison and Old Airport Road, is the hot dog joint for the diner with a sophisticated palate.

Owner David Kleinfeld.
Photo courtesy Edible Santa Fe.

“Opened in October by former Scalo’s managerturned-commercial-realestate entrepreneur David Kleinfeld, the 1,600-squarefoot space offers dine-in and carry out options for all ages.

“The concept takes a humble all-beef Nathan’s frankfurter and dresses it up with fun and fancy toppings like pico de gallo, sauteed mushrooms, and fresh fried ancho chiledusted onion strings.

“Vegetarians can also find menu items like the marinated tofu grilled with green curry vegetables. And for folks who are gluten intolerant, there is the ecodog made of grass-fed beef containing no nitrates.

“What gourmet burgers did for hamburgers we’re doing for hot dogs,” Kleinfeld said. Prices range from $1.99 for plain fries to $6.25 for the “B&B,” a Guinness-soaked bratwurst grilled and topped with house-made sugared beets, fresh local goat cheese and fresh mint.

“A hot dog with beets? Kleinfeld said he tested out all the recipes on friends, neighbors and family members before he opened and the beets and goat cheese proved a hit. Kleinfeld said he tries to get as many ingredients as possible from local producers. The goat cheese is from Old Windmill Dairy in Estancia; buns are from Pastian’s bakery in Albuquerque.”

Quality ingredients and great service in a
modern setting make Urban Hotdog Company the best place to get a
Gourmet Hotdog or satisfy that craving for a traditional favorite.
Along with great dogs and sausages, they have a daily “Not-Dog” special,
hand-cut fries and other great eats.

Sure, you can get a Nathan’s at Sam’s Club for about a buck-and-a-half. Good, but it ain’t a gourmet dog in any way. What makes the UHDC’s offerings so good is the cleverly done additions. And, to be sure, you can have UHDC make you a bdog with mustard, relish, and onions — you know, like you can get at the ball park. But then you will miss all the fun and delicious taste of a full-blown gourmet hotdog.

The Goodies

Chicago Dog

The Chicago Hotdog

I lived in Chicago for fifteen years, and ate Chicago Doge as often as I could. Got them at Byron’s on Irving Park on my walk from my condo on the lake to the bleachers at Wrigley Field. The version at UHDC is nearly authentic (the real Chicago Hot Dog is made with Vienna All Beef wieners, not Nathan’s), but Nathan’s 1/6-size dogs provide an acceptable substitute. This is one really fine dog. It would be perfect if it had more than one sport pepper. Jane thought this dog to be better that that server up at The Chicago Dog on Central. I didn’t — really close, though.

Crunchy Onion Dog

Crunchy Onion

Fresh fried ancho chile dusted onion strings with UHDC chipotle mayo

I decided to break out of my ChiTown rut and tried this creation, and wow! am I glad that I did. This is a beautiful blend of Southwest flavors that enhance the dog experience. The crunch of the onions adds a novel touch, lifting the humble dog to soaring heights. This could easily become a new favorite if the onions were a tad less oily.

You will not get one of these in Chicago. So there.

Sweet Potato Fries

Sweet Potato Fries

As well prepared as any I have had, and without even a hint of oiliness. Much tastier than white potatos, these fries are so good that I might go out of my way to get them.

Some folks have complained in other venues (such as Urbanspoon) that these Dogs are overpriced. Get over it, impecuniousness ones. Or go to Sam’s Club for the bargain basement plain-Jane version. Me, I treat my alimentary canal with respect and give it superior stuff. UHDC wins this contest in a romp.

Gil Garduño, New Mexico’s Sesquipedalian Sybarite, says:

“With my predilection for the “strangest” or most unique items on any restaurant menu, my inaugural visit proved a fun culinary adventure as well as a challenge. How, after all, do you determine the strangest, most unique item on a menu replete with unique and different items? The “tamest” of the four hotdogs I split with my Kim was the Crunchy Onion Hotdog crafted with fresh-fried Ancho chile dusted onion strings with the restaurant’s signature chipotle mayo. Texturally the crunchy onions are a success, but neither the Ancho chile nor the chipotle mayo packed much discernible punch and were overwhelmed by the thick hot dog itself, a salty, garlicky and thick wiener with a lot of flavor. The buns, made locally byPastian’s Bakery, are soft and pliable, but substantial enough to hold in the copious ingredients of some hot dog creations.”