Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Hot Diggity Dog!

Hot Diggity Dog by Nouar 
 
Having just topped the 100-degree temperature mark for the 56th day in a row here in Austin, Gene and I pondered what we should eat for lunch. I mean, what do you eat in the middle of the day when it’s scorching hot outside? The answer hit us over the head like an ice cold V-8…a hot dog!!

Gene really enjoys watching the show, “Day Tripper”, hosted by Chet Garner, and is always looking for great ideas for our own weekend day trips. Not too long ago, Episode 210 “South Austin, TX” aired on PBS. As part of that episode, Chet featured food from Austin’s trailer park eateries south of Ladybird Lake. One of those eateries caught Gene’s attention – Man Bites Dog.


So, last Saturday, with hot dog hunger in our bellies, we high-tailed it over to Austin Trailer Park Eatery to find the Man Bites Dog trailer as featured on Day Tripper. To our dismay, we discovered that Man Bites Dog was no longer there.  Disappointment abounded.


Yet, all was not lost as we found out that Man Bites Dog had moved to a brick-and-mortar building with air conditioning at 5222 Burnet Road.  With no end in sight for the sweltering Texas summer heat, I’d say the owner of Man Bites Dog is one mighty smart guy!  While running errands near Burnet Road today, we ferried our famished palates over to Man Bites Dog for a midday meal.

Jeremiah Allen, Man Bites Dog owner, & Gene

We lucked out as the owner, Jeremiah Allen, was behind the counter to take our order.  Jeremiah assured us that Man Bites Dog will open a second location somewhere near the trailer park where he used to be located.  He knows it’s a hike for his customers, who live down south.  But, with this great new air-conditioned location, it’s worth the drive for a delicious dog!  Jeremiah explained that the franks and sausage are all bought locally, and that the idea for opening Man Bites Dog came from backyard barbeques with his friends, as he tried to out-do himself with new hotdog combinations.

The Hair of the Dog

With choices like the Buffalo Hottie, Abe Froman, Danger Dog, Greek Dog, the Cuban, the Reuben and the Howler, I found myself in a dietary dilemma! However, Gene knew right away that he wanted the Hair of the Dog ($6.59), which is a deep-fried, bacon-wrapped, large, Vienna beef frank topped with chili, cheddar cheese, fried egg and TABASCO® sauce. I tried several bites of Gene’s dog, and it was definitely a Weiner Winner with a kick!! Yum!

The Beer Brat

I finally decided on the Beer Brat ($4.79), which consists of a Live Oak Beer Brat, topped with sauerkraut and spicy brown mustard.  If you love bratwurst, you will love this dog!!  Did I mention the buns?!  Oh…my…goodness!  The buns make these dogs outrageously delicious!  Soft, huge, freshly baked, warm buns, which have a hint of sweetness, are one of the key ingredients to Man Bites Dog’s success!  
And, if one dog doesn’t fill you up, there’s also appetizers, such as Dojo Dogs – beef franks, green chiles and cream cheese, wrapped in an egg roll wrapper, Pulled Pork Mac N’ Cheese, Chicken Wings, Fried Pickles, Chili Cheese Fries, regular fries and more. Oh, and Kosher or vegetarian franks may be substituted on any hot dog! How’s that for service?!

Our conclusion? Man Bites Dog is an absolute MUST for hot dog and sausage lovers! (I’ve already picked out which dog I’m going to try on our next visit.) So, beat the heat with a hot dog from Man Bites Dog!

Dog of Man by MagrEat

"The noblest of all dogs is the hot-dog; it feeds the hand that bites it." -- Lawrence J. Peter

These Dogs Howl, Y’all!!