DIRT DOG
ADDRESS: 20 Union Street, Unit 160, Pasadena, CA 91103
WEBSITE: https://www.dirtdogla.com/
A couple of months ago, my friend Erik and I were looking for a spot to eat lunch after we attended the open house event at Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) down in Pasadena. Erik said that he was in the mood for some hot dogs, and I had remembered that I bookmarked Dirt Dog in Old Town Pasadena the last time I saw that place while walking by. We took a quick look at their menu and it looked pretty solid, so we decided to take the quick drive over to Old Town.
Dirt Dog features a number of gourmet hot dogs in different styles, along with an array of different baskets of fries to go along with your hot dog. To be perfectly honest, every single one of the hot dogs sounded good, so that made it even harder to decide what to get. Erik and I were feeling pretty similar in that regard, so we ended up deciding to split two different hot dogs (Chili Dog and House Dog) so we could try multiple options, in addition to splitting a basket of Carne Asada Fries as well.
It was lunchtime on a Sunday, right around 12:30PM, when we stopped in, and I was kind of surprised that we were the only ones in the restaurant. It wasn’t until we were halfway done with our food that more people came in for lunch. The dining area itself had more of an urban décor feel to it, with a muted color scheme and an accent wall on one side of the restaurant that looked like a bunch of people had put their signature on.
It didn’t take very long for all of our food to arrive out of the kitchen. Both hot dogs were bacon-wrapped, and on the recommendation of the guy working at the counter, we got the House Dog with the lobster roll and the Chili Dog on the traditional hot dog bun. The kitchen was also nice enough to already pre-slice the hot dogs so we could split them, instead of us sawing away at them with a plastic knife and then likely the toppings all falling off.
We both decided to start off with the Chili Dog, which featured chorizo chili, chipotle aioli, diced onions, cilantro, and bacon bits. (They gave us the cheddar cheese sauce on the side.) Chili and hot dog seems like a pretty classic combination, and this one was just as good of one. The chili had a rich flavor that mixed well the hot dog itself, and the raw onions and cilantro helped to give a slight bit of a bite for a flavor contrast with everything else. The bacon bits and chipotle aioli helped to give a nice smoky note to things as well.
The House Dog was next, topped with grilled peppers and onions, mayo, ketchup, mustard, and bacon bits. (Their house spread contained some dairy, so we asked for it on the side as well.) This was apparently their OG hot dog, so we knew that we needed to give it a shot. It was also pretty classic between their flavor combinations of the condiments, vegetables, bacon bits, and hot dog itself. I thought that the lobster roll was definitely a good choice for this one, since it seemed like they buttered and toasted the lobster roll itself to give it an extra bit of crunch.
Between the two hot dogs, I enjoyed the Chili Dog more than the House Dog. Don’t get me wrong, they were both good, but there was definitely something about that chorizo chili / hot dog combination that really hit the spot for me. Of the remaining hot dogs on their menu, the next ones that are on my list to try are the Snoop’s Dog, the Pastrami Dog, and the D.U.I. Dog. The Carne Asada Fries were also a great complement to the meal as a whole, with a good spread between the steak, guacamole, and pico de gallo as well.
It’s not often to see a restaurant that exclusively sells dressed hot dogs as their primary food, but Dirt Dog does, and they certainly do it well. They have a nice variety of different ones to choose from, and their options of different fries and other sides do well to help round out the meal as a whole. While it may seem a bit steep to pick up a hot dog priced anywhere from $8 – $11, I thought that it was worth the price for the amount of enjoyment I got from it. If you are looking for a quick bite to eat that has good combinations of flavors, give Dirt Dog a look to see if you’d like to stop by.
Let’s now take a look at the Dirt Dog Dish Spotlight. Asterisks (*) below mark my recommended dishes.
** House Dog **
Bacon-wrapped beef hot dog topped with grilled peppers and onions, mayo, mustard, ketchup, and bacon bits. Pictured on a lobster roll and without house spread.
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** Chili Dog **
Bacon-wrapped beef hot dog topped with chorizo chili, chipotle aioli, diced onions, cilantro, and bacon bits. Pictured on a traditional bun and without cheddar cheese sauce.
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** Carne Asada Fries **
Crispy fries topped with carne asada, guacamole, and pico de gallo. Pictured without sour cream or cheddar cheese.
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And finally, here are my rankings for Dirt Dog:
Food: 4.75 / 5
There is certainly no shortage of options to choose from when it comes to either the hot dogs or the fries. The combination of the different ingredients on the gourmet hot dogs were done really well, with the flavors really complementing each other.
Atmosphere: 4 / 5
In terms of fast-casual places to eat, the dining area of this place seemed to lean more on the functional side, with the décor giving off more of an urban feel to it.
Service: 4.25 / 5
The guy helping us out at the counter was pretty nice, and he helped to answer some questions that we had on the food items. The preparation of the food was pretty quick, and it was out to our table within probably five minutes of us ordering.
Price: 4.25 / 5
Between a hot dog and fries, your total meal might come out closer to $15 or $16. But everything about the food was really good, and I thought worth the price paid.
Overall:
17.25 / 20
(86%)
Categories: California, Restaurants
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