THE DAPPER DOG
The little cart that could. Amazing what a couple of determined guys can turn out from a basic hot dog cart - Hot dogs far and above those typical hot dog cart dogs.
They start off right - almost. A Nathan's dog, but skinless. Natural casing dogs can be an issue for some folks. Perhaps, down the road they'll offer both. A good dog now, but snapless. The dogs are served on half a hoagie roll.
That's the Jersey Special above - Dapper Dog's take on Jersey's Italian hot dog. Again, it's "almost." Finely diced hash brown potatoes instead of potato slices. Slices of American cheese which don't add much. Sautéed red peppers. Not sure about the onions unless they were mixed in with the hash browns. The hash browns had a bit of a crust, nice. Could have used more onions.
I also tried their Coney Island Express - topped with chili, shredded cheddar and banana peppers. I skipped the banana peppers (a med I'm taking makes my tongue ultra-sensitive to heat). A good dog, but again, "almost." It's the chili this time. Coney Island sauce typically doesn't have beans. It also has more of a kick than Dapper Dog's chili. The banana peppers would have added that most of the kick that I missed. But a little heat in the chili would top it off.
I went for a couple of classic hot dogs this visit. There's a lot more happening on the menu. The Moe Green looks interesting - asparagus and sharp provolone. So does the Mack - topped with Mac and Cheese. Other possibilities include their version of a Chicago Hot Dog and La Dolce Vida with tomato sauce, pepperoni, sharp provolone and parmesan.
Overall, these guys are doing a great job out of a little cart. A little tweeking might be needed on the dogs I tried. I'd suggest they take a look at the Casino's (Trenton NJ) approach to a Jersey Italian hot dog and Lafayette Coney Island's (Detroit MI) take on the Coney Island dog.
September 2010
