Dog Haus in Pasadena

[calpurnia]

Looks like the new hot dog place on Hill & Union has finally opened. Has anyone been yet? I wonder how it will compare to the popular Slaw Dogs.

[Peripatetic]

I went for lunch today (they're right near my polling location!). I had a "Little Leaguer" (chili, Fritos, onions, cheese), my companion had the corn dog, and we split an order of sweet potato fries. The little leaguer was very good -- the chili was decent, the Fritos added a welcome crunchiness, and the King's Hawaiian rolls work much better as a bun than I was expecting. The dog itself had very good flavor, but it was very thick, and made the entire dog somewhat unwieldy. I prefer thinner dogs with natural casing; in this case a thinner dog would have resulted in a better chili-to-dog and bun-to-dog ratio.

The corn dog was also very good. It was fried to perfection, but the batter could have used more cornmeal, and again the large diameter of the dog results in too much dog to too little batter. The sweet potato fries were very good too, though they could have been a little more crispy. Next time I'd ask for them well-done.

On the whole, I really like the place. The seating isn't as comfortable as it could be, but the ambiance is fun and upbeat Oh, and the blackboard mentioned they'll be making floats and shakes soon with Fosselman's ice cream. I'll definitely be back for that!

[Jack Flash]

Per their menu, they use a "skinless" tubesteak - in other words, no natural casing. Honestly, I have a hard time spending money to eat a casing-free hot dog. If I'm at a party and that's what there is, then fine, but not on my own dollar.

[Briggs]

I completely agree. I may still swing by, but unless it's Nathan's or Hebrew National, I'll probably pass on the dog and just get a brat.

As for your question on the third dog joint, it's the Big City Dogs on Arroyo near Old Town.

[The Oracle]

Just went a few minutes ago.... they are open 7 days a week - 11am to 10pm.

The biggest selling point for me - the buns. They take 3 hawaiian rolls and slit them lengthwise - voila! Their bun. Love it.

The hot dogs themselves are H-U-G-E. 1/4 pound each... they don't mess around. I found them juicy with just enough snap... almost too oily (for my tastes), but DH did not have a problem or even notice this (he's the hot dog aficionado of the two of us - so I differ to his judgement.)

We ordered their Grand Slam: smoked bacon, egg, tater tots.... and the Downtown Dog: bacon wrapped, mayo, mustard, ketchup, sauteed onions & peppers...

First, the Grand Slam: it's basically a piece of bacon running along side the dog. The bacon was a little tough/over-cooked, but a nice, thick slick. It has potential. The fried egg sat perched on-top, and the tater tots were kind of shredded and placed on the opposite side of the bacon. All in all - a decent combination, surprisingly.

The Downtown dog had a nice smoked flavor to it - the peppers and onions melded together. They were too heavy handed with the mayo - there was mayo everywhere... I think they put it on the bun as well as slathering it on top... my only complaint was too much mayo!

Other signature dogs include:
Sooo Cali: mixed greens, diced tomato, tempura fried onions, spicy basil aioli, avocado
B.L.A.S.T: bacon, lettuce, avocado, serrano chilis, sliced tomato, mayo
Little Leaguer: chili con carne, fritos, diced onions, shredded cheddar.

The also have gourmet sausages and burgers....

I was eyeing the 'specials' board that had a Cowboy - something with BBQ sauce and onion rings...I couldn't believe it was the "Monday" special and was turned around the other way! The guy at the counter said they could do the specials any day... and pointed me to the menu where he said you could custom your own dog (tons of great options with a regular dog). That's definitely the way I'd go, next time.

All this said... I haven't had a chance to get to Slaw Dogs yet - so I can't compare it... but, if you want a big ol' dog on hawaiian bread - this is the place for you!

The damage: for their signature dogs: $5.95 each (the solo dogs are $3.75 for a 1/4 pound).

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The Slaw Dogs
720 N Lake Ave, Pasadena, CA 91104

[monku]

A "skinless" dog with snap?

[The Oracle]

They had both skinless and snap dogs on the menu... the one I bit into definitely had some snap on it - but, I honestly didn't do a proper inspection to see if it was skinless or not!

[monku]

It didn't sound like you were eating a "snap dog" and I didn't see "snap dogs" on their menu.
Most natural casing hot dogs are 1/8 pound(2 ounces) not 1/4 pound.

[The Oracle]

I definitely know they offer the 'snap' ones - it was under the "stray dogs" section on their posted menu (inside the restaurant). They made a point to make it pretty clear the choice was "Snap" or "Skinless" in that section. I didn't notice/pay attention to a size variance, unfortunately!

[reality check]

Yes, some restaurants do not have an accurate menu online. Many times I've been to a restaurant, after seeing their online menu, just to find out they no longer carry that item.

But with that said, Dog Haus should list on their website, that they have a natural casing option.

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Dog Haus
105 N Hill Ave, Pasadena, CA 91106

[Jack Flash]

Good to know about the NC dog. I was looking only at their online menu, which clearly is incomplete insofar as it does not list the available toppings other than two or three signature dogs. Knowing that, I'll probably stop in soon to check it out.

[monku]

You can get a "solo" 1/4# skinless Hebrew National hot dog and drink at Costco for $1.50.

[reality check]

Since most Costcos have gone to the Kirkland brand hot dog and polish, even that's not as good of an option, anymore.

[monku]

Pasadena must be the home of the $6 hot dog.

[happybaker]

LA Weekly review

http://blogs.laweekly.com/squidink/20...

[reality check]

That review includes a link to their site.

http://doghausdogs.com/

Good thing too. Another review site, listed the wrong phone number for Dog Haus. They are open and answering the phone.

[reality check]

They must be closed Sun & Mon, because I tried calling today and no answer. At least I hope that's the case.

Ok, another review site, listed the wrong number for Dog Haus. That's the reason there was no answer.

Correct number is 626-577-4287

http://doghausdogs.com/

They are open daily from 11am-10pm.

[Briggs]

Although I'm a Slaw Dogs fan, I'll be in the area tomorrow. Open or close, I'll check it out.

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The Slaw Dogs
720 N Lake Ave, Pasadena, CA 91104

[reality check]

Interesting that Pasadena will have three hot dog places within a 2-3 mile radius of PCC.

[Jack Flash]

Slaw Dogs, Dog Haus & ??? What's the third?

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The Slaw Dogs
720 N Lake Ave, Pasadena, CA 91104

[reality check]

Big City Hot Dogs.