01/09/12 - 0 Comments
Canada’s Japadog Opens in NYC
When I think of Canada, a Japanese take on hot dogs just doesn’t come to mind. Yet, on Jan. 5, Vancouver’s Japanese-style hot dog chain, the aptly named Japadog, opened its first American outlet on St. Marks in East Village with one store and four food carts.
Japadog — which specializes in, what else, hot dogs and sausages (about $5 each) — buries its dogs in the sauces, meats, and vegetables that make up Japanese topping staples, like shredded nori, seaweed, edamame, miso paste, teriyaki sauce, wasabi mayo, and even caviar. As a side dish, Japadog offers fries dusted with an arsenal of condiments that stray far from the norm, including dried ground seaweed, shichimi & garlic, curry, wasabi, and black pepper. If you can make it to dessert — the dogs are almost twice the size of a regular New York hot dog — order the “Ice Age,” which is a deep fried bun stuffed with three scoops of vanilla, mango, strawberry, black sesame, or maccha ice cream.
Some of the weirder combos include bratwurst heaped with okra and the “Croquette,” a sausage with fried mashed potatoes.
I was never a fan of hot dogs — I don’t even eat the plain-with-ketchup variety — but would you try one of these wacky dogs? Could you see this odd Canadian sensation taking off in New York?
