Bark Hot Dogs

Certainly no stranger to the gourmet versions of comfort foods here in NYC, I knew it would only be a matter of time before I made my way over to Bark Hot Dogs which recently opened in Park Slope. In fact the fancy gourmet burgers, pizza, fried chickens have been taking over for some time now. And they're always worth a try right? Right.

The Kraut Dog

Bark Hot Dogs are not joking around. The owners are veterans of Cafe Gray and Franny's. The menu consists of 10 different dogs with various toppings (Sweet & Sour onions, oak barrel aged sauerkraut, baked heirloom beans etc). The dogs, aside form the veggie dog, are a pork and beef blend made by Hartman's Old World Sausages in upstate New York and have a somewhat lighter complexion than your typical dog. Most everything else on the menu is either house made or local. The draught beer from Six Point (Brooklyn) ($4 pints, $12 growlers and $15 all you can drink Friday and Saturday 10pm-1am), the soda from Foxon Park Sodas (East Haven, CT).

This dog was all bark and no bite. (Sorry, I had to!). I found that the flavor of the dog itself lacked the spice and taste that I was hoping for. The dogs are basted in butter before serving and that flavor did come through nicely. But it may have masked the taste of the dog itself. On my initial bite, the snap was there but I found that on my subsequent bites it was lost. I would have also preferred if the dogs were allowed to brown a little, which certainly adds to the flavor but also that crispiness that I adore.

My companions however may have liked it more than I did. The veggies dog was "the best I have ever had. its not a fake hot dog, its something else entirely." The fries received high marks, if they were a little greasy. Although they are fries after all. Bark also serves breakfast and while a chest bump might be in order for serving hot dogs at breakfast, the breakfast sandwich received "nothing special" reviews.

I certainly would not hesitate to go back and give it another try. They have some really interesting things on the menu and they should be commended for what they are attempting to do. But for now, I'm sticking with Hebrew National.