Midtown Lunch

Hot dogs are the hotness; last week John had  Texas Tommy and a chili dog at Underdogs. Today, its an equally new hot dog shack in Center City.

You knew it would be Maui Dogs right? This branch of the original Jersey spot opened in the Bellevue’s basement food cart at the end of January, about a month before last Wednesday’s wiener joint, Underdogs.

Now, I didn’t hate the novelty of eating my meal of a dog bowl. But it was a little awkward  eating out of a dog bowl in a food court next to men in suits eating salads.

The dogs go from $3 for a plain, to $4.50 for piles of fixings. The Smokin Cheesy Drunk ($4.50) had exactly what I wanted: kraut, cheddar cheese, mustard, and bacon. The wieners we are dealing with here are German wursts; a combo of beef, pork, and veal. That helps explain the barely pink hue. They were more than generous with the kraut. Underneath the mess of fabulous classic toppings, I enjoyed the flavor of the dog itself. It was subtle, but the meatiness was there without any chemical undertones.

I had something else in mind when I ordered the salty balls.(That’s what she said?) I thought they would be something like little fried balls of mashed potatoes. Instead, they were boiled potatoes covered in salt with a side of butter to dip them in. I guess anything salty and dipped in butter is good, but I didn’t realize it was going to be something so simple.

For price comparison, my friends chili, cheddar, and onion dog at Maui’s was 50 cents more ($4.25) than a comparable dog at Underdogs.

A side of fries might be the better choice, especially the spiced Hawaii-5-o ($3.50) with a side of Mac Daddy sauce (50 Cents). The fries could have been a little bit crispier, but the portion was generous.

Lastly, underneath it all, we were surprised by a slice of pickle to send us off.

THE + (What somebody who likes this place would say)

• Just the right toppings
• Besides hot dogs, there are chicken patties and vegetarian options

THE – (What somebody who doesn’t like this place would say)

• I still don’t like paying more than one or two dollars for a hot dog
• Salty Balls are just boiled potatoes
• I like more snap in my wiener
• This is late night food, and there are no late night hours here, while  Underdogs stays open late on weekends

Maui’s Dog House, 200 S Broad St., 215-735-1533