The various new twists on the house-made Vietnamese soup-flavored frankfurter comes at the expense of other foodstuffs. U Hall's pork belly doughnut, "sloppy cho" and curry chicken ramen brat, for instance, are no longer offered. “They were one-stop-shop kind of items, but they were fun for a little bit,” says Erik Bruner-Yang, chef-owner of Toki Underground, who regularly collaborates with U Hall co-owner Jesse Tittsworth on the music club's culinary offerings. “We want to be able to change the menu up often, keep it interesting.”

This time around, the pair have teamed up with 13th Street Meats, a one-man sausage making company run by Scott McIntosh, who also tends bar at The Big Hunt and Bread Soda. McIntosh makes all the sausages by hand out of his kitchen on 13th Street. His sausages are far from fancy charcuterie—just something “you can enjoy with a beer at the bar and not feel like you’re just eating some frozen crap,” McIntosh says.

Among the venue's new franks: the Blunted Pho Dog is a spicy half-smoke sausage, topped with five-spice Asian cole slaw, fresh basil, cilantro, lime, hoisin sauce and sriracha. The half-smoke is McIntosh’s own take on D.C.'s indigenous wienie. “The weird thing about half smokes is there’s no real agreed-upon recipe for it," he says. "So it’s, basically, you kind of have to take a half-smoke and deconstruct it. I tried a bunch of different ones and made a couple dozen test batches."

The Not Pho Real Dog, meanwhile, is made of grilled tofu, and the Pork’s Not for Me Dog is a smoked lemon basil chicken sausage, one of McIntosh’s most difficult recipes to perfect, made of half a dozen ingredients including lemon zest, lemon pulp, basil, and bell peppers.

In a few months, Bruner-Yang expects to switch up the U Hall menu once again. “Most nightclubs don’t do food or don’t do food very well, so we kind of want to show that we care,” he says.

Photo by Chris Svetlik

Former Y&H contributor Scott Reitz (now working as a food critic at the Dallas Observer) examined the Windy City-themed wiener venue in a hot dog roundup last year, finding little to, um, relish about the fare:

On my first visit to ChiDogO’s, my foot-long was warm but not hot, and lapped with spicy full grain mustard. The link itself (from Vienna Beef Ltd., based in Chicago) was a mildly flavored steamed dog devoid of smoke or personality that would distinguish it from other hot dog suppliers. A pair of bright, vinegary peppers packed heat, but the tomatoes were unripe and flavorless. Onions and a pickle spear were bright and crunchy, and muddied with the expected, and much appreciated, dusting of celery salt.

The relish, however, left me confused. After talking to a number of Chicago natives and eating at DC-3, I was expecting a distinctively sweet, bright green number with a radioactive appeal. ChiDogO’s relish was grayish and tasted flat, as likely to come from a plastic Hunt’s packet as a specialty Chicago provider.

According to [proprietor Robert] Hisaoka, all of his toppings hail from Chi-town except the onions, tomatoes, and other fresh condiments. When I badger him on the relish matter, he concedes the neon green varieties’ popularity, but says he decided on his chosen relish after a number of recipe tests. He won’t tell me what brand he’s using, citing competitive concerns.

Photo by Chris Shott

Man On The Street DC dropped by Friday's Truckeroo festival of mobile food vendors at Nationals Park and chatted up the operators.

Some highlights: the gal from DC Empanadas dishes about the stupid questions she sometimes hears from patrons. "The truck very clearly says 'DC Empanadas'....It doesn't say sandwiches, falafel, tacos, burritos, hot dogs..."

Hot dogs, it seems, are a common request. Even for the guy from the BBQ Bus DC: "Drunk white girls at bars at night love hot dogs and they want a hot dog when they come out of the bars..."

Another priceless moment: the intrepid interviewer asking other truck operators what they think of the eccentric Fojol Bros, one of whom is seen twirling a hula hoop while simultaneously doing a split.

"Um, they're very creative," one vendor says.

Video courtesy of YouTube

A few weeks ago, Young & Hungry's Scott Reitz dug into D.C.'s current specialty hot dog renaissance. Although M’Dawg Haute Dogs tried to capitalize on this idea a few years ago, the Adams Morgan business fell flat. But that hasn't stopped newcomers, like ChiDogO's and DC-3. "The endeavor might seem gutsy considering how poorly M’Dawg fared, the environment has changed significantly since then," Reitz wrote.

Here's another sign that the current fancy hot dog trend hasn't quite yet hit fever pitch. Todd Kliman, in today's Washingtonian dining chat, points out how higher-end restaurants are trying their luck with hot dogs, too. "Talented chefs [are] cranking out charcuterie in the form of a frank, or using their advanced skills to elevate a simple snack," Kliman told his chatters, citing some winners at Lyon Hall, Bayou Bakery, and Jackie's.

Kliman, meanwhile, had some not-so-kind words for DC-3 and ChiDogO's:

I wouldn't seek out DC-3, and I probably won't ever return to ChiDogO's...You know a place isn't any good when it can't even produce a faithful version of its hometown classic.

Ouch.

Photo by Darrow Montgomery

Food trucks flooded our streets and Twitter feeds. Connecticut Avenue welcomed a whole lot of ground-meat options (and then kicked one out.) In an age of comfort food, family-style Italian filled our carb-deprived bellies. But will mobile food, burgers and comfort food dominate 2011? Will small plates finally die? Here's our break down on what we'll eat in 2011.

OUT     →     IN

Burgers     →      Hot Dogs

Mansion-Sized Bars     →     Apartment-Sized Bars

Anthony Bourdain     →     Ruth Bourdain

Vegetarian     →     Vegivore

Where the Obamas Eat     →     Where Sam Kass Eats

Bacon     →     Offal

4 Loko     →     Spiked Hot Chocolate

Gulf Seafood     →     Gulf Sweets

Traditional Tacos     →    Korean Tacos

Jose Andrés in D.C.     →     Jose Andrés Everywhere

Brickskeller     →     American Tap Rooms

H Street's Food Identity     →     Wheaton's Food Identity

Small Plates     →     No Small Plates (at least here!)

Michael Landrum Doing Meat     →     Michael Landrum Doing Salads

Food Trucks     →     Food Trucks Buy Store Fronts

Andrew George and Scott Reitz contributed to this article
Photo by Darrow Montgomery

Your interim Young & Hungry editor will soon be Michigan-bound for the Christmas weekend, heading to a land of Calvinism, chain restaurants, and Gerald R. Ford idol worship. (My District of Columbia relatives, apparently, were very upset with my grandmother for luring my Foggy Bottom born-and-bred grandfather away from the nation's capital back in the 1940s.) But with any luck, I'll soon be enjoying some lovely whitefish pâté and some Ultradogs, pictured above, from this wonderful place.

In the meantime, Young & Hungry will be going on a limited end-of-the-year siesta. We'll still be posting, just irregularly. (But we have some good stuff planned for next week.) Enjoy your Christmas weekend, wherever it may take you, and have a happy New Year. We'll be back at full strength in 2011.

Photo by Michael E. Grass

The last time someone tried to make hot dogs a culinary star in the District, it didn’t take.

Amsterdam Falafelshop owners Scott and Arianne Bennett thought they had another hit when they opened M’Dawg Haute Dogs in 2007 on 18th Street NW across from their popular chick pea–and–frites place. Foodies were talking about it, and the early reviews were good. The plan, however, soured quickly. A focus on “haute” dogs—like a $20 Kobe beef sausage—and premium toppings had diners wondering why they were spending so much on something you can buy from a cart on the corner.

Seven months after opening, the Bennetts sold their share of the restaurant, citing differences with their investors. The business wasn’t hitting budget projections. A year later, the shop closed.

There’s not much history with hot dogs here. So far, Ben’s Chili Bowl and the Vienna Inn are the only notable brick-and-mortar restaurants in the area able to turn a sustainable long-term profit on a hot dog–heavy menu. And both of those establishments leverage their history and neighborhood tradition more than the quality of their food. As a stand-alone menu item, hot dogs are tricky for restaurateurs, says Erik Bruner-Yang, co-creator of U Street Music Hall’s pho dog, and chef/partner in the upcoming Toki Underground restaurant slated to open this January on H Street NE. Ingredients are expensive, but customers tend to think dogs should be cheap.

Still, a handful of D.C. restaurants are giving hot dogs another shot, setting up sausage-heavy menus. Pizza and burger joints have boomed as the economy has stagnated by taking advantage of quality ingredients, clever marketing, and the occasional celebrity chef. The restaurants provided customers value and a side of nostalgia, while creating a void for upscale hot dogs—one that looks like it’s about to be filled.

On Barracks Row last month, the restaurant group behind Matchbox and Ted’s Bulletin opened a new hot dog business, DC-3, with a cool and sleek façade. A fresh coat of gray paint cloaks the storefront, as well as the interior walls, and a giant propeller salvaged from a 1940s passenger plane sets a theme that continues everywhere. Take-out menus resemble airline ticket sleeves. Tabletops bound in rivets resemble faux airplane skin. Along one wall, a giant red map doubles as a menu describing regional hot dog offerings.

A flight to Illinois via the “Chicago 7” and a root beer set me back seven bucks and change. The soft bun, heavily studded with poppy seeds, nearly collapsed under its toppings as I tried to maneuver a hot dog “dragged through the garden” to my mouth. The peppers were snappy and hot, and the pickle stood up on its own with a healthy dusting of celery salt. Sweet relish, a shade of green that would make Peter Venkman’s nemesis Slimer blush, gave the dog an almost festive look. It’s obvious these guys have been doing their homework on Chicago-style dogs.

Still, some of DC-3’s offerings leave me feeling a little lost. The “Arkansas razorback red” tastes of cheese and bacon but resembles neither, sporting an artificially colored pinkish red casing. The “Bay Bridge dog” boasts a Heidelberg pretzel roll, crab dip, and a dusting of Old Bay seasoning. While I love the salty chew of the pretzel roll, the crab dip–meets–beef frank is a surf-and-turf combination I don’t find compelling. The vegetarian option, a “California left winger” boasting a tube of falafel, doesn’t work at all.

DC-3 does hedge with a few other offerings. The most notable is an Italian beef sandwich, packed with half a pound of shaved rib-eye and topped with an oily heap of peppers and a ladling of au jus. My first bite caused a torrent of oil and juices to pour from the back of my sandwich: A bite packed with beef, salt, and briny, bright pickle flavors.

The classic dogs, however, have become popular over time for a reason and resonate with my childhood memories. At DC-3 these more simple links are irrefutably delicious. Rochester’s “snappy griller,” featuring a Zweigle’s white, is by far my favorite, and all the items featuring Nathan’s links satisfy. Crinkle-cut fries, fried pickles, and a collection of throwback sodas also help this vintage hot dog shop leave a lasting impression that could bolster a hot dog trend in the area.

***

After teasing the U Street NW corridor with professionally designed banners and signage for months, ChiDogO’s finally opened this November on 14th Street. The storefront, painted bright red, has a “multiple-locations-coming-soon” feel; carefully crafted logos dot the walls and staff T-shirts. The menu simply offers hot dogs, Italian beef, a few beverages, and a story about ChiDogO’s beginnings.

According to legend, a mysterious “Bob H.” was unable to find the authentic Chicago-style meals here in the District. On frequent visits to his hometown, he brought Chicago classics back to share with friends in the area, and the dogs were so well received, the new business enterprise was warranted. By phone, Bob H. reveals himself as Robert Hisaoka, a longtime D.C. area resident with family in Chicago. Perhaps striving to keep the mystery of the menu alive, Hisaoka tells me he owns and runs a number of other local businesses besides the restaurant, but he won’t say what—or where—they are.

On my first visit to ChiDogO’s, my foot-long was warm but not hot, and lapped with spicy full grain mustard. The link itself (from Vienna Beef Ltd., based in Chicago) was a mildly flavored steamed dog devoid of smoke or personality that would distinguish it from other hot dog suppliers. A pair of bright, vinegary peppers packed heat, but the tomatoes were unripe and flavorless. Onions and a pickle spear were bright and crunchy, and muddied with the expected, and much appreciated, dusting of celery salt.

The relish, however, left me confused. After talking to a number of Chicago natives and eating at DC-3, I was expecting a distinctively sweet, bright green number with a radioactive appeal. ChiDogO’s relish was grayish and tasted flat, as likely to come from a plastic Hunt’s packet as a specialty Chicago provider.

According to Hisaoka, all of his toppings hail from Chi-town except the onions, tomatoes, and other fresh condiments. When I badger him on the relish matter, he concedes the neon green varieties’ popularity, but says he decided on his chosen relish after a number of recipe tests. He won’t tell me what brand he’s using, citing competitive concerns.

But Hisaoka confirms my hunch that he’s already looking into additional ChiDogO’s locations. He’s not alone. Andrew Kim tells me his partners are aggressively evaluating real estate for expanding DC-3. The endeavor might seem gutsy considering how poorly M’Dawg fared, but the environment has changed significantly since then. At U Street Music Hall, Bruner-Yang’s pho dogs have become popular—a grilled dog previously simmered in Vietnamese beef soup broth with a spicy cabbage slaw and hoisin sauce. On busy nights at the club, he sells five or six dozen dogs. They’re not a serious profit-maker, but it lets Bruner-Yang play with new flavor combinations while waiting for Toki Underground’s permits to come through, and it gives his friend, club owner Jesse Tittsworth, a hell of a snack to sell patrons. Bruner-Yang recently added a Monte Cristo dog, complete with strawberry preserves, to the club’s hot dog counter.

At The Passenger, brothers Derek and Tom Brown also feature gourmet dogs for their neighborhood speakeasy. The tube steaks, handcrafted at Red Apron Butchery in Alexandria, come topped with a loose chili sauce and cheese, or spicy kimchi, and an $8 price tag. Stoney’s Bar & Grill, Bar Pilar and many other restaurants sell a few hot dogs too, though all of these businesses have one major thing in common: They rely heavily on sales revenues generated from other menu items.

It may just be the nitrates talking, but some of the chefs behind the hot dog boom say the District might yet turn into a sausage town, no matter how dim the history is.

“This city wasn’t a hamburger town years ago, and Five Guys changed that,” Bruner-Yang says. “Two years ago it wasn’t a food truck town, either.”

DC-3, 423 8th Street SE, (202) 546-1935

ChiDogO’s, 1934-C 14th Street NW, (202) 332-3647

U Street Music Hall, 1115-A U Street NW, (202) 588-1880

Eatery tips? Food pursuits? Send suggestions to hungry@washingtoncitypaper.com.

Photo by Darrow Montgomery

I'm not sure how Y&H missed this major news over the weekend, but Joey "Jaws" Chestnut officially became the Burrito King on Saturday at the New Mexico State Fair in Albuquerque. He wolfed down 47 burritos in 10 minutes to win the competitive eating contest. Chestnut crushed the previous record of 33 1/2 burritos.

The guy is an eating machine. Earlier this summer, Chestnut won his fourth straight Nathan's Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog-Eating Contest in Coney Island. Another face-stuffing video is after the jump.

As a public service for those who are considering grilled commercial hot dogs this Labor Day weekend, Y&H presents an encore presentation of this video about how the links are made. Mmm, nothing like a geyser of corn syrup to improve flavor, not to mention a "liquid smoke shower."

Part of the joy and frustration of food trucks is hunting them down. With a hand-held device and a working Twitter account — assuming you don't run into this lazy whale — you can take part in the culinary equivalent of geocaching.

Some days, of course, I don't find the food-truck-hunting game very entertaining (particularly when the vendor moves from a previously announced place) and pine for a D.C. version of the L.A. food truck court.

Yesterday, I found such a place in the District — by accident. It was right outside the L'Enfant Metro station at 7th and Maryland SW, where no less than five trucks/carts were working, including the Fojol Bros. truck above, which had the longest line of them all.

Check out the other trucks/carts after the jump.

People will wait for 20 minutes or longer for an oversized bag of Washington Unikorn, the mobile popcorn vendor that has been doing its thing since 1992. The cart and its tireless owner are back on the streets for the spring and summer, once again selling gargantuan bags of buttery  goodness.

Sweetbites is new to the scene this week. Owner Sandra Panetta ditched her career as a scientist to launch her dessert and pastry truck.

Vending fresh pizza from a truck is no easy trick. The dudes behind the new DC Slices have found a way to make it work. They've installed a small conveyor oven in their truck and have a source on Capitol Hill provide fresh dough daily. For a five spot, you can get a slice and a drink, a helluva deal. I like DC Slices' tart tomato sauce and the fresh chiffonade basil that you can have sprinkled on your 'za. What I don't like is the dry, flour-y crust with nary a lick of salt.

The old D.C. standby, still trying to make a go of it against the newbies.

Will these trucks always be at 7th and Maryland SW? Doubtful. But it'd be one of the first locations I'd check if I wanted to sample multiple food trucks.