I have a long history of disliking veggie hot dogs. Once when I was a kid, I was invited to some sort of cookout where there were only going to be hot dogs served. So that I wouldn’t feel left out, my mom took to me to the grocery store to buy some not dogs. If I remember correctly, we had to go to a special grocery store that carried them, because they weren’t all that popular. I had one bite of that dog and was disgusted. The texture was unappealing but the taste and smell were downright repulsive. The chemically engineered meat smell and taste were not what a lifelong vegetarian craved. After that I swore off fake meat for a long time. But I decided to give hot dogs another chance a few years ago at a Scandinavian joint. Again, I had a similar experience where I could only take one or two bites before giving up.
That’s why I was extremely nervous when I went to Asia Dog a few days ago. I was so nervous, I made a carnivorous companion come with me to finish off my leftovers. But as it turns out, I didn’t need to take any precautions. The soy-based dog was amazing! Both my friend and I thought it was delicious. Though I’m sure the unique toppings helped a lot. I had the Vinh dog – a bahn mi style hot dog topped with veggie pate, spicy aioli, cucumber, pickled carrot and daikon, jalapeno and cilantro. Vegetarians have two other options as well: the Mel+Steve (Asian sesame slaw, scallions and sesame seeds) and the Mash (sweet and spicy ketchup, jalapeno mustards and crushed potato chips). And if you like spicy foods, don’t forget to order a side of wasabi potato salad. It has a definite kick but also a bit of crunch from celery bits that are mixed in. It’s ridiculously good.
Asia Dog
66 Kenmare (btwn Mulberry and Mott)
212-226-8861
Currently based out of Boston, Jesal is a blogger, freelance writer, yoga enthusiast and lifelong vegetarian who spent four years eating her way through New York City and various other cities around the globe. After answering hundreds of emails and phone calls answering the question, "Where's a cool place I can take my vegetarian friend out to eat" she started Veggiewala to efficiently share her knowledge of the vegetarian food scene with curious carnivores, flexitarians and other vegetarians.