The Slaw Dogs

Took a trip up to Pasadena for a meeting and realized that we were only one mile from The Slaw Dogs. This place was on Outrageous Food on the food network and will be the first place I try from this show. I noticed upon our arrival that this place had only been open for a short time but the buzz around it seemed promising. The decor left much to be desired but how much can you really expect from a hot dog place in the area of ambiance. We ordered at the register and then sat and waited for our food. I ordered the Thai Slaw dog which was chicken sausage topped with spicy peanut-coconut satay dressing, cilantro-carrot slaw, crushed peanuts, and siracha aioli. This was the dog featured on the food network. My friend ordered the Green Monster which was a beef hot dog topped with roasted green chili, chipotle mayo, grilled onion, pepperjack, and spicy garlic salsa. We decided to cut them in half and split the spoils. On the side I ordered Parmesan Garlic Truffle French Fries. Yes, you heard right parmesan, garlic, and truffles on French fries. Can you feel your mouth watering just by saying that out loud? I can.

The food came pretty quickly and I was very excited. The first thing I tasted were the French fries and my god they were amazing. I mean really amazing. Possibly some of the best fries I have ever tasted. So much garlic and parmesan with an underlying flavor of truffle. Add to that wonderfully fried potato and you really have something special. I really did not want to stop eating them and the serving size made sure I would not have to for a while. The only issue with the fries was that they are not a permanent menu item, just a special. I would urge them to add them to the menu because they were by far the best thing I ate.

Ok let’s talk hot dogs. The slaw on top of the of the Thai Slaw was pretty good and the peanuts added a fun crunch but with two things on the dog that should have been spicy the lack of heat was jarring. I am really unsure how you can pull that off with siracha but somehow there was no spice in my dog. That was disappointing but still I enjoyed the dog. The Green Monster was by far a better mix of toppings. The green chili and onions were cooked well with a little crunch. A little heat and a good amount of sweet, I would go back to that hot dog if  came here again. The one place where the Green Monster fell down was in the beef hot dog itself. It just didn’t add that much to the dish and since it was the protein I felt that it should have spoken up more. I feel like if you put a dozen toppings on a hot dog or a hamburger you need to use top shelf meats or else they get overwhelmed. This definitely happened here so I would try the same toppings with a sausage with a deeper flavor.

Overall this place was a lot of fun and affordable. I would definitely return to try some of their other specialties but only if those fries were on the menu. Like I said those were some of the best fries I ever ate. Next time you are in Pasadena, check out The Slaw Dogs, you will be pleasantly surprised, but only if the fries are available.

Overall Rating: 6/10