Ramen and kimchi on a hot dog. A PB&J hot dog. Am I high, or is this really happening?
It’s all, in fact, happening at Laika Dog, the only joint in Detroit really pushing the hot dog envelope. It’s a new place, having opened on July 4 of this year. Pushing the envelope is an appropriate term, as Laika is the first canine that left the envelope of Earth and went into space. Puns? Natch.
Laika Dog has found a fitting home inside Corktown’s UFO Factory, on track to be Detroit’s newest dive bar. Maybe at this stage it’s safe to say it’s a proto-dive bar? Regardless, Laika Dog (here’s their menu) sells $5 hot dogs (choice of beef or vegan) with flavor combinations that are out of this world.
We ordered’em up, brought them to Daily Detroit HQ and tried them out. Here are the four wackiest hot dogs.
1. PB&J Dog
Ingredients: Thai Peanut Sauce, Housemade Ancho-Mint Jelly, and Banana Cashew Crunch
By far, the most original hot dog in Detroit. I had to let go of my pre-existing food notions and enjoy the mind blowing ride. All the flavors just went together. The Thai peanut sauce was addicting. Sweet with a kick of spice. The banana chips and cashew crunch was unusual, but it made so much sense since banana and peanut butter is the ultimate comfort food. The comfort translated in the PB&J Dog.
2. Kimchi Dog
Ingredients: Kimchi, Wasabi Vegan Mayo and Ramen
Not going to lie, this sounded disgusting. How is vegan mayo even a thing? Is raw ramen going to break my teeth? I got over my anxiety. Surprise! The vegan mayo did not ruin anything. It was delicious because the kimchi was so good. The small ramen bits were fun to crunch.
3. Kraut Dog
Ingredients: Kraut, Crushed Spicy Pickle, Potato Chips, Brown Mustard and Scallions
Thinking about potato chips on a mustard covered hot dog makes my brain hurt. And isn’t a crushed pickle just relish? At least the scallions looked promising. Despite my reservations, the Kraut Dog was really good, and actually could use more potato chips. The sharply crisp scallions lived up to my expectations and the rest of the condiments exceeded them. The brown mustard and sauerkraut worked great together.
4. Lazeez Dog
Lemon Garlic Spread, Hummus, Cucumber Pickles, Spice Blend
All the ingredients seem like a good idea by themselves. I grew up with hummus and garlic sauce in my fridge. That’s why I was pretty certain when I took a bite. Then, everything changed. The only people daring enough to put hummus on a hot dog are mad geniuses or blitzed. I don’t think I was stoned enough to get it. Hummus and hot dog in the same bite was too uncomfortable to swallow. Still, the Lazeez dog is wacky as hell and deserves to round out this list as you might have a different take than me. It is a quirky idea that deserves recognition.
You can find all of these creations at 2110 Trumbull Avenue in Detroit. Get there between 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. errayday.
