Man Bites Dog

I'm more of a hot dog purist--so I usually just get a regular chili cheese dog with a side of cheese tots (one of the few places that I've found that side item here in the Austin area). I usually will drop by here on a weekday evening--and it's hardly ever crowded. I haven't had one bad meal here yet (that I can recall) and the it's easy to get out of here with a full meal for under $10.

There are times when arugula and organic goat cheese just won't do and thats when it is time for a visit to Man Bites Dog. All types of seasoned red meats stuffed into casings then seared to prefection. Wonderful hand cut french fries. My favorite is a dog smothered in sour kraut and deli brown mustard.

No complaints here. I finally got a chance to hop over to Man Bites Dog and see what they are all about. They are all about the hot dog, but taking it up a few notches. This made the menu a bit intimidating, but ingredients are clearly defined. I settled on "Hair Of The Dog" (bacon wrapped beef frank, deep-fried with chili, cheddar cheese, a fried egg and tabasco sauce) and a side of Pulled Pork Mac and Cheese. This was a wonderful combination and a pretty decent amount of grub. The Pulled Pork Mac and Cheese was creamy and had a wonderful flavor. I could see eating this alone and being completely satisfied. The Hair of the Dog (which may sound kind of gross) was superb. It hit all of the high points in flavor before allowing the egg and tabasco sauce to take it one level higher. DO NOT try and eat this like a normal hot dog. You'll end up wearing the juices that drip down. Hunker down with a fork and knife for the best experience. Additionally, the establishment was clean and employees were very friendly and personable. The restroom was also clean, which unfortunately seems to be overlooked by far too many establishments. If you haven't tried Man Bites Dog, I highly recommend it. They have a 'Kids Eat Free' night on Tuesdays, so there is added incentive to take the whole family.

Can they make more of these places? I took several of my friends here and we were all very impressed! The hot dogs are delicious of course. A few that stood out in particular were the Half Smoke, Abe Forman, and the Banh Mi Dog. We also tried the pulled pork mac and cheese, delicious on another level.