What’s up, dog?
Dog Haus, located in Fullerton, offers a variety of specialty hot dogs, including the best-selling Old Town Dog (left), which consists of a bacon wrapped dog sprinkled with cheese and jalapeños, and customer favorite, Grand Slam (right), which features a sunny side up egg, tater tots, and bacon strips.
February 24, 2016
I walked into a room full of people and dogs. No, not the cute, furry dogs that have rightfully earned the title of man’s best friend, but instead the 100 percent all-beef skinless Dog Haus that, on sight, had my mouth watering with anticipation.
My first impression of the Dog Haus in Fullerton as a whole was one approval. With a modern, spacious room filled with plenty of tables spread out enough to prevent a cramped environment, my two friends and I had no problem settling down to debate over our orders.
The restaurant offered a variety of choices of hot dogs, sausages, and hamburgers. In addition, there was the option of building your own meal if the choices for the three categories did not meet your expectations.
After careful consideration and lots of intense arguing, I settled with the best-selling Old Town Dog, while my companions chose the Pig and Fig sausage, and the Scott Baioli. To top it all off, I ordered a decadent Salted Caramel Shake, and we shared a side of tater tots.
Our food came within minutes of ordering, and the presentation was fabulous.
My Old Town Dog transformed what was probably once a regular hotdog, into a bacon-wrapped dog that was showered with golden chipotle aioli and cotija cheese, jam packed with dark green jalapeños, and stuffed into a fluffy light brown King’s Hawaiian bun. My friends’ hot dog and sausage dog looked equally appetizing; with high expectations, we each grabbed our meal and bit into it.
I would be lying if I said those expectations were fully met. While the flavors and textures of the toppings and bread mixed well together, the bacon was not so flavorful, and made the dog itself taste rather bland and dry.
However, the tater tots were hot and crispy, and the caramel shake had just the right blend of caramel and ice cream.
When my hotdog was nearing its demise, I noticed yet another minor problem with my meal. For a big eater like me, a single hotdog was not fully satisfying, and I decided to order another customer favorite: the Grand Slam.
With an egg, tater tots, and bacon strips combined with the dog in a King’s Hawaiian bun, this order was superior and the combination greatly heightened the overall taste.
Overall, Dog Haus did not meet my expectations, as the cost of a hot dog at $5.99 with the addition of $3.49 for a combo made it quite pricey, considering it is not that filling. However, if hotdogs are your thing, I definitely recommend the restaurant. But for me, the trip is starting to look like a one time visit.
