Dr. Dawg opens in Glendale

Dr. Dawg, a hot dog/fast food restaurant, has opened a second location in Glendale, Wis. Owner David Ross already has a popular location in Manitowoc, Wis., but this new location on N. Port Washington Road brings a slice of Chicago to Milwaukee’s North Shore.

I love the bio that Ross has on his website. The doctor, as he’s called, says this about himself:

I grew up in Chicago during the era of the explosion of the Hot Dog industry. After serving in the Marines in the mid-sixties, I started my first business of towing cars. This gave me the incredible opportunity of learning the whole city/suburbs of Chicago and also experiencing all the great Hot Dog stands along the way. I found that I became particularly aware of every nuance and detail that separated the good from the really great stands. I was immersed in the Hot Dog culture and now consider myself an aficionado and connoisseur of the Chicago style Hot Dog.

…I’ve always dreamed of owning my own Hot Dog stand. Recently, I’ve earned my PhD (Professor of Hot Dogs) at the famed Hot Dog University. Not too long ago, HDU was acquired by Vienna Beef, LTD. This is “The Harvard of Encased Meats.”

…Now, finally, after all these years, I’m proud to fulfill my dream. I am passionate about Hot Dogs and look forward to sharing this wonderful experience with you.

While driving recently on I-43 with my husband, I saw a huge sign saying “Dr. Dawg is now open.” Since my husband works nearby and needed to pop into the office, we decided to try the doctor’s dogs.

Dr. Dawg serves up Vienna 100 percent beef hot dogs in several styles including Chicago, chili and cheese. You can also get a polish sassage (love the spelling!), Italian beef, duck sausage, veggie sausage (apple wood sage or spicy Mexican chipotle), brat, chili, tamales and more. There’s also Da Li’l Puppies, 3-inch Vienna hot dogs for kids of all ages. You can order three, a half litter (six), or a full litter (12). Side includes hand-cut french fries, cheese fries, chili cheese fries and garlic-rosemary fries. Download the full menu for Dr. Dawg.

It was hard to decide between the Chicago-style dog or the Italian beef. But we finally made our minds up. The doctor was in to take our order, too. While checking on things in the front and back of the restaurant, he also checked with guests to see if their meals were OK, met with a vendor to check that newly-installed benches were completed properly and spied his Smartphone between sips of water.

Dr. Dawg is located in a little strip mall that also has a Stone Creek Coffee, sushi restaurant and Pick ‘n Save grocery store. The restaurant seats a fair amount of people at tables or booths. The decor is clean in reds, whites and blacks. The kitchen is clearly visible from behind the cash registers.

Free refills of Pepsi products and Lipton iced tea, lemonade and yes – Sprecher Root Beer! Score! You can also get bottled water, milk and juice.

The Chicago-style hot dogs at Dr. Dawg are topped with yellow mustard, green relish, chopped sweet onions, tomato wedges, a huge Kosher dill pickle, sport peppers and a hint of celery salt, and perched on a poppy-seed bun. The hot dogs are $2.99 or you could get them like we did with fries for $3.99. A 12-inch dog is also available (and known as Da Big 12 for $5.49.)

The hot dogs are great. The Vienna beef dogs have a robust flavor. The casings have a nice crunch. The steamed poppy-seed buns are moist yet they stand up to the garden of ingredients inside. I have issues with some other hot dog places in the area whose buns fall apart three-quarters in and I’m left with a huge mess. The pickle spear is more of a dagger.

I’d have to say the quality of food at Dr. Dawg is top notch. I can’t wait to go back and try the Italian beef or the Italian beef and sausage combo.

I just wanted to get a picture of the van with a huge hot dog on it. Not the Weinermobile, but still pretty cool. Dr. Dawg also does catering so if you crave some doggies for a picnic, work gathering or family party, they can create a custom feast for your event.

Find out more about Dr. Dawg at www.drdawg.net or visit them at 6969 N. Port Washington Road in The Glendale Market shopping center.

Happy eating!