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| Hipsters ( Dont you just want to punch them in the face) |
Station Street Hot Dogs has been in East Liberty since 1969. It has opened and closed a few times since then, as well as changed ownership several times. The latest ownership has decided to make the hot dogs more up-scale with gourmet toppings as well as gourmet prices to match. This reflects East Liberty's burgeoning Hipster eating scene for better or worse.
As you can see the prices are pretty damn expensive for a hot dog. With the cheapest being $4.00 for the rather plain House Dog, all the way to $8.00 for the Po-Boy Dog.
You place your order at the counter, which is encircled by the seating area, which looks out into the parking lot that allows you to watch and make sure your car is not stolen (an important thing in East Liberty). My eating companion and I ordered 3 hot dogs to share(Chilli CheeseDog, Devil Dog, Hawaii Dog) and an order of the duck fat french fries. The order was up in about 4 minutes.
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| Duck Fat Fries $5.00 |
The Duck Fat fries were pretty good. They were crispy on the outside and had a nice richness in the inside. If the duck fat imparted any additional flavor to the fries, I sure as hell couldn't taste it. You might just be better off getting the regular fries which are $2.00 cheaper.
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| Chili Cheese Dog $5.00 |
The Chili cheese hot dog was my favorite of the different hot dogs we tried. First off the hot dog itself is of excellent quality. Its an all beef hot dog with a natural casing which imparts a nice snap when you bite into it. The dogs are mildly seasoned with notes of garlic and tasting somewhat like a Hebrew National hot dog. The buns that Station Street use could definitely do with an upgrade, they are unremarkable and have the texture of wonderbread. The Chili Cheese dog came with brisket chili, Arsenal Cheese Curds, and onions. The chili was one of the best I ever had on a dog with nice seasoning and chunks of beef brisket throughout. The Arsenal Cheese Curds ( read about the awesome cheese that this dude makes in his basement in Lawrenceville
HERE) while a nice treat if eaten by themselves, are very mild and lost in the flavors of the hot dog and chili. All in all though, a pretty good hot dog, yet slightly overpriced for what you are getting.
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| Hawaii Dog $5.00 |
The Hawaii Dog was the favorite of my eating companion while not so much with myself. It comes with a pineapple salsa, bacon, sweet soy , and mint. If there was mint on the dog I couldn't see it or taste it. The sweet soy added a nice sweetness to the dog but I found the dog overall to be just little too salty overall for my taste.
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| Devil Dog $5.00 |
The Devil Dog was just plain strange. It comes topped with potato chips, egg salad, hot sauce, and scallions. The best way to describe this dogs taste is to imagine what would happen if you put your entire plate from a 4th of July picnic into your mouth at once. The chips add a different crunchy texture to the dog, but the egg salad I found to be lacking in flavor.
So in conclusion the hot dogs and fries at Station Street were decent. It is however quite pricey for what you are getting. If I was in the neighborhood I might stop by again if I really felt the need for a hot dog, but its definitely not a destination spot. While I applaud the concept and vision of the owners to take the humble hot dog to the next level. In execution I think they come up a little short. Sometimes the best is the most basic. The whole time I was eating these dogs, I could not help but think that they were not any better than a $2.00 chili dog from a local mom and pop hot dog shop.
RATING: 6/10 (Meh)
