Dog Haus

This week on The Chew, they tried something called a Thanksgivukkah dog. It’s a turkey sausage stuffed with whiskey-soaked cranberries, sage, rosemary, and sweet potatoes with a smidge of brown sugar. It’s topped off by smashing deep fried tater tots (to represent latkes) and sweet apple cranberry compote. Wa-la! Two holidays in one. It sounds absolutely disgusting, right? It looked disgusting too but the hosts went nuts for it. Normally, they only take a bite or two of the food they sample in the show’s opening but they devoured the Thanksgivukkah dog.

When they said it was available at Dog Haus (http://doghausdogs.com) in Pasadena, my friend was dying to give it a try. I was not. Despite loving The Chew crew, I still think it looked gross. However, being the supportive friend I am, I agreed to accompany her to Dog Haus and also make sure her life insurance was up to date and that she spelled my last name correctly in the beneficiary’s section.

We went to Dog Haus’ website and saw the Thanksgivukkah dog would only be available for a limited time from November 22^nd until December 1^st. We knew we had to go this weekend and today was the day. I know what you’re all saying right now. Stop keeping us in suspense! How was it? The answer is quite simple: We will never know. For though we made the deadline by one day, they were out of it. Apparently, God could make that oil last for seven extra days but Dog Haus couldn’t make their Thanksgivukkah dog last for ten.

Since we were there, we figured we might as well get something. My friend had the Little Leaguer. I know it sounds like she should need bail money but it’s not what you think. It’s the name of one of their hot dogs. The Little Leaguer is their all-beef skinless hot dog, house chili (or as they call it: haus chili. Damn, they're clever), Fritos, diced onions, and shredded cheddar cheese. My friend and I both thought the dog tasted like a sausage and wondered if perhaps they put the wrong meat in the bun. Women hate it when the wrong meat goes in the bun.

The Little Leaguer. Though I don't know how anyone can play baseball
after eating this.

I took a bite and wasn’t crazy about it. I did, however, love their chili. It’s made with Black Angus beef and served with cheddar cheese and diced onions. It had a slight bite I enjoyed and it was very tasty. Next time I would get a bowl of this.

I decided to go with the sliders. I got a burger and a hot dog slider. The dog was an all-beef mini-dog, their hausmade (again with the haus) cheese sauce, and bacon crumbs. There was nothing spectacular about the dog itself but the cheese sauce was delicious. I also enjoyed the bacon crumbles but, come on, it’s bacon. That’s a no brainer.

My hot dog slider looked lonely...

   

...so I invited some tots.

I liked the burger slider a lot more. It was made of Angus beef and had caramelized onions, white American cheese and mayo. The mayo and cheese made for a creamy combination that my tastebuds enjoyed welcoming to their haus party. (See? I can be clever too.) This I would definitely get again. Maybe even upgrade to a full-sized burger.

   

The burger slider. This I liked.

We also got a side order of tater tots which would’ve done Ore Ida proud. They didn’t taste homemade but I always enjoy a good tot, frozen or otherwise. Their ketchup, on the other hand, was homemade and made me wish they had forsaken it for some good old-fashioned Heinz 57. It had an unpleasant taste. Upon doing some research, I discovered it was curry. I don’t like curry so maybe you would enjoy the ketchup if you do.

 

Yam and marshmallow milkshake. Sounds puke-inducing
but actually wasn't bad.

I would eat here again but it wouldn’t be a destination place for me. Though I guess there’s worse dog hauses you could find yourself in.