Audio By Carbonatix
The addition of Jerry’s Wood-Fired Dogs to the shopping center on Gaston Avenue, just north of Paulus Avenue, has me considering a petition the strip be officially called Junk Food Row. The hot dog restaurant joins Papa John’s and the Philly Connection, and while the Cock and Bull may have a hummus on the menu, it’s not exactly known for serving health food.
Jerry’s descends upon Dallas by way of Santa Ana, California. Built on the premise of high-quality links cooked over burning mesquite, the small chain has six other locations in California. Ours makes number seven, according to their website.
I suppose if you’re a freak for hot dogs, you’ll probably enjoy a lunch here. The links are better-than-Oscar-Meyer, with a natural casing, but they lack that snappy vibrancy of a really great hot dog. They’re a little dry too.
My other issue is the bun on this Chicago dog version. The poppy seeds are great, and they sprinkle your paper-lined basket with a rustling, sandy sound when you pick it up. The bread itself though, is doughy and lacks structure. I was only a quarter of the way through my hot dog when the whole bottom blew out under the weight of all the toppings. As my hot dog laid on the poppy-seed flecked paper, naked and defenseless, the scene in The Money Pit where Tom Hank’s bathtub falls through the floor jumped into my head. I’m not sure why.
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Anyway back to the Chicago hot dog. Yeah, it’s fine. But don’t make a special trip.
