Paulius Musteikis
In true fusion fashion, the Vancouver Asian Dog is wrapped in a corn tortilla instead of a bun.
There are spots in Madison that seem to me like they’re from other cities. The 400 block of West Gilman between University Avenue and State Street is one such place. There’s something about the mix of buildings — that little bit of Old World charm from the former Grimm Book Bindery and the Mediterranean pink back to Portabella — that reminds me of a charming if slightly run-down side street in the East Village, or perhaps Boston near Fenway Park.
For years, nothing much changed on West Gilman. Rocky’s closed and became an Asian restaurant, then another Asian restaurant. Jocko’s became the Blue Velvet, a significant upgrade. Master Hall, that weird building-block experiment of an apartment building, got a new coat of paint. Second-hand clothing emporia came and went. But Rainbow Bookstore and Amy’s Cafe were stalwarts.
Now, though, the block is poised for change. Amy’s Cafe is now Mezze, which is revolutionary enough, but that pales in comparison to the looming — literally — presence of the Hub apartments, which will have one towering wing backing up to the block.
The new Hub dwarfs the Wiener Shop, a smart re-do of a used clothing store that fits right in to Gilman’s cozy hodgepodge. The tiny space is stripped down to basics, but in a design-forward way. A counter for ordering, a cooler for drinks and a chalkboard wall announcing the weekly special are joined only by two light wood counters at standing height, for on-site eating. These are brightened by two spiky green plants that contribute more to the architectural aspirations of the space than any kind of botanical softening.
The menu is similarly focused: 11 gussied-up versions of hot dogs, plus a create-your-own option. The single side dish is tater tots, with a chili-cheese upgrade option.
But there are a couple of tricks to the menu that make it feel larger than it is. A Bandung tempeh dog can be substituted for the standard all-beef wiener, and for any dog, a soft corn tortilla can be substituted for a bun. And the weekly specials might introduce a new meat — a chorizo sausage or a Polish or a pickled wiener. There might be one-off condiments, too, like a smoked blue cheese sauce or even caramel corn. Thirty add-ons range from the expected (raw onions) to the uncommon (arugula, tomato chutney). You can dream up a dog with any theme you want. And the friendly owners often do just that, on a whim adding an even more limited special to the weekly special.
The smartest combinations play the salty-greasy essence of the all-beef dog against a sweet vegetable condiment. In the Madison Shop Dog, that interplay is augmented by the addition of bacon, up against the shop’s excellent sweet onion jam. This one’s topped off with the almost unnecessary but really tasty beer cheese sauce, worthy of its name, with a dusky aged cheddar flavor that’s a long way from cheapo nacho cheese.
The Vancouver Asian dog also plays salty against sweet with excellent sesame-ginger slaw, wasabi mayo and sweet soy sauce. The weak link is the avocado, which was underripe and unappealing when I had it. Still pretty much a win, though. The Seattle dog, with sriracha, cream cheese, pickled jalapeños and onion jam, is another winner, with house-pickled jalapeños a big improvement over the standard grocery store jar.
A weakness is the bun. Billed as “locally baked,” they’re actually from S. Rosen in Chicago. While these are a standard for Chicago dogs in Chi-Town, they’re more like convenience-store buns and on the cottony side at that. They might taste better if they spent a little time on the grill.
But, good news, ordering any of the shop’s dogs in a corn tortilla (actually two corn tortillas) is an excellent option. The fresh tortilla offers a hint of corn flavor that works even set off against the Asian notes in the Vancouver dog, and of course works with the chili dog, especially the Raleigh-Durham dog that pairs chili and slaw.
That brings us to the vegan tempeh dog. It was a longtime vegetarian who first recommended the Wiener Shop to me. He loved the tempeh dog right off the bat, and the shop owners say they’ve had an enthusiastic response from vegans and vegetarians. I thought it was too salty and a little bit liver-ish — your mileage may vary.
The Wiener Shop may not be on par with headliners like Chicago’s legendary Hot Doug’s, but it delivers a worthy haute dog that’s right for its home. #feelgooddogs #onionjamrocks #lovethevancouver #westgilmanasheck.
Paulius Musteikis
The Seattle dog boasts house-pickled jalapeños.
The Wiener Shop: 447 W. Gilman St., 608-665-3782, wiener-shop.com; Summer hours: 11 am-9 pm Tues.-Thurs., 11 am- midnight Fri.-Sat. Base dog $4, specialty dogs $5.75.
