Prairie Dogs – Minneapolis, MN

A-Wow and I had a hankerin’ for hot dogs and I hadn’t been to Prairie Dogs yet. I was at their pop-up venture back in 2013, and I was really excite when I found out they were actually opening a store in Lyn-Lake – I just hadn’t gotten there yet.

First things first, they’re got a decent local beer tap list, which changes regularly. There’s a nice chalkboard with the current selections on the wall, so check there first, before even looking at the menu. When you look at the menu, you’ll be even more impressed. They’ve got some pretty unique appetizers and side dishes, house-made sausages, some sandwiches, and finally (what we’ve all been waiting for) a wonderful variety of hot dogs. You can also add any sort of extra ingredients you’d like to any dog or sandwich – very good idea. We decided to order some Foietine (poutine with Foie gravy and braised lamb neck) to split. Then A-Wow ordered  the All-American Dog and I ordered Micho’s Sonoran Dog.

The Foietine was a decent portion for the two of us to share. The foie gravy was very unique to this place and had a nice rich smooth tang to it. But the star of this dish was the lamb. The meat was really tender and added so much flavor. Fantastic.

The dogs arrived and looked impressive. The really awesome server suggested flipping the fried egg upside down on the All American Dog. This keeps the runny yolk from running off the sides of the bun, and keeps it on the inside. That being said, it still made this dog a wonderful beautiful mess. The dog also had crispy pork belly, hashbrowns (the cube kind, not the shredded kind), cilantro, and a nice sriracha aioli. The structured maintained its integrity for about two bites and then required a fork, as it landed in a pile on the plate. This thing was a tasty mess. You’ll be happy with this one.

The Sonoran Dog was a bacon-wrapped and grilled house-made dog (which itself was fantastic), with cilantro aioli, a bean spread, avocado, cotija cheese, onions, tomato, and salsa verde. Structurally, this dog held up really well to the final bite, but the flavors were really magical. The southwestern flavors were a perfect complement to the really meaty dog. A wonderful ratio of ingredients to meat, obviously helped, but overall, I would absolutely get this dog again.

I look forward to going back and getting some of the house-made sausages and more of the appetizers. I think this place is underrated, and I’m going to do my part to make sure I talk about it more to all my friends. (Sorry, friends.)

www.prairiedogsausage.com