Mi Famiglia’s Street Dog vs the Dome Dog

Originally posted April 23, 2009

This is a bit of a departure for me, if you consider the fact that I usually write reviews about sit down restaurants. Then again, if you consider the food alone a review could focus on Macaroni and Cheese dinners. It’s all a matter of scale.

In the last week I have had the opportunity to sample two dogs of vastly different venue and quality. For purposes of setting the stage I will give a short review of each and then a head-to-head comparison.

The Dome Dog:

For Anyone who has been to the Hubert H Humphrey Metrodome, the Dome Dog is a tradition of tubed meat made in our own state by Hormel. Not exceptionally long but more plump the Dome Dog is meal enough for my kids and even me. Taste-wise, it is a kin to the cheaper hot dogs one can buy at the grocery store. It is oily and exceptionally salty. The texture is softer and more even. Housing the hot dog is a doughy, dry, tasteless hot dog bun. The upside is that you can put all the condiments on it you choose as long as you fancy something other than ketchup, mustard, relish, or raw onions.

Overall, the experience left me feeling a bit ill. To be honest, I was done halfway through the dog. It’s no wonder the Dome nixed the “Dollar a Dog” nights at the Dome for a while. They are far more useful being thrown onto the field than to actually eat.

Mi Famiglia’s Street Dog:

For the record, these hot dogs are not called street dogs by Mi Famiglia Ristorante or Italian Market. Consider this to be a bit of artistic license because it sounds good. This hot dog was the impetus for writing this comparison and I wanted to race home in time to write this review before the taste was fully washed off my pallet.

For those who do not know, Mi Famiglia’s has opened up a New York style hot dog cart just outside their restaurant. A few years ago, the St Cloud City Council in their wisdom made an ordinance allowing street vendors for food. All of the food vending has centered around the weekend night bar crowd. This is the first I have seen one during the day.

On to the review as that is what I really must share. It was one of the most delicious hot dogs I have had in some time. The hot dog was much longer and skinnier. It had a full flavor to it and was texturally rough with skin on casing. The seasoning lingered in my mouth for nearly 10 minutes but that’s a good thing.

Really, the meat was one thing but they managed to complete the experience with a superior bun. It was almost baguette style with a crisp on the outside soft on the inside feel to it. It was also very fresh and moist in all the right places. At $2 a dog I was floored by the quality!

Head-to-Head:

The winner must be obvious from the individual review, but certainly MiFamiglia’s hot dogs are far superior to the Dome Dog. Is that really much of a surprise? Considering the fact that a Dome Dog is three times the price, you truly are getting a better, tastier deal from the hot dog stand on East St Germain in St Cloud and they are local.

You cannot avoid the Dome Dogs when watching a Twins game this summer, but take the time to stop at the hot dog cart in downtown St Cloud for a great experience.

This entry was posted on October 12, 2009 at 13:52 and is filed under Quick Bites. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.

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