October 12, 2009 by Chad.

Originally reviewed July 21, 2009

Decoy’s Grill & Bar, 1022 Main Street, Hopkins, MN 55343

I was down at the Raspberry Festival in my favorite hometown of Hopkins, Minnesota to partake in the Waterball competition hosted by the Hopkins Jaycees. While there the hungry bell rang so my friend Tracey Biegert and I stopped into Decoy’s for a bite to eat. Upon entering, we were assailed by a cacophony of discordant Karaoke performers. It was then that we remembered that there was a karaoke competition going on. Oh well.

We sidled over to a booth along the windows and ordered up a couple burgers. Dining with me is an experience of sharing. Thankfully Tracey realized this and we exchanged halves. The two burgers I sampled were the Olive Burger and a burger with blue cheese(The name escapes me and they do not have a web page that appears in Google with a menu for me to check…grrrr).

A guy in the booth ahead of us laughed at me when I breathed in the smell of the Olive Burger. Is that really all that odd? Olives have a distinct smell to them and I was checking to see if the burger had that smell. Little did I know it was an inside joke to his wife, who had her back to me. Back to the burger. I was disappointed that I could not pick out the smell at all. The patty was fresh ground and irregular which is always a good sign and the cheddar cheese was oozy on top. Overall it was palatable and might be worth trying again sometime.

The gem of the meal was the burger I ordered. The blue cheese was thick and added just enough tang to the burger that it complimented the beef. Bacon(?) on top was a textural bonus. This one I would order again in an official review someday. It may not be top 20 worthy but its definitely worth trying.

If the blue cheese burger was the gem, then the fries were the coal. They were inconsistent seasoning, bland, and slightly undercooked for my tastes. They existed someplace in between a jo-jo and regular table fry, with little to no crisp snap but clearly not as soft as fish and chips fries.

The best part of the meal besides hanging out with a good friend? My junior high/high school crush walked by the window as she was on her way to Monsters vs Aliens at the theatre. Thankfully she heard me pounding on the window. That was the first time I have seen or talked to Amanda in person since early college, but enough about me… go eat already!

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October 12, 2009 by Chad.

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.

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