Eat me.
That is how I was greeted at what was probably my favorite stop on my recent bacon tour of Manhattan. And it was a command that I was more than happy to comply with.
What led me to Crif Dogs in the East Village was not just their reputation for good hot dogs…it was that several of the hot dogs on their menu come wrapped in bacon. New Yorkers will fight to the death when it comes to arguing about the best place to get a hot dog in Manhattan, but I’m not really sure how you can do any better than an entire menu dedicated to the bacon wrapped hot dog.
Crif Dogs’ creations go way beyond your run-of-the-mill bacon wrapped dog, however. The menu is a virtual rainbow of bacon wrapped hot dog goodness. For example there’s the Chang, a bacon wrapped hot dog topped with kimchee. Another option is the BLT, a bacon wrapped dog with lettuce, tomato and mayo. The Tsunami is a bacon wrapped dog with teriyaki, pineapple and green onions. And a lot of people swear by the Good Morning, a bacon wrapped dog smothered with melted cheese and a fried egg – the breakfast of champions! The options go on and on, and you can even create your own combination by starting with a basic bacon wrapped dog and selecting from over 20 topping options. I personally settled on the Chihuahua, a bacon wrapped dog covered with avocado slices and sour cream. This seemed to also be the favorite of the very friendly woman working behind the counter. And I have to say I agree with her – the Chihuahua dog was the right combination of comfort, refreshment, and satisfaction.
Speaking of the woman behind the counter…the attitude of the employees, and the restaurant in general, is quite fun. A section of the menu is dedicated to those “who practice the wake and bake theory of life.” Translate that however you want, but the bottomline is that I don’t think the Crif Dogs staff generally experiences much stress, and they are about as friendly and laid back as you’ll find in NYC.
I sat at the counter next to the cash register to eat my hot dog. As I was sitting there, I was able to overhear as other people came into the restaurant and placed their orders. Apparently there were a lot of Crif Dogs virgins on this particular day – it was funny listening to people order a bacon wrapped hot dog for the first time. A lot of people were hesitant, and some were pretty skeptical, but in the end almost everyone found something on the menu that piqued their curiosity and appealed to their tastes.
Seeing how this was my second lunch of the afternoon and I was already somewhat full, I tried to make the most of my Crif Dogs experience even though I kind of wanted to hurl by the time I was done eating my Chihuahua dog. And even though I was physically uncomfortable for the next several hours, this was still a glorious way to end a bacon-filled afternoon. Although next time I’ll go to Crif Dogs at 4 am after a night on the town, rather than at 4 pm when I’m completely sober – I imagine the late night experience only makes a Crif dog taste that much better.
Crif Dogs
113 St. Marks Place
New York, NY
212-614-2728