What’s Up, Dog?

The days of eating a puny hot dog with just a squirt of mustard seem to have disappeared, replaced by fat, fancy frankfurters with all manner of condiments and garnishes. Chili Man Weiners in Towson got things started a couple of years ago, but, recently, dog places have been popping up all over Baltimore: Stuggy’s Old Fashioned Hot Dogs & Sausages in Fells Point, The Haute Dog Carte on Falls Road, and The Wild Dog mobile wagon in Hunt Valley. Each offers specialties: the Bmore Dog topped with grilled bologna at Stuggy’s; the Reuben Dog with Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Russian dressing at Wild Dog; the ¼-pound black Angus beef dog with homemade tomato and onion jam, or a shrimp dog with scampi relish at Haute Dog (in front of Bonjour French Bakery and Cafe, 6070 Falls Rd.). Daniel Raffel, a caterer who runs Haute Dog, explains why he decided to focus on weiners: “I love great hot dogs. So I went for the best and most interesting,” he says. Makes sense to us.