Crif Dogs and F&B visits today

[Fat Guy]

Today I visited Crif Dogs (113 St. Marks Pl. between First and A, 212.614.2728 and don't forget to dial the 212) for the first time, and F&B (269 W. 23rd St. between Seventh and Eighth closer to Eighth, 646.486.4441) for the first time in a long while.

Crif Dogs made an extremely positive first impression. The bathtub-sized fire-engine-red hot dog hanging outside with the words "eat me" emblazoned in taxi-cab yellow gives way to an interior decorated with all manner of sexually suggestive hot dog art. Be sure to take several of the gratis refrigerator magnets.

Crif was mostly about the toppings, which were quite good though not anywhere near in the same league as Super Duper Weenie in Fairfield. The dogs themselves were pretty good but relatively small and not well seasoned. Even if a dog is to be used as a canvas for toppings, it should have more bite than these did.

The best thing was the corn dog, which was beautifully fried and had the best corn dog batter I ever recall eating. I would go back for this dog only. The chili dog was quite good -- the chili was far from being crap. And on the advice of the guy who seemed to be the owner or at least in charge, from whom my friend and I requested guidance, we ordered what he said was the dog he'd most likely put forward as the store's premier representative: the Chihuahua, a bacon-wrapped dog with avocado and sour cream. Certainly, the bacon-wrapped concept (the bacon is spiraled around the dog) is a good one, though I prefer the Super Duper Weenie approach of splitting the dog down the middle and inserting a strip of bacon.

Wafer fries were acceptable, but we made the mistake of ordering them with bad fluorescent cheese sauce.

F&B, which had a promising early start, has become less appealing to me. I found the underlying dogs themselves (the beef ones at least) to be quite good, but I thought the toppings lacked zing.

We had a Top Dog (beef frank with sauerkraut, bacon bits, and mustard), a Prairie Dog (beef frank with salsa, guacamole, cheddar), and the Great Dane (a "traditional Danish Hot Dog with Remoulade, Danish Mustard, Apple Tomato Ketchup, Crisp Onions and Marinated Cucumber Slices"). The Great Dane was based on a really lame, skinny, bland hot dog. The toppings were too much, too sweet, and just not recommendable. The others were better. Fries were pretty good, but not particularly impressive.

http://www.fandbrestaurant.com/

http://www.crifdogs.com/

[sammy]

Crif was mostly about the toppings, which were quite good though not anywhere near in the same league as Super Duper Weenie in Fairfield.

FG, is that in Fairfield, CT?

[Fat Guy]

Correct.

http://www.ctnow.com/features/hc-superdupe...0,3738078.story

[John]

Steven,

I enjoyed your reviews of F&B and Crif Dogs. I've been to F&B about 2 years ago. Haven't been to Crif's. I know that Crif's basic dog (as opposed to their all beef) is the same dog used at Rutt's Hut. I don't imagine that it is cooked as much as Rutt's, and it may be smaller in size. But it is the Thumann's for deep frying. And yes, many people consider it bland. I think they taste best well done with the special relish made exclusively at Rutt's.

I notice from your review and from their website that F&B claims that their Top Dog and Bare Bones are beef hot dogs. Either they are mistaken, or this is a recent development. After sampling these dogs, I contacted Usinger's which confirmed to me that F&B uses their 2270 dog which is a beef and pork 8 to a lb weiner that is quickly flash fried. I found the dogs to be good, but not extraordinary. I liked the grilled beef dogs at Papaya King, Gray's, and Katz's better. I tried them all on that particular trip. But it is possible that F&B switched to an all beef dog since I've last been there. They don't get any better than Usinger's; but for maximum enjoyment, I would suggest that they use a natural casing beef dog (certifed angus) and slowly cook them on a griddle. This, in my opinion, would be the best dog in the city.

I am eagerly awaiting your review of some New Jersey hot dog places. If you like chili, The Hot Grill in Clifton and Libby's in Paterson are very good. I'm betting that you would enjoy them more than Crif's or Super Duper Weenie. Syd's charbroiled dog is the best all beef dog I've had at any hot dog joint. Big, tasty, and cooked perfectly. This dog needs just a little mustard. I've never had one with anything else. And of course, you haven't eaten Jersey till you've had an Italian Hot Dog.

[Jason Perlow]

And of course, you haven't eaten Jersey till you've had an Italian Hot Dog.

Or have had the Atomic Dog at Fink's.

[ajay]

I'm most disappointed to hear about the decline of F+B's fries, which in my view, were the premier attraction. I had been meaning to get down there for the fries and if memory serves some quite good bengiet type cakes, but will now save myself the trouble...this is sad news indeed.

Does either place serve a dog not made with beef at all (i.e. veggie or in the case of F+B a while ago, they had a dog made out of lamb). I understand these items may be offensive to dog purists, but in my case, they're the closest thing I can get...

[Holly Moore]

Wow, Fat Guy. Donuts, milkshakes, corn dogs, chili dogs, all manner of dogs in fact, and wafer fries all in one day and I'm guessing before dinner. Well done. No worry about achieving your MDR of nitrates and cholesterol today.

[Fat Guy]

The plan was to compare Crif Dogs and F&B, and to take a symbolically healthy walk between the two. The grilled cheese, milkshakes, and doughnuts happened to be en route and called very loudly.

Ajay, yes, there are various veggie and chicken permutations. Have a look at the Web sites of the two places. There are also some candidates that may be all pork; you'd have to ask.

The fries at F&B were confounding, because they appeared to have been made correctly in every respect. They just didn't, for some reason, taste particularly good.

[Suzanne F]

We tried the Great Dane and were similarly disappointed. However, the Veggie Good Dog (smoked tofu dog, red pepper relish, feta) was surprisingly tasty -- better than most supermarket meat dogs, which it resembles in texture. The haricots frites were good, since I never expected them to be crisp like real frites, anyway; a bit greasy though, especially with the tasty garlic herb butter.

[bpearis]

The first time I had the Chihuaha dog I thought it was one of the best things I'd ever eaten. The second time wasn't nearly as good. Two factors were involved I think. One, the second time the hot dog wasn't as salty. Two, the first time I was drunk.

Slightly off-topic, I tried Blue 9 Burger last night. The place looks as if Ikea designed a burger joint, but feels like it was created by marketing majors as a senior project. Apparently, B9 is based on In-and-Out Burger, which I've never been to. But I thought it was a superior fast food burger, you could definitely tell the burger was fresh meat. I liked the cheeseburger a lot. On the disappointing side, they offer this mango-chili sauce for the fries which has almost no flavor whatsoever. Blue 9 is at 92 Third Avenue (around 10th street).

[alacarte]

Honey, stick to the beignets at F&B....

[jeunefilleparis]

Last saturday, i decided to escape the city and took the train to Brighton Beach. I walked from BB to Coney Island. There I found Nathans, i had been there several times before and never tried a dog. I found them to be very good, and I lovd the sitting area next to it. Also its a stones throw from the boardwalk... Fat guy: i really liked the great dane, i guess i like sweet things,,, thats always been the dog i get when i go to F and B,,,,,

My heart still goes out to Grays Papaya, they may not be the greatest dogs but at 4am after a long night out, for $1 25 you can get two of your very own

hmmmmmmmm hot dogs

I am off to Yujin in a week yippee