Seattle Mariners: Bacon-Wrapped Hot Dog

Last year Seattle failed miserably in offering up a competitive run-of-the-mill hot dog. This year they had the chance to redeem themselves by serving up a specialty dog worthy of the top spot. They do just that, if you can find it.

Most ballparks rave and advertise their over-the-top dog so that there is no mistake about which one they think is the top dog on the planet. Seattle has a delicious specialty dog, but finding it is harder than finding a space needle in a haystack. I asked several vendors at numerous stands where I can find the biggest, baddest, most outrageous dog in the park. Most didn’t have a clue as to what was sold outside of their small spot in Safeco Field. I finally met on gentleman who called around and found it. He steered me towards the small vending spot called “Edgar’s,” named after honored Mariner third baseman of yesteryear Edgar Martinez.

I had passed this stand twice before and noticed that they served a bacon-wrapped hot dog. What I didn’t know was that THIS was the specialty dog offering. I wasn’t excited. I had eaten my body weight in bacon-wrapped dogs in the last year; then I read the description. It is topped with caramelized onions, jalapenos, and a chipotle cream sauce. Combine that with the fact that while Cloverdale franks rule the regular dog, they are wise enough to use a Hebrew National frank on their top of the line entry. Plus, it is all stuffed into a super soft bun dusted with cornmeal. Yummy.

Yes, that is balanced on his head

The result is a dog with a hint of southwest flavor, as it should be since it is sold at Edgar’s Taco stand. The flavors play very well together and was one damn delicious hot dog. Vast improvement from last year.

Appeal-this is where the Mariner’s fail big time. I saw this dog and had no idea what it was about. Some of the workers called it the “Pen Dog” but it was not advertised as such. A cool nickname would steer more fans towards this delicious dish. Call me Seattle. 2.5

Ingredients-excellent job in making a southwest inspired dog that does not overpower the taste buds with flame throwing peppers. 5

Uniqueness-there are a slew of bacon-wrapped hot dogs in baseball now. The other ingredients save the score in this category. 4

Monstrosity Factor-basically, another loaded dog. 3

Value-one dog does make a meal, but at $9.50 it should. 3.5

Overall Taste-outstanding taste. If I had room in my tummy (and another job to afford it) I would have eaten one.

APPEAL	2.5
INGREDIENTS	5
UNIQUENESS	4
MONSTROSITY FACTOR	3
VALUE	3.5
OVERALL TASTE	5
TOTAL	23

Two things kill this dog’s chances of competing: appeal and cost. The first is an easy fix; change the name of the dog and advertise a little. The second I am not so sure how to fix. What I do know is that any fan will flinch at nearly ten bucks for a hot dog. There are a lot of tasty hot dog stands just outside of Safeco Field, if you have a Hamilton to spend on a dog; do it, you will not be disappointed. If not, eat before you enter the ballpark.

Oh...and THIS was happening outside of the ballpark: