LA Dodgers: Xtreme Bacon Wrapped Dog

I love Dodger Stadium. Of the old parks (it is the third oldest in the MLB) it is my favorite. While it is 40 years younger than Wrigley and Fenway, it bristles blue and has been well maintained and updated. Additionally, it is a fine example of Mid-Century Modern architecture. Besides hot dogs, I love all things Mid-Century Modern.

I was also excited about the hot dogs. Sure, it is home of the vaunted Dodger Dog, but the ballpark has ventured into the extreme hot dog arena. In fact, the stands throughout Dodger Stadium where they sell those dogs is called “Extreme Dogs.” I did some research and was excited to try this dog that had coleslaw and blue cheese crumbles on it. As soon as I took my obligatory selfie at the ballpark I headed for one of those extreme dog stands and….found out that the blue cheese and coleslaw dog was so last year and had been discontinued. Why can’t the internet automatically delete outdated information? If we have self parking cars surely we can do that.

I had to go with plan B and eat the dog that is the talk of the Los Angeles baseball world: the LA Xtreme Bacon Dog. It was that over its competitors that included:

Doyer Dog-chili, nacho cheese, pico de gallo drizzled with sour cream.

Frito Pie Dog-chili, shredded cheese and fritos.

Big Kid Dog-mac and cheese topped with fritos.

Of course, this being Dodger Stadium, all use a Farmer John frank. That LA Xtreme Bacon Wrapped Dog is made of a ¼ all-beef frank that is wrapped in two slices of applewood smoked bacon and smothered with grilled peppers and onions with mustard and drizzled with mayo.

Appeal-attention all MLB teams. Enough with the bacon wrapped frenzy. Everybody does that now. Sure, bacon taste good but if you want to really entice the exotic hot dog seekers, offer up something no one else does. How about that coleslaw and blue cheese dog. Still, it has bacon so it gets a decent score. 4

Ingredients-attention Dodgers. I know you have a love fest with Farmer John franks. I am sure regular Dodger fans are familiar and maybe even like the taste. Hint: everyone else thinks they taste kind of strange. Not bad, but strange. Want to knock it out of the park? Switch to a Hebrew National all-beef frank. Once you do you, and your fans/customers, will never look back. 3.5

Uniqueness-just touting it as a bacon wrapped dog hurts the score. As I said previously, bacon wrapped is overdone these days. No other original ingredients as well. 3

Monstrosity Factor-it is a big dog, but I have seen bigger and badder. I killed it no problem. 3.5

Value-this is a one-person dog, so at $10.50 if is pricey. 2.5

Overall Taste-wrapping the Farmer John frank in bacon helps out on flavor, but let’s talk about that bacon. Bacon wrapped dogs end up with flimsy, soggy bacon around the frank. A better idea is to lay a strip of crispy bacon alongside the frank they way they do at The Red Hot in Tacoma. I let them put mayo on my dog because I wanted to taste the full meal deal. Mistake. Regular mayo does not belong on a hot dog.

APPEAL	4
INGREDIENTS	3.5
UNIQUENESS	3
MONSTROSITY FACTOR	3.5
VALUE	2.5
OVERALL TASTE	3.5
TOTAL	20

I was ready to be blown away by the Dodger’s dog offerings. I wasn’t. A score of 20 is not something to crow about when you play in one of the league’s premiere ballparks. I recommend bringing back that cole slaw dog. And you know, some day Vin Scully (Dodger’s broadcaster for over 40 years) will have to retire. The Dodgers should also think about retiring the Dodger Dog, or at least the Farmer John frank.