Dirty Dogs
25 rue Mont Royal E/St Laurent
Montreal, Quebec
H2T 1N4
514-508-DOGS
www.eatdirtydogs.com
Cost $ 31.62

Our taste in fast food has evolved to different heights these days. The proverbial foodies are always looking for the latest craze in any type of food and gourmet junk food should have a category all on its own. With the resurgence of food truck last year, Montreal has gone junk food mad but as always with a gourmet twist. Leave it to Montreal to add a special flare to anything they do. The Montreal Foo Foodie can’t always eat expensive gourmet food made by the top chefs of the city, sometimes I need to break away from tradition and go slumming. So when I heard about Dirty Dogs opening on Mont Royal, I mentioned it to Brains. She giggled and agreed to go see what the craze was all about. I am sure she thinks I am insane sometimes!

Dirty Dogs opened on April 26, 2014 in its present location by Alex Levi, Fred Bouchard and Dave Brunelle, but they have been serving their special hot dogs at food events all over the city and The Mad Hatters club since 2013. Actually Levi started prepping the ingredients for his hot dogs in his Dad’s restaurant Gibby’s. So his is not unfamiliar to the restaurant scene and a chip off the old block.

These dogs, which are really sausages are supplied by a local sausage maker by the name of William J. Walter and are in fact sweet sausages and not the generic hot dogs we are typically used to. They are done creatively by adding different toppings and giving them crazy names, like James Gandolfini, Morgan Freeman, Bernie Mac, Paula Deen and Bruce Springsten. There is a method to their madness and I guess you can figure it out, you got to give these guys big points for creativity. There is also some names dedicated to the local scene like the Maurice Richard and Denis Coderre and of course they serve the classic poutine deep fried in duck fat, with their decadent sauces and curds.

Brains and I really loved the name Dirty Dogs and I have to admit this is what attracted us to this joint. Once in a while when bored we indulge in our fast food cravings. So we set out on a hot summer weeknight for hot dogs at Dirty Dogs on Mont Royal Street, which is quite a long stretch from home.

I word of advice, park the car on St Laurent and walk Mont Royal on foot; cause if you are driving too fast or even slow you will definitely miss the place.

This narrow fast food joint is super small and reminds me of the old hot dog joints my dad would take me to in the 70’s for steamies. Except the aura when you step inside Dirty Dogs is electric, with its funky music playing loud, long counters, blackboards promoting the week’s events and hip young cooks in the kitchen. We quickly scanned their menu and decided to go with the James Gandolfini and Bernie Mac at $ 8.25 each. For sides we decided to go for the Dirty Poutine at $8.00 which was a large portion even for two persons. For drinks we took 2 cokes at $1.50 each. The James Gandolfini is a vegetarian sausage which came topped with bruschetta, mozzarella and pesto, sweet in flavor and different from the usual Italian sausage sandwich. The topping were plentiful and a perfect accompaniment to the sweet flavors.

The Bernie Mac came topped with macaroni and Cheese. Creamy generous portions of macaroni atop a dog which that was sweet in flavor and quite filling. The piece de resistance was the Dirty poutine made with duck stock gravy and onions, totally sublime and huge in size. We couldn’t finish it all and even at two we had half of it left to back home. I can say we left satisfied and enjoyed the hot dogs, the place and the friendly service. It may not be fit for some foodies, but a definite recommendation for a cheap fast meal.