113 St. Mark’s Place
New York, NY
There is a plethora of funky streets and hideaways in New York city, so much so that it would take a lifetime to find and experience them all. The good news is that they are easily recognizable, visible, accessible- except a few.
Although not difficult to find, take Crif Dog. Located on St. Mark’s place where counterculturists shop, dine and live, Crif Dogs has been peddling wieners of all sorts for seven years in a tiny space six steps below street level. I know you’re thinking plain hot dogs, foot-longs, chili dogs, corn dog, maybe smoked dogs. Think again. Crif has become the self-described and locally acknowledged “King of NYC.” NBC television recently promoted a contest asking viewers to vote for the best hot dog in NYC. Crif was victorious because of their no nonsense, take no prisoners approach to creating the red-hot of red hots, the pinnacle of puppies, the first in franks.
Sample from the menu:
Chihuahua: Bacon wrapped dog covered with avocados and sour cream.
Philly Tubesteak: The Crif Dog casually attired in cheese and sauteed onions.
Jon-Jon Dragon: The Crif Dog with a schmear of cream cheese, scallions and everything bagel seeds.
The B.L.T.: The Crif famous bacon wrapped dog with lettuce, tomato and mayo.
Tsunami: A house dog, bacon wrapped, with teriyaki, pineapple and green onions.
Veggie Special: A veggie dog with onions, tomato, cucumber and jalapenos.
On a recent visit, I asked four very large young men to describe their feelings about Crif Dogs. One bruiser said he only eats The B.L.T. because it is the best. I saw “his dog” — it could have been a meal for four. He ordered a second, plus fries. When our son lived in the East Village, Crif was the place of choice for late night or early morning liquor-enhanced cravings because delivery is available all night long. The minimum for a delivery is $10, and Crif claims they will travel extra distances “for large piles of cash.” Another combination of offerings called the “Stoner Packs” that include “mystery” pack of eats guaranteed to satisfy a “stoner dude” for $10. The Packs go up to $40 feeding more than four.
I love the irreverence of this joint, especially the Crif logo, which sport1950s styled pinups straddling wieners where “eat me” is boldly printed. The “eat me” wiener, sans babe, hangs proudly at street level making sure the punk rockers or visiting yuppies don’t miss it.
On the “difficult to find” side, consider PDT, which stands for Please Don’t Tell, and is accessible via Crif Dog’s space — if you know how to do it. Start by dialing 212-614-0386 — ONLY AT 3:00 p.m. on the day you need reservations. Keep dialing to compete with all the other callers who are trying to get in that night. If someone answers, make your reservations for seats at a table or at the bar. If you are lucky to get in, then mosey over to Crif Dog, go down the stairs into the joint, find the 1940s wooden telephone booth on the left, push the doors open, lift the telephone receiver and wait until someone acknowledges you, give your name and reservation time. Presto, the back wall of the phone booth opens as if you said “Sesame.” You will enter a very dark room made more ominous by the stuffed raccoon, deer, otter and jackalope mounted on the walls.
If Crif Dog is famous for the franks, the showstoppers at PDT are the cocktails. Sitting at the bar, we had a chance to chat with the bartender who was very serious (almost religious) about the mixed concoctions they create.
Sample Cocktails from 2008 menu:
Cinema Highball: Buttered popcorn infused Flor de Cana Silver Dry Rum and Coca-Cola classic.
The Professor: Rhum Clement VSOP Rum, Dow’s 10 year Tawny Port, Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth, Angostura and Orange Bitters
Harvest Moon: Wild Turkey Rye, Lillet Blanc, Lairds Bonded Applejack, Green Chartreuse, Deragon’s Abbott’s Bitters
The menu at PDT includes one hamburger and a windowed passage of the dogs served at Crif Dogs plus a few new variations. The first time I ate here was with four friends. We each ordered one of the new varieties, passed them around and devoured the huge puppies. Each was out of this world! Two weeks ago, my husband and I ate at PDT and it was just as much fun, although the hot dog choices were more limited, less inventive and less tasty.
Crif is still working on their website, but visit them on MySpace for information and a few laughs. PDT tries to maintain its cool and mystery by offering only a one page view with telephone number at www.pdtnyc.com. But basically, if you’re in the mood for wieners and ‘tails, boogie on over to Crif Dogs and PDT.
by Jane Hruska
