A dog-eat-dog world: Noshi’s vs. Soul Dog

With the return of baseball season, the great American pastime has again returned to my life. I read about it in the paper, I see it outside my town house, and I hear about games at Fenway Park from my dad and brother. After months of waiting, my favorite American diversion is back, and with it has returned my craving for tube-shaped meats. Is there anything better than sitting in the bleachers, wolfing down a dog slathered in chili, cheese, onions and mustard? I'm inclined to say no. However, there is no stadium in Poughkeepsie, and thus no bleachers from which to watch a Major League game. The only place to get a dog is at a restaurant, which to me kind of defeats the purpose. The aesthetic of the hot dog comes from its industrialization, its grittiness and its street-food quality. You aren't supposed to order a dog and have to wait for it to be "prepared;" it should just be there, floating in the dirty water or smoking on the grill.

But no matter how much I disagree with the whole concept of the hot dog restaurant, I do have an emotional connection to the two hot dog businesses in Poughkeepsie. Main Street's Soul Dog near the train station was one of the places at which I continually found culinary solace during my two year tenure as a vegetarian. Noshi's Coney Island—across from Smokes 4 Less, next to Molé Molé—is a visual and culinary tribute to one of the coolest areas in the world, and I can't help but fondly recall my childhood trips to Brooklyn. The two businesses offer completely divergent takes on what it means to eat a hot dog, equally appealing but entirely different. But the real question of the day is: Which one is better?

Noshi's celebrates the idea of a classic dog, with a devotion to recreating vintage, regional cured meats from across the country. They embrace the grit of the American dog, and the wall decor depicting drunk, beached Brooklynites in the '80s defines their aesthetic. The Detroit, Chicago, Brooklyn, Texas, Tennessee, Ripper and Slaw Dogs are all amazing recreations of classic hot dog varieties that you would find in ballparks coast to coast. The pork wieners are unpretentious in their taste; they don't try to be anything other than what you remember from your childhood. Their toppings are equally down-home; yellow mustard, ketchup, onions, some chili, some cheese here and there, and once in a while some bacon or pickles. The Chicago Dog is especially successful at recreating that perfect ballpark taste. With dill pickle spears, some onions, tomato, yellow mustard, relish and celery salt, it'll be gone before you even realized it was there.

Soul Dog blazes a different trail entirely. From the unlikely source of the hot dog, Soul Dog has forged a gourmet café atmosphere, catering to any dietary requirement: be it vegetarian, vegan or an allergy to gluten. The very idea of a gourmet hot dog seems like an oxymoron, but the folks at Soul Dog know what they're doing. Innovation is good, without it we wouldn't have fusion food and none of us would know what bubble tea is. And Soul Dog's brand of innovation comes through an exploration into the world of toppings. Ever had guacamole on a dog? How about quinoa? Some of my favorites include the veggie dog with soul sauce, guac and sour cream. Try going southern with chipotle cream, chili and poblano peppers. (A hint: The soul sauce, which is made in house, is absolutely phenomenal. I've been trying to get the recipe from them for years to no avail.)

When it comes down to it, these two dog eateries are so different that it's nigh impossible to qualitatively compare them. Therefore, I had to resort to a graph that lists what I consider important in a hot dog restaurant, to see which place does it better.

Putting things in a list like this makes abundantly clear what each place has to offer. Noshi's is a testament to classic dogginess. They never try to be anything else. Soul Dog, on the other hand, uses the hot dog as a vehicle to deliver other culinary eccentricities. So, however much I love Soul Dog, however long it was there for me in my vegetarian days, I have to give the medal to Noshi's Coney Island, for embracing the pure essence of meat in the shape of a tube.