Oh K-Dog NYC
On inspirational posters you’re never supposed to follow the crowd, but when it comes to street food, fuhgeddaboudit. You should never be too proud to follow those who line up patiently on the street to wait, order, and eat. Under the bright lights in the big city, there’s nothing better than a crowd that has illuminated a path to a glorious new handheld street feast.
Strolling down Ludlow with an urge for a late-night snack after mid-town cocktails and conversations we were guided to a simple yellow sign that glowed with a mysterious corn dog-like symbol high above the road. Unfortunately for me, the line was long, and my wife’s desire for street food had gone. She wanted a Reuben from Katz’s and then a quick return to our temporary abode at the Ludlow. I vowed to return soon, as it would be a pity to miss what appeared to be a popular new food joint in this amazing city.
The next morning, I was the first in line at Oh K Dog NYC, around forty-five after nine. Fifteen minutes later, there was a giddy crowd forming just behind me. It was clear that even on this sleepy Saturday morning, that this new Korean food craze had made the residents of the lower east side itchy for some of their popular fried goodness.
Now, this native-born Texan knows a thing or two about corn dogs and breakfast. It was practically a religion to have a yearly Fletcher’s “corny dog” and funnel cake at the State Fair of Texas and during the rest of the year, I would get my fried battery fix each time we visited the local mall at Hot Dog On A Stick.
But Oh K Dog isn’t to be confused with your typical corn dog, it’s way more than just ok. They specialize in using rice flour instead of cornflour and then stuff it with mozzarella cheese, stud it with potatoes, roll it in seasonings, and then drizzle it with a large selection of sauces. You can get a classic dog, upgrade to premium beef, wrap it with cheddar, get half mozzarella and half hot dog, or go with the nonmeat option of 100% cheese.
Just before they serve your Oh K-Dog they will ask you if you would like to add one of their seasonings which include honey butter, parmesan cheese, onion sprinkle, snow, or coconut. I highly recommend trusting the Oh K-Dog concierge and allow them to grace your fried Dog on a stick with a dusting of extra flavor.
You can then drizzle or drown your dog in ketchup, Gochu hot sauce, cheese mustard, sweet chili, honey mustard or garlic sauce. I opted for a drizzle of cheese mustard which delicately enhanced the flavor of my Mozza Dog. My son devoured his Potato Mozza Dog which was lightly coated in strategic stripes of honey mustard before we moved on to our actual breakfast.
Oh K-Dog’s goodness doesn’t end with their delicious Korean rice hotdogs, they offer what could be one of the best hand-held morning meals outside of a breakfast taco from Texas. The Oh K-Dog Egg Toast is a thick piece of grilled buttery brioche, partially sliced into a nice pouch for pilling in fluffy scrambled eggs, melted cheddar cheese, and crisp bacon. For an even richer experience and one I fully support, you can upgrade the already outstanding brioche to a grilled garlic butter bread, that resembles a fatter than normal piece of Texas Toast. On top of the mounded morning meal, they drizzle cheese mustard which adds a divine sweetness to the typical savory flavor of a breakfast sandwich. For those who don’t want meat, you can get an Avocado Egg Toast, which according to my daughter is equally as good as the Egg Toast with bacon.
Just as I was about to apologize to Texas for finding a better corn dog in NYC than found at the Texas state fair, I learned that Oh K-Dog was actually started in The Lone Star state with locations in Houston, Lewisville, Carrollton, and of course Austin. Now it only makes sense that one of the best corn dog and breakfast sandwich combinations originated deep in the heart of Texas, where people appreciate their breakfast, and eating corn dogs is a yearly obsession. Luckily for New Yorkers, Oh K-Dog is on the lower east side, on Ludlow, just a block or so from Katz’s south of Houston Street.