Reliable sources say yes. We say, “Please, No.”
UPDATE (April 20): Richard Blais’ hot dog restaurant to open in June
Industry insiders suggest Atlanta chef Richard Blais’ new gourmet hot dog restaurant will be called Haute Doggery. If that’s the case, we hope the concept is sounder than the name.
Try as we might, we can’t wrap our bun around this concept, let alone the name.
We understand the idea of gourmet, recession-friendly dining strategies such as Blais’ own FLIP Burger and Sean Doty’s YEAH! Burger. But note the word “burger” as opposed to “hot dog.” When was the last time you turned to somebody and said, “I’m in the mood for a hot dog?”
We rest our case.
That said, we’re big fans of Blais and wish him nothing but the best, as he’s one of the true creative culinary geniuses in the city.
To be fair, there is some evidence that the concept could succeed. Lisa Schoolcraft with the Atlanta Business Chronicle makes the case:
Gourmet hot dogs are a trend going on in other parts of the country, said Harold Shumacher, president of The Shumacher Group Inc., a restaurant consulting firm.
Show Dogs in San Francisco, for example, offers up gourmet sausage dogs, with toppings that include blue cheese sauce and arugula, or fig chutney with homemade mustard.
“He would not be the first guy in the country doing it, but it is not as prevalent as burger places right now,” Shumacher said.
Stay tuned for more information, including confirmation of the new restaurant’s name and menu. Meantime, are we crazy or are fashion hot dogs the next big thing in the Atlanta restaurant scene?
13 Responses
I personally find myself craving hot dogs all the time, and the Varsity just doesn’t cut it for me. I’ll be very interested in this concept, if it is indeed what Blais has in the works.
There is a hot dog place by my house that just opened and everyone is going nuts over it. it’s already been written up in the ajc.
I get my hot dog fix at Costco. At $1.59 for a big one, it comes with a drink. Can’t be beat.
Douche.Bag.
I’d be more than happy to indulge in some local, creative hot dogs if they’re anywhere near as good as the Good Food Truck’s poodle dog.
let him do whatever he wants. hot dogs will not catch on in Atlanta. sometimes tv personalities (even if it’s just a stint on some ridiculous cooking show) need a kick in the nads and a wake up call from reality that the “if you build it they will come” gimmick can only last so long. there’s a handful of decent dog joints already- mike’s hot dog haus, barker’s red hots, hot dog heaven, america’s top dog, bobby g’s, etc. $10 for a burger is one thing, $10 for a hot dog is sacrilegious.
let him do it, good luck. we all saw what happened to 5th street cafe.
The Hot Dog Restaurant conversation in this town begins and ends with Barker’s Red Hots. I’m all for Blais to come in and add a new dimension to this. Props to H&F for doing justice to the dog as well.
If his idea of a “hot dog” is as broad as his idea of a “burger,” then it might be interesting. Remember, some of his “burgers” are made of meats other than beef. A “hot dog” with a meat and seasoning composition other than the usual reddish, cured, garlicky emulsified beef or beef-pork blend is … a sausage. I can see a demand for a place that serves a variety of creative sausages under the guise of “haute dogs.”
According to Merriam Webster: Haute = High class + Doggery = Dive/Saloon.
High class dive!
Pretty neat play on words, and I have it on good authority the food will be every bit as playful and inventive.
Frankly, I would not bet on Haute Doggery being hot dog/sausage centric.
I think it sounds amazing, and I agree with C.I.8 that the name is clever. A little goofy, but they’re going for levity, right? Plus, I love hot dogs piled up with great combinations of stuff.
I personally think this is an incredible addition to his flip burger. I also tend to crave a gourmet hot dog from time to time and if this restaurant is a concept I would fully support it becoming a reality.
The Dog of Nashville has been open for 4 years, doing amazing things with gourmet dogs. They also do an amazing amount of business. Add in a semi-celeb chef with an established foodie following in ATL….I wouldn’t knock it just yet.
I’m not really sure about where exactly all the negative vibes are coming from on this post. Johnny, seriously buddy, if you haven’t figured out by this point that half of personality of an Atlanta based restaurant is the personality of the the space and the environment. The food is a huge part of of the experience but obviously you don’t know Richard(I do), he’s a badass and will absolutely deliver on the food, the other parts of the experience is something you can’t judge unless you’ve experienced it yourself, so until it opens and you’ve experienced it, please don’t allow yourself to sound like such a dumbass. If Haute Doggery is on the same caliber as flip, then we’ll all love it. Hopefully Johnny won’t be there…