It’s been a long time since I took my shorthaired confidante Sean out for dinner, so when I decided to try the Stray Dog Café, 6722 NW 39th Expressway, I couldn't help but bring him along.
Located on charming Main Street in Bethany, the Stray Dog is only a Bible's throw from Southern Nazarene University. Featuring the standard greasy spoon breakfast fare along with an affordable hot dog-focused lunch and dinner menu, The Stray Dog — as far as Bethany hot spots go – is about as spicy as you can get.
With my girlfriend in tow, Sean led us onto the property, his tail wagging and jowls churning with little-to-no slobber. We took our seats on the tiny front patio and our server brought out laminated menus, bowls of gratis popcorn, and a big bowl of cool water for Sean. Good boy!
As he took lazy licks of the agua, our dinner selections were quickly made. While my girlfriend and the server doted on Sean, I went inside to look at the place. It was a Bethany main street done right, with a few people enjoying hot dogs, frankfurters, and other sausage-based meals.
Coming back to my table, our dinner was already there, piping hot in red checkboard paper-lined baskets.
I started with the Onion Rings ($7.00) appetizer. They weren’t life-changing, but they were good, with fresh onions and a spicy batter that couldn’t be beat.
My girlfriend went with the El Pollo Loco ($9.25) – a grilled chicken sandwich topped with a devilish helping of sauteed jalapenos, habanero cheese, ghost pepper mayo, lettuce, and tomato on a jalapeno bun.
This was muy spicy! While Sean turned his nose at it, my girlfriend’s taste buds were singing its many praises. The perfect combination of heat and sweet, the strong flavors of the chicken, the jalapenos, and habanero cheese were spot-on, with the perfectly charred sweet potato fries at the ready.
Next, Sean curled up to dad, knowing I would never let him down.
I had two Pedigree Dogs from the menu: the Chili Cheese Dog ($7.75) with house chili and shredded cheddar, and the Mac ‘n’ Cheese Dog ($7.75), with – you guessed it – creamy mac and cheese on top. With an order of Joe’s Tabouli ($3.75), I was set.
With a Nathan’s dog as the base wiener, the chili was more than great and the creamy mac and cheese was even better. Both hot dogs were very satisfying, as I expected…but can we talk about the unexpected tabouli for a second?
I don't know who Joe is, but his Tabouli is zesty, tart, and original, and made me wish I ordered the Tabouli Dog. Next time, I will order one of them…or maybe two.
Alternating chomps with him, Sean loved the hot dogs—probably more than me! With big bites, he barely had time to swallow it, let alone savor it. Maybe next time, he should have the real byline. Cómpralo ya!
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Follow Louis on Twitter at @LouisFowler and Instagram at @louisfowler78.
