Denver’s Gourmet Dogs

“Something that you can only have here? ..mhh, let me think…”.

While Pedro, the shuttle driver, takes a few minutes to focus on his mental food map, I accommodate myself on the front seat, enjoying the old fashioned Denver‘s suburbs.

“Ok, I got it. You can’t miss Biker Jim’s. It’s street food, but the guy is a legend in the city and what he sells can’t even be defined hotdogs”.

My advisor is right. As soon as I get there I notice the sign on the front of a white cart saying: “Gourmet Dogs“.

Looking at the menu one can see why. Wild boar, Elk Jalapeno cheddar, Louisiana Red Hots, Spinach Pheasant, German Veal Brats, Alaskan Reindeer, Southwest Buffalo.
Jim is extremely nice. “I’ll share a dog with you so you that can try two halves of ‘em”. He cuts a elk and a deer sausage and puts them on the grill.

“Our meat is no mystery” is the slogan of his cart. And Jim specifies that he purchases all his meat at “Continental Sausages“, providing Denver the highest quality and freshest all natural meat since 1969.

When melted cheese drops begin to pour out from the elk sausage on the iron grating, Jim sets the meat on an open loaf and covers it with caramelized onions.

No need to add cream cheese or other toppings. The dog’s simplicity is perfectly succulent. In my first bite I grab the Reindeer. Robust and delicate the same time. The Spicy cheddar elk is luscious. Its hotness is refrained by the sweetness of onions, juicy and crunchy, blending together to create the perfect mouthful.

Good tip Pedro.

I don’t have the courage to try the Rattle snake… but before leaving I have a bite of the Spinach pheasant sausage. Mild, light, ideal to be eaten plain. If only I had known sooner… These dogs have earned their title “gourmet”.

It would have been better if… you could have chosen your bread. Potato bread for the jalapeno elk and whole grain for the reindeer would have been amazing.