Dog Almighty

Photo By John Anderson

Dog Almighty

6701 Burnet Rd., 385-DOGS

Monday-Saturday, 11am-9pm; Sunday, noon-6pm

2801 Guadalupe, 476-DOGS; Monday-Saturday, 11am-12mid, Sunday, noon-9pm, 3006 S. Lamar, 912-1105, Monday-Saturday, 11am-10pm, Sunday, noon-9pm

Years back, Jenny Kress was a production designer for print media in Miami, and she passed a hot-dog joint called Dogma every day. A nagging seed was planted in her brain. She and her nephew, Miles Stone, were discussing a business they might go into together, and this whole Dogma thing kept coming back into her thoughts, especially after she saw a TV show on America's famous hot-dog restaurants. Kress moved to Austin; Stone did a ton of research; and when the Jim Carrey film Bruce Almighty came out, their name was born.

Dog Almighty was born of a few dirty-water carts – also used for parties, events, festivals, and the like four years ago – at Second and Congress. Dirty-water is a New York City term referring to a dog that's heated in a vat of steaming water. "We started with a steamed dog but decided that flame-kissed made the very best hot dog," Kress says. "So at Dog Almighty what you'll find is a mixture of styles: The veggie dogs taste best cooked in water, the 100-percent all-beef hot dogs are cooked over flames, and the buns are toasted on the griddle, so they are crisp and not mushy."

And it's the veggie option that Kress and Stone are perhaps most proud of. They use Smart Dogs for their veggie dogs, and their vegetarian chili is an award-winner, garnering second place in the first competition they ever entered it in. Made with textured vegetable protein and adzuki beans, it has a pleasing texture and a rich flavor with lots of zip on the finish. Carnivores would never mistake it for beef, but vegans rave over it. On a veggie dog, it rules.

They are up to three locations now: the original at the Historic Farmers' Market on Burnet Road; one next to Chango's on South Lamar; and the new one on the Drag, across from Dirty's. All three will soon be pouring Austin Amber Beer and Maine Root Beer on tap. We tried several of the dogs and found all delicious. The Pfluger Dog ($2.49) is made with house-made kraut, brown mustard, and onions. The Veggie Classic ($3.29) comes with veggie dog and chili, mustard, and onions (excellent). The Polish Dog ($3), a Polish sausage from Smokey Denmark, is good but needs more besides mustard. We recommend grilled onions and kraut.

The corn dog ($1.99) is tasty, covered with a light tempura-style batter, but even better when you get it with minced jalapeños in the batter for 20 cents more. The onion rings ($1.79) utilize the same tempura batter and arrive as a loose rectangle. Fries are house-cut, crispy, and bountiful for $2.29 a basket. Tater tots are available, and all of the potato options can be smothered in cheese and chili. Frito pie ($3.99) is a gut-buster, covered with their thick, meaty, spicy chili, laden with cheese and onions.

Dog Almighty's hamburgers are not to be missed. We sampled a cheeseburger ($4.65) and were all smiles: char-grilled ground chuck, aged cheddar, crisp lettuce, pickles, toasted bun. Anything you order can be customized with the 15 different options available as toppings, and we recommend going with the jumbo dog for 75 cents more.

The only way you could make Dog Almighty's dogs any better was if you went with a high-dollar frank like a Best's, Sabrett, Vienna, or a Hebrew National. As it is now, it's the best damn dog in town and an inexpensive meal option that could get addictive – even for the vegans.