"Yankee Dogs" is not an insult to people of the Northern persuasion. It's the new hot dog (and burger, hoagie, sausage, wings, salad, breakfast, and more) eatery that's taken up residence on Clematis Street.
Cabinet maker turned restaurateur John Drummer says he envisions Yankee Dogs (540 Clematis St., West Palm Beach; 561-629-5698) as an "all-night urban hangout," open 24/7/365, where you can get everything from an omelet to a burrito, hamburger, fresh fish, and, oh yes, a hot dog, which you can get in a variety of guises.
Not just any wiener, though.
Drummer flies his dogs, a mix of lightly smoked beef and pork, in from
New York. His mustards and relish come from up there too, from Weber's
in his hometown of Buffalo.
Everything on the lengthy menu
(actually, a stack of menus) comes out of an open kitchen that could
make your average shoebox seem spacious. Up-front is a long dining
counter facing the street, with another 30 seats in a back room that,
as of a visit a couple of days ago, had yet to open.
Yankee Dogs
itself, Drummer admits, is still something of a work in progress, with
many of the menu items, plus Wi-Fi, plasma TVs, and a beer license still
to come online. For now, it's open 24 hours Wednesday through Saturday,
from 6 to 1 a.m. Monday and Tuesday.
The name is a play on a
patriotic theme, with an American flag painted on the ceiling and
tributes to fallen soldiers and documents like the Constitution and
Gettysburg address also in the works.
Prices are what you
would call cheap, with nothing over $10 and the priciest dog coming in
at $4.95. I swung by for a dog and some fries the other day and with a
bottle of water was out the door for $8.50. The New York dog, btw, is a
good one, with not quite the pop of some but a rich, meaty, slightly
smoky flavor that works especially well with all the Chicago-style
fixin's. I mean, how all-American is that?
