<> Jack’s Cosmic Dog
I went to Jack’s Cosmic Dog in Mt Pleasant specifically because it was featured on Food Network “Best thing I ever ate” for their gourmet hot dogs. Because of the way that Alton Brown described this eating experience, I was expecting to be wow-ed but left there saying “Eh” and wanted some of my money back. To understand my disappointment, let me dissect the layers of this dog and tell you why I felt it fell short of my high expectations.
1. BUN- The bun was too big for the hot dog. The first bite was mostly bun and I actually took it out of my mouth see if there was any meat in the bite. There was not (visualize my sad face here). Because there was so much bread, I was not able to get the real flavor of the sweet potato mustard. It seemed to be totally absorbed by the bread.
2. HOT DOG WIENER- The hot dog wiener was a boiled basic all beef frank. Nothing special. I was expecting grilled perfection. It was as if I made it at home. I boil my hot dog franks because I do not use the grill (but I digress). Boiling is fine for regular hot dogs, but when I am paying extra for GOURMET…well that is a different story. If I was to chart my expectation level, the more that I pay is directly related to the how much I pay. If I pay $1 for a hot dog, I am not expecting much and I do not mind a boiled dog. If I pay $4 for a hot dog, I pretty much expect grilled, crispy skin with a snap when I bite into it.
3. BLUE CHEESE SLAW- This was the crowning achievement of this hot dog. I like cole slaw and I like blue cheese, so the combination worked for me. The cabbage was crisp and tasted as if it was freshly cut. The ratio of cabbage to cream was also balanced. It was not heavy, wet slaw but there was enough cream to hold the slaw together well. The slaw had a little tart bite because of the blue cheese but it was not overpowering. I wish I could just order this cole slaw and put on my own homemade hot dogs.
4. SWEET POTATO MUSTARD- At first glance it looked like honey mustard. From what I could taste of this (extracted from the copious amounts of bread) it did not taste like anything special. Maybe if there had been more of it, I would have a different opinion.

Final thoughts: It was tasty but not OMG-forsake-all-other-hot-dogs good. I can say that I went there, but I do not have to eat there the next time I visit Charleston.