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You can search on every street, every back alley or every intersection in downtown Tijuana and you won't find them until early evening, but after dark, they seem to be everywhere. What am I talking about, you ask? A pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? A winning lottery ticket? No, I'm talking about hot dog vendors, who sell the legendary Tijuana-style bacon wrapped hot dog, grilled on the streets of Tijuana, and sold from a small hot dog cart. Photo: Hot Dogs Exquisitos dishes up hot dogs from some hungry customers. The bare hills in the background are in the U.S.. Early Friday evening, March 13, 2009 found me stumbling back toward the U.S. border along Calle Articulo 123, which is the main route from the tourist trap of downtown Tijuana back to the international border. I'd had a full day of taking photos, drinking beer, and eating an untold amount of tacos, when I noticed Hot Dogs Exquisitos, a small push cart, parked at the corner of Av. Madero and Articulo 123. A painted sign on the side of the cart advertised hot dogs and hamburguesas; my first impulse was to grab a hamburger, but after inquiring with the gentleman operating the cart if he had hamburgers, he told me that he wouldn't be ready to begin serving them for an hour or so, but said that he'd be glad to fix me up with a hot dog or two. ¡No problema! I love Tijuana-style hot dogs, so I told him to fix me up with two of them. Hot Dogs Exquisitos is one of the hundreds of hot dog carts that set up shop all over down during the evening hours. It's a one-man operation, operated by a gentleman who serves hot dogs and hamburgers from a push cart, and sets up shop nearly every evening at the same corner. The corner of Av. Maderos and First Street is a prime location, as its only two blocks east of the Tijuana arch, and is on the beaten path from the U.S. border to downtown Tijuana. Exquisitos doesn't necessary cater to tourists, as many Norteamericanos are leery of hot dogs served from a push cart by a street food vendor; in fact, Tijuana hot dogs have earned the nickname of "Danger Dogs," which really isn't accurate, as there's nothing dangerous about them, except possibly the fact that you might get hooked on them and never be satisfied with the same ol' same ol' dogs found north of the border. Photo: The hot dog guy squeezes mustard on a dog for a hungry customer. It looks like they interrupted him, as he was chopping jalapeño peppers, as there are diced peppers on the cutting board. In talking with the operator of Hot Dogs Exquisitos, I learned that he pushes his cart to the same location nearly every evening around six, fires up the propane grill, prepares the condiments, and is ready to begin serving hot dogs and hamburgers by seven. Although it was 07:15 in the evening, his supplier of hamburger buns hadn't delivered the goods, so he was only selling hot dogs. The hot dogs are wrapped in a piece of bacon and grilled. Garnishes for the hot dogs and hamburgers include diced tomatoes, grilled jalapeño peppers, and grilled white onions. Mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise and runny salsa, all applied from plastic squeeze bottles round out the condiment selection. The cart is totally self-contained, and utilizes propane to heat the grill, and after dark illumination is provided by a propane lantern attached to the cart. No chairs are provided, but Articulo 123 offers plenty of cement planters that make for convenient seating. Hot dogs are priced at U.S. $1.00 each; I didn't inquire about the price of hamburgers. At a dollar each, the hot dogs are a bargain. Photo: Hot dog guy reaches into a bin and grabs a bun for one of my hot dogs. Note the squeeze bottles of condiments, and the unlit propane lantern. Your dogs are delivered very quickly. After placing my order, the guy grabbed a couple of napkins, opened a drawer in the cart and pulled out two pre-heated hot dog buns. Bacon wrapped weenies were already cooking on the grill, so he simply grabbed a pair of tongs, snagged two dogs from the grill, and placed them on the buns. Then, he placed a few bits of grilled peppers and onions on the hot dog, and spooned diced tomatoes from another container onto it, and squeezed a line of ketchup, and a line of mustard on the hot dogs, and my hot dogs were ready. He handed my the two hot dogs, and I handed him two dollar bills, and went on my way. Photo: One of my hot dogs is almost ready. Note the bacon wrapped hot dogs and jalapeño pepper halves warming on the griddle. I found a comfy concrete planter box to sit down on while I devoured my hot dogs. Hot Dogs Exquisitos certainly lives up to its name, as the hot dogs were perfectly cooked, the diced tomatoes were firm, juicy and fresh, just the way I like them, and the onions and peppers were perfectly grilled. I appreciated the fact that the hot dogs were cooked, but very juicy, and the bacon wasn't charred. The hot dogs were delicious, and much better than any hot dogs found on the streets of U.S. cities. Photo: One of my Tijuana-style hot dogs, with all the trimmings and condiments. I'd already eaten the other one, but for only $1.00 each, I can afford to eat as many as I want. When you're on the way back to the U.S. from downtown Tijuana, stop at Hot Dogs Exquisitos for a delicious Tijuana-style hot dog. Hot
Dogs Exquisitos Copyright(c) 2012 eRench Productions, Inc. All rights reserved. This site has been on the web since December 22, 2002. Web page design has been created by eRench Productions, Inc., custon photography for any occasion...
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