Tubby Dog - SERIOUSLY, You Gotta Eat Here!

Cooking is my yoga, my meditation, my “me time”. And if ever I can’t cook and I need that stress relief – the second best option is a cooking show. 

My not-so-secret celebrity crush is Adam from ‘Man vs Food’ and I dream of being able to tour America following his trail of soul food, ice cream sundaes and ridiculous stroke inducing challenges.

When we checked into our new Hotel, the first TV Show we saw was ‘You Gotta Eat Here’ – I was hooked! It was local – places I could actually go and try and not just dream about! The first place they showed in Calgary was a Hot Dog Joint called “Tubby Dogs” – famous for their enormous dogs, unique ingredients and imaginative combinations. 

Hubby saw the tail end of it and he was keen for adventure –and to get out of the Hotel room! So we bundled Poppy into her ski gear, and headed off into the car park for part one of our adventure – finding our car after a mini blizzard.

It’s quite funny that places never really look the same as they do on TV. Tubby Dogs didn’t look any better or worse – just different. It’s got that authentic old school American Diner feel about it – with the Red Leather Booths and scuffed up floor. The menu is small but enough.

We continued our adventurous spirit by each ordering a different “Dog of the Day” – I got the Dog with Sauteed Onions, Mayonnaise, Yellow Mustard and Cheese. Hubby went for the Dog with Sauteed and Crispy Onions, Yellow Mustard, BBQ Sauce and Space Cheese.

I’m not exactly sure what space cheese is… but let’s just say that nothing even remotely natural is that shade of orange. Regardless of whether it’s been to the moon and back…

The Dogs were huge. From watching the TV Special there seemed to be 3 schools of thought when it came to actually eating them:

1.       Pick it up and eat it – no hesitation, no fear of spillage. Go for gold.

2.       The Shovel Technique – Keep it in the cardboard boat and feed it into your mouth  conveyer belt style.

3.       Knife and Fork – Seriously, who goes to a Hot Dog joint and uses a knife and fork?? Wimps!!

We opted for option 1 – and I will admit, we both ended up wearing as much as we ate – but it was worth every, single, tasty morsel!

Without a doubt – Tubby Dog is the best Hot Dog I have ever eaten.

Although the ingredients were simple – every single one works and is tasty in its own right. But the absolutely winner is the quality sausage. I have never had a dog that delicious before – I expected the humble, boring Frankfurter – dolled up with some sexy condiments – but I was blown away by the flavour!

We also spied “T-Rings” on the menu and were informed that they were “just like Onion Rings – but ours – and huge”. Who can go past a description like that? They were deep fried to donut coloured perfection and were the perfect crunchy, greasy interlude between bits of mustard oozing dog.

If you can drag your attention away from the mess you’re creating – take a look around at the hilarious (and often inappropriate) posters on the wall, and the cabinet of bygone goodies… 

Think original Spacefood,  a whole Chicken in a Can, Cheese in a squirty can, 50 year old Weiners in a Jar… There seems to have been a time in history where you were limited only by your imagination (and your gag reflex?) as to what you could put in a can... And here is a shrine to the best of the worst.

My verdict? Do yourself a flavour and get down to Tubby Dogs before you have to line up!

I’ll be back as soon as I conquer my fear of driving in the snow… but with messy motivation like this – it won’t take me long!

Tubby Dog
1022 17th Ave SW
Calgary