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A different kind of surf and turf at Gourmet Killer Dogs in Delray Beach

Gourmet Killer Dogs is a storefront hot dog stand and seafood shack.

strip center hot-dog-stand-cum-seafood-shack excels with beefy hot dogs and sweet lobster rolls 

By ALAN J. WAX

Lowbrow cuisine to luxe is what you’ll find at Gourmet Killer Dogs in Delray Beach.

This casual eatery in a strip mall anchored by Citibank on Atlantic Avenue, east of Barwick Road, specializes, not surprisingly, in hot dogs with a range of creative toppings. But it also offers fare at the other end of the spectrum, notably a Maine lobster roll. At price points in between are various sausages, fried clams, fish and chips, and such sides as fries, onion rings and more.

“The Monstah” lobster roll

The Maine style lobster roll, dubbed “The Monstah,” at $24.95 is probably the most expensive sandwich I’ve ever had. It’s a mouthful of luxury on a bun, albeit in a plastic tray. You’ll need two hands to chow down on this sandwich. Made fresh to order, you get just about an entire Maine lobster, chopped salad style with bits of celery and a drop of mayonnaise. (Purists may complain that it’s not claws and knuckles.) It’s served in a buttery-on-the-outside, lightly toasted, top-split New England-style hot dog bun. You can also have it prepared Connecticut style with just warm butter. The lobster meat is sweet and tender and tumbles out of the bun as you bite down. Not to worry. It’s served with a plastic fork to retrieve those stray bits.

To be sure, there have been occasional complaints in social media about the price. Really, it’s quite unreasonable considering that whole 1-1/4-pound lobsters run about $9-$12 a pound and the restaurant industry’s rule of thumb that food cost as a percentage of food sales is roughly 30 percent. Also, The Monstah compares favorably pricewise with lobster rolls, likely smaller, at Downtown Delray establishments. Manager and co-owner Glenn Nathan confides that the eatery sells thousands each month, which suggesting the demand is there despite what some consider an outrageous price.

New Yorker hot dog

The hot dogs, meanwhile, are a far cry from the dirty-water dogs sold by roadside vendors, and easily can hold their own against the best of their breed.  The signature quarter-pound wiener measures almost 7 inches long and is more than an inch thick when cooked. The grilled, juicy all-beef sausage had a nice snap, though it was a tad less garlicky than many of its kosher or kosher-style brethren. With just mustard and/or ketchup it will cost you $5.99. Add another buck for sauerkraut or onions; $7.49 for Chicago style. With a serving of the hand-cut, well-browned fries ($6.99) and a beverage, you’ll have a substantial meal. In a take-out order the fries were still warm, thanks to the foil-lined packaging, though they needed to be crisped a bit in the toaster oven.

Beside the basic wiener, Killer’s menu offers 10 variations for dressing your dog and a create-your-own option. More, if you count the vegan offering.

Drive up to Gourmet Killer Dogs and you’ll likely find Nathan at the door, ttired in a black tee-shirt, admitting dine-in customers and instructing those seeking takeout to order from their cars. “We don’t want to have people standing around waiting,” he explains. It’s not a bad plan in these pandemic times with inside accommodations limited. On my visits, I was waited on by an upbeat server who told me her name was Ashley and who remembered me on a second visit.

Inside the yellow and brick walled eatery, there’s a large menu board on the wall behind the counter that lists the current offerings. There’s inside seating for about 20 diners – twice that in pre-pandemic times – at butcher-block-styled tables and high tops. Outside, seating just for just two.

Gourmet Killer Dogs has been around since December 2015, when Nathan, formerly of Great Neck and Hewlett on Long Island, and  Brooklyn, and his partner, Kathryn Cohen, who hails from New England and Long Island, opened the restaurant. Their formula, obviously, is a winning one. They’re still at it five years later.  Find out how they do it for yourself, but just don’t go on Mondays. That’s when they’re closed.

Gourmet Killer Dogs

4057 W. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach, FL 33445

(917) 656-3664.

www.facebook.com/killerhotdogs

 

 

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