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Restaurant: Gusto Street Hot Dog

By Ron Brownlow
STAFF REPORTER
Friday, Jan 26, 2007, Page 15

Where hot dogs are their own food group. PHOTO: RON BROWNLOW, TAIPEI TIMES

If the demise of the Heping East Road (和平東路) branch of Jake's Country Kitchen, later renamed Juke's, caused you to shed a tear, then cry no more.

Now on Rui-an Street (瑞安街) you will find two restaurants that more than make up for the loss. There's The Diner (reviewed in last week's Taipei Times), where the menu lists many dishes formerly obtainable at Juke's. And across the narrow street there's a place that carries an important North American staple The Diner has neglected — hot dogs.

Gusto Street Hot Dog serves so many varieties of frankfurter that one could be forgiven for thinking the tube steak was its own food group. Among its more ordinary selections are the plain hot dog with mustard, onions and relish (NT$50), the chili dog (NT$70), the chili dog with cheddar cheese (NT$75) and the double cheese dog (NT$70). There are also odd and inventive creations like the chili dog with baked white cheese (NT$75), the pizza dog (NT$65), the mustard with tuna cheese dog (NT$75) and the spicy tuna cheese dog (NT$75). Add NT$60 to any of these prices and your meal comes with a drink and French fries, which are crisp and generously salted. Hard-to-find soft drinks like Dr Pepper and A&W root beer are only NT$5 extra.

Unless you're feeling particularly adventurous, the chili dog with cheddar cheese is your best bet. Gusto does a journeyman's job with the chili, which is mildly spicy and made from ground beef, sliced fresh tomatoes, onions, chili powder, jalapenos and taco powder. While the cheddar cheese is of the squeezed variety, it adds a more authentic taste than the white cheese version, which contains mayonnaise to keep the cheese soft after it's baked. In keeping with the recommendations for proper hot dog etiquette listed on the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council's Web site (www.hot-dog.org), you may add mustard, but do not add ketchup to your frankfurter.

Gusto Street is comfortably decorated, with posters of New York City, a Simpsons wall hanging and other pieces of Americana hung from red and orange walls. There are two comfortable booths in the back, and a couch where the house cat, Hsiao Kelien (小可憐), sleeps when he isn't roaming the restaurant.

In addition to hot dogs, Gusto Street also serves fish and chips (NT$280), spicy chicken wings (NT$210) and a belt-busting double-meat cheeseburger (NT$250 with fries and drink). Side dishes include fried shrimp, chicken nuggets, and cheese or chili fries, although if you've ordered a chili dog the last two.

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