It doesn’t take a dirty mind to pick up on the sexual innuendo ripe in Señor Wiener’s image. Aside from the icon of the hot dog dressed in Hispanic garb, you have the very obvious play on words, and the use of the word “wiener” at every opportunity.
This was probably not on accident. We humans are so predictable, and even if we’re not into hot dogs, we are curious about a restaurant that sounds more like a pornography shop than an eating establishment.
The restaurant (and no, it is not actually a porn shop) is newly located on 41st street, in the strip mall west of O’Gorman High School. The store itself is actually much larger than it looks from the outside. It’s divided into two separate dining rooms — one with the food serving area and another with TVs and projectors. The tall ceilings make for a very open and slightly intimidating restaurant.
A manager said that the space will serve a as a venue for bands and other forms of entertainment. Señor Wiener’s is open until 3 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, making it an alternative hangout for crowds under 21 or just those uninterested in the bar scene.
The food service itself is like the Subway of the hot dog world. You pick a bun type (white, wheat, foot long), then meat (all beef Chicago dog, bratwurst, corn dog, polish sausage), then top it with absolutely everything imaginable. Cold toppings range from anchovies to sauerkraut and hot toppings include taco beef, nacho cheese and, of course, chili (with our without beans).
This is one area the restaurant gets very right. The massive amount of choices makes up for the lack of other foods offered. Sure, you can only really get hot dogs, but those hot dogs can be topped with every flavor under the sun. The extra toppings run 50 cents each, which could get a little pricy if you like to load it on, but the hot dog and bun itself only costs $2.50 and eats like a meal.
I tried the quarter-pound all-beef Chicago dog on wheat and added chili with beans, nacho cheese and jalapenos. My garbage-can counterpart, Jordan, had the same dog and bun, but loaded his with chili, jalapenos, three kinds of cheese, sauerkraut and pepperoni. The basket and tissue paper could barely contain his monstrosity.
I found the chili had a good flavor and spiced well, but wasn’t over powering. The nacho cheese was a good addition with even more spice and creaminess. The jalapenos were quite the kicker, contributing just the right heat to compliment the chili and cheese. The hot dog, on the other hand, was kind of bland. Despite being all beef, it lacked any kind of smoky flavor usually associated with higher-quality hot dogs. The consistency was spongy and unimpressive. The bun had a nice flavor, but the bottom half ended up being tough and hard to eat with the rest of the toppings.
Let’s be clear, if you’re going to eat here, don’t skimp on your toppings. A good majority of the flavor of your meal depends on them.
Jordan also ordered some waffle fries, which were delicious. I would recommend splitting an order of these with a friend, since an entire order of fries AND a hot dog is quite a bit of food. These are the sort of hot dogs you eat with utensils.
While Señor Wiener’s isn’t a franchise quite yet, the idea is to develop into one. The owner, Dexter Jorgensen, wanted to draw a crowd with the risqué name, but also wanted a gourmet hot dog restaurant. The Sioux Falls location is the home store, with obvious hopes of opening more.
Overall, the food isn’t something I would write home about.
For being the star of the show, the hot dogs leave something to be desired. The massive amount of toppings is a good move on the restaurant’s part and I would recommend utilizing them. I am intrigued by the idea of hosting musicians at a hot dog shop, since it would be nice to be able to get food while attending a show.
Verdict: Go here once to satiate your immature need to check out the curiously-named restaurant, or hang out for some live entertainment.But don’t bother making this a regular outing.
Stars (of 5):
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Price: 3
Service: 3
Overall: 2.5
