I have never thought that I would rave about a hot dog, but I just had the best hot dog in my life the other week
at the Alembic Bar.
Alembic Bar does not look like the kind of place one goes for food. Its exterior looks like a
neighborhood dive bar. Past its front door
is a long bar with stools. Beyond the
bar are seven small tables that accommodate at most fourteen diners. Further back is storage and the facilities,
with the kitchen in the very back. The
bar, the floor and the furniture are of worn wood. Decoration is sparse, but it has plenty of
filtered sunlight and the place is clean.
Alembic has an impressive cocktail and whiskey list. The small menu contains much more than the
usual bar food. There are snacks like
shishito peppers and spiced duck hearts, and larger plates such as bone marrow
and suckling pig. There is also a daily $35
3-course prix fixe dinner special. It is
pretty easy to get in at day time, but the wait for the coveted tables and bar
stools is notorious in the evening.
On a recent day, we kicked off our lunch there with two cocktails. I had a “Just Like Honey” made with Scotch whiskey,
sloe gin, a little honey and bitter lemon soda.
Mrs. Akujiki ordered a “Southern Exposure” of Junipero gin, fresh mint,
lime juice and a shot of fresh celery juice.
The very healthy celery juice gave Mrs. Akujiki’s drink a lovely colour as well as a refreshing flavor. Nice!
We munched on fried Japanese shishito peppers seasoned with smoked
coarse salt. The peppers had an aroma of
heat, but they were very mild in reality.
They made a great snack to go with our drinks.
Mrs. Akujiki enjoyed her beer battered rock fish sandwich,
an upscale version of McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish. It came with malt vinegar remoulade, savoy
cabbage, and potato chips with crab seasoning.
Hot dog usually meant ground up mystery meat with lots of fat
and salt. But I took a chance on the hot dog from “4505”, a local company selling pastured pork, lamb, chicken
and grass fed beef. Besides, it said “bacon studded” hot dog on the
menu!! I was glad that I ordered it. The sausage was plump and juicy. Not only that it tasted good, it was also
hormone and antibiotic free. The hot dog
was topped with
some
pickled fennel “kraut” and peppadew relish.
It was simple, delicious and much better than those famous dogs of Pink’s
in Los Angeles and Japa Dog in Vancouver, B.C., which were over cluttered
with lots of toppings. Also on the plate
were curly pieces of gently seasoned crunchy chicharrones (deep fried pork rind) that were practically free of grease. It was simply my best hot
dog ever. I could eat it every week.
