Last week I followed up on a tip from Josie Urbick about a Seattle taco truck with a unique item on the menu: a Mexican hot dog ($4.50). She described it as an almost unthinkable gut bomb that had to be eaten to be believed.
At 9 pm last Thursday I decided it was time.
I found Flair Taco on just off the main drag between Fremont and Ballard (North 36th Street that turns into Leary Way). The beat-up truck sits in a parking lot at the corner of North 36th and Phinney Avenue North. When I arrived, 0wner Angel Aguilar was unloading food for Flair’s Friday and Saturday bar close rush.
“The cops stand right over there on the corner,” he said, “and when guys come out of the bars they have a decision to make: try to drive or come eat tacos. Most choose tacos. This parking lot will be packed tomorrow night.”
I had already ordered my Mexi dog, and asked about the story behind it. I make it a point to eat at nearly every taco truck I drive by and never had seen a hot dog on another menu.
“These are how everyone eats hot dogs in Mexico,” Aguilar said. “I grew up eating them just like this. Then I came to the states and saw a hot dog on a menu. I ordered it only to be stunned. This wasn’t a hot dog. It had nothing on it! Finally I saw the relish off to the side and thought at least they had jalapenos. But when I took a bite, I said ‘What the hell is this?’”
Long story short, when he opened Flair Taco with Johnny Flair, Aguilar added to the menu a hot dog the way Cardiac Arrest intended it.
I doubt I’ll eat another dog again without thinking about Aguilar’s Mexi version. I’ll also be back with friends. Sure it is a gut bomb, but some gut bombs are worth it once in a while.
I’m also making a note to bring my passport because Flair has another unique item on the menu called the Passport Meal ($9.00). It is whatever Aguilar decides it is when someone orders it, but he categorically refuses to sell you one without seeing your passport. His iPhone has picutres of everyone who orders the meal and comes with proper documentation.
