Animl Steakhouse is donating all proceeds from ‘The Bo Dog’ to former Blue Jay Bo Bichette’s charity, which supports children with disabilities
Forget Loonie Dogs, a luxurious $126 hot dog has hit the scene in downtown Toronto.
Animl Steakhouse unveiled The Bo Dog on June 28, a day before former Toronto Blue Jay Bo Bichette made his return to the city after leaving in free agency to sign with the New York Mets earlier this year.
Bichette had previously said Animl was his favourite local restaurant and the establishment offered him free dinner for life if he re-signed with the Jays.
Even with the slugger eventually leaving for New York, the restaurant hasn’t forgotten him. To mark his return last month, Animl launched the luxurious hot dog, pledging to donate all proceeds from its sales to A Hope Rising Foundation — Bichette’s charity that supports causes for children with disabilities.
The Bo Dog is no ordinary street meat. At its core is a wagyu beef hot dog, tucked between traditional Martin’s potato buns and topped with house-made truffle corn relish, butter-poached Atlantic lobster, seared Quebec foie gras and gold flakes.
The hot dog was inspired by trips to baseball games at the SkyDome (now Rogers Centre) that Animl’s chef de cuisine Michael DeGrazia took as a kid.
“I think most people who eat hot dogs have a sort of fun, nostalgic fondness for them,” DeGrazia said. “When I eat a hot dog now, it’s still kind of that nostalgic feeling [that] takes me back to being a kid, especially as a baseball fan going to the park.”
Animl has been selling about 10 to 15 hot dogs per week, DeGrazia said, with some customers returning to the restaurant just for the elevated street meat.
On one occasion, a man came in to try a hot dog on a Wednesday, and then came back on Sunday to order three more for himself, which he ate in one sitting, according to DeGrazia.
More than anything, the chef said he wants to create a fun and unique experience for guests so they walk away saying, “I didn’t know a hot dog could be that good or luxury.”
But for the $126 price tag, is it worth it? TorontoToday ventured out to Animl to find out.
The Bo Dog experience
Similar to ordering a hot dog at a luxury restaurant, Animl is a bit unassuming. The steakhouse has a small red brick structure protruding out of a larger building in a laneway between Wellington Street West and King Street West, near Spadina Avenue.
One may expect the inside of the restaurant to match the outside, but when you enter, there is a large dining area in a lower level with a DJ, an upscale bar and several staff moving throughout the ambiently lit restaurant. It is a relaxed, yet bustling setting.
DeGrazia said when creating The Bo Dog, he wanted to make something that “fits in well” in the restaurant’s “lux glam environment.”
While a hot dog is still a hot dog — no matter how expensive the ingredients are — the dish was plated as luxuriously as it could possibly be.
Presented neatly on a black plate, The Bo Dog’s potato buns were left open to showcase all the ingredients in the fully loaded hot dog.
The bun was soft and had a slight sweetness, while still being sturdy enough to handle moist condiments.
Between the foie gras and the wagyu beef, each bite of the hot dog was bursting with a buttery richness.
The butter-poached lobster felt at times slightly overwhelming when paired with the other ingredients, almost like eating butter — which to be fair, some customers would surely love.
Nonetheless, the lobster was still a necessary addition alongside the corn relish, which offered a zesty complementary flavour and was arguably the star of the dish.
All in all, The Bo Dog delivered in taste and experience. It provided customers the nostalgic feeling DeGrazia aimed for, especially on the first bite when the seasoned juices first hit the taste buds.
The service was also exceptional. In the high-end — yet relaxed environment — the staff were friendly, attentive and knowledgeable.
But the question remains: Is Animl’s limited-time hot dog worth the price tag?
In a vacuum, a hot dog is probably never worth paying $126.
However, when it comes to the fun experience customers get while eating a delectable weiner, as well as knowing the funds are going to a charity, it is a worthy venture for those who are able.
Animl will be selling The Bo Dog until the end of the Jays’ season.