Dallas’ Favorite Wiener Finally Settles Down
By Kristy Alpert
For years, Chef Brian C. Luscher has captivated Dallas diners with his culinary prowess at The Grape, charming his guests with seasonal foods prepared in increasingly inventive ways. But even though his signature style has brought the masses through his door, his truest fans have been craving something extra from this Chicago ex-pat.
They want Luscher’s wieners.
“I’m the son of a Midwestern butcher,” Luscher explained. “I found myself longing for the comforts of home, so I took my time in Texas [almost 20 years] and love of the Chicago hot dog joint and came up with a Texas-style Chicago hotdog.”
It was midway through 2012 when Chef Luscher finally perfected his version of the frankfurter-style hot dog, dubbed the Post Oak Red Hot. Since that day, he’s been toying with his followers by featuring his creations in pop-up shops and farmers markets around the city. But the days of the elusive wiener are no more.
Construction is already underway for Luscher’s Chicago Style Hot Dog Joint, a fully dedicated restaurant set to open by the end of 2014 in Deep Ellum. The new place will feature urban décor with exposed brick, reclaimed materials, and a homegrown, blue-collar sensibility.
Link lovers can order from Luscher’s full line of hand made hormone/antibiotic/steroid-free, locally raised pork and beef sausages that have been smoked with oak and loaded into natural casings. His meats range from his Post Oak Red Hots and his classic Polish and smoked sausage to a delectable sweet and hot Italian sausage, a Sheboygan bratwurst, and a sage and black pepper breakfast sausage.
“Dallas needs a really great dog,” Luscher said. “The sausage is the king, but all the other ingredients (poppy seed bun, mustard, pickles, sport peppers, etc.), we make them ourselves or get them from someone local who does.”
Step into Luscher’s place (set to open in November) and load your bun up with one of Luscher’s wieners … and make sure to try one of his crazy condiments, like horseradish cucumber pickles, spicy giardiniera, homemade yellow mustard, or pickled sport peppers.