Otis Jackson's Soul Dog
5166 Lankershim Blvd
North Hollywood
(818) 980-6847
As I mentioned in my review of Papaya King, which opened near Skooby's in Hollywood, Otis Jackson's Soul Dog opened near Vicious Dogs, in North Hollywood. What a great idea, combining soul food and hot dogs!!
I got the two piece fried chicken basket, $9.99 with double mac and cheese. You get your choice of pieces, so I got a breast and wing. Soul Dog mentions their hot dogs are all beef, natural casing with no nitrates and their chicken is free range chicken. One taste and you can tell the quality of the chicken and hot dogs!
The chicken was a bit salty but otherwise this exactly what fried chicken should be. Crunchy and flavorful on the outside, moist and tender on the inside. The skin was coated with a nice batter that gave it great flavor, though a bit salty. The inside of the breast piece was so moist and tender. WOW, I was very impressed.
The mac and cheese was a bit greasy, but had a lot of flavor. The macaroni was perfectly cooked and the cheese was baked right in.
The menu said hot water cornbread, and I was really looking forward to having hot water cornbread again, but I was told they no longer serve hot water cornbread. I like cornbread, but I LOVE hot water cornbread.
I also got the all beef hot dog with mustard and onions, $3.99. My game plan for any hot dog place, is to try a hot with minimal amount of toppings. If the hot dog isn't good, no amount of toppings can make up for it. But, the hot dog at Soul Dog is awesome; an all beef hot dog with a ton of snap and bursting with flavor. The spice mixture is right on, and you can taste the quality of the hot dog. The hot was lightly toasted and held up well. Next time I'll try a mac and cheese dog, a hot dog topped with mac and cheese. The hot dog is a bit pricey, but worth it. I would rather pay $3.99 for this quality hot dog, than that crap from Papaya King.
Service is great!! You are greeted when you walk into the restaurant by the owner, at least I believe he is the owner. He is very nice and welcoming. Then you are greeted by the cashier, who was a very nice young lady. In addition to greeting people, the owner brings your food to your table. The food came out quickly and was served hot.
I will be coming back to Otis Jackson's Soul Dog, very soon. I will try one of their signature hot dogs, but I may have to get another helping of their great fried chicken. What a great addition to the North Hollywood restaurant scene!!
