4 July 2011
I can’t think of anything more “All-American” than a hot dog (except for maybe a hamburger) so on this glorious Independence Day of 2011, I dedicate the blog to the best “hot dog” in Houston. I put hot dog in quotes because I never really feel right referring to Moontower’s food as hot dogs. When one normally thinks of hot dogs, one imagines some massively processed and chemically enhanced food that probably consists more of tendons, eyeballs and organs than real meat. What Moontower makes is more like a gourmet sausage.
The menu of dogs differ each day but options include elk, rabbit, venison, lamb, duck, pheasant, pork and buffalo. They’ve come up with clever names for their dogs like the Tatonka, Velvet Elkis, Piggie Smalls, Uncle Scrooge, Ghetto Bird and Tali-lamb. The dogs come on a delicious pretzel bun. Honestly, I am not sure why all of the bread we eat isn’t pretzel bread because it is so damn good. There are a long list of toppings and sauces including sambal mayo, house-made relish, cilantro, jalapeno, cheese and various mustards. One can either choose their own or go with the chef’s suggestion which has never steered me wrong before. I haven’t yet tried all of their dogs but what I have had so far has all been excellent with Elk and Buffalo being my favorites.
Moontower also has a great menu of hot sandwiches. The first time I went there, my friend, Jason, got the Morning Wood sandwich which had eggs, cheese and applewood bacon and was decadent and delicious. I just can’t bring myself to stray from the dogs to order a sandwich even though they all sound good!
The other draw to Moontower is the ever-changing but delicious beer selection. After all, their motto is: Damn Good Food, Cold Ass Beer. The first time I visited Moontower I had the coffee porter. When my friend, Nancy, took a sip of my beer she said, “Wow! That is beautiful, I need one of those!” That beer has since led me on a quest to find a coffee porter to rival it and sadly I must report that I have invested much time, money and liver damage without finding anything to come close.
When I have taken friends to try Moontower, ubiquitously they all ask on the drive over, “Where the hell are you taking me?” Moontower is definitely not located in the best neighborhood. It is tucked away in Second Ward, hidden amongst empty overgrown lots, warehouses, and barbed wire. Second Ward was a historically Mexican American neighborhood established around World War II. There is definitely a gentrification going on with modern condos shooting up all over, but there are still a lot of homeless folks wandering the streets and the place has a deserted feeling. I feel like Moontower would fit in best in the Heights, however something about its off the beaten path location makes it that much more special, like a hidden gem. It also allows them to have a big piece of land that they’d never be able to get their hands on in the heights. Food and beer is served out of a small building that is not much more than a shack and the rest of the place is outdoors. There are some covered seats adjacent to the bar and then a bunch of picnic tables in the “backyard.” Dogs are welcome. There is a ping pong table and stakes to play horseshoes. Biking is encouraged with hooks to hang ‘em up in the ceiling of the covered seat section. Tuesday is movie night where they project an interesting mix of movies onto a large screen in the backyard, most recently it was Zombie Night.
Never been disappointed with the food at Moontower even if at times I may have waited close to an hour for it. They claimed some kind of grill malfunction at that time but I am not altogether sure that the boys in the kitchen were not on their pot-smoking break. Its all good, totally part of the atmosphere. I guess my only other complaint is that it isn’t just a bit closer to where I live and easier to get to, somehow I always get lost on the way back home.
Moontower’s Facebook page is the best place to go for more info. They update it regularly with humorous posts and information about upcoming events. Houston Press gave out Web Awards recently and Moontower was voted Best Use of Facebook by a Restaurant.
Moontower is worth the journey to Second Ward for excellent cheap food & beer, chill hangout spot, and great hipster watching.
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