Chicago Style Lobster Dog

Helen Rosner of Menu Pages challenged the Chicago culinary community to come up with a unique version of the Chicago style hot dog. This isn’t on the menu (yet), but I have to say I found it very tasty and it resembled the Chicago ‘salad dog’ visually and in texture.
One of the comments in her post suggested only Alinea or Moto could do something with this worthy of the guest’s appreciation. Surley there would be some cynnical and humorless bastards that wouldn’t appreciate it, but I took the comments as fuel to prove that reader wrong.
I’m not trying to rival the incomporable Hot Doug’s. And you won’t automatically get bitched out if you order it at Lockwood like you do at the Weiner Circle  Check out this hilarious, 7 minute video on You Tube if you don”t know about the Weiner Circle.
Regarding the menu though,  it took me forever to work up the balls to put my buffalo-ed wings on the menu and that has been to huge fanfare. So stay tuned… this dog may also see it’s day (pun intended).

These are the components:
Diced lobster folded into a scallop mousse, seasoned with smoked paprika, cayenne and tarragon; rolled it in plastic wrap the size of a hot dog, then slow poached it at 140 degrees. It is then removed it from the plastic and grilled.
Not wanting to use mustard, instead I made a saffron-ginger beurre blanc to give it a similarly bright yellow color.
The rest is pretty basic – peeled pear tomatoes instead of the tomato wedges.
Brunoise of sweated leeks instead of onions
Green pepper curls
Potato bun – I f’d up and forgot the poppy seed!
I’m happy that ketchup as it turns out is considered sacreligious on a hot dog as I didn’t know how I would pair/mimic it with lobster!