Celebrate The Start Of Baseball With Franks & Friars | Rare Form's Gourmet Hot Dogs Debut Just In Time For Opening Day

March 26, 2015

Hot Diggity Dog! Baseball season in San Diego officially kicks off on April 9 at Petco Park with the Padres gearing up against the San Francisco Giants for the home opener, and nothing screams a day at the ballpark like a good ol’ fashioned frank! It's a love affair that has spanned generations, and this year, with the new addition of Rare Form, CH Projects’ neighborhood delicatessen located alongside Petco’s Park at the Park, fans can say goodbye to mystery meat and get their gourmet fix of this cherished, pre game staple. Executive Chef Aldo Negrete’s creative lineup of housemade 'haute’ dogs is set to debut at Rare Form this Friday, March 27, and playfully pays tribute to famous ballparks across the USA, while staying true to Rare Form's everything-made-in-house credo with handcrafted hot dog buns and condiments.

Executive Chef and butchery mastermind, Aldo Negrete, hits a homerun using a traditional pork-and-beef formula to lend a smoky, rich dimension to the flavor profile. Rare Form's eight-count selection (which will debut in February) will include options like the ‘Haole’ dog, which promises a taste of the islands with sweet roasted pineapple, crispy bacon and charred Jalapeño toppings, to ‘The Murph’, a riff on the classic bacon hugged TJ-style hot dog with yellow mustard, mayo, fresh tomatoes, onions and spicy jalapeño. The full hot dog menu includes the following:
  • Abe Froman - mustard, sport peppers, dill pickle, chopped onions, sliced tomato, atomic relish, celery salt (yes, it’s authentic) 
  • The Murph - bacon hugged hot dog, charred onions and jalapenos, tomato, mayo & mustard, 
  • Haole - crispy bacon, roasted pineapple and charred jalapeño chile
  • Cheezy-e - housemade chili, chopped onions, mustard & fluffy cheese
  • The Sultan of Swat - pastrami, sauerkraut and mustard 
  • One To Go! - plain bun and dog with packets
  • Rooky dog - corn dog and mustard 
  • Kid 9 - mustard and kraut 
Like the rest of Rare Form’s menu, all of the hot dogs are created for easy, on-the-go transportation or can be enjoyed while playing bocce ball on Rare Form’s new indoor court! Hankering for a tiki-style cocktail while getting a birds-eye view of the game, head upstairs to Fairweather’s rooftop, patio with hotdog in hand.

Fans can also look forward to a handful of Chef Aldo’s future creations including the seafood-based “Lobster Dog”, complete with lemon wedges and salty butter, a twist on the “Sonoran Dog” with a Poutine-style toppings featuring cheese curds and gravy, in addition to a Foie Gras version.

Influenced by cultures famed for iconic delicatessen traditions – Jewish, German, Italian and French – Rare Form transports customers into the world of a modern-day European deli inside its 3,500 square-foot space. Executive Chef Aldo Negrete (formerly of Whisknladle, Saltbox-Hotel Palomar, Quality Social) turns out daily classic butcher shop specials including pâtés, terrines and pork rillettes; sandwiches with house-cured pastrami, linguiça, smoked ham, chicken schnitzel, and house-cured lox; along with soups such as matzo ball, cream of tomato and lentil & smoked ham hock. 

Front man, co-owner Anthony Schmidt, has crafted a concise cocktail menu that revolves around cordials, eau de vie and fruit brandies. Alongside nine featured schnapps cocktails, Rare Form also offers 12 draft beers, a selection of wines and three different boilermakers – an old-school classic which pairs a shot of schnapps alongside a draft beer chaser. 

Located at 793 J Street, Rare Form is open daily from 11:30am to 12am, and 11:30am to 2am on Friday and Saturday. Visit godblessrareform.com, or call 619.255.6507 for more information.