It is rare to find a place that has so simple and common of a concept, puts their own welcome and delicious twist on it, and executes it to a degree that satisfies and amazes to the level that Two Hands has done with the humble and typically disgusting corn dog.
My wife turned me onto this place after seeing it advertised on (I believe) Facebook. Knowing my penchant for food outside the realm of typical fare, she knew I'd jump at the chance for the Korean take on battered and fried hot dogs. Looking at the selection on their menu, I already knew I'd want to come here a few times just to try out everything they had to offer. And after showing the options to my kids, even my oldest who has never eaten a corn dog he liked was excited about getting something from here.
For my first offering, I tried the Beef Sausage Injeolmi Dog. Dipped in sugary bean powder and fried, before being drizzled in their Two Hands sauce, it's a mix of salty and sweet that's as perfect of a combination as chocolate covered bacon, chicken and waffles, or peanut butter and jelly on a hamburger. The breading was uniform and well fried, the texture lightly crunchy but with a good chew to it, and it stuck to that sausage without coming off in strips or chunks like you'd expect from a standard Street Fair corn dog. Seriously, it's a brilliant mix of flavors that really blends well in terms of both taste and texture. An outstanding dinner.
My wife had both the Beef Sausage Two Hands Dog and Beef Sausage Potato Dog. She did not enjoy the sweet on either as much as I did, her midwestern palette accustomed to mostly only salt as her seasoning and having her steak and potatoes strictly separated on her plate. Regardless, the Potato Dog was beautiful to look at, with the cubes crusted well onto the sausage and having that added starch to the chew and taste. I assume it's the Two Hands version of a Korean Kogo, and its certainly on my radar as one of the next ones to try.
Our son had a Whole Mozzarella Spicy Dog, a log of soft cheese wrapped in corn batter and Hot Cheetos powder before being fried and drizzled in spicy sauce. Again, this is a boy who does not like corn dogs; and yet he was the first to sit down and dive into his dinner when we were opening boxes. The heat from the Cheetos was perfect for him, he liked the light sweetness in the batter, and eating melted cheese is always a hit with him.
Our three year old daughter had a Half Sausage and Half Mozzarella Classic Dog. Cutting it up in thick slices, she seemed to shy away from the hot dog itself, but ate quite a bit of the cheese and sweet breading.
And my stepson, who likes his spice, had the Spicy Beef Sausage Spicy Dog. He loved it and ate it down pretty quickly, though he admitted that the level of heat was close to his limit of enjoyment.
For the table, we also had a couple servings of their Dirty Fries, which consists of some perfectly crisped up Tater Tots, sprinkled with a healthy dose of Hot Cheetos dust, and then drizzled with their Dirty Sauce (which is basically like their version of the In and Out 1,000 Island sauce). Gorgeously cooked, crispy even though they spent some time coming home in the car, and sharing that salty and lightly sweet flavors as the rest of our food, they were delicious.
I just hope that the keep the same, high level of frying as time goes on. So many greasy restaurants fail to change the oil in their fryers as time goes by, and you can eventually taste both the stale of time, as well as all the other ingredients that have been cooked into it over the previous months.
In the end, I have to say again, that Two Hands is pretty outstanding. Terrific flavors, fantastic presentation, and just an overall great idea executed very well. The only qualms I can think of is that their overhead lighting doesn't do the food justice (something the man behind the counter agreed with and were already thinking of fixing on their own) and that the food would probably be even better when eaten fresh instead of waiting to take it home.
If you enjoy the taste of honey roasted peanuts, chocolate covered pretzels, or applewood smoked bacon, then something sweet and salty is right up your alley and trying out their menu should easily please you. Plus, the cost is VERY reasonable for the amount of food you can walk away with. I know I'm coming back soon; a vegan sausage fried in crispy rice puffs sounds like it can be pretty bitchin'! read more