Screenwriter Don Scott grew up loving hot dogs and his parents owned soul food restaurants in Cleveland. He blended these childhood memories into his very own restaurant — Otis Jackson’s Soul Dog. These aren’t your  boring ballpark dogs. These are premium hot dogs topped with soul food, baby!

From the Big Screen to the Restaurant World

Don has written successful movies including “Barbershop” and “Barbershop 2″ and his wife Rasheedah worked in Social Work and later went to culinary school. Don says he has always been a “foodie snob” and it was just a matter of time before he owned his own restaurant. Otis Jackson’s Soul Dog opened in North Hollywood in April.

‘No Mystery in our Meat’

“We are very different than traditional hot dog places,” Don tells us. Soul Dog doesn’t use commercial hot dogs. The dogs are specially made with all beef, contain no gluten, antibiotics, nitrates, preservatives, or artificial colors. “There’s no mystery in our meat,” Don adds. The dogs are delivered two times a week and since there are no preservatives, they only last a week. Don says he wouldn’t think twice about freezing his meat and sacrificing flavor. Don and Rasheedah call their food “conscious comfort food.”

Top it Off

At Soul Dog, you can get a plain dog in a bun, but you could also spice it up and get custom toppings on your wiener. The custom toppings include fried okra, sweet potato puree, collard green and cucumber relish, chow-kraut (sauerkraut with peppers, onions and cabbage), bacon crumbles, and of course chili. There are also the basic toppings like onions and hot peppers. If you are in the mood to get funky, there are Neo Soul Dogs like the Original Soul Dog (collard green and cucumber relish, sweet potato puree and bacon crumbles), the Mac Daddy Dog (mac & cheese, fried onions and diced bell peppers) — that’s mac & cheese on a hot dog, people. Genius. The Original Soul Dog and Mac Daddy Dog are the top-sellers followed by the fried chicken. Don uses his mom’s homemade fried chicken recipe and the woman knows her stuff. Don’s mom hails from Vicksburg, MS where they don’t mess around with fried chicken. “It’s the real deal,” he says.

There are also vegetarian items on the menu. “I went out of my way to find a veggie sausage that actually tastes like meat,” Don explains. He says he’s a “texture kind of guy.” They offer a Veggie Apple Sage Sausage and a Veggie Spicy Chipotle Sausage.

Who is Otis Jackson you ask? We were curious too. Don didn’t think his name sounded right and friend of a his family’s name had a better ring to it. And so Otis Jackson’s Soul Dog was born.

Where?
Otis Jackson’s Soul Dog
5166 Lankershim Blvd.
North Hollywood, CA 91601

Additional Information
http://twitter.com/#!/eatsouldog

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