Two NY Chefs Bringing Mini Dogs to Portland's Pop-up Scene

Peter Cho and Johnny Leach know that sometimes just one wiener won't do. You want to experience a selection. So the former New York chefs are hosting the first in a series of "small-format hot dog" popups at Big Trouble bar (formerly called Easy Company) in Chinatown this weekend.

The Oregonian and Portland Monthly got the details on Cho and Leach's "Stray Dogs" venture, which is a play on both the food and the fact that they're chefs currently without their own place. Both are native Oregonians looking to open their own restaurant in Portland.

Cho, who worked with April Bloomfield at the award-winning gastropubs the Spotted Pig and The Breslin, is hunting for the perfect place to launch his Korean BBQ joint. Leach, meanwhile, spent time in David Chang's Momofuku Ko and Má Pêche restaurants before his short stint as the head chef at Clyde Common last fall.

But for Stray Dogs, they're playing around with a completely different concept. The diminutive dogs, around 4-inches long, will be nestled in custom buns from Little T Baker. Options include Mexican chorizo with escabeche; Korean-style pork galbi with white kimchi; shrimp sausage with tartar sauce; and a "chile con corn dog," wherein a hotdog and beef chili are both encased batter and deep-fried.

They will also be serving top-shelf whiskey, low-brow beer, and a selection of inventive ice creams from Little Bird pastry chef Helen Jo, who is also a Momofuku alum. Expect flavors like pomegranate lemonade, buttered popcorn, and pretzel.

The popup at Big Trouble is first-come, first-served this Sunday through Tuesday, 6 p.m. to 12 a.m., December 14-16, and December 21-23. On New Years Eve, they're hosting an Asian-themed version at Expatriate. Tickets for that event are available here.