Hot dog vendors are the original New York pop up shops. From the steps of the Museum of Natural History to the corner of Times Square, they’re a beacon for hungry New Yorkers on the move. Ketchup, mustard, relish, sauerkraut, a double serving of napkins and we’re gone down the street scarfing and wolfing that dog down. Word has it the Manhattan tradition started when Harry Stevens switched from selling soda to sausages around the Polo Grounds. They were called “dachshunds,” but sports journalist Tad Dorgan couldn’t spell tricky German words so he wrote “hot dog.” Hot damn!: Talk about a workaround.

Leave it to a journalist to change history, and leave it to New Yorkers to embellish on a simple meat treat. The most recent incarnation is the Asia Dog pop up that’s appeared at the Brooklyn Flea, Trophy Bar, Summer Stage as well as at Openhouse for the Umbro + Cosmos pop up in February. This summer, they’ll be back at the flea, stage and Terminal 5 – three perfect spots where there’s no time to sit down, no desire to stop dancing and no elbow room for proper table manners. Perfect for tasty Asian-inspired dachshunds.

Now, though, Asia Dog has tables. Two of ‘em in a storefront on Kenmare. #66, south side of the street between Mott and Mulberry. South side of the street between Mott and Mulberry. Do you want me to draw a map? … well I would, but I can’t ‘cause Google has the wrong address for 66 Kenmare. While Larry Page brings Eric Schmidt back to fix the problem, Asia Dog is gonna keep bringing beef, chicken and veggie dogs topped with whatever you need from the Far East:

BBQ pork belly, cucumber, kimchi, kimchi apples, pork pate, scallions, sesame slaw, Thai mango relish. Plus some Western Hemisphere classics like crushed potato chips, jalapeno mustard, and sweet and spicy ketchup.

Steve from Asia Dog says he’s happy to have a store without wheels. More room for catering and event promotion and less hassle than applying for a food truck permit. “If you’re going to pay money for prep, you might as well go for a store,” he says. Plus they now have a deep frier for corn dogs. (As well as a very cool iPad 2 embedded in the counter to take orders.)

Check out Asia Dog’s menu. Their hours are 11 am-11 pm Monday through Wednesday, 11 am-midnight Thursday through Saturday and noon-11 pm on Sundays. Their phone number is 212.226.8861, and the Mel+Steve dog with Asian sesame slaw, scallions and sesame seeds is fantastic.

Be sure to:
1) Join Asia Dog on Facebook and Twitter.
2) Get after Openhouse on Facebook and Twitter, too.

Photo information:
1) Allison Borrow (left) and Marian Cheng enjoy some Asia Dog for lunch at Asia Dog’s Kenmare location.
2) Ginny Hwang of Asia Dog prepares a Mel+Steve, named after Asia Dog’s owners.
3) A close-up of Asia Dog’s Mel+Steve topped with scallions and Asian sesame slaw.
4) Frankie Hutchinson of Asia Dog stands next to her pretty awesome iPad 2 point-of-sale set up.