This Ponce City Market hot dog is worth celebrating

Each season brings its own foods to the forefront. In Georgia, you know it’s spring when wild ramps start to appear on menus. In winter, we tend to favor heavier dishes and hearty root vegetables, like beef bourguignon and roasted beets. Fall is the traditional harvest season, so there’s late-ripening produce, like acorn squash and pumpkins. And, while summer has its fair share of amazing offerings, like sweet corn and heirloom tomatoes, the undisputed king of the season is the hot dog.

July is National Hot Dog Month, and hot dogs are everywhere, whether you're at the ballpark or a cookout. But, if you want to celebrate with a true hot dog indulgence, you might want to visit Drafts + Dogs at Ponce City Market. The specialty hot dog stand in Midtown's mega-food hall serves a dog called I'm So Fancy, topped with lobster, truffle butter and caviar, for $20.

For what you get, $20 turns out to be a very reasonable price. The hot dog itself is solid — a salty, flavorful all-beef frankfurter. The lobster is good, too, with a generous portion of large chunks topping the frank. The truffle butter soaks right into a pillowy-soft bun, so you get a bit of that richness in every bite. Your only quibble might be with the caviar, which was a different type of roe than usual — likely smelt or flying fish. Still, the fish eggs added a nice touch of salinity. Plus, $20 might be a lot for a hot dog, but it’s not much for caviar — you can’t expect ossetra.