Alameda’s Left Field Dogs knocking classic fave out of the ballpark

Baseball and hot dogs go together about as well as a ball and glove. Seemingly meant for each other, usually the hot dog involved in this pairing is a pretty pedestrian affair, except on Alameda’s West End.

For the past eight months, residents of the Island city have feasted on more substantial hot dogs, all with a baseball theme, at Left Field Dogs on Webster Street.

“Alameda’s known for its baseball culture,” says the hot doggery’s co-owner, Abraham Kinfu, 38. “We wanted to pay homage to our baseball athletes.”

Describing himself and partner John Ngu, also 38, as baseball fans, Kinfu, who holds an MBA from St. Mary’s College in Moraga, says the pair, who first met while attending Alameda’s Encinal High School, wanted to incorporate baseball culture, love for their hometown and hot dogs into the venture. To that end, most of the menu’s hot dogs are named after players with an Alameda or East Bay connection.

Hot dog establishments that heavily influenced the pair include the former outpost of the Southern California chain Wienerschnitzel — one of just a handful in the Bay Area — that was on Park Street downtown for many years, as well as the long-gone Doggie Diner chain. Perhaps the greatest influence came from the legendary Berkeley-based microchain Top Dog.

“Top Dog was one of my favorites,” says Kinfu.

To that end, just like Top Dog, Left Field Dogs grills their dogs as opposed to steaming and has the French rolls many are served on specially made. Left Field Dogs tapped Alameda’s Crispian Bakery for the job of making a roll just for them that’s a tad smaller than the sausages so they’d stick out on either end — it’s a Top Dog thing.

Left Field Dogs also sources their sausages from local processors Sonoma County Meats in Sebastapol and Oakland’s Golden Gate Meats. The idea here is that the local dogs will be fresher.

No tribute to Alameda’s heavy hitters would be complete without a tip of the cap to Willie Stargell, the most recognizable baseball star born and bred on the Island. The former Pittsburgh Pirate and Encinal High grad, who also has an Alameda street named after him on the West End, is honored with a straightforward classic all-beef dog with pickles, onions, ketchup, mustard and mayo on a potato bun.

Fellow Encinal alum and southpaw fireballer Dontrelle Willis gets the all-beef treatment too plus chili, nacho cheese, jalapeños and onions, also trotted out on a potato roll. A couple of the dogs feature condiments that reference cities where the players competed, such as the Jimmy “J-Roll” Rollins, named for yet another Encinal High Jet who starred as a shortstop for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Naturally, his namesake dog consists of a beer brat, chopped up ribeye steak, grilled onions, bell peppers, cheddar cheese, garlic aioli sauce and mozzarella on the Crispian Bakery roll. Sound a bit like a Phillie cheesesteak? That’s not a coincidence. Ngu would eventually like to expand the Left Field Dogs concept to other cities featuring their local baseball stars.

As one might expect, Left Field Dogs are a far cry in price from Costco’s $1.50 “loss leader” hot dog and soda. Left Field’s dogs range from $11 to $14, and other items like truffle fries ($9) can also come across as a bit spendy.

For Ngu, who also co-owns the Cookiebar ice cream shop next-door and the popular Neptune restaurant a few blocks from the the dog house in the former Foster Freeze, the higher prices simply reflect the market.

“It’s the same thing with the ice cream shop. It’s definitely more than your traditional scoop shop. That’s the beauty behind this market place. There’s something for everybody at the end of the day.”

Kinfu sees the higher prices as being in line with the experience provided. He describes polishing off a Left Field Dog dog and a side of chili cheese fries ($11) or tater tots ($6) as a “knife-and-fork” experience. “It’s not a traditional hot dog where you take a few bites and you’re done. This is a filling dog. Once you finish you’re full. And with a side of fries, you’re getting a good meal for that day.” And he’s serious about the knife-and-fork approach. “I’ve seen a lot of customers do that.”

One loyal Left Field Dogs customer who can attest to the filling quality of the shop’s offerings is Alamedan Serge Wilson. Also a Top Dog aficionado, Wilson says that when he goes to the cheaper Berkeley establishment his typical order is two dogs, a hot link and a bockwurst. “That’s what I need to be satisfied.” But when he heads to Left Field Dogs, he wouldn’t dare go for a double. “You cannot eat two of these dogs.”

Left Field Dogs is at 1606 Webster Street in Alameda. For more information, visit leftfielddogs.com.

Paul Kilduff is a San Francisco-based writer who also draws cartoons. He can be reached at [email protected].