Dog Daze
 Canton, Ohio        Date of Visit  09/14/12       No Known Website

Knowing we were going to be in Canton around lunch I remembered a place I had been to a couple of times when it was a more regular stomping ground. Dirizzmo’s. An Italian deli. Unique in that you could have any of your sandwiches Dirizzmo-ized which meant it would be packed with their own giardiniera mix. I remember the sandwiches being big, tasty and greatly enhanced by the giardiniera. So I spelled them into the navigation on the phone and drove down Fulton to find that they are no more. Bummer. The building is not empty, however, it now houses Dog Daze. Hey, were already here, and in we go.
 

A Regular Turn Over Shuffled Into the Bright Interior
 

The same structure with a warmer Sonoranesqe paint on the walls we were met by a guy I’m assuming is the owner and a few other pot bellied guys cycling in and out for their lunches. The same dude waited on us and really has a knack to be personable, efficient and welcoming. He did an amazing job all the way around from the basics to the tiny details that are so often overlooked. Nice to see in a hot dog joint. We really spread our order out with mac and cheese, pierogies, chili cheese fries and three dogs, the Cinnci, the Italian and the Italian sausage.

The four “hand-made” pierogies arrived first, stuffed with potato and cheddar, sautéed in butter and onions and served with sour cream. The pasta pillow was so full of more starch and cheese that any attempt to cleave them with a fork resulted in an epic blow out. The onions had been browned to the point of serious sweetness which added a nice touch to the buttery potato and pasta. The pierogies were better than I expected.
 

The mac and cheese was standard and plain. It tasted like cheese which was an improvement over several previous versions and was comprised of a mix of different pastas. You wouldn’t make a trip just for the stuff but it worked. The fries were thinner than those we had at Retro Dog but somehow had the same odd chewy texture and decent flavor as the thicker sticks from Retro. The chili that topped the fries was a small grind all meat version that passed but did nothing to excel. They seem pretty proud of their chili like most places that make their own but to my taste it is pretty run-of-the-mill.

Dog Daze has a fair variety of dogs from which to choose. There is nothing wacky or unheard of on the menu but the standards are all covered with a couple of twists. The sausage itself has a more garlicky touch than most dogs but is pretty familiar otherwise. 
 

The Cincinnati Dog comes with chili, cheese, mustard and onion. The chili fares a little better on the dog than it did on the fries but there isn’t much of it (or mustard and onion for that matter) and there was little consequence perceived in the eating. At least the menu doesn't proclaim "Famous" or "Award Winning" chili which most menus seem to do anymore, most often without payoff.
 

Standard Italian Sausage
 

The Italian sausage was a pretty mild version with sautéed onions, green peppers and mustard. Mild sausage, less than detectable mustard, again okay but not extraordinary. Probably just a notch below the sandwiches you get off a trailer at a fair or roadside stand.
 

The Italian dog was the best of the trio with Capicola, Salami and provolone with lettuce, tomato and Italian dressing. The combo of Italian sub and dog made for a tasty bite.

Dog Daze is a comfy and friendly place to catch a solid and quick lunch. There are plenty of other dogs to choose from and some other options as well. A nice addition to the Canton scene, even if it means no more Dirizzmos.