Gourmet dogs add mojo to coffee stand

MAT-SU — Where do you go when you’re craving a good hot dog?

Maybe a Mat-Su Miners game? But that’s only a few months of the year. There are concession stand dogs, with the standard mustard and ketchup packets or a quick link at a gas station.

But many hungry patrons are looking for more than the average pump and grub special. There are some looking for something a little different than the standard dog.

And believe it or not, it’s now available at a local coffee stand.

Marcie’s Mojo is brewing up more than caffeine these days, with seven gourmet dogs now on the menu. Coca-Cola caramelized onions, homemade chili and a two-generation-old blue cheese recipe are flavors that can now be found among coffee favorites, such as hazelnut, caramel or peppermint.

It’s an idea fresh from the mind of the namesake of the small coffee stand that sits on the Palmer-Wasilla Highway near the AT&T Sports Center.

“We wanted to offer something that other places don’t,” said Marcie O’Neill, who co-owns the shop with her husband, Patrick. “A little incentive for people to stop here instead of somewhere else.”

Why hot dogs?

“We’re trying to fill a niche,” she said. “We were talking about how we were going to expand, and I said, hot dogs. Everybody likes hot dogs.”

Marcie’s Mojo has the standard dog, with ketchup or mustard for a base price of $4. But it’s the gourmet dogs the O’Neills are excited about. O’Neill created the recipes herself, and all of the toppings are homemade. There are known favorites, such as the “Chicago Dog,” which mimics the Windy City favorite, complete with relish, onions, tomato, mustard, jalapenos, celery salt and a pickle spear.

She has the chili cheese dog with mounds of Marcie’s chili, shredded cheese and chopped onions, and the option to add her homemade mustard cole slaw for another $1.

But there are other twists that aim to trigger the appetite of any gourmet hot dog lover. O’Neill recommends the bacon blue dog, which includes real bacon and her homemade blue cheese sauce. If that’s not enough, she adds dried cranberries for extra zing.

She also notes the Seattle dog, that features Coca-Cola caramelized onions, cream cheese and Sriracha mayo.

“The Seattle dog has been a big hit. The bacon blue and Seattle dogs are the two favorites,” O’Neill said. “The Chicago dog is also popular.”

Among the most adventurous could be the mac and cheese dog. It includes Marcie’s homemade mac and cheese, buttery cracker crumbs and the option of bacon for an extra $1.

“We just tried everything,” she said of creating the menu. “It was a blast.”

Marcie’s Mojo also uses the best vehicle for their hot dog concoctions. A quarter-pound all-beef dog is central to every recipe, and that dog is cradled by a ciabatta bun, baked fresh by the Valley’s own North Star Bakery.

A gourmet dog is $6 and a combo, which includes chips and a drink, is $7.50.

Customers also have the option to build their own dog with about a dozen toppings available to add for either $.50 or $1 extra.

O’Neill said this is the first real food venture for Marcie’s Mojo, which opened nearly three years ago. She has only offered items such as breakfast sandwiches in the past.

“We just got our license in December to serve food. Now we’re considered a drive-thru takeout. Before we were only licensed to do prepackaged stuff,” she said.

O’Neill and her husband were both professionals in other industries before taking their first stab at the coffee business, an idea conceived as they were anticipating the birth of their daughter, Molly.

“I was a produce manager when I got pregnant with her. I was ready to go back, but as it kept eking closer and closer, and I decided I couldn’t go back,” she said. “Managers work 10-hour days, all the time.”

The O’Neills saw the coffee stand listed on Craigslist.

Since they opened the shop nearly three years ago, Molly has been there every day since she was 8 weeks old.

O’Neill said she’s excited for the future of their family business. They have only been selling hot dogs for about two months, but are excited about the potential.

“So far, so good. December was a good month, but January has been slow because everyone’s on diets. It’s bad for coffee, bad for food. This is our third winter open. We’ve found come Feb. 1 or 2, everybody will be abandoning their diets and back to ordering,” Marcie said with a smile.

O’Neill said the stand’s proximity to the AT&T Sports Center is good, especially when the busy facility is hosting large sporting events. She said she hopes her stand offers visitors to that facility a quick option for food or beverage.

Overall, O’Neill said they hope they can continue to bring something different to the Valley.

“There’s nowhere in the Valley to get something like this, so that’s kind of special,” O’Neill said.

Marcie’s Mojo is located on the Palmer-Wasilla Highway in the parking lot of Valley Winery, right next to the AT&T Sports Center. Hot dogs are available Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

For more, find Marcie’s Mojo on Facebook.