The Hell Is Real rivalry between the Columbus Crew and FC Cincinnati heats up with every match, but it'll never get as hot as a new dog on the menu at Dirty Frank's Hot Dog Palace .
The hot-dog restaurant, with locations including a spot inside the Crew's home field, has created a Hell Is Real dog in time for Saturday's next match between the two teams. Columbus hosts Cincinnati at 7:45 p.m. at Lower.com Field.
And this hot dog is hella hot.
The all-beef dog (or soy-free veggie dog) is topped with coney sauce and cheddar cheese, but then gets a healthy dose of heat on heat on heat. It's also topped with Sriracha cream cheese, hot sauce and, for a little crunch and a lot more spice, Flamin' Hot Cheetos.
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"It's a little spicy, but it definitely is good," said Dirty Frank's manager Brian Gates.
The Hell Is Real dog is available at the Downtown restaurant, 248 S. 4th St., through next week. It also is to be sold at Lower.com Field on Saturday.
The Crew have an all-time record of seven wins, two losses and four draws against Cincinnati, which joined Major League Soccer in 2019. One of those Columbus wins was in last season's Eastern Conference Final on the team's way to the third MLS Cup.
More: MLS 'Hell is Real' and the long history of Columbus besting Cincinnati
One Crew fan on Instagram suggested a salty post-match addition to the Hell Is Real dog. "I am assuming next week will feature a dog with the tears of FCC fans?" he wrote. Gates said the comment did give Dirty Frank's staff an idea for a special cocktail, "but we didn't want to put down an entire city."
If you miss the Hell Is Real special, Dirty Frank's has other spicy dogs on its menu. The Dog From Hell is topped with spicy giardiniera, red-pepper flakes and cream cheese. The Fire on the Rhine gets its heat from a spicy Sriracha and chili-paste sauerkraut, and the Frank en Fuego comes with cheese sauce, jalapenos and Takis Fuego rolled tortilla chips.
You can also create your own special hell. Choose-your-own toppings include Sriracha mustard, Sriracha cream cheese, Sriracha slaw, straight-up Sriracha, jalapenos, Chicago-style sport peppers, fire kraut, Takis Fuego and spicy giardiniera.
Instagram: @dispatchdining
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Hell Is Real hot dog adds heat to Columbus Crew-FC Cincinnati rivalry
