Chili Cheesey Bacon Dog Chimichanga, Because This is America

What do you get when you deep fry a bacon chili cheese dog? A Chili Cheesey Bacon Dog Chimichanga.

Sounds ridiculous, but when you hear the story about its conception, it’ll make complete sense. It all traces back to the Old Towne Diner, a cute establishment in the heart of Orange, CA, run by a friend of mine we call Matt’murrica. Being friends with upstart restaurateurs is always fun for several reasons: they want you to be the guinea pig on all their haphazard kitchen ideas, and they’re always stocked with fun and miserable tales of customer service throughout the day.

The tale of the Chili Cheesey Bacon Dog Chimichanga begins with one of Old Towne Diner‘s most loyal customers, a jolly man by the name of Tommy. Apparently, Tommy comes in every day to eat something different on the menu and traditionally has an over-the-top menu addition idea that almost always gets shut down.

Tommy: “How about you take your deep fried pickles and pin them to the brownies with a toothpick?”

Matt: “No Tommy.”

Tommy: “How about M&Ms in the breakfast burritos?”

Matt: “No Tommy, that’s just wrong.”

And that’s usually how the exchanges went, until late last week when Tommy asked Matt his most poignant question ever, “Could deep fry a chili cheese dog?”

While Matt’s instinct was to quickly shoot down any idea that comes out of Tommy’s mouth, he couldn’t shake the practicality of his customer’s most recent request. A deep fried chili cheese dog. It had to be done, and sure enough, a week later, it was on the menu.

Chili, cheese, bacon, hot dog, wrapped in a tortilla, deep fried as a chimichanga, and topped with more cheese — the Chili Cheesey Bacon Dog Chimichanga was born. To Tommy’s surprise, the next time he walked into the Diner, his idea was available as part of a combo for $7.99, drink and fries included.

Here are the fruits of Tommy’s labor:

This particular chimichanga is definitely not for the weak of heart. Hell, chili cheese bacon dogs by their lonesome are terrible teases to even the most healthy of hearts, but when you wrap it in a tortilla, deep fry it, and lather on more cheese, you’re just asking for trouble — my left arm definitely felt heavy after trying it out.

We’re hearing the item is going to be featured for a few weeks, so if you want to try your look, here’s the information for anyone in the area. Also, ask for the sour cream or chipotle ranch sauce for the best experience:

Old Towne Diner

152 North Glassell
Orange, CA 92866
714.532.9600

Photography by PhilGorgeous