Eat Beat first reported the news of Peter Cho’s arrival in Portland back in May 2014. Cho was the right hand man to April Bloomfield—co-owner of New York’s Michelin-starred The Spotted Pig and The Breslin, and generally considered the originator of the “gastropub” in contemporary American cooking.

While he hunts for the right space for his wood-fired Korean barbecue restaurant, Cho is partnering with Johnny Leach, the short-lived head chef at Clyde Common, and a veteran of two David Chang kitchens: Momofuku Ko and Ma Peche. The concept is called “Stray Dogs,” a hot dog-themed pop-up with ice cream, good whiskey, and cheap beer. “Basically,” says Cho, “all the things we love to eat.”

As of now, it’ll be held at ChefsTable’s Big Trouble bar in Chinatown, first come, first served.

The menu of five diminutive “small-format” dogs in custom Little T Bakery buns includes Mexican chorizo with escabeche, queso fresco, and guacamole, a chili con corn dog with beef chili and beans encased in deep-fried batter, and a seafood number built with shrimp sausage, tartar sauce, and Old-Bay-dusted shoestring fries. Expect ice cream flavors like pretzel and pomegranate lemonade.

The pop-up is a way to get exposure for now, although Cho and Leach both have their own aspirations for fully-fledged restaurants in the near future, respectively. Says Cho: “Stray Dogs is a play on us being wayward, homeless chefs. We want to work with other displaced chefs in the future.”

For now, you can get a taste of their cooking in hot dog form on December 14-16, and December 21-23. They are also taking over the kitchen at Expatriate on New Year’s Eve, December 31, for an Asian-themed hot dog blowout celebration. Stay tuned for more details.

Stray Dogs
329 NW Couch St
Dec 14-16 and 21-23 (Sun-Tues)
6pm - 12am (first come first served) 

Also at Expatriate
5424 NE 30th Ave
Dec 31, 5pm
Tickets available online