Der Wurst Hot Dogs
You get a few select people in your life who will change you for the better. I was young, angry, and full of fire when I met Chef Nicholas Hyche at an upscale Chandler Hotel where I washed dishes. We became friends over good food, metal, and being locked in a tin-can kitchen together every week. Chef Nick is not conventional, and he is like no other chef I met in my career after our time at the hotel. He was fearless but earnest in all pursuits, and his character is one of the best I’ve ever met. He became a mentor, and gave me a chance to be team culinary. I gained the knowledge to work and support myself while gaining the skills to build a career which eventually saw me as executive chef of a Top 50 golf course here in Arizona. I learned, then carried his work ethic, calm discipline, and open door into my own kitchen leadership positions. Time and circumstance saw us go separate ways for a time until I learned of his new venture, Der Wurst Hot Dogs!
Chef Nicholas Hyche | Photo by RJ Iovino
Let me ask you? Do you like to linger? Well you could do it longer at a lounge worth knowing about while you enjoy some of the best food in Phoenix. Der Wurst Hot Dogs located inside the Linger Longer Lounge at 6522 N. 16st in Midtown Phoenix should absolutely be on your summertime to-do list. A true appreciation rests in my heart for a low-lit bar with high booths, jukebox, and a pool table. I fell hard for this local dive because it might have the best kitchen that you could support local business by trying. It wasn’t always glamorous with a full bar, @der_wurst_hot_dogs comes from humble beginnings as a local food cart two years prior, with the Chef vending it himself. Eventually the Linger Longer Lounge was formed by 3 partners, with whom Chef Nick was invited to join with his award winning recipes to their kitchen as a partner in September 2020. Opening mid-pandemic saw its challenges, but with effort as well as the symbiosis of the Linger Longer Lounge; everyday is getting better and with summer upon us, I saw why.
Der Wurst Hot Dogs | Photo by Nadya Sanchez
The lounge is cool and the food is amazing, with a menu loaded for any palette while also accommodating vegan or vegetarian options. The menu might make you blush with a plethora of wieners, sausages, and innuendos. These wieners are guaranteed because they are the highest quality sourced locally from Schreiner’s in Phoenix. The locally sourced ingredients extend to the rest of the menu including local bakery pretzel-buns, along with everything else being house-made. The fan favorites like the Dirty Sanchez or Goomah will turn you onto their quality. Other menu endeavors are strictly for pleasure, like the munchie cure I had called the BDSM which featured Bacon, Doritos (flaming hot), Sausage (Linguisa), and Mayo (Sriracha). The conception of the BDSM dog happened when Chef Nick worked a local Hip-Hop event and had to cater to the tastes of the cannabis crowd.
Der Wurst Hot Dogs | Photo by Nadya Sanchez
Chef has always been the most on-point individual I’ve ever met and didn’t medicate when we had met. Having grown up around Metal shows, he had no qualms with me using cannabis. Age and a need for a good night’s sleep led to him eventually starting to microdose for better sleep when recreational cannabis passed. His good-nature and warmth extends through his food, and his social views have seen him participate in water drives, or fundraising for social change. Knowing I can support a local business will always entice me, but to support such quality food with good folks like the Chef leading the way, is truly a privilege. The venue also has DJ’s spinning or, a very unconventional trivia worth your time and a drink! I know I’ll be spending some time here for my 4th of July, and I would encourage all the #cactusfoodies to stop in!
Der Wurst Hot Dogs | Photo by Nadya Sanchez
CONTACT: @der_wurst_hot_dogs
Der Wurst Hot Dogs | Photos by Nadya Sanchez
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Adrian Ryan was born in New Mexico and attended school since elementary in Arizona, his time growing up split between the two states. He hopes to work towards recreational cannabis, enjoys reading, writing, film, music, and also writing music.