Mark Soyka and Frankie Crupi (owners of Soyka and Andiamo) have decided to reinvent Upper East roadside dog stand, Dogma. They recently purchased the business and have plans to "bring back the original Americana, old school, neighborhood 'joint' feel and food." Dogma has been through several management shifts since opening in 2003, but with construction issues on Biscayne making a quick drive-by difficult, business has apparently been suffering. The new owners are hoping to create more of a "destination," with menu upgrades and the addition of Brooklyn Brewery beers to the offerings. Alcohol always helps the bottom line.
The menu will greatly expand upon the previous focus of hot dogs in every imaginable incarnation, which included toppings like "spicy salsa cream," pineapple, and olives. Now there will be a return to "the classics," chili dogs will remain, but additions run the gamut from cheesesteaks (my vote for the best in town happens to be a little known specialty at the pizza-centric Andiamo, Frankie is from Philly!) to oyster po' boys. Childhood nostalgia gets fed with Cracker Jacks, Yoo-Hoo and old fashioned sodas.
Official launch of the menu is on June 1, until then, they are open for
business with a variation on the old line-up. Sadly, the chili cheese
fries (a personal favorite) have already suffered. The dense diner style
chili has been replaced with a looser version, with large chunks of
tomato and beans; way more beans than beef unfortunately. And, they are literally half the portion size that they used to be. Here's hoping
that all the kinks get ironed out and Dogma becomes the neighborhood
pit-stop for classics, as opposed to another restaurant that just didn't
make it in Miami.
So what happens to Soyka? The Graspa Group is taking over day-to-day
operations of the restaurant. With a wide range of spots under
management (MaiTardi, Segafredo, Spris, Van Dyke Cafe, Tiramisu) they
are well prepared to infuse new life into old digs. They are currently
testing out a new chef and developing an entirely new menu. There will
still be a touch of Asian-fusion to the food, but the plan is to concentrate on what they do well; revisions will incorporate more European based flavors. No word yet on when the new menu will debut, but we will let you know when we do.
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