My previously low-key enjoyment of hot dogs blossomed into full-on adoration after a recent lunch at Fat Puppy Fusion food truck in Brunswick.

Fat Puppy Fusion is a vintage-looking food truck that reminds of something you’d buy cotton candy from at a carnival. Chef/owner Rae Hebert did a first-rate job of fixing it up and making it look fabulous, with a funky logo and the outlines of several very good dogs on the top of it. It has a comfortable home in the parking lot of Brooks Feed & Farm Supply, where there’s a small patio with a couple of tables with umbrellas. If I worked at Brooks, I’d want part of my paycheck directly deposited into Fat Puppy’s account.

Hebert first opened Fat Puppy Fusion in October. Six weeks later, she decided to close up shop as the holidays approached, the temperatures were dropping and, of course, the pandemic was still raging like a freight train.

She opened again for the season in April and has been going full-steam ahead ever since.

As I sat at one of those tables a few Fridays ago, there was a constant line of customers picking up lunch, and I understood why, when I sank my teeth into the Chili Bandito and Persian Greyhound, both of which I shared with a friend.

First off, Fat Puppy Fusion makes its own flatbread, so throw any old notions about traditional hot dog buns right out the window. Now I never want to eat a hot dog on anything else. In density and flavor, the Fat Puppy flatbread is among the best I’ve ever had.

The Chili Bandito is a quarter pound, all-beef grilled hot dog with house chili, cheddar, pickled jalapenos, chili-cheese Fritos and sour cream, piled onto the house-made flatbread ($9.50). Your eyes did not deceive you, there are indeed Fritos on this magnificent creation, adding a crunch and extra kick of flavor. In a perhaps ironic twist, the chili is actually vegetarian and entirely tasty, paired with its mortal enemy – beef. I am swooning as I type, just thinking about this dish.

The other half of my meal was the Persian Greyhound ($7.50). It starts with a Shawarma-spiced grilled hot dog or, for an extra $1, grilled chicken – which I opted for – topped with tomato, cucumber, shaved red cabbage and Tahini garlic. In other words, it’s a rock concert of flavor with two drummers and a horn section. Again, swooning.

The other thing that fills my taste buds with the need to jump on I-295 North is the fact that you can get a breakfast sandwich at Fat Puppy Fusion, with scrambled eggs, cheese and the option to add bacon or chili. And yes, it’s served on that legendary flatbread. I’ll find an excuse ASAP to zip up there and try one, believe you me.

Other lunchtime items that caught my eye include The Schnauzer ($7.50), which is a grilled hot dog with Morse’s Sauerkraut, red onion, Red Dragon mustard, cheddar, and Ray’s sweet and spicy mustard. The Ghost Dog ($8) also speaks to me. It’s a fried tofu wrap with Chinese black bean sauce, cucumber-scallion slaw and shaved red cabbage on flatbread. For something more basic, I’m also drawn to the Sit & Stay, which is a grilled hot dog with cheese.

For side orders, Fat Puppy Fusion has cups of veggie chili, mac and cheese, dirty rice with Cajun étouffée, flatbread and chips.

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