Yesterday we sought out some hot dogs. I snooped around online and found many differing opinions about which dog place was the best. After much deliberation, I decided that we should try Hot Doug's. (There is a dog place much closer to Hyde Park called Jimmie's Red Hots. They have a hot dog that has a tamale inside of it, and is covered with chili. Anthony Bourdain ate there on his show once.)
So we go off to Hot Doug's. It's about 20 minutes away in a neighborhood called Avondale. We knew it was cash only (a hallmark of delicious dining spots!), so we looked for a Chase Bank on the way there. Of course, minding the traffic on I-90, we didn't see a bank. We parked near Hot Doug's, made sure they didn't have an ATM, then went looking for a bank on foot. Boring story short, we made it back to Hot Doug's about 45 minutes later, hungry as ever. There was a line out the door (this was at 2pm, mind you), and the line continued the entire time we were there.
Some pictures:
(That's the line coming out of the store.)
My analysis of Hot Doug's? Pretty good. I did make one fateful mistake though: when ordering, I was told I had the option of a grilled or a steamed dog. I know that steamed is the way a Chicago dog was supposed to be, but I also know that grilled dogs taste better. So I got them grilled. But it was a mistake! Randi's theory is that the grilled dog adds too much flavor to an already existing flavor-overload. She may be right. Hot Doug's is good, but stick with the steamed option if you ever go there.
I'm assuming there's a wienie somewhere under all that harvest. Did you each eat two? I saw that episode of Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations. Wonder if he had to wait in line.
ReplyDelete*this* is where matt b. and i went with bougie and julie (and jon's brother!) after Socialism this year. i had a veggie chicago dog at Frank on monday and i thought about you guys while i licked my fingers. i am discouraged by nate saying that making chicago dogs at home isn't very good...
ReplyDeletealso! there was a line around the corner when we went too, which was like 3PM on a monday.
ReplyDeleteI tried to make a Chicago dog again today. It still wasn't up to scratch. I used this site as my inspiration: http://www.hotdogchicagostyle.com/makeyourown.php
ReplyDeleteTry it yourself!
My ingredients are a little wrong, which is prolly why my dogs aren't that great. And, as Randi says, the dogs at a restraunt/stand/whatever are cheap; we should just eat them there. Agreed.
Also of interest, this commentary on the barbarism and perversion of a ketchuped hot dog: http://www.chicagohamburger.com/html/royko7.htm
And here is an actual reason for no ketchup: http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/679/why-is-there-no-ketchup-on-a-properly-made-hot-dog