A few weeks ago, when the #ChiTownChowDown crew were in town, we attempted to go Hot Doug's, the self-proclaimed encased meat emporium and sausage superstore. Unfortunately, the store was closed that day so we cooled our jets at Longman & Eagle instead. Several days, later, I attempted to go with my friend Cathy, but I was worried about being late to a meeting so I wasn't able to continue the journey. I thought I may never get the chance to go, but I set out on a food field trip and decided to commit to the journey. I'm not a hot dog connoisseur, but as I have said before, Chicagoans love their meat and how could I go a month in this city without trying a Chicago dog at one of the city's institutions?
It was a cold and blustery day which made waiting in line a little miserable, but once you are inside, you're greeted with warm and efficient service from Doug himself. For this first visit, I tried the Chicago dog (The Dog) with all the fixings. For $2 you get a steamed or grilled all beef dog (I chose grilled), a poppy seed bun, tomato, celery salt, white onions, pickle, sweet relish, mustard and hot peppers. It's tangy, salty, and a bit sweet.
I also decided to try one of the specials. Brown Ale and Chipotle Buffalo Sausage with Bacon-Garlic Mayonnaise and Carragaline Farmhouse Cheese ($8). The sausage is a bit crumbly, but has a good, slightly gamey flavor that pairs well with the salty and garlicky mayonnaise and smoky cheese.
On Fridays and Saturdays only, Hot Doug's offers duck fat fries ($3.50). I had high hopes for these, but unfortunately, they were a bit of a let down. I was looking for a more assertive duck flavor and these were also sadly under-seasoned.
I'm definitely going to be visiting Hot Doug's again, but probably on a weekday to avoid long lines. There are so many creative options on the menu and I can't wait to try them all.
What other people are saying about Hot Doug's:
Gastronomy Blog
Chicago Bites
Cameras and Cuisines
Hot Doug's
3324 North California
Chicago, IL 60618
(773) 279-9550
*Cash only
Website
11 comments:
I've actually met the owner of Hot Doug's! :) Fun!
esi your photos are really good. did you get a new camera?
and yes, i'm very jealous of this post.
doug's a a really good eats kind of place. always on the cooking channel
What a great deal! The fries look delicious
I must agree with Vanilla Sugar Blog, your pix look stellar in this post! It must be the greasy air casting just the right light on your wieners. Eat the foie gras dog! you know you wanna!
Sounds like a fun place! I'm going to go check out what topping combos they have...I bet they'd be great on a some veggie sausage!
Both those hot do(u)gs look great to me! It doesn't take much for me to like a hot dog!
loving all your chicago meat filled fun! and love me some duck fat fries!
Yum! What a great write up! I will have to check them out!
Dawn and Cathy, same camera as always. I've just been eating in the day time more :)
Cathy, I do wanna with that foie dog. Next time for sure!
I have seen this place on Diners, Drive In and Dives
Ahhh. Looks so yummy! Sounds like you are having a great time eating through Chicago - what a blast! - mary
Post a Comment