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    2 Dog Special

    Posted by Lexington Green on November 16th, 2011 (All posts by Lexington Green)

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    Gold Coast Dogs on Wabash.

    Everything except hot peppers, fries, Hawaiian punch, four ketchup packets.

     

    This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 16th, 2011 at 8:06 pm and is filed under Chicagoania, Personal Narrative. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

    25 Responses to “2 Dog Special”

    1. Michael Kennedy Says:
      November 16th, 2011 at 8:48 pm

      It’s a feature of Chicago that hot dogs and weiners are as popular as hamburgers in California. When I was in high school, we would stop for a Vienna hot dog on South Chicago Avenue and 87th street on the way home from dates.

    2. David Foster Says:
      November 16th, 2011 at 9:39 pm

      Reminds me of a very valuable resource for the true gourmet.

    3. Bill Waddell Says:
      November 16th, 2011 at 9:47 pm

      Great link, David. You know I spend a big part of my life on the road and a resource like this will be a life-changer for the better … also a life-shortener to be certain, but definitley the valuable resource you billed it to be.

    4. Jonathan Says:
      November 16th, 2011 at 9:50 pm

      Holy cow!

    5. newrouter Says:
      November 16th, 2011 at 9:50 pm

      abc 7 – viva “diversity”

    6. Dan from Madison Says:
      November 16th, 2011 at 10:00 pm

      Oh man that isn’t right without the sport peppers.

    7. Lexington Green Says:
      November 16th, 2011 at 10:16 pm

      Sometimes I don’t want the peppers. But, yes, the sport peppers are an essential part of the canonical presentation of the Chicago style hot dog.

    8. Bill Waddell Says:
      November 16th, 2011 at 10:22 pm

      I assume the four ketchup packs were for the fries and not in any way intended to be put on the dogs.

    9. Dan from Madison Says:
      November 16th, 2011 at 10:26 pm

      The picture isn’t the best. I assume there is celery salt somewhere on there.

    10. Lexington Green Says:
      November 16th, 2011 at 11:24 pm

      Yeah, think there is some celery salt on there.

      Picture is from my phone. Not museum quality, but it does document the moment.

    11. Bill Brandt Says:
      November 16th, 2011 at 11:47 pm

      A legendary place for hot dogs in LA is Carneys….

    12. Bill Brandt Says:
      November 17th, 2011 at 1:34 am

      Stewards in Huntington WV was a legendary place, until years later they cheapened – whatever they buy. They were known from the 20s or 30s up though today. I guess like White Castle in Chicago – Are they still around?

      They had some special sauce they put on that together with the quality of the dog and the bun – you wanted to eat 2-3 downed with their own root beer.

      On a hot summer day….nothing better.

      Well, when my aunt died 5 years ago I went back there and they really cheapened it. And once you do that getting generations of good will back is very difficult.

      But I think they sell their root beer nationwide now – at least the logo is the same. Maybe they felt selling root beer nationwide was better than a hot dog stand, but it was the stand that originally gave them the prominence.

      But up through the 70s it was memorable.

      As long as I am on a roll we don’t get Vernors Ginger ale out here – but that is g o o d. I make do with Hansons.

      Bill W. – I agree – ketchup on dogs is…well, I don’t do it ;-)

    13. Lexington Green Says:
      November 17th, 2011 at 10:02 am

      Ketchup is for the fries. Ketchup is basically a sweetener. Hot dogs have sweetener in them; they are sweet already, so ketchup is just piling on. They need sour and tart flavors to offset the sweet, hence onions, mustard, pickles, though, admittedly Chicago style relish is also sweet.

    14. Jonathan Says:
      November 17th, 2011 at 11:07 am

      Don’t forget kraut. I know it’s not a Chicago thing but a foolish consistency in condiments is perhaps the hobgoblin of small-minded hot-dog eaters.

    15. Dan from Madison Says:
      November 17th, 2011 at 11:16 am

      Kraut totally. Well done Jonathan. But the Chicago Dog scene is typically short on kraut and long on relish. Maybe we need a ChicagoBoyz dog.

    16. Lexington Green Says:
      November 17th, 2011 at 11:27 am

      The dog with kraut and brown mustard is, absolutely, a deserved classic in itself. It is not the classic Chicago presentation, however.

    17. Dagwood Says:
      November 17th, 2011 at 12:09 pm

      Over a quarter of a century ago I used to get Chicago Dogs in Skokie – was it called Big Herm’s or maybe Herm’s Palace? – and haven’t found any as good since. And talk about your double-meat cheeseburgers. Food to die for (literally).

    18. Bill Waddell Says:
      November 17th, 2011 at 12:31 pm

      Dagwood,

      Herm’s Hot Dog Palace is alive – and still serving Chicago dogs and other great decadent foods – and well on Dempster Street in Skokie.

    19. Michael Kennedy Says:
      November 17th, 2011 at 12:51 pm

      I’ve always associated chopped onions with Chicago hot dogs. Sauerkraut seems to be another whole culture artifact.

    20. El Polacko Says:
      November 17th, 2011 at 3:14 pm

      Ketchup?

      That better be for the fries or you’ll have to turn your Ditka Bears jersey.

      Superdawg on Milwaukee & Devon will give it to you in a packet, but refuses to put it on their dawgs.

      The also have the best fries, hands down.

    21. Lexington Green Says:
      November 17th, 2011 at 3:59 pm

      Superdawg is a truly mighty hotdog stand. The huge, humanoid hotdogs on the roof are a unique feature. Is it the last drive in restaurant in Chicago?

      With all this hotdog talk I had lunch at America’s Dog, 26 E. Randolph. I got the New York (kraut, brown mustard) and the Pittsburgh (chili and yellow mustard). Both were good.

    22. Jason in LA Says:
      November 17th, 2011 at 4:46 pm

      My wife puts ketchup on hot dogs regularly and I get visibly agitated when she does. She thinks I’m crazy for letting such a “small” thing get to me. I think she’s crazy for committing a capital offense.

    23. Dan from Madison Says:
      November 17th, 2011 at 5:21 pm

      Of course you all know that this hot dog talk is the minor leagues of sausages. The brat is the king of all tube steaks on a bun. With kraut and onions and brown mustard. To go.

    24. Michael Kennedy Says:
      November 17th, 2011 at 6:09 pm

      When I was a kid, my uncle used to go to a houseboat place on the Calumet River to get real Polish blood sausage that he called “horsecock” sausage. I can still vaguely remember how it smelled. That was serious sausage.

    25. Bill Brandt Says:
      November 17th, 2011 at 8:50 pm

      Dan – when I was in the Army – years ago – stationed in Germany I achieved the strange nickname of “Bratwurst” – because I loved to stop at their “Schnell Imbiss” (Quick Bite) stands – really in most cases a trailer with small kitchen parked by the road – order a bratwurst (red) with mustard – and a beer if available but always ‘Pommes Frites” – why the Germans called those french fries I don’t know –

      I think the hot dog – like the hamburger – came from the Germans coming over – the original bun (called a “Brotchen” – literally “little bread” – by the Germans – was just big enough to hold with your hand leaving the ends of the bratwurst exposed on either side. The purpose of the bun was to just to hold the bratwurst – I guess it “grew” over here.

      People here seem to rave about the Costco hot dogs – for $1.50 for a big hot dog and drink hard to beat – but I think they have way too much bun.

      But a good hot dog with good mustard – ground onions – hard to beat. I think – choosing between a gourmet meal and a great hot dog – and good fries – beer (dark) well maybe some would say my palette isn’t well defined but give me the dog ….

      But then I was called “Bratwurst” ;-)

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