25 thoughts on “2 Dog Special”

  1. 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.

  3. 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.

  7. 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.

  10. Yeah, think there is some celery salt on there.

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

  12. 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. 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.

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

  17. 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).

  20. 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. 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. 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.

  24. 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. 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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