Chicago: Hot Doug's
Since my friends are visiting from out-of-town, I seized them as an excuse to finally check out Hot Doug's. (Plus Hot Doug's is taking a vacation starting 5/22 and won't be opening again until 6/2.) We stood in line for about an hour before I was able to take this picture of the front door:
Hot Doug's has regular hot dogs for under $4 and then a selection of more exotic hot dogs for around $7:
Even though there were so many people, like magic, tables opened up every time a party finished placing their order. The owner was the one at the counter (I'd seen him on TV before). He was super friendly and took the order of every single person in that monstrous line with a smile and a quip. When my friend tried to order a large soda, he told her that it was refillable and that if we were eating in, she should get the small instead. Anyone who gives that kind of advice at the expense of making a profit immediately gets respect points:
I figured that since I was there, I might as well make the most out of my trip. I started off with the basic Chicago dog with everything on it:
So juicy and so worth every cent of that $1.75.
To try something new, I went with the "Game of the Week":
That's brown ale and chipotle smoked buffalo sausage with half acre beer mustard and Irish whiskey cheese. Holy moly. The buffalo had quite a kick to it, one that didn't hit me until the second or third bite. It was uh-may-zing.
And here is what I'd been dreaming about since I first heard of Hot Doug's:
Only served Fridays and Saturdays, these are no ordinary fries. They're DUCK FAT FRIES. Yes. Duck fat fries. I can't really pinpoint what was so special about them, but they were damn good. That's all I have to say.
Long wait aside, Hot Doug's was the perfect way to start the day. What made the experience even more memorable was the fact that I saw one of my professors there. I didn't recognize him at first because he wasn't wearing a suit, but yea, how cool is that?
Beware, Hot Doug's is cash only. I can't even imagine how much it would suck to finally get through the front door and to the counter only to find that you have none on you.
Hot Doug's
3324 N California Ave
Chicago, IL 60618
(773) 279-9550
http://www.hotdougs.com/
Hot Doug's has regular hot dogs for under $4 and then a selection of more exotic hot dogs for around $7:
Even though there were so many people, like magic, tables opened up every time a party finished placing their order. The owner was the one at the counter (I'd seen him on TV before). He was super friendly and took the order of every single person in that monstrous line with a smile and a quip. When my friend tried to order a large soda, he told her that it was refillable and that if we were eating in, she should get the small instead. Anyone who gives that kind of advice at the expense of making a profit immediately gets respect points:
I figured that since I was there, I might as well make the most out of my trip. I started off with the basic Chicago dog with everything on it:
So juicy and so worth every cent of that $1.75.
To try something new, I went with the "Game of the Week":
That's brown ale and chipotle smoked buffalo sausage with half acre beer mustard and Irish whiskey cheese. Holy moly. The buffalo had quite a kick to it, one that didn't hit me until the second or third bite. It was uh-may-zing.
And here is what I'd been dreaming about since I first heard of Hot Doug's:
Only served Fridays and Saturdays, these are no ordinary fries. They're DUCK FAT FRIES. Yes. Duck fat fries. I can't really pinpoint what was so special about them, but they were damn good. That's all I have to say.
Long wait aside, Hot Doug's was the perfect way to start the day. What made the experience even more memorable was the fact that I saw one of my professors there. I didn't recognize him at first because he wasn't wearing a suit, but yea, how cool is that?
Beware, Hot Doug's is cash only. I can't even imagine how much it would suck to finally get through the front door and to the counter only to find that you have none on you.
Hot Doug's
3324 N California Ave
Chicago, IL 60618
(773) 279-9550
http://www.hotdougs.com/
Hot Doug's is probably my favorite restaurant, but even so the line is not worth it on most days. The best way to go about it is to call ahead and do take out. Then you can cut the line, grab your grub, and run away. :)
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