Byron's-Forest Park, IL

Byron's is a Chicago chain, we went to the one in Forest Park on Madison Ave. It is pretty hard to miss, as the windows are painted all crazy, posters and advertising will almost fill you with anxiety and make you want to just run on past. Now, if you don't do that and do go inside, approach slowly. This place has everything but the kitchen sink. Burgers (cheese, bacon, turkey, veggie) pizza, italian beef sandwiches, soups, onion straws (didn't want to know) and cheesesteaks. Cheesesteaks! Now, being from Philly/South Jersey, I snicker at cheesesteaks that have the nerve to be sold anywhere but there. I thought we were going for hotdogs?!! I did manage to locate "hot dogs" on the enormous menu and ordered a jumbo Vienna Beef with "everything" no onions, no relish. And then order up! Whoaaa! Everything but the kitchen sink indeed! Byron's version of "everything" is lettuce, tomato, cucumber, sliced green pepper, sport peppers (hot peppers) pickles and topped with celery salt. Underneath the "big salad" lies the hot dog. No poppy seeds on the bun, though. I had to eat some toppings alone to lighten it up, but actually managed to keep it all together until the last bite, which was some feat. The good thing is the hot dogs are quite tasty and juicy, and you can taste that underneath it all. And the fries are not bad, not too thick, not too salty and come in a brown paper bag. I have come to be amazed at the enormity of the "Chicago style" dog, and this place is the biggest yet. If you can make it past the busy windows, busy menu and just order a dog, go for it. Just pay attention to the "toppings" offered. You might end up with a salad.

Zombieland, then Hotdogs...

Me and the buddy had a fantastic Saturday this past weekend. We braved the neverending NYC weekend rain and found refuge at the movie theatre. We saw Zombieland, awesome!!! After watching the zombie meatfest we decided to have a meatfest of our own, and headed to Gray's Papaya. We took shelter from the constant downpour and enjoyed the special, two dogs and a drink each. At Grays, you get a super healthy drink to go with, so buddy had papaya, I had the coconut. Makes you feel good!!! Like I said before, Gray's remains my favorite. Toasted bun, snappy, meaty dog, choice of onions, chile/relish stuff, mustard or ketchup. We had mustard on all and enjoyed people watching and talk of the movie. The staff is super-New York friendly, and offered to take our picture. Even though we weren't wearing those stupid tourist ponchos we obliged to a tourist moment, and gladly had our pics taken. Blame it on the rain.

Saturday Afternoon Lunch

What could make a better Saturday afternoon than being cosy inside watching your 11 year old kick butt on Grand Theft Auto?? Making hotdogs for lunch! Showing the little buddy pics of Chicago loaded hot dogs made him hungry enough to make some for lunch. We had Stahl-Meyer's, a NYC beef dog. Soft buns, fresh outta the bag, Sriracha hot sauce (the super-hot Chinese sauce with the rooster on the label) mustard, and pickles. These are good beef dogs, plump with a slight hickory flavor. Best grilled. The hot sauce was good, suprisingly good if you want a nice bite. After that, he made us his special milkshake, vanilla soymilk/vanilla ice cream/nutella/peanut butter/chocolate syrup. Yummies! This lunch fueled us enough to go back to knocking off heads on GTA.

SuperDawg-Chicago, IL

Oh, my. SuperDawg, I love you. An iconic car-hop hot dog joint that offers the best yet in my Chicago adventures. We ordered from the walk-up window and had a bit of a wait as this place is really packed. Behind the scenes is quite a production, as you can watch the staff prepare tons of orders, sans gloves!! Hmmm....anyway. Order up! and we went outside to the picnic tables to feast. The orders come nestled in cute boxes, once opened...delight. A huge beef hot dog, soft bun atop crinkle cut, perfectly crisped fries. I had mustard, pickle, sport peppers. The pickle is extra crisp and a big slice, very generous with the peppers, and cute bonus-a tomato pickle stuck on top. I love surprises! Bite through soft bun, cold crisp pickle, hot pepper and juicy, juicy beef. Superdawg, you make me feel dirty, you are that good. I could eat here daily, and watch my thin Northeastern girl frame widen to Chicago proportions, but hey! It's all good. Do not drive past, stop in when you see the big hotdog people dancing on the roof. You will loooooove it!

White Sox Dogs-US Cellular Field Chicago

Eating a hot dog at a ball game is about as good as it gets. So we went to a couple White Sox games this week, and hit the Vienna Beef stand first thing. At US Cellular Field, this being Chicago mind you, there are lots of (I mean lots of) options. Brats, Polish, Sausage, nachos, churros, burgers....the list goes on. But we were keeping it simple. The dogs served are Vienna Beef, simply served on a soft bun. The only options were ketchup, mustard and onions, which I feel was a nice change from all the loaded dogs I have been eating out here in Chicago. I went for mustard and my honey (hot dog date) went for mustard & onion. Why ketchup is even offered is beyond me, as it is considered a mortal sin out here to put that condiment on your hot dog. And ummm ummm good, as the only thing standing in they way of delicious beefy dog was a little mustard. You could really eat two or three this way, if so inclined and there is not a mountain of stuff to get stuffed on. But then you wouldn't have room for the beer! Hot dogs and ball games=a match made in heaven.

Portillo's-Forest Park, IL

Mmmmmhmmmm! Bingo! Portillo's is a big winner in my book. A 50's style diner with an almost outrageous number of chains around Chicago. Inside it has the complete retro look, leather booths, zinc counters, posters of Chubby Checker and the like. But let's get down to dogs. They serve excellent, big fat Vienna Beef franks that are longer than the bun, so their cute plump heineys pop out of both sides. Nice! Pickles, peppers, tomatoes and mustard. A nice satisfying juicy bite of beef awaits. As a great side, crinkle cut cheese fries. There will be melted cheese and pickle juice flying everywhere, it just can't be helped. A bit pricier than other places I've been to lately, but totally worth it. Enjoyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!

Parky's-Forest Park, IL

Eh. So we ran out for a quick lunch and went to Parky's. The look of the place was cool, triangle-shaped old school hot dog joint. Service was really quick and pleasant, and there are many picnic table to eat at outside. But, eh. Vienna Beef was not advertised, and I have come to learn that while hot dog dining in Chicagoland, go with the Vienna Beef. I had a regular with "everything" without onion or relish. I have come to detest the neon-green, super-sweet relish (as if I didn't before) that they serve out here. Parky's version of "everything" is tomato and sport peppers. No pickle?! I will say that the sport peppers (pickled pepper to those not in the know) here are big, fat and juicy. Nice bite and they spray pepper juice all over. But the hot dogs are boiled, or steamed, or something, light colored dogs highly reminicent of school cafeteria lunch dogs. Guess they are keeping it old school. Go with the advertised "all beef dog" as my hot dog date did. I left far more dissapointed that he did. I will say their fries are good, skin-on and come in a big fat greast bag, nicely salted. So-peppers good, dogs bad. Can't win 'em all.

Pete's Red Hots-Oak Park, IL

It's all in the bun. I decided to give the dog with everything a whirl. Pickle, tomato, relish, onion, sport peppers (little pickled peppers) and mustard. Vienna beef, which is all over Chicagoland as the dog of choice. But the bun was great! My first poppyseed bun, soft and fresh. Of course the dogs were good too. Even though I ordered "with everything" it wasn't overpowering, the hot dog wasn''t lost. The fries were good too, extra crispy outside and soft inside. The only downfall is that you don't get much of an order with the hotdog, but it might be the way it's all thrown together, as my hot dog date had a bigger order of fries. The service was super-fast, pleasant and not rushed. You can sit inside (they have a tv) or outside at picnic tables, where you can get a good view of the (so I was told) constant construction of the road. So take your pick. A really good, cheap lunch place. Thumbs up!

Chicago dogs-Gene and Jude's

Wow! Since I have been making many trips to the Windy City, I have begun to experience hot dog bliss-Chicago Style!!! These hot dogs are no joke, and a neat experience for a Northeasterner. Chicago dogs are all about Vienna Beef, which is really good. No ketchup!! Beware if you even ask for it. So Gene and Jude's is a must-stop for hot dog lovers. Their hot dogs are loaded! Mustard, wierd neon green relish, onions and "sport peppers" are the toppings of choice. And they come loaded with french fries, really good french fries at that. You will be stuffed with one, but give the double dog a whirl. It's a no-nonsense place, order and slide on down the line to pay & wait for your hot dog. Kinda like the soup-nazi, hot dog style. The workers may be a gruff bunch, either die hard White Sox or Cubs fans, with a Yankee hat thrown in, so beware what team's colors you are sporting. But please stop by if you are in Chicagoland, you will love it!

My 1st NYC hot dog..many years ago

When I first moved to NYC 12 years ago I was introduced to Gray's Papaya. Two dogs and a drink, back then $1.99. You can't beat that. Gray's are served on a semi-toasted bun, with a choice of onions, relish, sauerkraut, ketchup or mustard. The best thing about these dogs is the "snap". I go for the ketchup/mustard combo, because the meat is really good and all I want to taste. They are served pretty hot, with a wonderful bite, and you can hear the snap once bitten into. And the best part for me: guaranteed attached to the dog is the little nub link where they were once joined, a nibbler's delight! Juicy and delicious. The drinks served are very fresh, pina colada, banana daquiri or papaya. A true gourmet delight for the NYC hot dog lover. And eating two doesn't make you feel stuffed at all! I love how the signs also bill Gray's dogs as "Recession Special", which has been a sign up for many years. After all these years, they still remain my favorite and are a definite spot to take any tourists, friends, visitors for the best NYC dog.

Welcome to All Things Hot Dog!!!

So here it goes. My little contribution to the blogging world. I love hot dogs. What could be more All-American then hot dogs??? Think of baseball games, 4th of July, summer barbeques, walking on the boardwalk, tailgating at football games. All things I love, and hot dogs go hand-in-hand right along! From Phillies Franks, Nathan's, Oscar-Mayer, Vienna Beef, the guys on NYC street corners, to many, many others I want to explore. Welcome to the wonderful world of hot dogs as I see it. Remember hot dogs are food too!