Hot Dog Heaven

As winter melts away the taste for hot dogs grows.

I found myself in Chicago at the end of May for business. Hours after landing I was in pursuit of a delightfully delicious dog from one of Chicago's famous stands (at least those accessible by public transit.) But in doing so, I kind of got lost downtown trying to find the Elevated and then I got off at the wrong stop. It pays to do deeper research when getting on the L train. Apparently on the line I took, it had stations on the same road but about 3 miles apart because the route is U-shaped. I spent a lot of time walking and running to get to The Red Hot Ranch to order a double dog. Fortunately the right "L" station was a few blocks away and I returned to downtown.

Red Hot Ranch on Western

On my way back to the hotel I spied Devil Dawgs. Actually I knew it was there before I had just wanted to try something outside of the Loop first. The Ranch really is a small stand. Some would consider it a hole in the wall joint. It is probably as big a Val's Auto Serve in St. Cloud.  A few blocks away another stand - JRs Red Hots - I looked at but passed on to get back to the Loop. JRs sort of reminded me of a the diner location of Chris & Rob's (apparently now Chicago Taste Authority) on West Seventh in St. Paul.

Devil Dawgs loop location on State serves up the traditional Chicago fare and has a reputation for excellent shakes. Getting of the "L" I got lost again trying to figure out what direction I was travelling on State Street when I ascended from the train (not all the L trains are elevated all the time.) My former employer's app was iffy in helping me get around but I finally made it to Devil Dawgs. I ordered a slaw dog, a Dad's root beer, and some fries. This establishment does not use the typical Vienna Beef dogs but instead Red Hot Chicago dogs. Simply delicious.

Inside Devil Dawgs

The following day I was in the South Loop at McCormick Center. I did not find any nearby hot dog stands. There is a dearth of stands in that vicinity but there was an awful lot of fried chicken shops. After work I decided to take the L back up to Devil Dawgs to get a Chicago Dog and a milk shake. 

Fries at many of hot dog stands in Chicago are fresh cut and so it kind of reminded me of getting some of those Fresh French Fries from the Minnesota State Fair.

The next day I found a food truck and got another Chicago favorite- Italian Hot Beef. This was a superb spicy sandwich. Later in the day I found myself at an unusual buffet that combined Chinese, Mexican, and Southern seafood boil. Needless to say, it was filling.

On my exit from Chicago via Midway I quickly got in line to get a Chicago Dog from Gold Coast Dogs. This hot dog is cooked at little different. I'd say it is a char dog. I like how they used tomato slices instead of the diced pieces. What an awesomely delightful ending for a trip to Chicago.

Chicago Dog and fries from Gold Coast Dogs