Hot Dog Chicago Style's blog

Hot Dog Art

I was cleaning out my inbox earlier today while listening to webinar, and I had an email that contained a link to Society6. I decided to check it out and was pleasantly surprised to see that it is an artwork shop. I decided to peruse the site and discovered some hot dog art along the way...

Exhibit A: Locals Only - Chicago

via www.society6.com

Exhibit B: Hot Dog Girl

via www.society6.com

Exhibit C: Hold me.

via www.society6.com

Hot Dang Wallet

via www.modcloth.com

I find the most random hot dog-related goods on ModCloth.com. Keeps all the hot dog enthusiasts out there happy though, doesn't it? ;)

"Moustardche!" - Threadless.com - Best t-shirts in the world

via www.threadless.com

Hot dog lovers, I sure hope you're filling your closets with a number of Threadless t-shirts. This one makes me think of what Jamie Hyneman might look like if he were a hot dog...

Have Some Bun Magnets | Mod Retro Vintage Kitchen | ModCloth.com

Have Some Bun Magnets | Mod Retro Vintage Kitchen | ModCloth.com

http://www.modcloth.com/store/ModClot...

When you're at a BBQ, you usually get asked "hamburger or hot dog?" Well, with these mini food magnets, you can have both! In fact, you can have two of each! Score! Use these fun little picnic classics to hang up important papers on your fridge or filing cabinets, and satisfy your craving for organization.

UrbanOutfitters.com > Toddland Hot Dog Coin Pouch

UrbanOutfitters.com > Toddland Hot Dog Coin Pouch

http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/...

Barbecue-inspired coin pouch by Toddland, with a key ring-topped zipper at the bun. Plus it's probably the only hot dog you'll know the contents of. Imported. Spot clean. * 4"w, 1.5"d, 2.5"h * Polyurethane This item does not comply with California Proposition 65. Please visit help/info for more details on Proposition 65.

Hot dog coin purse

Hot Dog Paradise

I was flipping through the channels and saw that a show called Hot Dog Paradise was airing on the Travel Channel. Fortunately for me, the show just began. 

First stop: Nathan's in Brooklyn. They specifically mentioned Nathan's in Coney Island. I did go to Coney Island last year and ate at Nathan's. Not specifically to visit Nathan's, but to see and experience Coney Island before Coney Island shut down for good. Nathan's was yummy. New Yorkers agree that ketchup on hot dog is a sacrilege.

Next stop: Pink's in Hollywood. Huge variety, some dogs are celebrity-created or celebrity-inspired. The Martha Stewart dog was created by the Domestic Powerhouse herself. Also sounds like a good place for a celebrity sighting since the movie studios are close by.

Next stop: The Varsity in Atlanta. This place is huge, known as the world's biggest hot dog stand, taking up a whole city block. Also the world's largest drive-in, accommodating up to 600 cars. The lines move quickly, so be ready to order when you're up.

Two stops in Chicago. First one is Superdawg, which is known internationally. I haven't been there yet, but friends and I have talked about going there to check it out. The superdawgs here are smoky and garlicy - sounds good to me! If you order a "hot dog" there, they will tell you that they don't serve hot dogs. They only serve superdawgs. 

Second one is Hot Doug's. I love how they show the restaurant with no line. They must've closed the location to film, because there's always a line. [Watching this bit now is making me hungry.] What more can I say about this place? It's delicious! 

Next stop: Jimmy Buff's in Newark. They're known for the "Italian" which is two hot dogs stuffed in half a loaf of pizza bread, with sautéed onions, peppers, and potatoes. All the ingredients are deep-fried. You can also get the "Italian" with two sausages or with one hot dog and one sausage. 

Last stop: Franktitude in Miami. This place caters to the calorie-conscious. They have a salmon frank, chicken franks, tofu franks, and the traditional dog. Offer the franks in non-traditional forms: burrito, panini, ciabatta, and salad. Non-traditional toppings include avocado, artichokes, mandarins, cranberries, green peas, chow mein noodles, and bacon.

Eye Patch + Hot Dog = Brilliant

Diabolical Hot Dog

In perusing the holiday sale at threadless.com, I found this shirt. It's sold out at the moment, but you can sign up to be notified when the shirt is reprinted. 

Key caps are where it's at.

Matinee Munchies Key Caps

Since there won't be a post about Hot Doug's Part Deux (just couldn't fit it in this weekend), I give you another hot dog-related post. This time, in accessory form.

My love of key caps was born a few years ago when my brother gave me a Hello Kitty key cap back in the day. Key caps are much more prevalent now and you can find key caps in just about any incarnation you can think of. This one is available at modcloth.com.

Belated field reporting from Hot Doug's

I started the original entry on September 2, but I never finished because I'm way behind on uploading pictures. My bad. I figured it's now November and I'm probably going to make another trip to Hot Doug's later this month. And take pictures with a real camera instead of just my cell phone.

The day started out promising. The weather was gorgeous, and we were hungry. However, getting to Hot Doug's at a decent time just wasn't meant to be. First, we had to run errands in the burbs. Then we got held up in traffic due to the Cubs game that day. Then we couldn't turn down the street we needed to because there was a Romanian festival blocking the street. So, we had intended to eat there for lunch. We didn't actually arrive until 3:40 PM. Hot Doug's technically closes at 4:00 PM.

Here's a tip: If you don't want to wait in line (and you WILL wait in line), you can call in an order and pick it up if the order is $20 or more. If you have a large number of people or you're ordering a couple of specials, this shouldn't be a problem. I tried to persuade my brother to order a special with me, split an order of duck fat fries, and a drink and we would be good to go. To quote him, "We're not going to order $20 worth of food!" *sigh* Fine.

At 4:00, a Hot Doug's employee came out and capped the end of the line. Surprisingly, there were still a number of people who were trying to get in the line after that point. He also brought menus with him, and RJ and I were deciding what to order. I was pretty set with what I wanted. I wanted the blue cheese pork sausage with Sir William pear creme fraiche and roasted almonds. I had a couple of back up options in case it was sold out for the day. 

At about 4:15, RJ decides that he will get a special. Then he decides to call in an order. We were stymied, of course, as they only accepted orders until 4:00 PM. Yeah. That's my brother for you.

Hot Doug's

At this point, we became avid clock watchers. We had dinner reservations at 5:30 at Moto, which I didn't want to miss since this reservation took a while to happen (coordinating between schedules and the restaurant schedule wasn't as simple as one would think). At 4:50, we finally were in front of the entrance.

Once we entered the building, we decided to take our chances and follow through the Hot Doug's experience and hope that the other people meeting us at Moto would be able to hold the reservation for the group.

The place isn't that big and it was packed. Most everyone ordered multiple hot dogs/specials. While still in line, we're still figuring out our back up order in case the dog/sausage we want is out for the day. I did end up getting my desired special and RJ ordered the white wine rabbit sausage with sauce moutarde, goat cheese, and spicy calabrese peppers. We also got an order of duck fat fries. Order total: $18.

At this point, we got our order to go and ate in the car. Eating lunch that late worked out well since dinner at Moto took four hours (which was expected). We weren't served any hot dog-inspired dishes either, so I won't get into the Moto experience.

There is no spoon.

Moto dogs

I'm pretty excited about this coming weekend. I took a screen shot of this vid clip to demonstrate the adventure that Moto beholds. Front and center is an actual Chicago hot dog. I'm pretty sure it's just there for demonstration purposes. Unrelated to the hot dog, on the left is a chorizo taco with the dessert chorizo taco next to it on the other side of the plate. On the right is the Chicago hot dog chips and salsa. The popcorn behind it? Chicago hot dog-flavored. And of course, the aforementioned Chicago hot dog dessert in the back.