F4tF: The Chicago Hot Dog Trip, Pt. 2

Lucky for us we went on a Friday, which if you don’t know is Duck Fat Fries day at Hot Doug’s as on Fridays and Saturdays they serve their french fries cooked in duck fat.  If you have never heard of this preparation or had it before, it is a flavor that is better than any fries you have had before and one that will leave you longing for more.  For the four of us, we decided on two orders of duck fat fries to start.

Upon entering Hot Doug’s, the first thing you notice is the menu board which is colorful, with hot dogs named after people (usually renamed saying “formerly known as the” dog).

A great example of this is:

The Frankie “Five Angels” Pentangeli
(formerly The Virgil “the Turk” Sollozzo and the Luca Brasi)
Italian Sausage: Keep your friends close, your sausage closer.
$3.00

You can see the entire Hot Doug’s menu here

Please don’t ask me to recall which dogs we tried, all I remember is that between the four of us we dropped close to $100 on hot dogs, duck fat fries and beverages.  We were thoroughly impressed with Doug, his dogs and his entire operation.

Here is the before we dig in picture of the dogs just hitting the table (note: this was the first round of dogs, not the entire tasting, there were many more than this).

And here is the after we tried everything “carnage on the table” picture a short while later.

In case you though I was joking about how fast Hot Doug’s gets busy, the picture below was taken around 10:45am.  This happens every day folks.

All in all, it is a great place to check out when in Chicago, even the cooks look like they really enjoy working there.

If you are planning to go to Hot Doug’s anytime soon, please be aware of the following message on the Hot Doug’s website:

“It has often been said that wives, girlfriends and significant others complain that affection and attention shouldn’t be limited to one day: Valentine’s Day.

Hot Doug’s wholeheartedly agrees:
It should be two and a half weeks.

THEREFORE . . .

HOT DOUG’S WILL BE CLOSED
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14 THROUGH TUESDAY, MARCH 1
We will re-open Wednesday, March 2”

Yes, I did write about Hot Doug’s in October 2009 in my posting F4tF: The Hot Doug’s Experience but I wanted to give a more detailed description this time and include it in the context of the entire trip we took.

Hot Doug’s
The Sausage Superstore & Encased Meat Emporium
3324 North California
Chicago, IL 60618
773.279.9550

The next stop that day was the Vienna Beef factory and retail store

Here is a brief history of Vienna Beef from their website

Vienna Beef was founded in 1893 when Austria-Hungarian immigrants Emil Reichel and Sam Ladany introduced their family frankfurter recipe to their fellow Chicagoans at the legendary Columbian Exposition. The hot dog was a hit, and Vienna Beef was born. More than 100 years later, we’re still making our sausages the old-fashioned way, with premium domestic beef and our original recipe, made to the highest of quality standards and hickory-smoked for authentic flavor.

The Vienna Beef factory also has a retail store.

Here is what their website has to say about the store

You won’t find a fresher dog than at our very own Vienna Beef® Factory Store and Café. Our hot dogs, sausages, sandwiches and soups come straight from the plant and are served up by seasoned deli pros. You can even buy dogs by the case! So stop by for lunch, or let us cater your next Chicago affair. We’ll make you feel at home!

The one thing I bought at the store (well two things, I bought jerky there too) was the book Never Put Ketchup On A Hot Dog, by Bob Schwartz.  The retail store is well worth checking out.

They also do tours of the factory as well.

You can find all the information about factory tours here

Vienna Beef & Café
2501 North Damen Avenue
Chicago, IL 60647
773.435.2277

Hours of Operation
Monday-Friday 6:00 am – 4:00 pm
Saturday 10:00 am – 3:00 pm

When we were leaving the Cafe, we looked across the parking lot to our left and saw the most amazing sign that, after realizing what we were next door to, knew we had to check out:

For those of you that have no idea what Whirlyball is, here is what their website has to say:

Some call it a sport. Others call it a lesson in humility.

Agility. Speed. Strength. None of these qualities will be of any use in the highly-competitive world of WhirlyBall. Although it combines lacrosse, hockey and basketball with bumper cars, WhirlyBall has caused great athletes of every stripe to laugh and holler their way to a crushing defeat.

If you choose to accept the challenge, you’ll use hand-held scoops to propel whiffle balls at your scoring target. In a team of five, and with the help of a professional referee, you’ll have a bang-up time trying to outscore the competition.

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As there were only four of us, we played a game of two on two.  To say it was a ton of fun was an understatement.  If you ever find yourself in Chicago, DO NOT PASS UP THE OPPORTUNITY TO PLAY Whirlyball.  Enough said!

Here are some of the pictures I shot at Whirlyball:

They also do laser tag

Oh, did I forget to tell you that there is a full bar there too?

WhirlyBall
1880 W. Fullerton Avenue
Chicago, IL 60614
800-8-WHIRLY
773.486.7777

When we finished playing Whirlyball, we were all famished after the grueling workout we had just endured.  We asked the Chicago natives we were with to bring us to a great Chicago food place slightly off the beaten path that we probably would have never found on our own.

That place was Johnnie’s Beef!

I briefly wrote about Johnnie’s Beef in May 2009  just after returning from our trip in my posting Friday for the Foodies: Johnnie’s Beef.

In that posting, this is what I had to say about the experience:

We each had a beef and sausage combo with hot and sweet peppers followed by a homemade lemon Italian Ice. The moistness of the beef, paired with the hot sausage and both hot & sweet peppers was just an explosion of flavor that I had not gotten from many dishes in a long time. This sandwich upon the first bite immediately vaulted itself into becoming one of my top 3 favorite sandwiches I crave and consider the best around.


I sill stand by those words to this day!

Johnnie’s Beef
7500 West North Avenue
Elmwood Park, IL 60707
708.452.6000

That about wraps up the Chicao hot dog trip.

Upcoming on my food radar:

I will be attending a Nose to Tail dinner at Restaurant DNA in Montreal on February 25th prepared by Chef Chris Cosentino of Incanto in San Francisco.  The next night, February 26th, I will be dining at Au Pied de Cochon in Montreal.

I was snowed in on my last attempt to go to Montreal.  Hope I have better luck this time.

and remember…

“What you eat and drink is 50 percent of life.”
~Gérard Depardieu~


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One Response

  1. nice! good old Dougs. I love the “encased meat emporium.”

    Damn, man. now I officially miss Chicago.

    anyone know of a spot in NYC where I can get a real Vienna Beef Chicago-style dog?

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