(05-24-2019 05:17 PM)TexanMark Wrote:  Love me some Italian Beef and Chicago Style Hot Dogs

AMEN BROTHER!! I'm originally from Chicago and everytime I go back my first stop is to a restaurant where I can get stuffed full of both, In the meantime Memphis barbecue keeps me nurished LOLOL.

(05-24-2019 01:58 PM)Frank the Tank Wrote:  As a Chicagoan, I'll put in the obligatory claim for Portillo's. Great hot dogs, Polish sausage, Italian beef sandwiches, burgers, chocolate cake, and milkshakes (including merging the latter two into a chocolate cake shake). You can argue that particular places in Chicago might have a better hot dog or Italian beef (as I'm partial to Al's Italian Beef), but Portillo's does have consistency across its entire huge menu of Chicago foodstuffs that deliver from top to bottom. If you're lucky enough to have a critical mass of transplanted Chicagoans living near you (such as Phoenix/Scottsdale and Tampa), you might get a Portillo's of your own.

It's probably Chicago's version of In-N-Out in terms of its business structure, where it's a local chain but tightly controlled with all of the locations being owner/operated with a limited supply chain for quality purposes.

When I’m in Chicago, I like to mess with the hot dogs vendors and ask for ketchup, and watch their face boil.

I prefer the all beef half smoke hot dogs that DC street vendors sell.

(05-27-2019 11:56 AM)NJ2MDTerp Wrote:  I prefer the all beef half smoke hot dogs that DC street vendors sell.

Come to my tailgate at Maryland this Fall, we'll hook you up. You can also try a Hofmann Coney from Syracuse. Probably have some Sahlens too

(05-27-2019 11:56 AM)NJ2MDTerp Wrote:  I prefer the all beef half smoke hot dogs that DC street vendors sell.

I tried a hotdog in DC once. I asked for mustard and onions. The vendor used yellow mustard and raw onions. I had to scrape both off.

Hot Doug's in Chicago. The true sausage king of chicago and it's not even close. Hell Doug probably made the best encased meats in the country.

(05-28-2019 11:31 AM)RutgersGuy Wrote:  Hot Doug's in Chicago. The true sausage king of Chicago and it's not even close.

I thought it was Abe Froman?