Burgers, Dogs, & Pizza, Oh My!

Archive for the ‘Hot Dogs’ Category

The growing Dog Haus chain from the Los Angeles area says their fame and success is due to their signature dogs, sausages, and burgers. They’re served on grilled King’s Hawaiian Rolls, and a variety of craft beers are offered as well. First one opened in 2010.

My take: interesting concept, terrible execution. I visited the outlet in Rockford, IL, which is on the far eastern border of the city, off a frontage road. Open for lunch and dinner, I hit it a few minutes before noon on a weekday and was the only customer. You order at the counter (bar) and are giving a table topper number.

The menu has quite a few “specialty combinations” of toppings for their dogs and burgers. One example is the “Pineapple Express” a hot dog with bacon wrapped dog, bouillonnaise, sweet ginger glaze, pineapple, scallions, pickled jalapeños, crispy onions. There are some that are far more “complex” in their toppings. Of course you may order with your own preferences as well, but I personally think this “specialty” ones are far too sophisticated for the fast food/fast casual hot dog or burger eater.

As I was more or less “sampling” I went with a burger slider (angus beef, mayo, white american cheese, caramelized onions, but I skipped the onions) and a corn dog slider (all beef mini dog dipped in our haus made root beer batter ). A corn dog is something I’d never order anywhere, but I thought “root beer batter” sounded interesting. Turns out, only the kitchen knows it’s “root beer batter,” it’s not distinquishable as a unique taste. The corn batter is very corn ‘mealy.’

I don’t like King’s Hawaiian, either, offer an alternative. King’s are “sweet” and you’re putting that was savory innards on the sandwiches.

The burger was ordinary as well.

Final food “beef” – fries are extruded, also not a personal preference, but I know many people enjoy that style.

Despite being the only customer when I ordered, it took 20+ minutes to get the food.

Looking at the location, some are in secondary markets (like Rockford) so I assume they are franchisees, and undoubtedly some will not last.

They also have a fried chicken breast sandwich, and the line of “Impossible Foods” non meat burgers and sausage. (If you haven’t tried these, and you’re a bonafide ‘meat-a-vore’ – don’t bother, they are dreadful).

Cross section slider corn dog and burger

Dog Haus Review

Dog Haus Review

Hot Dog-aghetti Recipe

Today’s recipe from the “New Hotdog Cookbook” (McFadden Publishing, 1968) (Recipe their property)  is “Hot Dog-aghetti!”

• 8 small onions – about 1 inch diameter
• 1 1/2 c water
• 1 8 ounce can tomato sauce
• 2 cups tomatoes
• 1 cup macaroni noodles
• 1 package garlic flavored salad dressing mix
• 1/2 cup sweet pickle relish
• 8 hot dogs cut in thirds

Cut onions in quarters, boil in  water. drain. reserve water. Place onion water in sauce pan with tomato sauce and tomatoes, bring to boil. Reduce heat, add pasta, simmer for 24 minutes. Add dressing mix, relish, onions and hot dog pieces, simmer for another ten minutes. Serves 6.
place onion water in sauce ba n with tamoto sauce and tomatoes. bring to bil, add spachetti.

Pic not representative of recipe

Hot Dog-aghetti Recipe

Hot Dog-aghetti Recipe

My favorite niece found this old cookbook, the “New Hotdog Cookbook,”  McFadden Press, 1968. Thought I’d put up some of their recipes, a lot of them are pretty funky!

Bread Soup with Hotdogs

Ingredients

• 6 C hot beef stock
• 6 slices enriched white bread, lightly toasted
• 6 eggs, poached until just firm
• 6 hot dogs, cut in 1/4″ slices

Place a slice of toast at the bottom of each soup bowl. Place a poached egg on top and distribute the hot dog slices around the toast.  Pour in 1 cup of the boiling hot stock over the toast, egg, and hot dogs. Serve at once.

Random internet pic of soup, not representative of recipe

(Recipe remains copyright of publisher)

Bread Soup with Hot Dogs Recipe

Bread Soup with Hot Dogs Recipe

A Chicago legend for decades, this suburban hot doggery shines when it comes to the basic Chicago fare of dogs, burgers, sausages, crinkle cut fries, shakes and the like. Cash only, order from the counterman (who’s extremely patient, even with newbies) and wait for your delish food to be cooked to order. There are a couple of tables outside, or you can grab yours to go.  Limited parking, too, so squeeze in tight.

It’s not far from O’Hare if you have time to kill, and also close to the massive Des Plaines casino.  Also nearby you’ll find (for a limiited time, they are tearing it down), a replica of the very first McDonalds built under the Kroc empire.  Pup’s menu.

The food is exceptional, hot, cooked to order, quality ingredients throughout.

Burger and Cheese fries

Paradise Pup Review

Paradise Pup Review

Fatsos Last Stand, in Chicago west of the Loop, is retro and haute cuisine at the same time. Conceived as a neighborhood hot dog stand, the original owner committed to delivering the best of class food possible.

And he achieved it, with damned tasty burgers, Chicago style hot dogs, and fried shrimp (another Chicago staple).

I went with the “single Fatso with cheese” and my friend had a Chicago style dog; both were cooked on a grill that imparted a nice char flavor and texture, which will improve any food.

Fresh cut fries were the order of the day, only because I didn’t notice that they had cheese tots on the menu. DAMMIT.  (Scroll down for menu).

A lot of people compare this burger to In N Out, but I personally feel Fatso’s is a much better burger.  Shakes are also on offer.

Exceptional food all around, fun experience. Take the kids.

Fatso’s is in an area of town called “Ukrainian Village,” so there is a plethora of Russia restaurants, groceries and cathedrals.  It makes for an interesting urban adventure, walking around, checking out the shops until your appetite (or the charcoal grill aroma) pulls you in to Fatsos. (Easily accessible by mass transit, Damen or Division stops on the CTA Blue Line).

Single Fatso, Chicago Dog, Fries

Chicagoans eschew ketchup, so it’s a rarity to see

Fatsos Menu

Fatsos Menu

Fatsos Last Stand Review

From their site: Since 1933, Sheboygan Sausage Company has been crafting a wide array of sausages with all the Old World goodness our customers expect. Our products include natural casing wieners, bratwurst, Italian sausage, summer sausage, little smokies, and braunschweiger.

They make quality products, using old world recipes and is now part of American Foods Group, out of Kansas City.

I stumbled upon the ‘coarse grind’ natural casing wieners, and I’m glad I did.  I am a weenie snob, and always delighted to find a quality dog in a casing. Not too many stores stock natural casing hot dogs, as they represent less than 5% of the dogs sold in the U.S.

And the ingredient list for these is a dream: Pork, water, beef, salt, spices.  No filler. No corn syrup solids. No vegetable protein. A dog eater’s dream.

If you can find these, buy them. They’ll cost you. Whereas you can find some brands of “hot dogs” (usually with a lot of chicken or turkey as an ingredient) for a buck a pack or so, a package  of good natural casing wieners will cost you about a buck per dog. For my money, well worth it.

Sheboygan Sausage Natural Casing Wiener Review

I don’t think anybody knows exactly how many hot dog stands there are in Chicago. It’s a well known fact that there are more than the total McDonalds, Wendys and Burger Kings combined.

Estimates vary between 1500 -2000.

In Chicago, a “hot dog stand” can take many forms, from street cart to brick and mortar carryout only, to full service restaurants, with most  having remarkably similar menus, hot dogs, burgers, sausage, Italian beef sandwiches, and gyros, and a majority of those items coming from just a few local suppliers: hot dogs and beef from Vienna Beef, gyros from Kronos.  Buns from Turano or S Rosens.

OK, so all these places have virtually the same menu and many use the same suppliers – what sets one apart from another? Well, geography is obvious, but also (to me) cleanliness, method and care of preparation, and attention paid to other contributing factors, like condiment suppliers.

Like I was at one the other day who offered “char-broiled” burgers. Nothing could be farther/further/more distant from the truth. The burger seemed like had been simmered in grease. Truly awful. Two bites.

But today I’m writing about one of the more distinctive ones, PJ Moon Doggies in Glenview, IL.  In addition to the aforementioned menu items, Moon Doggies also has ribs and chicken. Decor is 50s diner with a fully-loaded replica Wurlitzer jukebox. Counter service and daily specials.

I had their burger and fries and it was excellent. This one was actually char-broiled, was a very flavorful meat patty, great bun and fabulous pickle (an important thing for me).  Hot, crispy fries. Here’s their full menu.

I find myself in that part of the city about twice a year for one thing or another.  I’d stop again, for sure. You should think about it too.

PJs Moon Doggies Review

PJs Moon Doggies Review

Chorizo is a type of pork and/or beef sausage which differs in different parts of the world. Spanish chorizo is a smoked, cured, sausage, often sliced and eaten like salami.

It’s seasoned with hot peppers and pimento. Chorizo found in Mexico and Mexican-American dishes in the US, tends to be ground meat and fattier. It generally doesn’t have the ‘heat’ that the Spanish variety does, as it uses a different kind of peppers.

In an effort to expand their market, traditional US sausage manufacturers like Johnsonville and Hillshire Farms, are adding different spice combinations to traditional smoked sausage (bun size), and giving them different varietal names, like Cajun Andouille, “New Orleans Style,” Polska Kielbasa, “Italian,” “Texas Hot Links” and so on. To me, there isn’t a whole helluva lot of difference in how they taste, and certainly they are all the same in the grind and texture of the non-natural casing.

“Parkview” is Aldi’s in-house brand of some of their sausage products, and I’ve written about quite a few of them before.

This week I noticed a new one “Chorizo Smoked Sausage,” and I picked it up to try. Like many of Aldi’s smoked sausage products, there are manufactured by Salm Partners in Denmark, WI.

As I referenced above, most of these types of smoked sausage are indistinguishable from each other, with the exception of a slight variation in taste. With the “Chorizo,” Parkview is heavy on the peppers, and this one is hot. Hotter than similar products.

Great on the grill or in a fry pan. I liked ’em.

Parkview Chorizo Smoked Sausage Review

In a nostalgic mood a couple years ago, the Chicago Cubs commissioned world famous Vienna Beef to bring back the Wrigley Field smokie sausage, using the original 1893 family recipe.

These puppies are pure beef with a secret combination of spices, and hickory smoked (Ingredient and nutrition panel below). They are substantial, and in the groceries, they are packed four to a 12 ounce package.

The smokies join the exciting menu of both traditional and local favorites at Chicago’s Wrigley Field.

I like my sausages (that don’t have natural casings), with a little bit of char, either on the grill or in a cast iron skillet.  Adds a little more “bite” to the tactile experience. Most smoked sausages (Vienna’s included) are so flavorful, I don’t dare dilute the taste with tons of condiments, so I go with yellow mustard, and occasionally, kraut. And that’s how I adorned the Wrigley Field Smokies.

The sausage has a nice texture, it’s a very fine grind, and is mild but flavorful at the same time. It will remind you of the taste of old-fashioned franks. In other words, a bit stronger in flavor than most mass-market hot dogs, really delicious.  The sausages could probably use a more substantial bun than the usual hot dog bun, which is what I tried to get away with. They deserve quality Chicago rolls, like Rosen or Turano.

Check out Vienna Beef online to find a store near you or order direct. BTW?  They make the best deli counter corned beef and pastrami anywhere.

Wrigley Field Smokies Review

Like most places in the country, there are signs of Spring in Louisiana.  We don’t really get a “Spring,” per se, tho, do we?  One day it’s the last day of our very short winter, and the next morning we’re into the “hot season.”  It’s upon us, 90 degree days, and 70 degree nights.  Gee, I guess that IS Spring compared to what the temps will be a few months from now.

So I told myself, “Self, what better way to celebrate than to go on a drive across this beautiful state or ours, and grab a hot dog or two on the road.”

I set out for Monroe, a city that had, heretofore, not witnessed my presence.  Prior to arriving at my Northern Louisiana destination, I had a wonderful day on the backgrounds of Louisiana, grabbing a burger in Baton Rouge, and making my way up thru the northeastern edge of Acadiana, where the primary crop that they grow is military installations.

I had chosen Monroe for only one reason:  to find out why this Louisiana burg of 50,000 had eight dining establishments with the name “Coney Island” as part of their signage.  “An influx of Greeks?” I mused. (A preponderance of ‘chili dog parlors’ I have visited in my life seemed to be owned by Greeks).  “Some local infatuation with the meal on a bun?”  “A shortage of other culinary curiousities?”

It’s an answer that eluded me, prior, during, and after my visit.  Seems the fine folks of Monroe may know the secret, but they ain’t talking.

Example:  I stopped in a Monroe gas station to ask if the attendant knew where the nearest “Coney Island” was?   He didn’t – but explained that he wasn’t from around here.  I asked where he was from.   “Well, I’m from West Monroe.”   So that explained everything.  He didn’t get “way over here” very much.

A customer, on the other hand, was very helpful.  I asked if he knew where a “Coney Island” restaurant was, and he responded “Are you looking for a crawfish boil?”   No, I explained, a hot dog.   He was able to supply directions to the Riverside Coney Island, but since his speech patterns quite resembled “Boomhauer” on “King of the Hill,” I found it more by luck, than by instruction.

Upon arriving, I had a revelation about the reason for the crawfish question.  As everyone knows, it’s the start of crawfish season in Louisiana, and it seems Monroe-ites are crazy about their crawfish. So crazy, they are willing to pay about four times what we pay in Southern Louisiana.  And the hot dog diner was awash with crawfish cravers, they even had built special tables for the occasion, which were round, somewhat resembled giant ashtrays, and had a hole in the center, where the table was perched (somewhat precariously) upon a garbage can where you could dump your shells, plates, napkins, and all. Clever.

The waitress found me, and said “Crawfish, hon?”  But she didn’t bat a false eyelash when I said, “No, I came for a coney.”   I ordered three, along with a root beer, and drooled in anticipation of what would surely be a nirvana dining experience – after all, why would they have so many Coney shops, if these little puppies weren’t pure “eden on a bun.”.

Yes, folks, get ready ……….. me, who seldom is heard to say a discouraging word……..states that these coneys were nuttin’ special.  Nor were they here  or at any of the other five places in Monroe.

Riverside Coney Island Review