Is it a hot dog or a gourmet hot dog?

[Mark H. Roe]

Ok you Chicago inspectors, I have a running bet with another inspector from my area concerning the Vienna hot dog you guys have up there in Chicago. He says that it is a gourmet hot dog, I say that it is just a hot dog with fancy toppings. He says that they run around $1.50 - $2.00 per dog. Those are some expensive dogs if you ask me. Any one care to comment on this topic. Is it a hot dog, or is it a gourmet hot dog? What do you think Will Decker?

[ldapkus]

Mark,
Portillo's has many restraunts in Chicago and they have great hot dogs and Italian beef sandwiches. Their opening a restraunt in California soon. They also ship around the country. The owner started with a single hotdog cart, and now he has expanded to the suburbs. You can check it out here:
http://www.portillos.com/portillos/m...?SID=32&MID=23
I don't know if you can call them for gourmet hot dogs, but they're damn good. Their Italian beef sandwiches are good also. However I prefer Al's #1
for Italian beefs. Several years ago Al's was rated number one in the country by Good Morning America.

[Joe Farsetta]

Hot dogs are actually vienna sausages. This is the truth. At Feltman's German Beer Garden in Coney Island, vienna-style sausages, served in long rolls, were the very first frankfurters served in the US.

On the advice of 2 singing waiters (Jimmy Durante and Al Jolsen), two employees started their own frankfurter stand. They called it Nathan's.

This story is true. As to the notion of gourmet hot dogs, I suppose it depends on the quality and weight of the dog, along with the available toppings.

I personally like Nathan's franks.

[ekartal6]

It is a "Chicago style" hot dog. Mustard, onions, relish, tomatoe slices and a pickle spear on top.

There is a Portillo's in Buena Park, CA.

Erol Kartal

[ldapkus]

Originally Posted by ekartal6

It is a "Chicago style" hot dog. Mustard, onions, relish, tomatoe slices and a pickle spear on top.

There is a Portillo's in Buena Park, CA.

Erol Kartal

Don't forget the celery salt. Erol I have a friend who moved to Huntington Beach, Ca. 25 years ago and made sure he got his fill of Portillo's every time he came back to visit. He also likes Old Style beer... yuck

[ekartal6]

Good stuff for sure Linas. I actually had a Portillo's Italian Beef two hours ago. I'm sure the Buena Park, CA location is a gold mine being near Knotsberry Farm and Disneyland. You don't often see a fast food chain with as many as 40 people working at one time.

Had this on Super Bowl day: http://www.loumalnatis.com/about/about.html

Pretty soon I may have to disclaim crawl spaces.

[Mark H. Roe]

Sounds interesting guys, but here is the bet that is at stake here. If after 48 hours of being here on the board. If you say it is a gourmet dog I have to buy him a 2 pound of vienna beef hot dogs which he says is the best in the nation as far as he is concerned. If you say that the chicago vienna beef are just dogs, I get a 20 oz t-bone steak. So come on folks, lets get this straight. I like my angus beef in steaks not in a frank.

[Brian E. Kelly]

Nearly 80 years and three generations later, Ted's Hot Dogs has grown to eight locations throughout Western New York and one in Tempe, Arizona. To this day, Ted's is a family owned and operated business. Spiro Liaros is now the president of Ted's, and lives in Arizona where he oversees the Tempe location. The Western New York locations are run by the founder's grandson and namesake so there's still a Ted in charge of Ted's.

HomeMenuLocationsHistoryNews
Corporate Office: 95 Roger Chaffee Drive - Amherst, NY 14228
Phone: 716.691.3731 / Fax: 716.691.3776
© 2006 Ted's Jumbo Red Hots, Inc.




YUM YUM

[rlind]

To me, a Vienna dog is not even close to gourmet. Give me a Best's kosher hot dog any day. They are made with 100% beef, not with the lips and ___holes and other fillers the standard hot dog contains. Will, might you agree?

[ldapkus]

These are good too. I guess I watch too many Food Network shows.
http://www.nathansfamous.com/

[ekartal6]

Mark,

I lived in the heart of Chicago many years and never heard of a gourmet hot dog. Vienna is the choice of most hot dog joints. Your friend is probably using his own subjective term because unlike the east coast, the Chicago dog has the "works" which may mean "gourmet" to some.

[ekartal6]

Linas,

Remember Franksville foot-long cheddar dogs?

[cvowell]

Brian, Ted's hot dogs are the absolute best.
I haven't had a 'gourmet' hot dog (isn't that an oxymoron?) but I have had a dog with the works. My only experience with hot dogs come from 15+ years of spring training games and Ted's.

[ekartal6]

That Ted's place looks real good. Haven't had a charcoal grilled hot dog for a while.

[Bruce M. Graham]

Lum's Beer Hotdog



One Package, John Morrell's, New York Deli Brand, Beef Franks

or your favorite brand of all-beef hot dogs.

1 can beer.

2 can water (use empty beer can)

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon caraway seeds



Bring everything to a boil, reduce heat to a lowest

heat and let stew 15 minutes or longer.

Serve on a Quality Hot Dog Bun.

Add your favorite toppings or this;