Hot Doug's, Chicago

I apologize for the lack of postings recently...I blame my forgetful nature (as in forgetting to bring a camera!) and also sheer laziness of late. Will try to be better about it, I promise!

Though I forgot my camera (again) when I was at Hot Doug's in Chicago the other day, I did manage to snap a couple of pics with my trusty Blackberry. I first heard of the famous hot dog restaurant on a recent episode of "No Reservations," where Bourdain sits down to a foie gras hot dog with the joint's owner, Doug Sohn. Apparently tired of eating bad dogs, Doug opened his place a few years ago and it's been a hit ever since. Not only does he serve the typical Chicago style (neon green relish, onions, celery salt, tomato, mustard - NO KETCHUP!), Doug also features a variety of encased meats including Italian sausage, Sante Fe chicken, vegetarian, Buffalo and a whole lot more.

After having a good 30 minutes to think about what I wanted (see line into Doug's, above), I settled on the classic Chicago-style hot dog. Doug makes his with caramelized onions, which is not traditional but is the perfect sweet compliment to the vinegary pickle and relish. I savored every bite with my side of crispy, skin-on fries. Unfortunately we were there on a weekday so we couldn't get the famous duck-fat fries that Doug makes on Fri-Sat only, but I'm still very happy I went. Oh, and Doug himself was manning the cash register and took our order, and he was very nice and cordial in spite of the 30+ hungry people in line behind us. If you find yourself in the Chi-town area, I highly recommend a stop at Hot Doug's!