Mike’s Chicago Hot Dogs

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25 May 2010 379 views Add a Comment

If anyone should be writing about Chicago-style anything, it’s most definitely not me. As much as I hate to admit it, my only forays to Chicago have been confined to transfers at O’Hare…

I have, however, heard that they make some pretty tasty hot dogs there (along with a few other things). So this past weekend, feeling as though I had no energy to even walk (sleeping sickness, mono, who knows), I was suddenly struck with a craving for a hot dog. This is even more odd, as I grew up in the South, where as far as I remember as a kid, involved burning the damn things until they were charred beyond recognition – I shudder to think about it.

So kid it tow, I ventured out to Mike’s, the closest hot dog stand I could find to the house. I didn’t catch the guy’s name behind the counter (see sleeping sickness, above), but as we were new customers, he gave us the full rundown on what turned out to be a pretty extensive menu. My heart quickened a bit at the mention of Italian beef sandwiches (I know, I’ve never been to Chicago, but I am a food blogger – I know about this stuff…). My total lack of accent and flawless pronunciation of giardinera did get me an “Oh! You’re from Chicago!”, but I had to admit that indeed, I was not.

Unfortunately, I was unsure of my appetite (and even of Mike’s), so I went with a Polish sausage with grilled onions. My son went with the hot dog and obligatory, flourescent green relish (I recall reading about this somewhere, so it was a little less of a surprise to me).

Soft, poppy seed buns and nice casings on the meats were satisfying and tasty. We’ll definitely be going back.