Critic's Review
Authentic Chicago food anyone? If you thought that the Cypress Nook was in the middle of nowhere, this place is just east of nowhere. I stopped by here when they first opened on a Monday, but they're closed on Monday.
The place is very Chicagoey inside; when you resell Vienna Hot dogs you get a lot of signage for your store. I wanted a Chicago Dog and something else; their sandwiches are $10 so I just went with a chili cheese dog.
Something very noticeable is that this an elbow grease operation that has no-one with any business sense involved. There's a big old-style cash register on the counter, paper tickets and they're using a personal facebook page for the business. It's like it's 2003 all over again.
Plenty of home town spirit in the room. Cubs and White Sox; you'd never see a Yankees and Mets banner in the same place; which is why everything is better in NY.
The hot dogs were ready in 2 minutes; everything is ready to go apparently.
I went straight home, but there's a lot of traffic on US1 in March. Ridiculous really.
Good packaging, but no branding. White bag. White containers. White napkin. No menu in the bag.
Decent looking hot dogs. Well packed.
I tried the Chili Dog first. The onions are an optional add-on.
Wow. This was a good hot dog. Superb chili. The poppy seeds get all over the place, but this was one of the best chili dogs I've had in many, many moons.
You know something is good when you get a feeling of sadness after the last bite.
Onto the Chicago dog. It seems fairly well constructed, although the tomatoes looked a bit limp.
I didn't really like the Chicago Dog. It was too sweet, and they used a miniature pickle wedge. It just didn't taste like a Chicago Dog should taste.
Conclusion
If you're sick of the greedy corporate players who have commandeered the restaurant industry, this place is the exact opposite. A bunch of people trying to live the American Dream by rolling up their sleeves and selling food that they love themselves. Get yourself a chili dog. Trust me on this one.