After four weeks and 17 lost pounds of low carb eating, I decided to take a day and treat myself and the family to a one day road trip diet busting spectacular. That we woke this morning to a beautifully clear, sunny, fall Midwestern day only made the idea that much more appealing. We decided to make the trip from Beertown down to the City of Big Shoulders.
About a year ago, while browsing another food forum, I came across a long thread extolling the virtues of a small Chicago hot dog establishment called Hot Doug's. However, the reverential regard with which many of the posters held for this wonderful little restaurant made it obvious that this wasn't your typical Chicago Style Hot Dog eatery. It must be noted that we have been known to drive to Chicago for a hot dog or Italian beef with very little prompting, so to say a place that billed itself as "The Sausage Superstore and Encased Meat Emporium" had piqued my interest, would be akin to saying I am occasionally known to overeat.
Hot Doug's is located in a mixed use area in what I believe is known locally as Irving Park. I could be wrong there, because as a lifelong cheesehead, the intricacies of Chicago neighborhood boundaries confound me. The restaurant itself is housed on the first floor of a residential looking building. It appears there could be apartments above.
You would expect a restaurant the bills itself as stated above would be more than just a hot dog stand, and you would expect right. Of course the menu includes the standard Chicago sausage fare, snappy natural casing Chicago style dogs nestled in S. Rosen poppy seed buns, and Polish and Italian sausages. Even a bratwurst for those north of the flatland/cheeseland border. All are listed on the menu with clever names, and I'm sure they would not disappoint if that was your craving.
We weren't out hunting standard fare today, however, especially when what should have been at tops a one hour forty five minute drive from Milwaukee, stretched to almost three hours due to the wonders of IL freeway construction. Frustration probably increased my hunger threefold by the time of arrival. This may have been fortunate, because Hot Doug's offers another extensive list of sausages, and the beauties on this list cannot, no WILL NOT, be classified as standard fare.
We knew Hot Doug's was a popular destination, and there a was line of 75 to 100 people lined up down the block. This was not overly daunting, as from what I had read, the restaurant ran like clockwork, and patrons file in and through at a steady pace. The clientele waited amiably in the pleasant sunshine along the side of the brick building. Young, old, well dressed, tattooed and pierced, a wide variety of Chicagoans shuffled forward slowly but surely, not an unhappy face in the crowd. In 25-30 minutes we entered the front door. There were about ten to twelve people between us, and from what I knew from my reading, Doug in large black frame glasses, taking orders at the counter. From what I had understand, it is almost always Doug taking orders, Monday through Friday, 10:30 am to 4:00 pm, no Sundays, no nights, and no holidays. He sometimes closes just because he wants to take some time off. He is known for his extraordinarily good nature.
When we hit the front counter, Doug did not disappoint. I mentioned we were down from Milwaukee, (myself, my wife, my ten year old daughter, and my friend Shawn), and since we had just endured the torture of the IL freeway system, we were going to sample a considerable number of his specialties. He laughed loudly and welcomed us heartily and appreciatively, pointing out his bobble head dolls of the Miller park racing sausages. It appears he relishes the contact with his customers, and also spends just enough time conversing to allow the restaurant to run smoothly.
Doug is fronted by an energetic crew of three and backed by an equally energetic crew of four. The three employees in front of the counter are constantly moving, talking and smiling while welcoming and seating customers after they order, delivering food, and busing tables. All this is done very quickly and efficiently, the guys cooking behind the counter are pumping out orders.
I was as excited as a little girl. The energy and good humor of the place are infectious. This is the list of specialty sausages we ordered and mostly consumed at Hot Doug's. We might have over ordered just a tad for three adults and one child, but we were on an adventure. Doug comped us our soft drinks out of respect for our willingness to travel.
The Game of the Week Goji Berry Pheasant Sausage with Caribbean Mayonnaise and Cheese-Stuffed Sweet Peppers
This sausage was slightly sweet from the berries. The meat itself was not dry as I thought it might be. It is much more flavorful than a chicken sausage, but not gamey. The creamy mayo added a bit of spice. On the sandwich were three small sweet cherry type pepper halves filled with a creamy cheese. Everything blended together well. This one for me, tied for top billing.
Saucisse de Toulouse with Black Truffle Butter and St. Nectaire Cheese
This one was rich, rich, rich, but silky, silky, silky smooth. A mild, I believe pork, sausage, the bun lightly coated with the truffle butter, and topped generously with chunks of an also buttery soft pale yellow cheese. This had a mellow flavor and appealing mouth feel. It did not seem greasy, almost not a like a sausage sandwich. This one also tied for top honors.
Merguez Lamb Sausage with Spicy Harissa and Cana de Oveja
A smaller lamb link that was red and more dense than the first two. The Harissa was a red sauce that was spicy, but not torturous. The cheese reminded me of Brie. It had a similar rind, was creamy, and the taste remained pleasingly after a bite was swallowed. I liked this a lot, but there was maybe a bit too much cheese, or maybe not quite enough sauce.
The Atomic Bomb Spicy Pork Sausage with Spicy Passion Fruit-Mango Mayonnaise and Almond-Coated Goat Cheese
My wife ordered this link, and it was too spicy for her. The tightly packed sausage had some spice, similar to an andoullie. The goat cheese was mild, and the nuttiness of the almonds was an interesting contrast to the sweet/hot mayo. The mayo's heat really stayed in the mouth. It didn't make my eyes water, but I'm glad no one was voicing a sad story, because it was pretty close. I liked my couple bites quite well, but my wife just couldn't handle it.
Ribeye Steak Sausage with Chimichurri Sauce
The ribeye sausage was the bruiser of the order. Big and dense, a true tube steak. Designed to be a Latin grilled steak type of sausage with the chimichurri. This was my least favorite of the day. Not dry, but just too heavy. I would have enjoyed it more, with some grilled onions and maybe a cheese sauce, sort of a cheesesteak in a casing. I prefer mild garlic flavors, so it is not surprising I found the chimichurri a little overpowering.
Hot Doug's BLT: Bacon Sausage with Avocado Mayonnaise, Roma Tomatoes and Lettuce
I didn't sample this, unusual because I rarely turn away from anything bacon, but hey, even my voracious appetite has it's limits. My wife described it as "not bad, interesting." Not the most descriptive or shining review you'll ever hear, but I'll give it a shot at some point in the future.
DUCK FAT FRIES
That's right. Fresh cut french fries fried in duck fat. Creamy inside, a slight crispness to the exterior, they also have a not greasy silky flavor from the duck fat. We had two orders, which was a mistake because there had to have been at least a pound and half or more of potatoes. We ate about one order total, and even my daughter ate a good portion after first asking "what do they mean by duck fat fries?", and then crinkling her nose at the explanation.
My daughter also scarfed two steamed hot dogs. "Plain, nothing on them" as is her wont. She even scrapes the poppy seeds off the bun. She described them as "good". I asked if they had a nice snap. She said, "I guess." She's young, there's still time to learn.
As is probably obvious, we loved almost everything about Hot Doug's. I think it's great when you visit a highly spoken of restaurant that not only meets your expectations, but exceeds them. It doesn't hurt when it's great fun. I love a well executed fine dining experience as much as anyone, I think, but I also love the special locally owned burger joints, hot dog stands, pizzerias, ice cream parlors, the mom and pop breakfast place, etc. just as much. After experiencing Hot Doug's, not only the food, but Doug and his whole operation, I put today's' meal right there with some of the finest restaurant visits I have ever had. His special sausages I believe change regularly, and the the wild game sausage changes at least weekly. Like his tee shirts say, the two greatest words in the English language are "encased meat."
As we were leaving, he looked up from taking God knows what number order for the day, he smiled and asked if we enjoyed ourselves. I told him we were leaving as four very happy cheeseheads, and he burst out laughing. He can be pretty confident we'll be back. He's joined our list of Chicago favorites; O'Fame and Lou's for pizza, Al's for beef, Frontera Grill for mexican, Cafe Iberico for tapas, Shaw's for crab, The Cape Cod Room when we're feeling old school.
I think Hot Doug's set the tone for a great day. After eating we visited Myopic Books, a large used bookstore, where I found James Blish's
A Case of Conscience, a science fiction classic I've been trying to locate for some time. Then we went to a children's film festival where in two hours we watched 20 short films made by children from all over the world. We all liked that very much, especially my ten year old daughter, who now wonders how she can make a film.
I know this is an incredibly long post, but I felt like sharing. I'm also going to post some pictures from Hot Doug's. I know that Nikko wants us to use the gallery, but I think they fit here nicely. I hope no one minds. There's also a link to Hot Doug's menu.
Kevin
Thanks, Chicago, I'm glad your down there.
Hot Doug's 
Hot Doug's-The Sausage Superstore and Encased Meat Emporium 
Thanks for bringing these neat sausage variations to our attention.
No. Seriously.
