Donalds

Donald's Famous Hot Dogs

2325 South Western Ave.

When I first walked into Donald's Famous Hot Dogs, I had a premonitions that I would not famously remember these hot dogs for being good. Now, I can understand how readers of this blog might get feeling that I am hot dog pessimistic as I have had low intial expectations of the last two entries. Upon further reflection one sleepless night, I came to idea that ambiance speaks to me and in case of the hot dogs, the simpler, the better. When I walked into Donald's, I was hit by a number of signs proclaiming the greatness of jalapeno poppers, homemade Italian Beef and a menu that had seemed to have grown considerably over the years. There were too many choices. This not only confuses and adds more decisions for the customer, but also the staff, who is pulled in many different directions, with too much equipment to man and understand and is unable to hone and perfect the art of the dog. Most of the hot dogs that I have really enjoyed come from stands that really only focus on hot dogs and few other items, usually tamales. It is in these temples of hot dogs, that pracitioners of the hot dog through high turn over and years of practice are able to produce fresh and simple hot dogs that speak to the soul. Please don't get me wrong, grease joints that prepare a large selection of delicious grease inspired items have their time and place, but often seem unable to reach the higher levels of hot dogs greatness as they are weighed down by the bulk of their menu.

Anyway, on to the dogs. I got the 2 hot dog, fries and drink special, which took quite a while to come out (Another negative of the large menu, wait times are increased). The hot dog was Vienna Beef and was probably my favorite part of this dog as the taste and snap get better with each bite, encouraging one to have another. The bun was pretty standard and held together, but did not have poppy seeds. The mustard and non-neon green relish were also standard and mostly unremarkable. From here, things began to fall apart. There were way to many onions on the hot dog. There must have been a quarter of a chopped onion on each dog and they just crushed everything else. In addition, they had a strange taste that made me think they had been sitting out too long. The tomatoes were small and there was no to limited celery salt to help them pop. In addition, the option of sport peppers did not seemed to be available. While I could not stand the dog for the most part, I did enjoy the final bite which consisted on bun, hot dog and tomato and thus encouraged me to eat the other dog.

It was even more oniony and even removing half of the onions only partial increased enjoyment.

In conclusion, I did not enjoy Donald's Famous Hot Dogs and will not return for special trip or stop by. They did advertise a homemade Italian Beef sandwich, so maybe that is more their speciality these days. I would give Donald's 2 out of 5 celery salt shakers.

Dan

I had seen signs for Donald’s on several GenderJUST related trips down Western and I was excited to eat the hot dogs that were so highly spoken of by said signs. Immediately upon entering, however, I had a big feeling that we were in for yet another nothing special but not too upsetting Chicago style dog. I got 2 hot dogs, fries, and a small Dr. Pepper for $5.96, which pleased me. The Dr. Pepper was delicious and the fries were reasonably crisp and reminded me of the fries I used to get at my local grease joint when I was a wee lad. The hot dogs were, as predicted, nothing special.

The bun did not have poppy seeds and did not seem to have been steamed. The hot dog itself was Vienna Beef, which is always acceptable and enjoyable. The tomato slice was pretty big. It would have been better if tomatoes were in season, but I suppose I cannot hold Donald’s responsible for the fact that this is not yet the case. The relish was the older school (not neon green) style. I actually prefer the taste of the old school relish but prefer the asthetics of the neon green version. In any case, I have no complaints about the relish. The pickle spear was decent sized and had reasonable crunch. The 2^nd hot dog I ate was missing the skin on the pickle spear, but it actually worked out all right taste wise so I guess that is also more of an asthetic issue. There did seem to be some celery salt but more is always better.

The major problem I had with these hot dogs was the onions. Now, normally I’m a big fan of onions and have been known to eat burgers with just onions, so for me to be complaining about onions you know there is a serious issue. Dan and I couldn’t quite get to the bottom of said issue, but here are some thoughts: certainly part of the problem was sheer volume. I scraped off about half the onions on my 2^nd dog and that helped the taste out a lot. The volume of onions was overpowering to some of the other toppings and having half as much restored the balance somewhat. I still think that the taste of said onions was a little off, though, and it is my personal theory that they had been partially caramelized or grilled or something. I suppose it is also possible that it was a different variety of onion that is usually found on a Chicago style dog, but as stated above, I really like onions so I don’t think there is a variety I wouldn’t like on my hot dog. I found the onion situation quite disconcerting and it disrupted my enjoyment of the hot dog.

All in all, the food was acceptable and the price was right. However, seeing as I rarely find myself at Western and 23^rd without a reason, I doubt that I will eat at Donald’s again. I can get a mediocre hot dog much closer to home. I give Donald’s 3 out of 5 celery salt shakers.

Aidan

Murph's Hot Dogs

Murph’s Hot Dogs

3930 W. Montrose Ave.

Today, we made a special trip to Murph’s Hot Dogs, which is just a stone’s throw from our perspective residences. Now, one might think that the special trip was made due to hearing of its greatness in food, ambience or combination of the two, but one would be wrong. No, we took a special trip, because Murph’s never seems to be open. Numerous drive-by’s have only brought repeat disappointment. In a bold move, Aidan called and discovered that apparently one could enjoy their goods from the hours of 11 to 7 DAILY. I was not so sure.

Yet, today at 6:00 pm, they were open and hot dogs were enjoyed.

Before I begin my discussion of the two hot dog special with fries and a can of sodie-pop, I must disclose that I had low expectations of Murph’s. It seemed to be your average family-owned and operated grease joint, which usually provides run of the mill hot dogs with varying success. With that in mind, I was pleasantly surprised. The hot dog was Vienna Beef and had the traditional snap and flavor that we have come to know and love. The bun seemed to be a step up from your 69 cent buns that can be bought (on sale of course) at one’s local grocery store. It was sans poppy seeds and not steamed, but held up with limited chewiness. The mustard, onion and tomato were fresh and complimented the hot dog. The relish was not the neon green variety, but nevertheless was enjoyable. It had more taste that the neon, but was not overpowering. The real winner of this dog was the pickle. It seemed to be from a barrel, light brined so as to have still a hint of cucumber taste and freshness and fit perfectly on the bun. It was a slice of pickle as opposed to the spear, which perhaps allowed it boldly claim its presence without dominating the other condiments.

As for the intangibles, a plus must be given for the outside picnic table that allowed one to enjoy the sun, the breeze and the crawling traffic of Montrose Ave. Another plus must be given for the Sysco-tastic fries and refrigerated ketchup that came along with it. A minus, unfortunately, must also be give for asking if we wanted ketchup on our hot dogs.

In conclusion, the two hot dog special for $5.24 was a deal and a meal. Hot dogs were slightly above average, due to the pickle, but I doubt I will make another special trip to Murph’s. This is because there are better hot dog and/ or grease joints in the area, namely, Susie’s and Beef and Burger. In addition, I am sacred that if I did make a special trip, Murph’s would be closed, but that is the another story.

Dan


I think the word (or words, to be grammatically correct) of the day is "pleasantly surprised." After having lived in Albany Park for nearly a year and NOT ONCE seeing Murph's open, it seemed necessary to seize the opportunity to sample their wares. I mean, seriously, I was convinced that this was yet another mom and pop operation that had been pushed out of the way by the man. In any case, that is not in fact the case, so on to the dog.

The bun itself was nothing special. It was certainly not a Rosen's bun and didn't have poppy seed and had not been steamed. However, it did not add any sort of negative taste and it help up well so all in all I have to report that the bun is acceptable. The dog was the traditional Vienna Beef, which was a welcome development after the debacle that was last week's Chicago dog. Now, I generally enjoy independently made dogs over the mass produced Vienna Beef, but this hot dog reminded me of the genius that is Vienna Beef. And that brings us to the toppings. The relish was not the traditional neon green, but added a subtle and delicious flavor. The onions were nothing special and neither upset nor impressed me. The tomato was an adequate size. It will be better when tomatoes are in season, but I suppose I can't hold Murph's accountable for that not yet being the case. The pickle was exceptional. I'm not sure how or why, but it was fantastic. I think it may have something to do with the tips of said pickle being cut off, but I won't go on record with that. My major complaint would be the total lack of celery salt.

The fries, while standard grease joint out of a bag of frozen fries, were still delicious and crisp and I certainly enjoyed the straight out of the cooler ketchup. I also very much enjoyed the opportunity to have a can of soda and the soda selection was quite impressive.

The opportunity to eat at a not-entirely-sturdy picnic table steps off of Montrose was an excitement, especially on such a nice night. I myself very well might wander west on Montrose in search of a hot dog, and if I happened to see that Murph's was open, I might stop by. I suppose it would all depend on whether I was in the market for a dog or for an entire meal. If I just wanted the dog, I would certainly continue my trek all the way to Susie's. The hot dog seems to be the only decent item on Susie's menu, though, so if I'm hungry enough Susie's doesn't really cut it. If I wanted a gyro, I would certainly head up the street to Beef and Burger for the best gyro in the city, but that is a story for another blog. The $5.24 2 hot dogs, fries, and can of soda pop deal at Murph's would be hard to pass up if I was hungry. I figure it wouldn't be a crushing disappointment if I headed up to Murph's and found they were closed, as it is directly between my abode and Susie's or Beef and Burger.

Lou's Coney Island

April 9, 2010 Lou’s Coney Island

3455 N Southport Ave.

We tried out the Lou’s Coney Island today and reviews were mixed. First of all, it is a far cry from the hot dog shack. It was more like a Steak and Shake, but for hot dogs, with booths, chairs, servers and kitschy decorations that remind you of that the allure of the 50’s still lives on.

Anyway, onto the Dogs. I got two dogs, a Chicago Style and the Classic Coney Dog with fries.

The Chicago Style was below average. The poppy seed bun was not steamed and thus still had some chew left in it. The hot dog itself was made by Keogel meats and did seem to have a natural casing, but it was thin and did not much flavor. In addition, the outside was much more brown than the inside, which I, for some reason, found slightly disconcerting. The toppings continued to push this hot dog’s rating down with diced tomatoes and a small and very processed pickle that gave limited additional flavor or snap. I would compare the pickle to the one used at Suzie’s, but it did not work as the hot dog itself and the other condiments did not meld together well.

As for the Coney Island Dog, it was very good. It was mainly a chili dog on a non-poppy seed bun, topped with mustard and chopped onions. In this case, all the condiments went very well together and worked well with the hot dog itself. As I am not a chili dog expert, I have not much to report on the specifics and thus will say, I liked it and would return for it.

So in conclusion, Lou’s Coney Island has below standard Chicago Hot Dogs, but does excel in the Detroit style Coney Island Dog and is worth a return trip.

Dan

I also enjoyed the Coney Dog with fries alongside a traditional Chicago Style dog. I had been informed that the chili was good, and that was certainly true. The hot dogs are made by Koegel Meats rather than the more traditional Vienna Beef dog, I'll go ahead and say that the whole Coney Dog (or at least the Coney Dog Aidan style, or minus the mustard) was enjoyable. The chili was the highlight, but the bun was acceptable and the hot dog worked well in that venue. The fries were nothing special, but certainly got the job done. I was not personally a fan of the cheese fries, as the cheese seemed to be a nacho cheese and that is not how I roll. I am a bit of a purist when it comes to my cheese fries.

The Chicago style dog, however, was an entirely different story. The hot dog was not a tasty platform for the traditional Chicago style toppings. Again, said hot dogs were not Vienna Beef, which is often a plus but in this case it had mixed results. There was a natural casing so I got a satisfying pop with my bites but the taste was just not right. Despite the bun not being steamed, I will grant that it held together well, the relish was neon green, and the pickle spear fit on the bun. There was also a reasonable amount of celery salt, and I always appreciate that. The onions were fine as well. The tomatoes were diced and, although I may have felt differently in the past, diced tomatoes are unacceptable. The flavor gets too diluted and the texture is off. Of course, I managed to finish it, but I did not enjoy my Chicago Style hot dog and that is a great sadness.

On the other hand, I realized I had met my server the week before at my neighborhood bar and so I like to think that once again hot dogs brought people together and created much joy. The restaurant was not a grease joint, and there was sitting and waiting and tipping involved, which sort of gave the whole experience a strange edge. I am not used to eating hot dogs under such conditions. It may have been a bit too fancy for hot dog eating, in fact. I might go back, but only if I really wanted Coney Dogs.

Aidan