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.