Fred Hots 5.2.10

Address:1707 Chestnut Ave.
Glenview, IL 60025

I’ll be honest and say that I went in with expectations that were on the low side. I had been told that Fred Hot’s was trying to be a sort of Hot Doug’s and that turned me off. To be honest, I don’t know that Hot Doug’s is good enough to inspire knock offs. Now I know that might sound blasphemous and probably is a story for the Hot Doug’s blog, but let’s just say that I think Hot Doug’s is good, but there are other hot dog stands that are better and don’t get as much respect. Perhaps my opinion will change on my next visit, during which I plan to try a specialty sausage. Maybe my issue is that I am basing my entire opinion on the Chicago style dog and missing the big picture. But I digress.

I ordered the fRed Hot and fries and an order of Fred Pups. I was expecting mini corn dogs and got mini hot dogs, but that was certainly at least half my bad for not confirming said expectation whilst ordering. The fRed Hot was a traditional Chicago style dog. The fries were fresh cut and were pretty good. Mine were a little on the undercooked side but I actually appreciated that. I got a side of cheese sauce with my fries. This is not a necessary part of the Chicago Style hot dog meal and so that needs to be noted. However, I am a man who has rarely met a cheese he doesn’t like and I will go ahead and say I didn’t like this cheese. I am a bit of a purist and a snob when it comes to my cheese fry cheese and I will also acknowledge that. It had a grainy texture and an oil sheen on the top. I believe it was Merck’s cheese. This might be a bonus for most people but I found it disappointing. I actually ended up eating most of my fries without the cheese. In other news, the meal came with a small drink that had unlimited refills, so plus one Fred Hots for understanding that it is necessary to remain hydrated while consuming massive amounts of nitrates.

Onto the fRed Hot itself…upon first glance it looked like it was going to be delicious. I forgot to take a picture, which I know is an amateur move. The hot dog was Vienna Beef and was delicious in and of itself. The bun had poppy seeds, there were 2 tomato slices, and there was visible celery salt. The relish was neon green, the onions were neither over or under represented, and the pickle had a good amount of crunch. Overall, there was certainly nothing wrong with the dog but there was nothing special either. I would have liked a place called Fred Hots to have a hot dog that popped. It wasn’t really any better than a hot dog I could get at any grease joint and that is a sadness indeed.

I might go back to Fred Hots, but if I do it will either be because I am already in Glenview putting in face time with my Grandma or because I am going back to try the Italian Beef. I give Fred Hots 3 out of 5 celery salt shakers as well.

Aidan



fRed Hots

I must say that I had mixed feelings about fRed Hots before I went. I had heard that they were a take off of Hot Doug's, with a variety of exotic hot dogs, such as boar, elk and the like. I must admit that I am not sure about this recent trend to vary the hot dog meats. Let us be real. The hot dog was and certainly still is a everything else type of sausage. The whole animal should be enjoyed and those parts that need to be ground up to very small pieces to be enjoyed with other sections traditionally found themselves in a hot dog. Are we doing the same thing with the exotic hot dogs? It seems there is a feeling of needing to class up a hot dog, which I disagree with. There is nothing wrong with a hot dog as it is and that just needs to be stated. Then again, who I am to stand in the way of progress and experimentation. All I am saying is respect the original.

Anyway, I had the fRed Hot and fries. The hot dog was good, but had no real wow factor. The hot dog itself was Vienna Beef with a natural casing, but seemed a bit tasteless this time. The bun had poppy seeds and was not really well steamed. The bun really seemed to dominate and my last bite, which I traditionally enjoy as it mainly hot dog with bun and random leftovers, was too doughy. The condiments were unremarkable, with the right mix of mustard, onions, relish, tomatoes, pickle and celery salt. Most everything was right, but I wanted more and it did not materialize. The fries were fresh cut and well cooked. (I apparently got the last of batch order specially order "well done", which seems the way to go.)

I did also try the Smoked Salmon Dog. It was a smoked salmon hot dog topped with wasabi aioli sauce, red onions, chopped tomatoes and capers on a wheat bun. Overall, it was okay. The
Smoked Salmon dog and the wasabi sauce dominated, leaving little room for the bun, onions or capers to speak. The Smoked Salmon dog itself had a strange consistency that made me think, salmon was not meant to ground to the hot dog degree. The casing had a nice snap, but the inside was an off-putting combination of being flaky, airy and mushy at different points in time. You don't know what you were going to get.

As for the atmosphere, the order taker was a little pushy, asked me "if everything meant Chicago style?" (Seriously? Where are we?) and made my order feel rushed. I know they have people to serve, but it only takes a little while to make a hot dog. It was nice to sit outside though and enjoy the sunshine.

In conclusion, fRed hots was average, on the low side and I gave Donald's a 2. So I think that fReds Hots should receive a rating of 2.5 celery shakers. I don't think I would return, except for the Italian Beef, which is supposed to be good.

Dan