Wiener Circle

In the restaurant world, service seems to rate high on some lists. People want to interact with others and be treated in certain ways. Some restaurants get known for their service more than their food. Such is the case with the Wiener Circle, which located along the bars of Clark and Diversey have found a niche with hot dogs and traditonally racially motivated insults thrown at the drunk patrons. While famous for this, we decided to attend during the day light hours to get a more food focused experience.

The Wiener Circle was empty when we entered and I placed my order of one hot dog with everything and fries. It took them a while for the staff to get it together, but in the end, after repeating the order and listening to a discussion over what it bi-polar disorder, our food was delivered.

We then made our ways to the picnic benches outside and watched the cars of Clark roll by while

being watched by most people on the street. The hot dogs was a good. It had been about two weeks since I had had a good hot dog and it brought back the reason for the season. There was a good snap on the casing, an adequate amount of mustard, relish and onions. The tomatoes were wedges, but were generously given. The pickle was crisp, but a little short, meaning that it did not come into play until bite number two. The bun seemed to have the needed intergrety, but I ate my pretty fast.

The fries were okay. While fresh cut, they were thicker that I like them and where give seperately in side container. The more I think about it, there is no need to seperate fries from a dog, unless they are are cheese fries. We're all friends here, right?

Overall, it was a good experience. Service might have been a bit slow and the fries not to my liking, but the hot dog was good. I would give Wiener Circle 3.5 out of 5 celery salt shakers.

Dan

I had only been to the Weiner's Circle once before and I have to say that experience had left me a little traumatized. I like to think I learned 2 things on that visit: no matter what anyone says, the cheese at Weiner's Circle sucks; and Weiner's Circle is not the safest space for visibily queer people after dark. In any case, several years have passed and I had heard enough props for this hot dog that I decided it was worth another shot.

The ambience was much improved in daylight. There was only one other customer and we were able to enjoy our dogs outside, which I find most enjoyable. It was a great day to sit outside in a Cubs shirt and I feel that added to my experience for certain.

I actually even enjoyed the hot dog itself. The tomatoes seemed a bit smaller than the usual tomato but there were 3 slices so my dog was covered. All of the other condiments were adequate but unremarkable. My bun held together well and the dog had the snap that I love so well. I think I was expecting to not enjoy myself based on previous Weiner's Circle experiences but I found there was nothing about which to complain. I did not have the fries so I can't really speak to that experience. I'm not sure if I'd make a special trip or (gasp!) go after dark, but I would certainly stop if I were in the hood. For that, I'll give the Weiner's Circle 3.5 out of 5 celery salt shakers.

Wrigley Field

While staunchly placed within the Chicago city limits, Wrigley Field traditionally has not been a beacon of good hot dogs. For years, it was better to bring in one's hot dog than buy it there due to price and overall quality. During the last few years, there seems to have been shift in idea of the Wrigley Field as only a place to watch a game and now an all around food, drink and entertainment zone. The good and bad of this can be endlessly debated, but this being a hot dog blog we will save that discussion for a more appropriate space.

There are two hot dog options at Friendly confines, a couple of free standing Chicago hot dog stands and then the all-purpose hot dog sold at jumbo stands and by the walking vendors. I had had the all-purpose dog a number of times and they get the job done, but have limited condiments available, which limits its greatness. The Chicago hot dog stands have been around for the last few years and many times have the full variety of condiments.

It had been agreed that we would get some hot dogs during the top of 5th, but I got hungry and got one around the top of 4th. At this point, the score was tied 2-2 and I was feeling good that the Cubs had actually scored some runs, despite our starting pitching looking uneasy. This allowed me to enjoy my hot dog in a relatively pleased emotional state.

I went to the Chicago hot dog stand that was closest to my seats and got one with grilled onions, as there was no non-grilled option. It was expensive, but this Wrigley Field and everything is expensive. I then proceed to the accompanying condiment bar, where I got some mustard, neon green relish, chopped tomatoes and celery salt. I then got a beer and headed back to my seat.
From ordering my dog to my seat, my poppy seed bun completely fell apart. It was flat when it was given to me and seemed to get further sogged down by the semi-grilled onions and condiments. The hot dog itself was okay, but I came into contact with a number of harder objects in the dog that was slightly disconcerting. The condiments were all over the place, figuratively and literally. Mustard and relish was good, but the grilled onions were only partly grilled, and thus much larger than usual. The tomatoes were chopped and did not have much taste, but were suprisingly crisp.

With larger than usual onions and chopped tomatoes, the hot dog became unruly. This top heaviness along with a disintegrating bun made the hot dog hard to hold. This lead to problems getting consistent bites that included bun, hot dog and condiments. There was no stablitizing effect of a tomato wedge or slice, the partial grilled onions slipped all over the place and most of the condiments ended up on me, my plate or my scorecard.

I went in with low expectations of the Wrigley Field Chicago Hot Dog and it exceeded those expectations. With that said, there are standards by which a hot dog must be judged and there were a number of issues that hounded this hot dog. I would give this hot dog 2 out of 5 celery salt shakers.

Dan

I had the misfortune of waiting until the 5th inning to order my dog. By the time I had it in my hot little hands, the Sox had scored 3 runs and I was in a mood most foul. I will grant that this may have decreased my enjoyment of my Wrigley Field dog.

I also went to one of the stands that claimed to have a Chicago style dog. This consisted of a hot dog on a soggy poppyseed bun with partially grilled onions. I am a fan of grilled onions, but I like them all the way grilled or raw. I'm not interested in this half assed business. I went to the condiment bar, but my only options there were relish (not of the neon green variety), mustard and (gasp!) ketchup. I decided to let the ketchup slide, as it is an acceptable topping for burgers and the like. I'm going to assume that is why it is available. So, to recap, I had a soggy poppyseed bun with a hot dog, partially grilled onions, and relish. I was not able to find a pickle spear, tomatoes, or celery salt to round out my hot dog eating experience. This set me back $5.25. While I expected Wrigley Field to be expensive, that seems a bit outrageous. But I digress.

The bun fell apart about halfway through my eating, despite the fact that I ate it immediately (I didn't return to my seat) and I had very limited toppings/condiments. The grilled onions were disconcerting, as they were larger than raw onions and had a distinct notquitegrillednotquiteraw taste. The hot dog itself was pretty good and the casing had a good snap.

I was most disappointed with my Wrigley dog experience and I will not be eating another. It ruins a good thing, that good thing being the Chicago style dog. I'm going to give it 1.5 out of 5 celery salt shakers, based purely on the merit of the hot dog itself.

Aidan