Red Hot Ranch 7.23.10

Red Hot Ranch
2072 N Western


I couldn't tell you why I liked this hot dog so much. It was the minimalist/old school style, which means I got my dog with just relish (not of the neon green variety, which is the kind I prefer) and onions. The fries were fresh cut and wrapped up on/in the dog, which helped them meld into the dog, which added some flavor to my otherwise quite naked dog. The bun held up well. It did not have poppy seeds but seemed to have been steamed. The dog itself was a Vienna Beef and so of course had the snap and consistency that I know and love. The fries were, as previously stated, fresh cut. I actually watched one of the employees cut up a potato and put it in the oil and then present us the finished product. The fries were therefore very hot and very fresh and that made me a happy panda.

So again, I can't really tell you why it tasted so good. Maybe it was the company. Maybe it was the unexpectedness of the getting to go for a hot dog today. Maybe it was the sweet satisfaction of finally checking out this establishment, which I have been meaning to do for almost a year. In any case, I give the Red Hot Ranch 3.5 out of 5 celery salt shakers and an "I will defintely eat there again and again" because of its proximity to my place of employment.

Aidan

I must admit that I had low expectations before going to the Red Hot Ranch. I am not sure why, but it just seemed to be a place that was just there with nothing special about it. Yet upon getting in, it felt good. A limited menu of hot dogs, polishs, french fries and fried shrimp was the first good sign. The second was a nice assortment of picnic tables outside and a stand only counter on the inside.

I order a hot dog and fries with my usual orange soda. There was a little delay as the fries were put in the oil for a second cooking, which made sure they were done and mighty crispy. The menu also informed me that I would get mustard, onions, relish and sport peppers on the hot dog in fine Old Chicago Style. I appreciated the straightforwardness of it.

The hot dog has Vienna Beef natural casing dog, with that snap and compactness that I find reassuring. The fries as previously stated were well done and placed on top of the hot dog. One apparently could also request them on the side with no ill comments from the workers. The condiments were well proportioned and fresh. The bun, sans poppy seeds, held up very well for its hefty load of hot dog, condiments and fries.

I liked Red Hot Ranch, but it was no blow away. I would interested to do a comparison between it and another Old Chicago Style hot dog stand called Sam's Red Hots a few blocks away which I remember enjoying. With that said, I would give Red Hot Ranch 3.5 celery shakers out of 5.

Dan

Drew's Eatery 7.16.10

Drew's Eatery

2207 W Montrose Ave

When hot dogs were born, the view on the food production was making a shift along with the rest of industry toward mass production. Things were being made faster, in greater quality and hopefully available more people. Added into all of this was the science of making food last longer and taste better even if the ingredients were below standard or not natural. Hot dogs fit well into this, being precooked, usually made of odd end meats and filled with nitrates to be preserved.

Mordern times have begun to re-examine these ways and found that making much, much more of something does not necessarily mean it is better. There are also health concerns and animal care concerns that should be brought into consideration. With this wave, Drew' s Eatry has come into existance selling nitrate free, grass-feed beef hot dogs.

The ordering process of Drew's is a bit confusing as there are two ordering sections, one for ice cream and the other for food, which is hidden a bit around the corner. I ordered a Drew Dog, with the Welles Park fixings of tomato, cucumber, pickle and celery salt on a wheat bun. Apparently there were other condiments that one could add on a bar behind the ordering counter with ketchup (not sure why as no fries were on the menu), mustard (6 different types), relish and onions, but we were not informed about it and did not notice it until after our meal. The hot dogs were warmed on a roller machine like 7-11 that was on an incline and moved up and down said incline.

The hot dog itself was good. The bun, while chewier and larger than a Rosen's, held up well and blended in as piece of the meal. It was a little harder to handle due to a larger size and caused one to have an ungraceful first bite. The condiments were very good and fresh, but it were incomplete due to not knowing about the other options.

The stickler for me though was the hot dog. One could tell that it was slightly healther, but the meat was too high quality. It had a softness once one broke through the casing that I found displeasing. I like a hearty hot dog that one has to chew and break up in the mouth. This hot dog reminded me of the Salmon Dog at fRed Hots. There was an airiness to it, which is not a hot dog characteristic in my book. It is like king in pauper's clothing, fancy shoes on a constrution site, champagne flutes at an old man bar. I am an understanding man and I try to embrace difference and change, but I guess I am slower to accept change in this realm. The Hot Dog is Great Depression food, not fine dining.

I could continue, but I think you get the point. In short, while I was not a fan of the hot dog, overall it was better then most run of the mill grease joint dogs. Drew's did put some thought and love into these dogs. If you are looking for a veggie dog or natural dog, I would recommend them. Yet for a classic dog, I guess I stuck in the old ways. In conclusion, I would give Drew's Eatry 2 out of 5 celery salt shakers.

Dan

I had mixed feelings about Drew's from the beginning. Part of me was excited to eat there, because I generally feel some guilt every time I eat a hot dog. I know that the meat is factory farmed and I know that this is bad not only for the animals that become my hot dog, but also for the environment and the people who are involved with every step of the production of that hot dog up to and including the employees at whichever restaurant I am frequenting. I know that the bun and the condiments and the fries and the soda and everything is being produced cheaply and yet at great cost to the world I would like to see. I know this, but I love hot dogs and so I justify that and eat them anyway.

I think that I knew Drew's would easy my conscious in some ways. The meat is grass fed and so I know that those cows lived better lives than most cows get and were able to be in touch with their "cowness," which is probably the best that it gets for cows that are eventually going to become food. Arguably I should have gone for the tofu dog, but even I have my limits. I believe I would rather give up hot dogs than eat tofu dogs, and maybe some day I will do that. In any case, I felt like a more conscious consumer by going to Drew's and I was prepared to pay for that privilege.

I will say that the employees' uniforms made me a little nervous. The male identified worker's said "eco dude" and the female identified worker's said "eco chick." Perhaps there were options that said "eco tranny" or "eco queer" and maybe they got to self identify every day but the binary those shirts set up made me slightly less happy to be there. Other than that, though, I enjoyed the ambiance of the place. There were no garbage cans, just a place for recyclable and one for biodegradables. I took that to mean that everything that was used there was one or the other and that's pretty cool. There was a kids corner complete with a small weinermobile and it made my heart happy to see the young ones being schooled in the ways of the hot dog. Both employees were nice enough and checked in to see how we were doing and all of that. It was a much calmer and more caring environment than your average grease joint.

On to the dog: first up, let me say that the bun choice was a bit difficult. The options were wheat or pretzel bun and both were large and in charge, creating potential for several bites that were nothing but bun. There were no poppy seeds in sight. The dog itself was grass fed and nitrate free. It was surprisingly good but did not have the snap that I love from a Vienna Beef dog. The consistency was also different. It was less chewy than your average hot dog. The toppings/condiments were delicious. It is the season for fresh produce and the dog came with cucumber, pickle, tomato, and celery salt. I am interested to see how this is handled during the season when produce cannot be grown locally in Chicago but for the summer months this is a definite plus. The toppings were by far the most fresh I have ever had on a hot dog. I later realized that there was a condiment bar where I could have added onions and relish, but I did not see this until I had finished my dog and it was not pointed out to me. This is a little disappointing, as was the fact that there was ketchup on the condiment bar despite an absence of fries or burgers on the menu. I'm going to assume that was there for the kids and leave it like that.

All in all my eating experience was better than I expected it to me. Sometimes natural food tastes natural and my taste buds are not used to such things. This hot dog wasn't such a shock to my system, although it certainly tasted different than most dogs I've had. I would go back to Drew's, especially if I wanted to feel more environmentally conscious. Maybe some day that will become my standard and these will be the only dogs I ever eat. For the moment, though, I eat hot dogs anywhere and everywhere. If I'm judging Drew's according to taste alone and leaving out the fact that the way those hot dogs are produced is more closely aligned with my values, I have to give Drew's a 3 out of 5 celery salt shaker rating.

Gene and Jude's/Jimmys 7.5.10

Gene and Jude's (on the bottom)/ Jimmy's (on the top)

2720 W River Road/ 4000 W Grand Ave

River Grove, IL /Chicago, IL

It has been a year since we first stopped at Gene and Jude’s and Jimmy’s and since that I time I thought nostalgically about these stands. Both feature the old Chicago style dog consisting of bun, hot dog, mustard, relish, onion, sport peppers and fries wrapped in the same wax paper. I remember eating hot dogs topped with French fries as a small child that were made my neighbors, so the taste is hard wired into my brain. There is just something about adding some fried starch with salt onto a great dog. With two venerable champions of the old Chicago style hot dog claiming different sections of the direction-shifting Grand Avenue, it makes perfect sense that one would do a comparison while celebrating a founding of a nation.

The first up was Gene and Jude’s. As we drove up to the stand, expectations were high. There was already a line up to the door and one felt the anticipation in the crowd. While the crowd moved along, we decided. I went for a hot dog with everything and small Cherry Coke that was prepared by a one of the younger pups in the hot dog preparation team of Gene and Jude’s. It all came very quickly and I watched the spuds go from whole to sliced to fried as Aidan got his.

Upon finding a spot, we opened up to a neat combo of fries and hot dog. There were quite a bit of fries, so I pulled some off. The fries were sticking together, which gave me the sense that they were not fully done. The hot dog was great. I was sad that I could only eat one. It had a good snap of a Vienna Beef sausage, the bun held up its load and everything just melded into one. I am usually not a fan of sport peppers on my hot dog, but it just seems to go so well on the old Chicago style that I include it every time. I also like the fries being already smashed on your dog, giving one a smooth level surface to handle the dog in transit to the mouth, while containing all of other condiment goodness.

After Gene and Jude’s, it was off to Jimmy’s. There was no line, so we stepped right up and got the ordering done. My hot dog and fries and Dr. Pepper (Cherry Coke not available) came just as quick and was prepared in front of me, but the division of labor (who to pay) was a bit confusing. There seemed to one guy who handled the money, who came out of nowhere to ask for it, even though I was told the price by three other people. Anyway, the fries were much more well done at Jimmy’s and thus no sticking. While wrapped with the hot dog, they were not smashed down on the hot dog, so one was forced to put them on personally. The hot dog was also Vienna Beef and excellent, the bun held up as hoped and the sport peppers seemed to well marinated for a slight sweetness. Once again, the self placed fries created a nice plain for hot dog holding and containing.

In short, both of these hot dogs were great. They are just solid experiences, but very different in terms of ambience. Gene and Jude’s is your suburban middle America home town, while Jimmy’s is urban, rugged with a Do the Right Thing feel to it. In looking at these two hot dogs in comparison, while I enjoy my fries pre-mashed into the dog, I would say that I like Jimmy’s slightly better due to crisper fries (even though I had to place them on myself), sweeter sport peppers and a little more of earthy feel to it. In conclusion, I would give Gene and Jude’s 4 out of 5 Celery Salt Shakers and Jimmy’s 4.5 out of 5 Celery Salt Shakers.

Dan

Full disclosure: I enjoy the new school (with tomatoes, pickle slice, and neon green relish) more than the old school (with mustard, onions, relish, and sport peppers) Chicago style hot dog. Since neither Gene and Jude's nor Jimmy's serves such a dog, you would think that I would not be a fan. Somehow, though, they manage to get me. Perhaps it is because they are both so rabidly anti ketchup. In any case, on to the dogs:

I had not been to Gene and Jude's in over a year and I connect the sweet taste of Gene and Jude's with the satisfaction of a sweet escape from Madden MHC. Perhaps that is part of why I love it so. I was experiencing some difficulty whilst in line (which was practially to the door by the time we arrived) about what to order. I didn't want to overdo it since I still needed to eat at Jimmy's, but I was fairly sure that one hot dog wouldn't be satisfying enough for a man of my stature. In time I decided to go for the double dog (2 dogs, 1 bun) and I would say it was the right choice. I appreciate the hand cut fries as well as the way they are wrapped up and stuck to the dog. I think that the limited condiments I place on my dog (just relish and onions, thank you) helped the double dog work without destroying my bun or creating an avalanche. Since I do have limited condiments, I also like how the salt from the fries works with the dog to create a taste sensation. I was certainly pleased with my meal at Gene and Jude's.

Jimmy's was much less crowded, which created some room for banter with the folks behind the counter. I appreciated this, as anyone who works around hot dogs that much is surely a friend of mine. The fries did not stick to this hot dog as well, leading me to have to hand place them. On one hand, this was nice because I could pick the cream of the fry crop, so to speak. On the other, I like the way the flavors meld when the fries are stuck moreso than when I add them myself. Jimmy's was certainly also nothing to complain about. I like that they set the prices so that they are nice even numbers with tax ($2.50 for a hot dog and fries). I've eaten at Jimmy's 3 or so times in the last month so for some reason I found Gene and Jude's more satisfying this time. I certainly wouldn't kick a hot dog from Gene and Jude's or Jimmy's out of bed, though. All in all I'd give both 4 out of 5 celery salt shakers and add them to my list of hot dog establishments to which I hope to bike some day.

Aidan