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Well, jeez, if the manager confirms that the fries are always nicely salted then they must be, right?

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“We all have to stand before the kitchen gods.” Chef Jacob Sahaya Kumar Aruni

Jimmy's on Pulaski & Grand, yes, that's where I went. If that dog had a natural casing, I sure didn't detect it from the mushiness that filled my bun. (I'll admit that I didn't check the ends for the umbilicus; I was going on texture alone.) And the fries weren't nicely salted when I was there. My dining companion didn't eat them due to lack of salt. Anyway, hate to bag on a place that is oozing in character like Jimmy's, but my experience there yesterday left me scratching my head. It's probably not worth a drive if you're looking for a consistent, top-rated hot dog. Given its far-flung location, I thought I'd add another datapoint.

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Local Beet

To clarify: The manager confirms the exclusive use of natural casing dogs. My experience confirms the use of salt on the fries (shakers available at the counter for additional application, if desired).

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Steve Z.
Photographer/Pseudojournalist

"The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook." - Julia Child

Count me as a big Jimmy's fan too - definitely always natural casing dogs... and I'm a huge fan of the fries. Sometimes they aren't crisp, but I think I love them even more when they are a little greasy and only partially fighting gravity...

"The smell, you know that beef fat smell, the whole neighorhood. Smelled like... victory."

Wendy,

I'm not discounting your ho-hum experience at Jimmy's in the least, they are open 24/7 and it is possible, and I have experienced it myself, to have a don't-see-the-beauty dog and fries there. That said, I've been to Jimmy's a few dozen times, including lunch today, and the vast majority of visits have been exemplary, well defined snap to the natural casing dog, crisp well salted fries and, as you say, oozing in character.

We, Steve Z and I, specifically asked the manager if they ever, even in a pinch, used a caseless wiener and the answer was an unequivocal no, we always use natural casing hot dogs.

Jimmy's was dead-on today, perfect snap to the natural casing dog, crisp salted fries and, speaking of atmosphere, I even had a humorous exchange with a fellow patron while snarfing my double dog at the chest high counter overlooking Pulaski.

Fellow patron Why are you taking pictures of your hot dog?
Me I like taking pictures of my Jimmy

I guess today it was me who was the character.

Jimmy's Grand/Pulaski
2.1.10






Enjoy,
Gary

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Sauce on the side, always, implied, axiomatic..........never a doubt, BBQ sauce without.

Low & Slow

I've been to aschie30's Jimmy's, and it sucked. Eight hours in a lukewarm bath will take away any snap in a hot dog skin the same way it would your own. You won't ever catch Gene's and Jude's, or even Portillo's, with a stagnant product (dogs or fries), even at closing time. They turn over manually what business doesn't turn over itself. I've made my peace with one-product GNRs, but if you're going to tell me I have to visit a place during a set window of time as well, I might as well be gathering magic herbs in the moonlight on the solstice with a bronze sickle.

Matt,

I've been to Jimmy's all hours of the day and night and the turnover is high, for example there was a line out the door today at 1pm. Your 8-hour statement is either a bit of over the top hyperbole or you have been indulging in the "magic herbs" you mention in your post.

Regards,
Gary

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Sauce on the side, always, implied, axiomatic..........never a doubt, BBQ sauce without.

Low & Slow

eh...not really. I've had bad experiences at Portillo's, Gene and Judes....they aren't an exception to the rule. About 45 minutes before Al's on Taylor closes, you can expect it to be half-assed garbage.

I've never had a 10 pm meal at Honey One that was half as good as a 12pm meal there....we could keep going on for a long time. It doesn't speak ill of these places, sometimes it's just the reality.

Fact of the matter is, Jimmy's is a $6 full meal on a sidewalk that uses surplus burger king bags as you're to-go set up - you're gonna experience some inconsistency. If you're into food and restaurants, perhaps sometimes it is smart to visit a place when they will have their A game up.

Now that's funny.

Those who care to read upthread will find four longtime posters wondering what the hell is up sometimes at Jimmy's with the soggy product and tired fries; Wendy doesn't need my backup, but I thought it was unfair to suggest she had gone to the wrong restaurant even in a (repeated, even in this same thread) joke. I am thrilled when a place lives up to its potential and turns out a great meal. Jimmy's has yet to hit the mark for me.

Matt,

I don't think Steve was making a joke either with Wendy or Hammond, it happens sometimes. After I read Hammond's Reader review of Jimmy's I called him on the phone to make sure he went to the right restaurant.

The beautiful thing about living in Chicago is the amazing number of restaurants, one size does not fit all.

Enjoy,
Gary

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Sauce on the side, always, implied, axiomatic..........never a doubt, BBQ sauce without.

Low & Slow

Actually, this wasn't a joke at all. The fact that I asked the same thing of Hammond a year and a half ago (honestly, I didn't remember doing so) just shows how off base I think those types of comments about Jimmy's are. I must be leading a multi-year long streak of good luck when it comes to Jimmy's. I've been there when things weren't at their best, but I've never experienced anything approaching a flaccid dog or unsalted fries...and certainly never a skinless dog.

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Steve Z.
Photographer/Pseudojournalist

"The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook." - Julia Child

Fully agreed on all points.

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“We all have to stand before the kitchen gods.” Chef Jacob Sahaya Kumar Aruni

Once again, why is it unfair, it happens every once in a while, even to the most intrepid, Cathy2 for example.

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Sauce on the side, always, implied, axiomatic..........never a doubt, BBQ sauce without.

Low & Slow

It's unfair because it suggests the poster doesn't know where they hell they ate.

But you knew that.

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“We all have to stand before the kitchen gods.” Chef Jacob Sahaya Kumar Aruni

I don't see the question, asked in a non judgmental fashion, as anything but clarification. Cathy and I had the same discussion in reference to Chinatown Cafe and it turned out she went to the wrong restaurant, linked above. Like I said, it happens sometimes, what does it hurt to ask?

I have the utmost respect for Wendy as an epicurean, as I am sure does Steve, I would hope she did not take the question as anthing more than what it was. Sometimes a hot dog is just a hot dog.

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Sauce on the side, always, implied, axiomatic..........never a doubt, BBQ sauce without.

Low & Slow

Bologna.

(Sometimes I kill even me).

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“We all have to stand before the kitchen gods.” Chef Jacob Sahaya Kumar Aruni

Lets agree to disagree.

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Sauce on the side, always, implied, axiomatic..........never a doubt, BBQ sauce without.

Low & Slow

It's how we get along without strangling each other.

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“We all have to stand before the kitchen gods.” Chef Jacob Sahaya Kumar Aruni

Felix, Oscar, please, not in front of the children!

=R=

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I just wanna live until I gotta die. I know I ain't perfect but God knows I try. --Todd Snider

Spit out the gum, sister!

Twitter: ronniesuburban

You're not alone...

I've never had a bad dog from Jimmy's and i can't imagine that they'd ever use skinless dogs. I've seen them at their worst and it's still a lot better than 99% of the half-assed efforts i see from an unacceptable amount of Chicago establishments serving dogs.

Seeing as I've gone to the wrong restaurants before (la pasadita comes to mind) and seeing as there are multiple Jimmy's in chicago (you pass one on Belmont driving out to Gene and Jude's if you're doing what we call the Belmont Run from the city) I don't really find it offensive that someone would make sure that they went to the right Jimmy's when they've never had close to the experience that was quoted up thread.

Honestly - i've been the Jimmy's more times than i can count and I haven't experienced anything like that, either, so it's equally perplexing to me too, although i don't dare discredit the poster.

I didn't see any salt shakers on the counter -- and I looked. I assumed it was an extension of their draconian anti-seasoning stance like their ban on ketchup.



You may be on a good luck streak. Keep playing the lottery because if you read upthread, I am clearly not the only one who's had a bad experience at Jimmy's. I'm sure there are many more.



Although I focused on the "lack of snap" in the dog, I did not add that it also lacked flavor, no doubt, due to its long sojourn in the turkish baths at Jimmy's. My sense is that Jimmy's hot dog baths have more spices in it than their dogs, so if you reduce that water, you might have the makings of a fine stock -- and a base for a new soup, "hot dog bisque."



I see what you're getting at, but no, I was not there at 3 am, or 7 am, or some odd hour. I was there at 1:15 pm, during the afternoon rush. The line was almost to the door, the turnover seemingly good.



Well, Gary, I guess those fries look good. Can't really make out the hot dog in those pics.




Yeah, sort of surprising that it was implied I didn't know where I was. Like you have to have specialized knowledge to identify a hot dog shack.



Exactly. It's pretty sad when someone can't get it right.

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Local Beet

I meant that more along the lines of Freud's "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar" but you knew that.

Jimmy's sure kicks up a lot of dust, who-da-thunk discussing hot dogs in Chicago could be so polarizing.

Enjoy,
Gary

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Sauce on the side, always, implied, axiomatic..........never a doubt, BBQ sauce without.

Low & Slow

You're kidding, right? Chicago hot dogs are one of the most divisive topics of discussion among LTHers and civilians, alike. Catsup or no Catsup, pickle or no pickle, poppy seed bun or plain, there are endless opportunities for discord.

But that’s not the point.

The point is that on LTH, people sometimes become so invested in places that they feel that any criticism, however mild, of that beloved place is, by extension, an attack on them and their credibility, their authority as food enthusiasts, which is how most of my friends here on LTH self-identify.

Now, the criticism of Jimmy’s has been rather intense at times, which makes the equal and opposite reaction similarly intense. Intense discussion is good, but it’s best when it focuses on data. Just as it is unfortunate that some feel an attack on one of their “favorite places” is a personal attack, it is equally unfortunate when that perception is channeled into an equally personal attack on the poster who offered that criticism.

I’m not saying there’s any way around this. I guess if this were a model train forum, there’d be posters who felt strongly about one type of engine over another, N scale or O scale, and in the end friendships of many years would dissolve over heated discussions about whether the fake shrubbery next to the model town’s post office should be lichen or plastic.

To an outside observer (and even some inside observers), the intensity of disagreement over seemingly trivial issues like Skinless or Not-Skinless surely appears absurd, but at its best, this intense discussion reflects the serious commitment of many of us in locating and celebrating those little places of happiness all over Chicago…and then talking about it with our friends in what, one wishes, would be the friendliest of ways.

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“We all have to stand before the kitchen gods.” Chef Jacob Sahaya Kumar Aruni

For future reference, the salt shakers are behind the counter (they don't leave anyting out in the open that's not nailed down). Just ask.

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Steve Z.
Photographer/Pseudojournalist

"The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook." - Julia Child

I don't mean to beat a dead horse, but the salt shakers are "behind" the counters? Steve, that's not what you said in your post above (that they were "at the counter"), implying that they were out in the open and anyone who complains about the lack of salt is just too lazy (or dumb) to remedy their own complaints about the fries. Slightly misleading, no?

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Local Beet

Sorry Wendy. How inexact of me.

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Steve Z.
Photographer/Pseudojournalist

"The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook." - Julia Child

Yes, yes I was kidding.

And skinless vs natural casing is not a trivial issue.

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Sauce on the side, always, implied, axiomatic..........never a doubt, BBQ sauce without.

Low & Slow

"Seemingly trivial." To civilians. Here, not at all.

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“We all have to stand before the kitchen gods.” Chef Jacob Sahaya Kumar Aruni

It seems to me that asking for salt would remedy any problem with the "undersalted" fries. Did you? You didn't honestly think that they didnt have any salt at Jimmy's just because the shakers were hidden away in secret behind the counter?

I have never been to Jimmy's, so this is not a comment about the place, but salting fries after they've been served is not a remedy for undersalted fries. Fried things really have to be salted properly immediately after they come out of the oil. The end result is significantly inferior if they're salted later.

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...defended from strong temptations to social ambition by a still stronger taste for tripe and onions." Screwtape in The Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis

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