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Well, I disagree that the salt shaker would have remedied the unsalted fries. A salting on fries after they've been out of the fryer for a bit (which leaves a bit too acrid taste) does not have nearly the same effect as a proper, fresh-out-of-the-fryer salting (the heat from the fryer dissolves the salt, seasoning them properly).

Anyway, have you been to Jimmy's? You're greeted with signs, warning you to not to even think of asking for ketchup. The line runs in a fast, military precision. At least to me, this does not come off as the type of place where you customize anything, even the way they choose to salt (or not to salt) their fries. Perfect fries would not have saved the hot dog, though.

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Local Beet

Went to Jimmy's today (for the first time) for lunch. Count me a fan. While I still like Gene & Judes better, this will be a very acceptable substitute for me. Very tasty dog with a nice bite and the sport peppers hit the spot. Ridiculous amount of fries included with the dog. With all sorts of weird misshapen bits and pieces of fried potato mixed in with the "normal" fries.

Super fast service (there was a steady flow of people when I was there--around 1:30PM) but it never backed up to more than 2 people per line so it moved very quickly. Much faster than I have EVER been through Gene & Judes.

Thank you LTHFORUM. If not for you, I sincerely doubt I would have ever sought this place out or dropped in (I actually have passed it many times before--sometimes going to El Cubanito--and never gave it a second look). I'll definitely be back.

--Dirk--

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Dirk van den Heuvel

Happy to hear you enjoyed Jimmy's. Here's a side-by-side of fries from Jimmy's and Gene & Jude's. Can you guess which is which?



I'm a fan of both places (but wish G&J would more consistently cook their fries until done).

Those G&J's fries to me, are cooked perfectly.

The Gene and Jude's chat reminds me to post on a recent visit to Jimmy's. The other night I was scooching along Grand and felt a bit of hunger pang right about Division. Just hungry enough, I thought, to give Jimmy's a whirl.

I'm on record as a non-Jimmy's lover, and this visit still did not fully change my opinion. Now, I've always praised their fries, and on this visit, their fries seemed even better. I mean I had lunch the other day at Mr. D's, and as good as those fries are, Jimmy's were even better. I'm not totally sure on this, but I bet if a side by side comparison was done with all the fries in the Chicago area, Jimmy's would come out on top. I like that they are cut just a little thicker, especially as compared to G & J's. The thick cut allows them to really produce the ideal fry texture. As I was mentioning the other day to Hat Hammond, I find a bit of poor trend towards overly crisp fries. Jimmy's epitomizes the extent in which fries should be crisp. That is, on the outside, but then within, they should be fluffy and soft*. They are exact. Now the hog dog.

I said, not fully change my opinion, and I am willing to raise my opinion a bit because the hot dog I had the other night was the best I've had at Jimmy's. Best at Jimmy's, however, still has not equaled an especially good hot dog. Sure, as pictured up-thread, it has the tell-tale bellly button of a skin dog. It still barely tastes of one. I heard argued recently that Jimmy's simply over steams their dogs, leaching away the bite. Perhaps. It just seems to lack the ooph of a good Chicago dog.

I will say, given the quality of the fries, I could live with the dog when I get hunger pangs around Grand Avenue.

*There is certainly a point on overly busy days (e.g. about any Saturday) that G&J's fries get too soft, basically under-cooked, but in general, I think the lushness of the fries there a virtue not a fault.

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Think Yiddish, Dress British - Advice of Evil Ronnie to me.

The Local Beet's very big list of 2013 Farmer's Markets

Here's a close up of those same Gene & Jude's fries.



To me, they're underdone—almost raw in places, greasy, limp. Granted, I tend to like my fries cooked longer than many people. You can see large variation even within a single fry. The right end of the one second from bottom is almost properly cooked but the rest is seriously underdone. I suspect they overcrowd their fry baskets (for what it's worth, they weren't at all busy that day). It's a shame because Gene & Jude's is capable of producing great fries.

I"m amazed that Jimmy's is still there. It was the late fifties, I was 10-11 years old living just a few blocks away. I will never forget going to Jimmy's
on cold, wintry days with my best friend at the time and having the best hot dog ever. There nwas nothing like eating a hot dog and fries while looking out at the snow blowing around the stand. I still crave a hot dog on those cold and wintry days.

I wouldn't criticize any Hot Dog joint over fries personally. It's all about the dog. If you want to talk about fries compare Belgian style double fried fries, those are worth talking about if you need to discuss fries. Fries seem to be added to the picture to get people full and that's it. I'd rather eat 3 dogs and no fries. IMHO, I wouldn't bother with fries unless they are the Belgian style. They really can be on a level that no other fries can touch.

Think of a french fry with the thick outer layer of a good tater tot and the soft texture inside of a tater tot. Basically the flavor and texture of tater tots with having to send potatoes to a factory and with the right ratio of fried skin to inner soft potatoey goodness. That's as best as I can describe them. There is a reason Belgian style fries are considered the world's best. This is all assuming the place has the technique down correctly. These things have the best of hash browns, tater tots and fries combined in one entity. While people assume its about the sauces in Belgium, I could eat with just salt all day. Maybe some vinegar. They are great with mayo too.

The fries at Jimmy's (and Gene & Junes and Red Hot Ranch) are double fried in the Belgian manner. That's why they are so outstanding.

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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

Overheard at Jimmy's Red Hots —

Two of Chicago's Finest were standing next to me at the ledge by the front window, silently eating their hot dogs and fries. Without exchanging a word for the entire meal, they finished simultaneously and finally spoke as they crumpled up their wrappers.

Cop 1: "You imagine eatin' this shit every day?"

Cop 2: "Unngh."

They threw away their trash and headed to the parking lot without another word.


The sign in Jimmy's parking lot has been beautifully repainted.



The bullet hole in the V is still there in exactly the same place (though not quite as obvious as before).



Photos of the old sign can be found here, from the first page of this thread.

Another excellent nat-cas dog, this time wrapped in Red Robin paper.

After hearing that Jimmy's was up for reconsideration, SueF and I decided to give it a visit.
Sue's family lived in the building directly across Pulaski when she was little, so for her it was a return to childhood.
For me, not so much: My childhood dog stand was Skokie's original "The Hut" (long gone, even its successor "The Corner Hut"), and I grew up with expectations of radioactive-green relish and poppy-seed buns. Sadly, neither of those is available at Jimmy's. It's also a smallish (though snappy) dog, but for the price, it's a gem. Although the menu is smaller (and lacking milkshakes), it reminded me more of the late Demon Dogs than it does the brightly lit environment of Gene and Jude's.

The complaints here have been about the fries, and I have to say I enjoyed them quite a lot. Although they could possibly be crisper, I like the dark-cooked exteriors and mushy potato interiors. The best were the odd-shaped bits from the ends of potatoes, almost potato chip-like. Unlike Gene & Jude's you can't steal ketchup from a neighboring McDonald's, so I got the full flavor of the fried spuds.

Where else can you get two dogs, fries and drinks for under $8? So while it's not a slam dunk, I support keeping Jimmy's as a GNR.

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What is patriotism, but the love of good things we ate in our childhood?
-- Lin Yutang

I have to add to what Joel said. I lived in the apartment over the store front directly across from Jimmy's until I was five. My grandfather and then father owned the hardware store around the corner on Grand until I was in high school. Many a Saturday afternoon of my youth was spent in the back room of the store sitting on a beat up old couch eating Jimmy's hotdogs and watching cartoons and Creature Features on B&W TV. As a kid, I didn't love the french fries because they are softer inside with more potato flavor than your chain style fries. But these very characteristics are what make the fries awesome to me today. I have been there twice recently after many years of memories only and they still taste exactly the way they did 40+ years ago. The place still looks the same and they continue to serve the same great hotdogs and fries. Even the prices have not changed as much as expected. This place remains my ideal of a hotdog and fries that I hold every other sample up to.