Ghazi wrote:I went back last weekend for a char salami and thought it was ok. I was craving the sammich after reading this thread again, but it let me down.

The bun was actually much softer than i remembered but the salami had little flavor. I think ti was actually cut too thick and whatever char had been imparted was soon occluded by the thickness of the meat.

My two fave salami options in the area are:

1) Dear Franks in Niles on Dempster - sliced and chargrilled for maximum char taste.

and

2) The Bagel in Old Orchard Mall - the salami mlet sammich saddles the flat-grilled slices in a canopy of muesnter cheese on grilled bread. Add raw onions and a touch of Grey Poupon and you're in for a culinary masterpiece.

I have to amend this review, after several visits over the last couple of weeks. I had a perfect char-salami a couple days ago. Charred on the outside, but juicy and delicious on the inside. When this sammich is ON, it's art.

But i've also gotta give a shout about the dogs and Polish. These are consitently some of the best in all of Chicago.

Ghazi wrote:But i've also gotta give a shout about the dogs and Polish. These are consitently some of the best in all of Chicago.

For me the fries are the best around, particularly when covered in cheese. I also find the burgers to be the best hot dog stand burgers I have found.

Made my first visit to Poochie's yesterday, and very much enjoyed it. Juicy, medium rare burger that was very tasty even though I wouldn't have minded a little salt on the patty. Ditto for the fresh, excellent fries, which also would have been raised to an even more glorious state with a healthier shake of salt.

Though I found the ordering process disorienting, the staff at Poochie's were fantastic - clearly people who care about what they're doing. I'll return to Poochie's in a heartbeat when I'm in the area again, in the mood for a less-healthy-than Pita-Inn meal.

you've gotta try the char salami, kenny. I've been craving it lately. Don't be deterred by thinking of it as a heavy, indulgent meal (though it is). It actually eats lighter than you'd think. (unless you load a whole order of cheese fries on top of it.)

Iblock9 wrote:The absolute star of the menu is the char-grilled salami sandwich. Josh described it to me as a loving homage (read between the lines, copy) of Poochies. He brought one out for me and I am going to throw this out there--this sandwich was better then Poochies original version. Perfectly executed, perfectly dressed with a superior roll. LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT. let the flames begin.

I love a grilled salami. I love Poochies. I love a grilled salami at Poochies. That having been said i am going to throw this out there (hopefully i wont have my LTH card revoked): I think the homage version at Wolfys might be as good or better then the original. And that is saying something!

iblock9 wrote:I love a grilled salami. I love Poochies. I love a grilled salami at Poochies. That having been said i am going to throw this out there (hopefully i wont have my LTH card revoked): I think the homage version at Wolfys might be as good or better then the original. And that is saying something!

I missed this the first time around, looks like a visit to Wolfys is in my near future.

Wolfy's
2734 W. Peterson
Chicago, Il
773-743-0207

Poochies has great fries, maybe even the second best in the area.

G Wiv wrote:

iblock9 wrote:I love a grilled salami. I love Poochies. I love a grilled salami at Poochies. That having been said i am going to throw this out there (hopefully i wont have my LTH card revoked): I think the homage version at Wolfys might be as good or better then the original. And that is saying something!

I missed this the first time around, looks like a visit to Wolfys is in my near future.

Wolfy's
2734 W. Peterson
Chicago, Il
773-743-0207

I think you'll have to head to Wolfy's Northbrook to get that char salami iblock9 had:


Wolfy's
873 Sanders Rd
Northbrook, IL 60062
847-272-1177

gleam wrote:I think you'll have to head to Wolfy's Northbrook to get that char salami iblock9 had:

Northbrook? Is that in the Chicagoland area?

Peterson/Northbrook don't have the same menu? Do they have the same owners?

I was referring to Wolfy's in Northbrook.

G Wiv wrote:

gleam wrote:I think you'll have to head to Wolfy's Northbrook to get that char salami iblock9 had:

Northbrook? Is that in the Chicagoland area?

Peterson/Northbrook don't have the same menu? Do they have the same owners?

Yes, same owners, but my understanding is the char salami is unique to the Northbrook location.

abf005 wrote:Any thoughts on how our favorite pastime sandwich will be affected by the demise of the Best Kosher/Sinai 48 brands by Sara Lee http://archives.chicagotribune.com/2009/jan/23/science/chi-oped0223selljan23

I've noticed that finding those last few remaining chubs in the local supermarkets is now becoming impossible, and I suspect that within a month, the true Northside sandwich tradition as we all know and love will be extinct.

In my opinion; Hebrew National just doesn't cut it when it comes to this sandwich, so this is a terrible loss...

Hebrew National has a different formulation for its deli salami than for the chubs it sells to consumers. I doubt that restaurants were using the chubs.

For that matter, I wouldn't be surprised to find that the "kosher" salami in these sandwiches is not actually kosher, but kosher-style and made by Vienna Beef.

Since this is the only unlocked thread that focuses on Poochie’s, it seems to be the best place to alert everyone that Poochie’s now offers SWEET-POTATO FRIES. – and they are terrific.

Their regular fries are very good (definition: done the way we like them) and are always part of the Poochie’s attraction. From now on, however, the sweet-potato fries will be the primary choice. Great flavor and the same degree of doneness – almost crispy on the outside; smooth and creamy in the center. Not at all mushy, as some sweets can be,

They tasted so sweet that we asked how the potatoes were prepped, wondering if anything was added to make them so sweet. Turns out they don’t cut them in-house and the label lists nothing but sweet potatoes.

Just when you begin to think that all the news is bleak, there comes a reminder that Nature will always return to a state of balance. This time, the good news is that Poochie’s now offers sweet-potato fries.

Had a rough night last night which led to a quick drive to Poochie's to get a grilled salami and fries. Spot on, as always. They've got a sign up that they are moving down the street, I asked the grill man and he said they're moving in 3 weeks and the place is about 35% bigger than the current location.

Max wrote:Had a rough night last night which led to a quick drive to Poochie's to get a grilled salami and fries. Spot on, as always. They've got a sign up that they are moving down the street, I asked the grill man and he said they're moving in 3 weeks and the place is about 35% bigger than the current location.

http://www.pioneerlocal.com/skokie/news ... s1.article

Poochie's is opeining at its new location today at 11:00 AM.

Poochie's
3602 Dempster St
Skokie, IL 60076
847-673-0100

I can't believe I have never tried the charred salami sandwich, that sounds amazing. Also, the sweet potato fries now being served at poochies are absolutely delicious - they are crispy, and sugared instead of salted. I prefer them always over the regular fries (which are also very good). This is the best hot dog joint I've been to in Evanston/Skokie, though for burgers I prefer Wiener and Still Champion or Bop'n'Grill.

I'm happy to report that the new location is quite nice, sparkling new and clean, with new fryers (and gyros machines almost ready to go!), but the food is still uniquely Poochie's.

I just polished off a char-burger, a char-polish, and fries, and they are as good as ever.

And now, a short walk from the house!

YES!

i remember as a kid the menu board always said ''gribness in season'' ?

rfleisch1 wrote:I'm happy to report that the new location is quite nice, sparkling new and clean, with new fryers (and gyros machines almost ready to go!), but the food is still uniquely Poochie's.

I just returned from a late lunch at Poochie's and I am glad to say that they seem to be firing on all cylinders!

Double cheddar burger and fries were great as usual. Chris said that gyros should be up and running in about a week, and skirt steak dinners about a few weeks after that. I asked him if the skirt steak would be similar to Booby's, and he said that he is looking into getting a thicker steak than he presently serves as a sandwich--- nothing definite.

The store is bright and modern, I wish them continued success.

cito wrote:The store is bright and modern, I wish them continued success.

Bigger, cleaner, brighter, modern with booths, real tables and chairs and three large flat screen TVs none of which were, thankfully, turned to real housewives of Atlanta.

For all the changes Poochie's felt exactly the same, char salami and fries as good as ever, fries maybe even a little better than remembered, and fountain Barq's.

Poochie's Char Salami



Sandwich was split, picture is half sanwich

Finally had my first charred salami this week, whoa. Can't believe I had never tried that before. Also I really dig the new space for poochies, much more dining space and it feels less cramped. Gyro machines almost fully operational, that should be interesting.

G Wiv wrote:

cito wrote:The store is bright and modern, I wish them continued success.

Bigger, cleaner, brighter, modern with booths, real tables and chairs and three large flat screen TVs none of which were, thankfully, turned to real housewives of Atlanta.

Piffle. I might go anyway.

fries maybe even a little better than remembered

I agree! We went back to Poochie's a couple weeks ago, and I think the fries are better (we probably visited Poochie's about every other month, so I'm quite familiar with the fries). They seemed hotter, crispier and less greasy. Maybe it's brand-new friers that are at a better temperature. I didn't ask...I just ate. And ate.

Just came back from Poochie's, and it's as good as ever. I don't think anyone has said it yet, but the new location also accepts credit cards, which was a big reason I didn't stop in at their previous location nearly as much as I wanted to.

incite wrote:Just came back from Poochie's, and it's as good as ever. I don't think anyone has said it yet, but the new location also accepts credit cards, which was a big reason I didn't stop in at their previous location nearly as much as I wanted to.

The old location took credit cards also, maybe that was a recent development though. I do kind of wish they still had the pay before you leave policy like at the old place, so I could still order more food when I inevitably forget to ask for the sweet potato fries and just pay once.

Suiname wrote:The old location took credit cards also, maybe that was a recent development though. I do kind of wish they still had the pay before you leave policy like at the old place, so I could still order more food when I inevitably forget to ask for the sweet potato fries and just pay once.

I wish I had known that at the time. This is my own fault; whenever I made a trip to Poochie's or Herm's Palace, I always had cash on me. I went to Herm's last week and made the remark, "you guys accept credit cards now!" To which one of the sons replied, "have been for a while, bro."

I have egg on my face.

Regardless, now that I know both joints accept credit cards, I see myself at one or the other about once a week during my lunch break.

Poochie's today.

OK, when the heck did they start offering bacon? I know I couldn't have missed that all these years.

Daily special - char cheddar bacon burger with fries and a medium drink.

can't remember if this has been covered before, but does anyone know what kind of salami they use at Poochies? and is it available at any of the grocery stores in chicago?

thanks!