KevinT wrote:The new Chicago Mag. has Hot Dougs in their top 10....
Really
That's cool. In fact, I would say that the thing I like best about Hot Doug's is that it may, singularly be breaking the barrier between haute cuisine and street food. I was at Hot Doug's yesterday, and on a mere Monday, abeit a federal holiday Monday, the place was packed, absolutely packed. It seems so New York. So UNLIKE Chicago that people would be lining up just for various sausages. That's what I like about Hot Doug's.
What do I not like about Hot Doug's? Well, to be frank, it is not like I dislike the place. All the things that are cited in its favor, the variety, the well execution, the over-sized personality of Doug, are things worth lauding. Still, I guess since the place does have high expectations, does do a killer biz, is SO hot, I can be more picky.
Yesterday, we had the thuringer and the merguez style lamb sausage. Both were good in a good sausage kinda way, but neither blew me away as an exercise in sausage-ocity. They were no where close to being as exquisit as the home-made sausge obtained at Miro's in Kenosha, nor where they, IMHO, as good as at the Berghoff (i.e., recent game sausage had there). Also, the regular week day fries, are nicely crisp, but the just lack the potato intensity of say, Gene and Judes.
Like I say, I am a bit torn overall. In some ways, I think I think of Hot Doug's the way others think of Freddy's in Cicero. I DO appreciate that Chicagoans are flocking to a place that is above average, that is not the same old same old, that is doing more than phoning it in. On the other hand, I DO wish it was as good as its hype warrants.
Rob