Chicago's Dog House is an ideal location for the vegetarian with a hot dog craving. more ›

Are you a Chicago purist? Or a "live and let live" eater? If you're the former, you're going to be annoyed with Kevin Pang, food writer for the Chicago Tribune. Pang has been teasing the twitter-sphere, saying that this week's article would create more mail than anything else written in the Tribune food section. When he said that, we expected something of consequence, like poisoning, or industrial animal abuse perhaps. Maybe we shouldn't be surprised - the story is about ketchup on hot dogs. more ›

The infamous hot dog shop hopes to reopen on Monday. more ›

We searched high and low for a good vegetarian hot dog and wound up finding a plethora of them at a popular national chain. more ›

The Feast reports that the Choco-Dog, the single most decadent food item in Chicago's sausage-filled history, is back on the menu at Hot Doug's for this week only. The sausage/dessert/calorie bomb of yuminess includes a homemade pork, dried cherry, and apple sausage topped with Vosges' Mo's bacon Bar. We can just die happy, right there. more ›

Every time you bite into a Wrigley Field hot dog, you're biting into two Chicago classics at the same time. You are, of course, eating the Chicago Hot Dog, a culinary institution being served at the second-oldest park in major league baseball. But you are also biting into a Gonnella bun, made right here in Chicago. Not out in a suburb - on West Chicago avenue, four miles from Wrigley. Gonnella has been making bread in Chicago for over a hundred years, and baking at the Chicago Avenue plant since 1956. Join us on a tour of the entire factory including the baguette line, the hot dog buns and just about everything else. more ›

Some Chicagoans are uneasy about a hot dog stand that will be opening at the corner of Jackson and Western mid-next month. But it's not because the eatery will employ ex-offenders. It's the name that has some people riled up: Felony Franks. more ›

We cursed when we realized that we'd hit Hot Doug's just one day after the infamous Anthony Bourdain made his own trip there (Ed.Note: We usually refer to him simply as "BOURDAIN" around here). Pictures of Tony in line (courtesy of Cinnamon Cooper, AKA "Cinnachick") as well as some wiener shots from our trip below. more ›

And LO, the National Hot Dog & Sausage Council said, "Let July be National Hot Dog Month and let Sunday, July 20, 2008 be National Hot Dog Day." And so it was. And it was good. more ›

• Leading off today is this hiring video put together for Lettuce Entertain You property Hub 51 Restaurant and Lounge, an exaggerated parody of Tom Vu infomercials. (via)
• Fresh off his appearance on last night's episode of Top Chef Chicago, Rick Tramonto has a blog over at Restaurant & Institutions magazine website. There are only two posts right now, but Tramonto's an in-demand chef and businessman, so only expect him to update when he has the time and/or something to write about. (Again, via).
• The Tribune ran a wonderful piece yesterday on how some of Our Town's best chefs would reinvent that all-American staple, the hot dog. Check out Shawn McClain's tofu version with kimchi and sport peppers, Rick Bayless' Chi-Mex hot dog, or Charlie Trotter's Asian tuna dog.

Jesus, have things been busy lately, highlighted by the re-opening of Schwa last night. The Tribune recapped everything we've already read about the events surrounding Michael Carlson and company in recent months, from the killer dinner he prepared for Trotter, Adria, Blumenthal, and a host of culinary Illuminati; to closing Schwa the next day, then going into deep hiding to recharge and re-energize, and coming back. more ›

We got an e-mail today from a national travel magazine fact-checker wondering about local lingo. Some of the terms are definitely things we're familiar with, but..."the prairie"? Huh. Let 'er rip, cats and kittens. Would you agree that while the term "Chi-Town" means "Chicago," it's rarely spoken by a resident? Does the term "dees and doze guy" refer to a working class local who speaks with a Chicago accent? Does the term "dragged through... more ›

The Reader's Guide to Late Night Dining is now online, and there's the expected eclectic mix of diners, hot dog stands, taco joints, upscale pub grub, and places where only the fearless dare enter. Even better is that the range of offerings encompasses a wide stretch of the city and connecting suburbs (big love for Gene & Jude's Red Hots in River Grove!). If you're at the stage in life where "I'll sleep when... more ›

If you are a big fan of Gigio's Pizza, then you are in luck. They're running a promotion right now where saving 20 menus will earn you $5 off an order. MenuPages attempted to look into the small print of the promotion, but was seemingly unable to get anyone from Gigio's to pick up the phone. If you want to spend $400+ dollars to save $5, now you know how. Alternatively, as suggested by Adam... more ›

On the subject of hot dog stands, it's the little differences that separate the ones we like from the ones we don't. Growing up on the Northwest side we had the good fortune (although as teenagers we never realized it) of living near some of the best, like Bemo's on Fullerton; the recently closed Toots Drive Thru at Central and Montrose; Duke's, just up the street at Central and Bryn Mawr; and Jimmy's Red Hots on Grand and Pulaski. A visit to Jimmy's over the weekend showed us how much a neighborhood can change in over twenty years: compared to our memories the intersection today could pass as a suburb. But the muffler man at the auto parts store on Grand still lords over all he surveys, and Jimmy's is still doing business the way we remembered. A hot dog stand like Jimmy's doesn't stay in business for fifty-five years by serving up bad red hots. more ›

In case some of you may have forgotten, that's Emmy in the picture. Depending on the time of day she's the smartest mammal in our household. She's unusually happy today, because yesterday the City Council inched closer to allowing her the right to join us for meals at outdoor cafés, a notion that flies in the face of common sense, sanitary concerns, arguments posited by a former alderman and the director of food protection for... more ›

- "Fast Eddie's Last Race:" Vrdolyak pleads not guilty to bribery charges. - More goodness from Tony Rezko. - Rudy Giuliani's teenage daughter is an Obama girl. - The art of the deal: Mayor Daley reaches labor peace, brokering a 10-year deal with city trade unions that may help attract the 2016 Summer Olympics. - Don't get used to it: Steve Stone fills in for Darrin Jackson (who's in Arizona waiting for his wife... more ›

Take a walk down 18th Street in Pilsen and you won’t go far without passing a carnitas shop, pizza joint, hot dog stand or Mexican grill. It’s a varied mix of cheap (read: affordable) and cheap (read: not very good). For tablecloth dining options in the neighborhood, diners are often limited to May Street Café or Picante Grill, two places both given the Chicagoist review treatment. The former closes down when convenient (e.g the previous... more ›

Oh, how we love lists. Is there any other piece of journalism that has the ability to spur so much pointless and arbitrary discussion? Via the Drive-Thru, we found this list of Chicago's "hottest dogs" from Travel + Leisure. more ›

As Chicagoist enjoyed a day off yesterday, we also found ourselves reflecting on some of the hallmarks of the holiday, namely fireworks. We spent our care free day away from work and the stresses that usually come with it, taking the opportunity to ride the Damen bus down to 18th Street, where we kept walking until we got to 23rd. After a cozy stroll through Heart of Chicago, we wound up in Little Village, where... more ›

On a day when Americans came together to celebrate the gloriousness that is the USA, we found another reason to cheer; American Joey Chestnut won Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest, unseating six-time defending champion (and Japanese native) Takeru Kobayashi. Though those two were the certainly the stories of the day, we can't help but proudly mention Chicago native Patrick Bertoletti (pictured) came in a respectable third place. Bertoletti already has the title for eating 19 slices of pizza in 10 minutes last year, and he owns the record for eating 5.75 pounds of corned beef and cabbage. more ›

It’s fast approaching Memorial Day weekend, the official start of grilling season. But if late nights up rocking (and rocking and rocking) your little one have made you too exhausted to head to Paulina and man the grill yourself, pack up the baby and head to Muskie’s instead. more ›

This week we'd like to congratulate the -ist network's Mother Hen, Gothamist's Jen Chung, who found herself a recipient of Wired Magazine's Wired Rave Award. If that doesn't sound terribly exciting, keep in mind another recipient was J.K. Rowling. Yep, that's right, the -ist network and Harry Potter now have something in common. Go us. Austinist has a chat with the ever-fashionable Golden Girl Rue McClanahan, and managed to catch some local fashionistas making... more ›

Red Hen Bread lacks highchairs, changing tables, a kid menu and a door big enough to comfortably squeeze a stroller through. We wouldn’t recommend going there with a large group and eating in, but with a long list of appetizing baked goods, a menu of innovative sandwiches, a friendly staff and an actual stroll-though window, this bread cafe should not be overlooked as a place to grab a bite with your kid. We recently tried... more ›

Let's say you're a business owner who was recently cited for holding a misdemeanor amount of contraband, after months of openly defying a city ordinance you thought was, for lack of a better term, idiotic. You were required to pay a small fee by the city and vowed to all media who called you that you would not serve the contraband until the law was repealed. But the contraband substance is still in your possession.... more ›

Bridgeport, like many neighborhoods around the city, has a glut of Mexican restaurants with varying quality. So when we noticed on a cab ride home one night that Carbón (300 W. 26th St., 312-225-3200, open 11 a.m. – 10 p.m., 7 days a week), a “live fire” Mexican grill, had recently opened in a vacant-for-years storefront mere steps away from neighborhood mainstay Ricobene’s, we were skeptical. more ›

Austinist gets arty with an interactive guide to SXSW, loved some local art galleries and a new art exhibit and lamented the possible loss of "Friday Night Lights" production to New Mexico. Bostonist was happy they finally found an Anna Nicole Smith connection to their fair city and that an Apple Store was opening up. They were less happy that new rules have been established limiting underage shows and that their Governor is spending... more ›

As we at Chicagoist ponder whether or not to add "sketchy-ass hot dogs", foie gras, and the 46th Ward to "hating on the Amish" and Macy Fields as retired subject matter, we start off this week's edition of "Your Friday Food Buffet" with, well, foie gras hot dogs. We also have a photo that should even pass reader Marilyn's sensitive eyes. That is, unless she's in favor of Prohibition. We'd Rather Help Doug Sohn Break... more ›

Hot Doug's is the proud recipient of the city's first Foie Gras ticket. Doug Sohn, who puts the Doug in Hot Doug's, has been taunting the hell out of city officials since the ban went into effect. Sohn framed the warning letter he received from the city and placed it on his counter. Coming half a year after the ordinance was passed, the Chicago Health Department inspector went to Hot Doug's on Friday morning, issued... more ›

If we had to think of the top five hot dog spots in the city, we would need some time. There are some obvious choices — a dog in the Cell for one — and there are the famous spots, but choosing the five best would take more than a casual effort. more ›