logan square Archives

In American

Hot Doug’s: Chicago’s Most Popular Hot Dog Store

September 23, 2013

Hot Doug’s Sausage Superstore and is only open during the day. If you plan on coming here at 4pm, you’ll be out of luck. What makes Hot Doug’s highly desirable is their specialty hot dogs. Fois Gras Hot Dog, Crocodile Hot Dog, Elk Hot Dog, and an endless combination of toppings.

They’ve been covered on the Food Network and even have their own book. They have gotten worldwide popularity and most tourists make a visit here when visiting Chicago.

Sadly, I have to admit, I was one of those tourists. Seriously, you can’t come to Chicago and not try the best hot dogs. (or at least what people of the internet claim to be the best).

When we arrived around 1pm, the line up was huge. It wrapped around the corner and the wait was about an hour. We thought we could avoid the lunch rush, but we got caught up in the lunch rush.

We at least had a good view of these little piggies. I got educated on the different pork parts.

Once you somehow make your way through the long line, this colorful interior awaits you.

There’s so many choices to choose from. Even some hot dogs are named after celebrities. When you are ordering, you’ll be greeted by Doug of Hot Doug’s that will take your order at the counter. He was quite nice to all the customers.

Escargot & Guanciale sausage ($9) with parsley-garlic goat butter and double creme brie cheese. This was a strange sausage but I adored the creamy brie cheese on top. The sausage was charred on the outside and lacked a distinct flavour.

Foie Gras and Sauternes Duck Sausage ($10) with Truffle Aioli, Foie Gras Mousse and Fleur de Sel. One of the most popular items on the menu, might as well order the best. It’s pretty good.

The Dog ($2) is a Chicago-Style Hot Dog with all the trimmings – pickle, peppers, caramelized onions, tomatoes, and mustard on a poppy seed bun. This was a cheap hot dog compared to the other specialty hot dogs. The hot dog is much smaller compared to the others.

Overall, I was impressed by the toppings but the quality of the sausage wasn’t as good as I anticipated. They were a bit on the small side and the not juicy at all. It just felt like the sausages were just sitting around for a while.

We Rate Hot Doug’s:

Address:
3324 N California Ave
Chicago, IL

Website:
http://www.hotdougs.com/

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In BBQ

Urban Belly: Pork Belly, Ramen, and Communal Tables

September 21, 2013

When I was vacationing in Chicago, I went to visit Urbanbelly near Logan Square. They are also recipients of a Michelin Bib Gourmands Chicago award in 2010. It basically means they are a quality restaurant with affordable price.

They don’t take reservations, but on a weekday lunch hour, there was no wait.

The counter is at the back, so you just line up and order. They have daily specials written on the wall.

You can find the rest of the regular items on their menu. The prices are quite decent with nothing over $13.

The interior is one large room with 4 communal tables. Better get cozy and meet some new friends.

Asian Squash and Bacon Dumplings ($7) comes with 4 pieces of the steamed dumplings. It has a predominantly squash filling. It is topped with bacon bits, orange slices and other things. It was pretty good and has a nice balance between the sweet oranges and the savoury dumpling.

Urbanbelly Ramen ($13) is made with a pho broth and has pork belly and shitake mushrooms. Its deep rich broth with layers of savoury flavours is quite delicious.

Phat Rice ($9) is a fried rice dish that combined all the other rice dishes into one. There was short rib, pork belly, pineapple, scallions, pea shoots, and Thai basil. I chose this dish because I was pretty indecisive of what to order….so this was the best option. It was pretty good.

Chinese Eggplant with Thai Basil came complimentary because we waited a long time for the Phat Rice. I loved the sauce that came with it.

At the end of the meal, they give you some Ginger Candy to round out the experience.

Overall, the food was pretty good and I would come again. The food is a bit only and rich, but that means its extra delicious.

We Rate Urban Belly:

Address:
3053 N California Ave
Chicago, IL

Website:
http://www.urbanbellychicago.com/

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In Four Beakers

Yusho: Sunday Noodles in Chicago

August 31, 2013

We were near Logan Square and headed to Yusho for their Sunday Noodle set meal. My aunt saw them featured on TV, so we went. Owner and Executive Chef Metthias Merges created Yusho using influences from his trip to Japan and you can see it in the decor and the menu.

The interior looks pretty amazing!! Everything is breathtaking and there is so much to look at.

The back room has a nice feeling as well. Lots of natural light make you think like you’re eating outside.

Awesome machine!!

Only on Sunday, the noodle set meal is $20 and you get a beverage, a choice of noodle and a dessert.

Chicken Skin ($5.50) is topped with Japanese mustard, garlic, and togarashi. It’s really nice and crunchy with the sweet and savoury toppings. Highly recommended.

We get a choice of their draught cocktail or home-made soda. A majority of us got the strawberry soda and it was pretty great. I can’t remember what the draught cocktail was but it was also pretty good. Not too alcoholic.

Logan Poser Ramen has a crispy pig’s tail (not actually a pig tail), hen egg, nori, cucumber, and bonito flakes.

Maitake Mushroom Ramen is served with the broth and noodles separate from the toppings. The other items in this ramen is angry red ball, tofu, umeboshi, and a hen egg.

Grilled Shrimp Ramen has a skewer of grilled shrimp, bonito, kimchi, and bamboo shoots. The kimchi added a nice acidity and crunch to the dish.

The soft serve ice cream has hibiscus, thai basil, tamarind, and sancho pepper crunch. It’s a crazy unique soft serve with strange flavours.

Overall, the ramen was pretty decent but it’s a nice spin on the traditional ramen dishes. It was a good set meal and enjoyable.

We Rate Yusho:

Address:
2853 N. Kedzie Ave
Chicago, IL

Website:
http://yusho-chicago.com/

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