I spent a couple days in Chicago last week and I got to eat some of my favorite kinds of foods – Chicago style. My original plan was to do a tour of Chicago style hot dogs (four hot dog places in one afternoon). Unfortunately the plan didn’t work out – I definitely must do it next time in town. Regardless, I did get the chance to eat at three great places – casual, classic, tasty food.
The first place is called Bari, an Italian deli and grocery store on West Grand. My sister wrote about it on her blog, that I’ve linked to here. (She’s much more familiar with Chicago than me, so check her site out.) The only option for eating Bari’s food is to order and take it to go – so we grabbed sandwiches and headed back to my sister’s place.
I ordered the nine inch Italian sub – capicollo, genova salami, mortadella, provolone, and Bari hot giardiniera. The bread is crispy and the toppings are a lovely blend of Italian flavors and seasonings. I wished I could have eaten it all, but I could only do justice to half…in fact, I think my other half is still in my sister’s fridge. Wish I would have had those leftovers for lunch today!
The second place we hit was
Hot Doug’s. Although the tour de dogs didn’t work out as planned, I still had my mind set on a Chicago style hot dog, so we headed out to experience the dogs that Anthony Bourdain had visited. Although it was 2pm on a Thursday afternoon, the
line was out the door and wrapped around the sidewalk. But, we weren’t to be deterred – we took our place in line.
Hot Doug’s menu is extensive – traditional and
gourmet dogs featured every day along with their crispy fries (which are cooked in duck fat on Fridays and Saturdays). I decided on The Dog and the Keira Knightly, both with Chicago style fixin’s (electric green relish, pickle spear, tomato, mustard, onion and celery salt). Although both were fantastic – soft, poppy seed bun and fresh toppings, I preferred the Keira Knightly (pictured above on the right) because of the subtley spicy meat. I’ll definitely be back to Hot Doug’s – who wouldn’t love a place whose tagline reads “The Sausage Superstore and Encased Meat Emporium”!
Our final treat in Chicago was the delicious pizza of
Pequod’s, in Lincoln Park (I think). Located in a small, dark bar with exposed brick and cozy booths, Pequod’s pizza is the ultimate in deep dish pizza enjoyment. It’s thick and doughy with a crispy, fried cheese crust and a fresh, chunky tomato sauce. And if you go, you must try the sausage – huge chunks of seasoned sausage make for the perfect pizza topping.
