What Is On a Proper Chicago Dog? (Hint: Ketchup Is Not One of Them)

In the last post I wrote about one of my favorite foods, he corned beef & cabbage.  Here is another one.

One of my all-time favorite things to eat (but without sports peppers).  Give me a good ol' Chicago Dog.  Our local Home Depot is mighty mean as they have a hotdog stand at the exit which has gotten me quite often.

Hey, just that wonderful smell.  You know.

Then that first bite.

Your "proper" ingredients:

Kosher pickle spear

Celery salt

Yellow mustard

Sport peppers (well, not for me)

Neon relish

Diced onions

Fresh Tomatoes

Now, I have never quite understood my wife Liz's hot dog choice:  a plain hot dog, maybe with a squirt of ketchup.  And she is a Chicago native, born and grew up there.)

Oh Well.  --RoadHotDog

A Cappuccino, Nathan's and a Record Store

SATURDAY, APRIL 22

After sufficiently freezing, I was glad to get back in the car and drove to Thornton's on US-12 and bought a large cappucinno for $1.79, a lot better deal than you'd get at Five Bucks.  Then drove over to McHenry for Record Store Day.

I stopped along the way at Jewel which now has a Saturday special with quarter pound Nathan's hot dogs.  I loves those Nathan's and at that price.  Gosh!!  Bought three, two for later.

I went to my favorite record store, The Vinyl Frontier.  Nothing like a Mom and Pop Record Store, especially on a day honoring them.  

Sadly, I have lost several of my favorites over the years:

Record Revolution in DeKalb, Illinois

Full Cyrkle Records on Crystal Lake, Illinois

The Record Rack in Goldsboro, North Carolina

--RoadRecords

Along66, Dec. 2021: Something About Coney Dogs and Tulsa

DECEMBER 4

Carl's Coney Island in Tulsa marks its 50th year.

On October 21, they served 50 cent Coney digs all day at its location in Crystal City Shopping Center.

Owner Mike and Janet Cook have sold it, but the new owners say they will keep things the same.

Carl Kennedy founded it in 1971.

Tulsa has a long history with Coney dogs.  One of the regional chains featuring it is the I-Lander which started in 1926.  There is also a Coney Island restaurant downtown.

These were founded by Greek immigrant Christ Economou.

Next time in Tulsa I am going to have to check one of these out.  I am a huge Coney Dog fan and really like the ones at the local Dog 'N Suds that we have around here.  (Three of the seven remaining Dog 'N Suds are located within twenty miles of us here in northeastern Illinois.)

Love Them Coney Dogs!!  --RoadConey

Along 66, May 2021: Skyview Drive-In Theater for Sale and a Gas Pump Stolen

I get these from the Route 66 News blog site.  I, however, just pick the stories I am most interested in.  For more news, go to the site which has at least one story from 66 everyday.

MAY 2

The Skyview Drive-In Theater in Litchfield, Illinois has been put up for sale at $420,000.  It can serve up to 700 vehicles.

Drive-Ins across the country saw their business go up rapidly because of the pandemic.

They reopened already for their 71st season.

We are fortunate here in McHenry County, Illinois, to have an old drive-in theater in the City of McHenry (and this one has a concrete screen, not like the billboard screens that the Skyview has.  I like to go to our local Dog 'N Suds in Ingleside, Illinois, get a coney dog or charcoburger and wash it down with that great root beer and then go see a move.  That's my real retro thing.

MAY 3

A vintage gas pump was stolen from the Owl Court property in Oklahoma City.  The Owl Court motel dates back to 1931.  The pump to 1930.

Brew Brother Coffee is located in the long-closed motel's office.

--RoadDog

Uniquely Springfield-- Part 3: Hangin' Out and Eating at the Cozy Dog

Liz and I always get the Cozy Basket, which consists of 4 Cozy Dogs and a large order of fries for $11.40.

And, that more than fills us up.

Sometimes we watch them frying our Cozies, but usually we adjourn to a table and I go over to the "library" of Route 66 magazines and pick several which we read while waiting and while we're eating.  Pointing out articles of interest and I didn't know that.

When the order arrives, I go up to the concession stand and "fix" my two Cozy Dogs.  To me, a properly dressed Cozy should have criss-crossed mustard and raw onions draped across them.  Liz eats hers plain.  (But she also eats her Chicago dogs plain and I still don't know how she does that.  To me, a Chicago dog ought to be hard to find under all that stuff.)

We also enjoy watching the other folks in the place.  You can generally tell the regulars from tourists.  But one thing I never understand is when a person traveling Route 66 comes in and doesn't order of Cozy Dog.  If the people are sitting close enough to us, we will engage in conversation.

Always enjoy talking to folks running down the 66.

Cozy Me.--  RoadCozyDog

Some More on Jackson, Michigan: Coney Island Dogs, Autos, Corsets and a Prison

I have been wanting to take a drive on U.S. Highway 12 to its eastern terminus, which is in Detroit, Michigan, and Jackson is located a short distance north of the highway, so would be a nice detour.

I went to good old Wikipedia and found out some other interesting things about Jackson.

Besides being a possible "Birthplace of the Republican Party as mentioned in the last post, Jackson was an early center for the U.S.auto industry.  By 1910, it was Jackson's main industry.  More than 20 different brands of cars were made here.  There is a place to see them at Ye Olde Carriage Shop which has many of them.

Also, Jackson is considered the birthplace of the Coney Island Hot Dog which started in 1914.  Several area restaurants still serve them.

The first Michigan state prison is here as well as it being a major manufacturing site for women's corsets in the early 1900s. 

So, You Could Eat A Lot of Coney Dogs and Then Wear a Corset to Cover Up the Weight.  --RoadDog

Chicago Wolves vs. Milwaukee Admirals-- Part 2: Souvenirs and Eatin'

I went to the game with George, Rocky and Mark, who drove.  We even had a pass for parking (which would have cost $20).  Hey, nothing's cheap about Rosemont or the Allstate Arena.  Rosemont is by O'Hare Airport.

Gates open at 6 pm for the 7 pm game, and not a second before that.  We got there at 5:54 and had to wait inside until 6.

Great seats.  We were six rows back near the Admiral player box, so great view of the rink and game.  With time to kill, I went looking at what was available.  Souvenirs were expensive, ranging from $30 for a tee shirt to $180 for a Wolves jersey (well sweater).  Since neither team is affiliated with the Blackhawks, I took a pass.  Now had there been IceHog ones I might have been tempted.

Beer was $8.50 for 16 ounces.  I really like my beer, but NOT at those prices.  There were some interesting items to eat for $8 to $12.  I found a hot dog for $3.50 (but they had the fixins: mustard, relish, chopped onions) and a small bag of popcorn for $3.  That was not much of a hot dog and a hard bun that even the fixins' couldn't help.  The popcorn was more like cardboard.

--RoadWolf

Along 66, September 2019: Now, That's Some Kind of Eatin', Two 72-ouncers in Less Than An Hour and That Wasn't Even the Record

SEPTEMBER 11--   Arizona woman eats not one, but TWO of those Big Texan 72-ouncers.  Unbelievable.  But, as that guy from Princess Bride would say, "Inconceivable."

But, she is a professional competitive eater named Miki Sudo who has won the Women's Nathan's Hot Dog eating contest six years in a row.  Oh yes, and she also had salad, shrimp cocktail, baked potato and roll with both meals.

But, the record for fastest meal consumed was set in 2015, when 120 pound Molly Schuyler of Nebraska ate three in just 20 minutes.  She ate the first one in just under five minutes and that beat fellow competitive Joey "Jaws" Chestnut's 8 minutes 52 seconds set in 2008.

The Big Texan's 72 ounce steak dinner in one hour began as a publicity stunt by founder Bob lee in 1962.  The Big Texan opened originally on Amarillo Boulevard (Route 66) in 1960.  It moved after the coming of I-40 in 1977.  The new place, however, turned out to be on an obscure 1920s alignment of 1966.

Hopefully the Steak Was Rare.  --RoadSteak

The Movie "Cars" Impact on Me: Animation "Ain't" So Bad

Back in 2005, when I learned there was going to be a movie about Route 66, I was excited.  We'd been bitten by the Route 66 bug in 2002 and just couldn't get enough of it.

Then I learned that it was going to be an animated one and that the "people" would be cars.  I was completely disappointed.  I hadn't seen an animated movie in a long time and thought it would be like "Sleeping Beauty" or "Snow White."  Plus, how could mechanical beings be people?

But. when it was released, I went out to see it anyway.  Hey, we can't get enough publicity for Route 66.  And, was I in for a surprise.  With computers, animation has come a real long way.  This was no "Snow White."  After a short time, I wasn't even thinking of it as animation.

And, the cars.  About as soon as animation, I stopped thinking of them as cars, but people who just looked like cars.

This was just an amazing film.  And, it was clear that so much of Route 66, both places and people, but also heart and soul was in it.  We recognized people and places.  The pathos of the interstate and impact on American travel was clear.

Well, I saw the film again in the theater a few days later, then went out to our local McHenry Outdoor Theater (McHenry, Illinois) and saw it there again.  Not only that, but before that I went to the local Dog 'N Suds in Ingleside for a Coney Dog and that great mug of root beer.  (We have three of the last seven Dog 'N Suds in the country within twenty miles of here.)

Just something about the curb service, and old chain of restaurants like this and a movie at a drive in theater just sort of set the stage for a movie like "Cars."

Make sure you watch the video I wrote four posts about to see how they arrived at the movie.

A Real "Cars" Experience.  Thanks John Lasseter.  --RoadCars

About Last Weekend-- Part 2: Record Store Day, Tommy's Hot Dogs, Stucky's, Uncle Will and "The Legend of the USS Titanic

SATURDAY, APRIL 13

After the Easter Egg hunt, I drove over to the Vinyl Frontier Records store in McHenry, Illinois, and did my Record Store throwback thing, see the recent Record Store Day posts.

Then, after my vinyl attack, I had a hot dog attack, a good old Chicago Dog attack.  And, there is a Tommy's store in McHenry, so drove over to that.  They gave a great hot dog special:  two dogs, fries and drink for $7, including tax.  And those are Chicago Dogs.  The best.

Later, Liz and I went over to Stucky's in Johnsburg and had a good time with Uncle Will who has become one of our favorite performers.  He has a great knowledge of music and I try to stump him on requests.  He even knows "Two Hangmen" by Mason Proffitt and he learned how to play "The Legend of the USS Titanic" by Jaime Brockett, a thirteen minute long song about the real reason the Titanic sank, involving 297 and a half feet of rope and the first mate.

If you have never heard the song before, you owe it to yourself to check it out on You Tube.  Check out the video by Eggs Zachtly.  In honor of 4/20.

"It Was Midnight On the Sea, the Band Was Playing 'Nearer My God To Thee"  Fare the Well, Titanic, Fare the Well."   --RoadDog

Record Store Day, 2019-- Part 3: It Came, I Went, I Bought, I Ate

SATURDAY, APRIL 13

I immediately popped the "Pet Sounds" into my truck's CD player.  That's right, I still play CDs in my vehicles.

I had a hot dog attack and cruised over to Tommy's on Illinois Highway 120 and got their dog special:  two Chicago-style hit dogs, fried and a drink for $7, including tax.    While I was making up my mind, I made the mistake of letting a guy go ahead of me, not knowing he was ordering ten meals for his work.  And, I had to wait for him to fill ten drinks at the machine.  I tell you, no good deed goes unpunished.

But the hot dogs are so very good (but without sport peppers) and the fries perfectly augmented by generous ketchup dips.

I then went to the Salvation Army Thrift Store and actually found a couple boomboxes with dubbing cassettes, but didn't have my cassette tapes along to see if it worked so didn't buy either.

Yes, I Still Use Cassette Tapes.  --RoadDog

NIU Homecoming 2018-- Part 6: Smoke Signals BBQ and the Old Rick's

October 13, Saturday

Continued from November 23.

We looked around the Village Commons Bookstore, but didn't find any NIU items we had to have.  So took a walk around the other stores in the center.

We were getting a bit hungry about now and found a place called Smoke Signals BBQ.  (Partly because they were grilling right outside near the street.  Something about that aroma wafting does it every time.)  The place is evidently a new venture.

It is located where Rick's used to be in the 1970s.  That was a pizza place that sold Italian beef and hot dogs as well.  When I got to Northern in 1969, it was located in a small shopping center out by Lincoln Highway (Illinois Highway 38) which goes right through DeKalb.  When I was a student, I never knew about that old historical road.  As a matter of fact, I didn't know about it until I learned about Route 66 in 2002.

--RoadDog

22 Words That Have a Different Meaning in Chicago-- Part 2: Hot Dogs

4.  OCTOBER--    To most it means Fall, but around here it is the month that has two weeks which are not too hot or too cold and where fans drink away the sadness of another failed Cubs and Sox season.

5. PIZZA--  You know.  But in Chicago it means deep-dish.

6.  HOT DOG--  Wiener, bun, ketchup to most, but in Chicago it means wiener, bun (poppy seed), onions, relish, tomatoes, pickle, peppers, celery salt and mustard.  ABSOLUTELY NO KETCHUP OR CATSUP!!!  We can't emphasize that enough.

7.  SOLDIER--  Military, but in Chicago it is where the Chicago Bears play, as in Soldier Field.  Da Bears sometimes play good, but mostly bad.

--RoadDog

Illinois' 200th Anniversary: 20 Foods Every Illinoisan Should Eat:

4.  STRAWBERRY BREAD--  What's Cookin' in Charleston

5.  CHICAGO DOGS--  Superdawg inChicago

6.  SALTED CARAMEL GELATO--  Prairie Roots Farm & Creamery in Champaign

7.  RIB TIPS--  Lem's Bar-B-Q  in Chicago

8.  WHITE ASPARAGUS--  Eckert's Belleville Farm in Bellecille

9.  GARRETT MIX POPCORN--  Garrett's Popcorn Shops in Chicago

10.  CHEESE CURDS--  Marcoot Jersey Creamery in Greenville

I'll Bite.  --RoadDog

Fox Lake/Grant Township Hist. Society-- Part 3: Dog 'N Suds, Lovin' What We Do

Your carhops here do not start off as carhops.  Before going outside, they have to learn how to operate everything inside and have to know the menu inside and out.  Just as important, they have to be people friendly.

They evidently just opened for the new season within the last couple days (it is right down the street from the historical society's museum).  But, I've already had my Coney Dog as they were at the Fox Lake Business Expo a few Saturdays back.

Every Saturday, they have a classic car show and about every two weeks they have entertainment, which really brings out a big crowd.

Roy Miller finished by saying, "We really love what we do."

And, of course, there is that great root beer, Charcoburgers and Coney dogs.

That Is Very Obvious.  --RoadHotDog

Fox Lake/Grant Township Historical Association Meeting: Ingleside's Don 'N Suds

The meeting was at 9:30 a.m. Saturday.  Almost didn't make it to this.  I woke up at 4:30 a.m. This morning and couldn't get back to sleep, but did get back to sleep at 7:30, but woke up at 10 (the meeting began at 9:30).  Dressed rapidly and drove to Ingleside (they raised gas in Fox Lake from $2.18 o $2.38 yesterday).  I then got stuck my a malfunctioning railroad crossing gate and had to back track.

But I finally got there.

Roy Miller, who owns the Ingleside Dog 'N Suds was giving a presentation on his place.  His parents bought it and opened in 1967, so this is the 50th anniversary  of family ownership.  At one time there were several hundred Dog 'N Suds, but now just seven.  And, we have three of them right here in the LakeCounty/McHenry County area:  Ingleside, Grayslake and Richmond.

Good Old Charburgers!!  --RoadDog

A Dozen Recipes Every North Carolinian Should Know-- Part 1 "All the Way" Dogs and Cheerwine BBQ Chicken

From the April 2016 Our state magazine.

Some of these are barely-known outside of their home towns, but, they are all very, very tasty.

CAROLINA DOGS--  All the Way for a Carolina hot dog means topped with chili, slaw, onions and mustard.  (They are also great on a Carolina burger.)

CHEERWINE BARBECUED CHICKEN--  Carolinians can be really picky about their 'cue.  And don't even think about getting them started on barbecue pork.  But,the state devotion to Cheerwine goes back to 1917 when L.D. Peeler created Cheerwine in Salisbury.

Bright crimson with a wild cherry flavor, people have been known to tote cases out-of-state.  I know I always stock up with 5-6 two-liter bottles before I come home.

It just does something to the sauce.

Give It a Try.  --RoadDog

Route 66 Hot Dog Company Opens in Barstow

From the Jan. 15, 2015, Barstow (Cal.) Desert Dispatch by Jose Quintera.

Billy and Ben Rosenberg opened this new eating place in Barstow Station and serve customized hot dogs "a million possible ways."

The hot dogs are all beef and served on a poppy seed bun with twenty toppings as options.  It is the same price regardless of what toppings you put on it.

You can wash it down with pop or a $2.50 beer.  The place also sells Route 66 memorabilia.

Hopefully catsup/ketchup is not an option.

Other wise, they will lose money when I go as I like my toppings piled up to where you can't see the dog.

A Must-Stop My next time Through.  --RoadDog

Special Eats at Chicago's Wrigley Field-- Part 3: Buffalo, Classic and Reuben Dogs

1960s HOT DOG:  The Buffalo-Wing dog, which tops the hot dog with pulled chicken in Buffalo-style sauce and topped with blue cheese cole slaw.  Phil Vettel says, "The flavors on this creation are so strong that Levy might just as well have omitted the wiener."  This dog would have to be a jolt to the senses.

1920s HOT DOG:  A straight-up classic Chicago dog, sport peppers and all.  Of course, i'd have to take those peppers off.  And, don't even THINK about putting ketchup on it!!

1910S HOT DOG:  The Reuben hot dog (one claim has the Reuben sandwich being created around 1914).  The hot dog here is topped with corned beef, sauerkraut, thousand island dressing and shredded Swiss cheese.

Phil says he's not crazy about corned beef, but does love sauerkraut on his hot dogs.  Me, too!!

Well, I Sure Would Have Liked to have Partaken One of These.  Wonder If They Deliver?  --RoadDog

Special Eats at Chicago's Wrigley Field-- Part 2: Mighty Fine Looking Dawgs

I have to quit staring at the photo.  For some reason I am salivating like a good Pavlov's dog.

The article goes on to say that these four hot dogs are available all season long and cost $7 each.  Now, I have to come out and say that $7 is an awful lot of money to pay for a hot dog, but I am sure I'd part with the dough were I to go to Wrigley, although that is not likely.  We just don't go to Chicago much anymore since the city has gotten way too ripoff in all its prices.

Here are the dogs:

1970s: a pulled-pork dog, with the shredded pork doused in Uncle Dougie's barbecue sauce (a Chicago treat), and topped with cole slaw and fried onions.  (Just imagine if the puled pork had been eastern Carolina-style bbq sauce!!)  This one would definitely have been my first hot dog.

But Wait Until the Others.  --RoadDog