It reads like a list of Jewish surnames, much like the caption of my father’s all-Jewish fraternity picture at Penn State (Jews weren’t allowed in “regular” fraternities):Īnd some doginalia, including a post of Da Coach touting his “Monster Dog”. The company’s board of directors a while ago, and a list of their names below. This truck shows the original logo (now a “V” containing a forked dog): a star of David symbolizing the company’s foundation by Jews and the kosherness of its products (that’s why the dogs have no pork). Below are also company’s first cash register and a delivery truck: The original factory on Halsted Street near the packing district.

They’re made from quality ingredients, as this video shows: That gives these luscious dogs a satisfying snap when you bite into them. These are all-beef kosher dogs and come in a natural casing: the intestine of an animal. Note all the vegetables, which makes it healthier (if not healthy): Here’s the dog at the cafe: It has the requisite ingredients, including chopped raw onions. The seven ingredients are essential, and you can say “with everything” rather than “drag it through the garden.” It’s also true that nobody tolerates ketchup on a dog (it’s ok with the obligatory fries), and some hot dog places in Chicago will refuse to put ketchup on a dog if you ask for it.

Also, you can substitute grilled onions for fresh onions without de-Chicagoing the dog.

This is pretty true, except that the dog has to be a Vienna Beef dog, and the bun must be an S. The canonical recipe does not include ketchup, and there is a widely shared, strong opinion among many Chicagoans and aficionados that ketchup is unacceptable. Most often they are steamed, water-simmered, or less often grilled over charcoal (in which case they are referred to as “char-dogs”). The method for cooking the hot dog itself varies depending on the vendor’s preference. The complete assembly of a Chicago hot dog is said to be “dragged through the garden” due to the many toppings. The hot dog is topped with yellow mustard, chopped white onions, bright green sweet pickle relish, a dill pickle spear, tomato slices or wedges, pickled sport peppers and a dash of celery salt. The “Chicago-style hot dog” has its own Wikipedia page, which notes the essentials:Ī Chicago-style hot dog, Chicago Dog, or Chicago Red Hot is an all-beef frankfurter on a poppy seed bun, originating from the city of Chicago, Illinois. I was able to partake of a good dog and a visit to the museum. The cafe was still there, and they’d opened a pop-up Vienna Beef Hot Dog Museum, which will close in a month.

I learned then that the factory had just closed and moved to a new location in Bridgeport (a Chicago neighborhood). I took a visitor there yesterday-after all, no visit to Chicago is complete without a real Chicago dog (or a deep-dish pizza or rib tips or an Italian beef sandwich or a good steak). (The store is conveniently located a few blocks from where I buy my wine.) It had been a factory where the all-beef dogs were made, so the dogs were super-fresh and there was a cafeteria for the workers that was also open to visitors. For years I’ve been stopping by the Vienna Beef Factory Store and Cafe to get a genuine Chicago hot dog-the finest dogs in the land.

Vienna beef hot dogs