Chicago Hot Dog Eureka Moment [Roma's]

LTH,

Stopped at Roma's on Cicero for a snack, was on my way to Family Fruit Market, not a good idea to grocery shop hungry, but didn't want to fill up on my usual Italian beef and sausage, so just a hot dog with everything and an order of Roma's nicely tended hand cut fries. Been to Roma's many times for Italian beef, never had a hot dog, which turned out to be a damn good, 8/lb natural casing on a steamed poppy seed bun.

Since I think of Roma's for Italian beef I got, as always with Italian beef, a side of giardiniera to dunk fries, just as I'm about to take the first bite of hot dog, it occurs to me giardiniera on a hot dog might be, as a famous former federal prisoner says, a good thing. Eureka! Veggies providing crunch counterpoint to the dog, little heat from the oil, even brought out the subtle sweetness of the relish. Giardiniera on a Chicago Hot Dog, who knew?

For those who might wish a little less heat, crunch (though I don't know why you would) a light drizzle of just giardiniera oil would do the trick.

Steve Z had mentioned Family Fruit Market a few times, now I know why. It had been years since I was there, they've made a number of improvements, including quality and quantity of products, not to mention additional, and better informed, staff. The physical space has improved as well. Not ready to replace Marketplace on Oakton or Lincolnwood Produce, but Family Fruit Market is a good option.

Enjoy,
Gary

Roma's
4237 N Cicero
Chicago, IL
773-725-5715

Family Fruit Market
4118 N Cicero Ave
Chicago, IL
773-481-2500

Lincolnwood Produce
7475 N Lincoln Ave
Lincolnwood, IL.
847-329-0600

MarketPlace on Oakton
4817 W Oakton
Skokie, IL 60077
847-677-9330

If you are ever in the neighborhood on a Friday, they make the second best Pepper and Egg sandwhich in Chicagoland. (Only to Johnnie's IMO)

Tender eggs, well seasoned peppers. Delish!

And, like most things, even better with Giardinera.

G Wiv wrote:LTH,

Since I think of Roma's for Italian beef I got, as always with Italian beef, a side of giardiniera to dunk fries, just as I'm about to take the first bite of hot dog, it occurs to me giardiniera on a hot dog might be, as a famous former federal prisoner says, a good thing. Eureka! Veggies providing crunch counterpoint to the dog, little heat from the oil, even brought out the subtle sweetness of the relish. Giardiniera on a Chicago Hot Dog, who knew?

My daughter for one If you order a hot dog at Johnnies with hot peppers, which she does, you get giardinara, and she very much enjoys it that way.

Thanks for spreading the idea (she'll get a kick out of it as well).

G Wiv wrote:giardiniera on a hot dog might be, as a famous former federal prisoner says, Eureka!

This is how I read it the first time, and then I spent ten minutes on Wikipedia trying to figgure out when Archimedes was a federal prisoner.

My misunderstanding aside, sounds tasty!

The only thing I can't stand about Family Fruit Market is that everyone tries to park in the tiny lot next to it, creating even more traffic than usual by Six Corners, while FFM's parking lot across the street is practically always empty! That said, I usually go down Belmont to A&G Fresh Market. The parking there sometimes isn't any better, but Xsport fitness, the gym I go to, is right next door.

A&G Fresh Market
5630 W Belmont Ave
Chicago, IL 60634
773.427.7432

G Wiv wrote:
Giardiniera on a Chicago Hot Dog, who knew?

That is a good combination. In fact, I have had a giardiniera cheesedog on my menu for quite a few months now. I can count on one hand the number of people that ordered it. Don't know why it isn't selling. The giardiniera cheddar dog is even better.

Giardiniera cheese fries are a different story.

they make the second best Pepper and Egg sandwhich in Chicagoland.

I also highly recommend the pepper/egg/Italian sausage sandwich.

Quoting myself:

Recently, without any hue or cry, they quietly added another Friday-only special: a pepper-egg-sausage sandwich. As I understand it, this rather defeats (or negates) the idea behind the equation (Friday+egg+peppers+bread [-meat]), but the sandwich is a wondrous thing. A charred Italian sausage is nestled inside a chewy French roll, then blanketed with a mountain of fluffy, perfectly scrambled eggs (just right: not too wet, not too dry) married with strips of green bell peppers (again done just right: cooked, but not to a state of limpness). The combination of consistencies is magical (chewy, crunchy, and soft), and the taste is heavenly.

It's one of the few sandwiches that brings tears to my eyes and evokes an involuntary "mmm" at first bite. I've been known to buy several on the way home from work on Fridays so I can dole them out to myself through the weekend and early part of the week.

Cheers,
Wade

G Wiv wrote:Eureka! Veggies providing crunch counterpoint to the dog, little heat from the oil, even brought out the subtle sweetness of the relish.

G Wiv, a crunch factor added to a good dog is great. I had a wonderful dog with sauerkraut for lunch*. I'm fairly ambivalent towards sauerkraut but I liked todays - both the sauerkraut itself and what it did to the hot dog.

*Not in Chicago, see this post (edited to add link)

G Wiv wrote:Giardiniera on a Chicago Hot Dog, who knew?

Well, due to my ethnic handicap, I did. But this confirms once again that you always get it right, even if, on rare occasion, it takes a little longer.

BTW, on a hotdog, I prefer a giardiniera with plenty of celery precisely for that extra crunch.

roma's on cicero is my local beef stand, as i live only a few blocks away. their beef is serviceable, but it's their italian sausage that really stands oud. always well-charred, lots of fennel and just enough spice. it's one of the better sausages in the city.

LTH,

To my mind Roma's doesn't get enough LTHForum Italian Beef love. Tender thin, but not mother in-law thin* juicy beef, well balanced gravy, flavorful without resorting to an over abundance of salt, and a restrained hand in dipping the assembled beef sandwich.

I like Roma's fries, but it's the ketchup with a healthy drizzle of the in-house made giardiniera that takes them over the top.

Roma's


Enjoy,
Gary

*Reference to old Ron Popeil commercial, so thin you'll serve two slices to your mother in-law

Roma's Italian Beef & Sausage
4237 North Cicero
Chicago, IL
773-725-5715

Funny you mention Roma's, Gary. It's not too far from my house and recently Cookie requested an Italian beef from Max's. Not wanting to fight eastbound traffic to Western, I talked her into Roma's, where she had never been.

I've never been a huge fan of their beef sandwiches and this was their last chance to redeem themselves in my eyes.

How was the beef? Let's put it this way: Both Cookie and I agreed that the giardinera was excellent and we're looking forward to getting the Italian sausage next time.

Best,
Michael

If it wasn't for the fact that many stands charge $0.25-$0.50 for a tiny tub or ladled addition of giardinera, I'd do it too.

There does seem to be some kind of magical interaction between ketchup and giardinera oil -- eating a nice spicy beef sandwich before ketchup-laden fries always enhances the experience, the ketchup has more zing.

eatchicago wrote:How was the beef? Let's put it this way: Both Cookie and I agreed that the giardinera was excellent and we're looking forward to getting the Italian sausage next time.

Michael,

Either my palate varies wildly from yours or Roma's Italian Beef is more variable than most as I, consistently over the course of years, have liked their Italian beef. Though, if I remember correctly, Roma's did not fare well on the Northwest leg of the Beef-a-thon, one of the few I was unable to attend. Roma's sausage is quite good even for the fact they use a gas grill.

Far as Max's goes, we are on the same page, another Italian Beef joint that does not get enough love in my opinion.

Enjoy,
Gary

Max's Italian Beef
5754 N Western Ave
Chicago, IL 60659
773-989-8200

kafein -- Add a hunk of sausage to that peppers-and-egg with giardinera (mentioned above) and you really have a treat.

Fujisan wrote:A&G Fresh Market
5630 W Belmont Ave
Chicago, IL 60634
773.427.7432

Indeed, quite a nice grocery store if you're in the area. Between that, the Polish record store across the street, and the pierogi factory store around the corner on Central, it used to be part of a nice journey via 77 bus for me.

I like Joe Caputo's death giardiniera on my hotdog.

I know that this is Chicago but kraut and hot mustard is a good dog.