Doggy's S.S. Soul Eatery [Pictures]

LTHForum,

Though Doggy's has scant mention on LTHForum the Reader has been generous with praise including Mike Sula (m'th'su) picking Doggy's as Best Soul Food 2008 and inclusion in Rob Lopata (Pigmon) and Peter Engler (ReneG) piece on Subterranean Soul, a look at five under the radar Soul Food restaurants. With strong recommendations from from three gents for which I have high regard I figured it was high time to git along little Doggy.

Having the pleasure of the very tall and ever so talented Crrush's company for lunch we settled in, taking a moment to admire the wall of racing trophies and photos of local preachers. The vibe in Doggy's is friendly, easy going, old school.

Doggy's S.S. Soul Eatery



Leaning toward Smothered Pork Chops, I decided on Catfish Fillets with stuffing and greens, two sides, two cornbread muffins and bread pudding are included with dinners, and Colleen, ever the Southern Gal, went Fried Chicken.

Fried Chicken took 25-minutes, good news as that meant it was made fresh, but we were not without sustenance for long as the the pleasant efficient waitress, who also may have been the fry cook, staged our meal with the skill of an expediter at Charlie Trotter

While Corn Bread Muffins came with our meal, we asked about biscuits and soon had four nicely layered crisp topped biscuits with just the merest hint of sweet. Very tasty, bet they'd be terrific drowned under a lake of peppery sausage gravy.

Biscuits



Catfish came first, we were asked if we wanted the dishes together or catfish first as it took less time to cook. We opted for the staggered approach and shared. Two generous Catfish fillets, crisp, moist, mere hint of catfish funk, just enough to let you know you weren't eating tilapia, bounced into my list of Top Ten Catfish I have Known, and the stuffing and gravy really hit the spot. Scattered celery giving stuffing texture, near perfect gravy, obviously house made, without a hint of Maggi or flavor base, making me wish I'd gone for Smothered Pork Chops.

Catfish Fillets with Stuffing and Gravy



Bread Pudding, Greens, Corn Muffins



Fried Chicken and I have a long standing love affair and I went head over heels for Doggy's. Light floury coating, breaking glass crisp, greaseless, chicken flesh bursting with juice, Doggy's hit a fried chicken Home Run. I liked the Mac and Cheese, nice consistency, a little sticky without being dense, even though I prefer baked style mac and cheese I enjoyed Doggy's version.

Fried Chicken, Mac and Cheese



I'm looking forward to a return visit to try some of the smothered dishes, we were told Smothered Rabbit was still in Daily Special rotation, and Chicken and Dumplings calls. Though the $6 Bologna and Salami Breakfast has allure.

Doggy's S.S. Soul Eatery



Enjoy,
Gary

Doggy's S.S. Soul Eatery
2815 W Harrison
Chicago, IL 60612
773-722-4037
Monday-Saturday 7 a.m.-9 p.m.
Sunday 7 a.m.-7 p.m.

Though the $6 Bologna and Salami Breakfast has allure.

Although I must admit that this place doesn't quite live up to my mental image of an S.S. Soul Eatery ("You vill eat ze collard greens, Amerikanischer schwein!"), that's a great quote.

How were the greens? Still seeking great greens after being hooked by taste at Chuck's.

what does the SS stand for?

G Wiv wrote:LTHForum,

Leaning toward Smothered Pork Chops, I decided on Catfish Fillets with stuffing and greens, two sides, two cornbread muffins and bread pudding are included with dinners, and Colleen, ever the Southern Gal, went Fried Chicken.
....
spot. Scattered celery giving stuffing texture, near perfect gravy, obviously house made, without a hint of Maggi or flavor base, making me wish I'd gone for Smothered Pork Chops.

Sounds quite excellent, thanks - will definitely make a trip down here.

However, a quick question - checked menupages for a menu, and they listed a barebones lunch menu (without any Smothered Pork Chops on it, for example), and also claimed that lunch was served with 2 sides only (ie no bread pudding).

So are the smothered Pork Chops a rotating item, only available on certain days (as they are most places)? If so, what day did you guys go? Thats probably the menu-item Id most like to try, given your review of the gravy above... my standard is still Macarthur's (Thursday and Sunday only IIRC), Id like to see how Doggy's compares. The biscuits sound terrific too... how was the bread-pudding, BTW? (Iam usually a huge fan of bread puddings in general, however Mac's doesnt carry it, they do an outstanding banana-pudding instead).

c8w

dk wrote:what does the SS stand for?

I believe, in this case, it stands for "south side." Though your opinion or humour may vary.

-ramon

Ramon wrote: I believe, in this case, it stands for "south side." Though your opinion or humour may vary.

-ramon

that was my first thought.
which I thought ridiculous, since it's on the west side/the best side.
but being nearby, I thoughtb I'd check it out.
Fantastic food. Nice staff and clientele. Good prices.

but now I think SS might stand for super sport, though
I didn't have the nerve to ask after being shushed away from admiring the knotty pine paneling in the kitchen.

gastro gnome wrote:How were the greens? Still seeking great greens after being hooked by taste at Chuck's.

Greens were fine. Sorry to be vague, but I don't remember anything distinctive about them, though there is vinegar pepper on the table, my favorite add-on for greens.

dk wrote:what does the SS stand for?

Apologies for taking the fun out of conjecture, but I called Doggy's and was told Sport Scenery, "because of the racing cars"

c8w wrote:So are the smothered Pork Chops a rotating item, only available on certain days (as they are most places)? If so, what day did you guys go? Thats probably the menu-item Id most like to try, given your review of the gravy above... my standard is still Macarthur's (Thursday and Sunday only IIRC), Id like to see how Doggy's compares. The biscuits sound terrific too... how was the bread-pudding, BTW? (Iam usually a huge fan of bread puddings in general, however Mac's doesnt carry it, they do an outstanding banana-pudding instead).

We went on a Monday, specials that day were Meatloaf, Smothered Pork Chops and soup was Oxtail veg. I should note I have no idea if Doggy's has a 'what's available' specials schedule or a set day of the weeks list of specials. Call first.

Bread pudding wise, I am not a fan, typically too sweet for my taste, don't particularly like baklava either. I did take a taste of Doggy's, not as sweet as most with raisins scattered throughout and still retained structural integrity.

We were served two pieces of bread pudding, one for each dinner, along with two sides each, two cornbread muffins each and there was no charge for the biscuits or my coffee. The total for our more than we could eat lunch was $21 including tax.

Enjoy,
Gary

LTH,

Had lunch again today at Doggy's, if possible liked it even better today. Fried chicken moist meaty and delicious, crisp coating more aggressively seasoned today than last Monday, same with the Mac and Cheese, maybe triple the amount of black pepper, I'm thinking a different cook with a slightly heavier hand with the seasoning. All very much to my taste.

Doggy's Fried Chicken



Tender meaty Short Ribs, my two dining companions thought a very light cure, the faintest flavor of corned beef. Jazzfood actually said they were better than Manny's, to which I replied "heresy" and Steve Z gave him an odd look. Either way, the Short Ribs were mouth watering delicious.

Doggy's Short Ribs



Tender mild greens, slight underlying sweet note. Couple of dashes of vinegar pepper really made the flavor pop.

Doggy's Greens




Last Monday specials were Meatloaf, Smothered Pork Chops and Oxtail Veg soup. This Monday specials were Short Ribs and Beef Gumbo. There is a list of Daily Specials, but it is, obviously, subject to change.

Doggy's Daily Specials

Monday - Short Ribs (Alternate, Neck Bones)
Tuesday - Baked Liver (Alternate, Neck Bones)
Wednesday - Meat Loaf
Thursday Smothered Rabbit (only in cold weather)
Friday - Ox Tail
Saturday - Smothered Pork Chops
Sunday - Short Ribs and/or Smothered Pork Chops
Some form of Turkey every day, Legs or Wings

Daily specials subject to Availability, call first.

Daily Specials come with 2-sides, 2-corn bread muffins and bread pudding.

Enjoy,
Gary

It's good to hear people are enjoying Doggy's. In researching last October's Reader article, Pigmon and I visited over 20 soul food restaurants (multiple visits for many) and decided Doggy's was probably the best of the bunch.

Try not to miss the smothered rabbit, maybe my favorite dish, before it's taken of the menu soon. As Gary noted, bunny is available only on Thursdays in cool weather. Smothered pork chops are another winner, available more often than the list of specials would suggest. Also Doggy's ham hocks are one of the better versions around.

Doggy's SS Soul Eatery
2815 W Harrison St
Chicago
773-722-4037

Oh boy, this place looks great. I'm a direction doofus though - is this still considered West Town?

Pie Lady wrote:Oh boy, this place looks great. I'm a direction doofus though - is this still considered West Town?

Doggy's is just West of California on Harrison St. I'd say more West Side than West Town, though who knows what a realtor might say.

though who knows what a realtor might say.

South Loop

Hi,
Does anyone know if this place is still in operation? I went by once a couple of weeks ago on a Monday at about 7 and it was definitely not open. It didn't necessarily look out of business, (the windows weren't boarded up or anything) but all the lights were off and there was no kind of sign or anything. I've also tried calling several times on different days. Once after a few rings I got an annoyed "Restaurant's closed!" and then a hang up, and another time I got an annoyed sigh and a hang up. A third time I got no answer at all. I don't know then if it was just closed for the day or a vacation or something or if its shut down for good. Hopefully not because I've been on a personal soul food journey through Chicago the past few weeks and really want to try Doggy's. Thanks for any info anyone might have.

lew24 wrote:Does anyone know if this place is still in operation?

Lew,

Was in the neighborhood so drove by, Doggy's is shuttered, but a peek in the window showed all the tables, chairs etc. The intrepid Mr. Pigmon, who I was with, inquired of a neighboring business and they said Doggy's typically goes on vacation early July, but they should have been back. I am guessing it is simply an extended July vacation and they will be back in operation soon.

I hope I am correct about Doggy's reopening soon, I really like the place.

Enjoy,
Gary

G Wiv,
That's great to hear. I'll check back in a few days. Until then I'll just salivate looking at all these photos of the food there.
Thanks

Uh oh some bad news. I just called Doggy's to see if possibly they were back open and talked to a very nice man (perhaps the owner) who said that they are not on vacation but are closed on account of the poor economy and have been for about the past month. He said that there was no planned reopening date. This is very sad when the place chosen last year by the Reader as the best soul food establishment in the city can't stay open. I certainly wish I had read about it sooner so that I could have gone and contributed to their business. Anyway, its really too bad. I guess its the small hidden gems that probably suffer the worst in an economy like this.