Hot Dogs in Duneland

I hit a few spots this weekend in NW Indiana.
Here's my rundown from worst to best:

Nick’s Gyros (and tacos, and dogs…)- Portage, IN
Almost inedible; well I choked down one bite.
Spongy dog with sweet, school cafeteria-grade
sloppy joe-like chili/coney sauce. (D-)


The Port Drive-In – Chesterton, IN
Maybe the cool/classic atmosphere added a bit;
overall not bad - the sausage itself was not very flavorful. (C-)



Top Dog – Michigan City, IN
Not bad. Chili seems straight-from-the-can Hormel. (C)



Andy’s Red Hots – Portage, IN
Gotta love the art work. Has definite potential.
The chili was a thicker variety; preferred, not as drippy (B)



Depot Dog – Miller/Portage, IN
Great design, friendly staff, nice tables/deck.
Everything seemed top quality and fresh. (A-)


SodaDog – Michigan City, IN
Everything seemed kicked up a notch. Playful/original spins and fresh, flavorful ingredients (maybe cinnamon in the chili?); and GREAT house-made ginger soda. (A)


Weenie Wagon – Michigan City, IN
Unfortunately, not open. Not sure if it was an off hour, or if it's closed for good (or soon to be open?)

All I see are skinless hot dogs. I hate it when I see a Vienna Beef hot dog sign showing the real thing and they give you what you showed here. However, I also see you were on a chili dog tour, and I believe these are the proper hot dogs for that style, so enjoy. Thanks a lot for your report and the pictures. Not for me though!

Yeah, the Top Dog situation was particularly egregious
since literally right next door was a case filled with
quality sausages (Lange’s Meat Market).

Ram4 wrote:All I see are skinless hot dogs. I hate it when I see a Vienna Beef hot dog sign showing the real thing and they give you what you showed here.

In another thread Ram4 wrote:I told the owner it was B.S. that he has Vienna beef signs showing natural casing hot dogs but serves the store bought version with frozen fries.

What signs are you referring to? In the Vienna Beef signs I'm familiar with, the sausage ends have been so thoroughly retouched that it's unclear (to me at least) if there's a casing or not.



Likewise, one can't really judge the hue of the relish or tell if the pickle is a disk or a spear. It's a minor masterpiece of visual ambiguity. Or is there another sign you meant?

Ram4 wrote:However, I also see you were on a chili dog tour, and I believe these are the proper hot dogs for that style, so enjoy.

I agree SodaDog's beef & pork skinless frank, as used for the Detroiter, is disappointing but they serve a couple natural casing sausages as well. The all-beef dog of the Windy City isn't Vienna but it clearly has a natural casing and the snap you'd expect. Here's one I sank my teeth into a couple weeks ago.



I like this sausage quite a bit and would suggest upgrading to n/c all-beef when ordering the Detroiter or any of the beef & pork creations. Here's a Detroiter with the beef upgrade.



SodaDog's bratwurst also has a natural casing and is a pretty good sausage

SodaDog
171 Hwy 212
Michigan City IN
219-872-7632
http://www.sodadog.com/
Memorial Day to Labor Day only