Vienna Tour de Beef February 10th

The Grateful Dog and Hot Dog University would like to invite you to join us on the Vienna Tour de Beef on Saturday, February 10 at 11:00am. This will be a dog day afternoon of noshing Vienna Beef dogs through the north shore suburbs. The tour will begin at The Wiener and Still Champion. The schedule is as follows:

1. Wiener & Still Champion 802 Dempster Evanston
2. Poochie's 3832 Dempster Skokie
3. Portillo's 9400 Skokie Blvd Skokie
4. fRedhots & Fries 1707 Chestnut Glenview
5. Stash's 610 Central Highland Park
6. Michael's 1879 Second Highland Park



No need to RSVP.

"Order what you want; eat what you get."
-Frank's Diner

HI,

I have a meeting this particular day, though I might still drop in at some point.

If you are able to snag a tour of the Vienna Beef factory, then I would be very interested. I love factory tours!

Regards,

I haven't been to Poochie's in ages (since soon after Harvey sold the business and I moved to Boston for a while) after having essentially lived there during graduate school. I have it on my calendar to try and make the first four stops.

But I might have to have a salami sandwich w/cheddar and grilled onions (sponsored by Crestor) at Poochie's.

While I am an expert at eating, I haven't done one of these LTH "hit places in a row" thingies. How much time should I allot for this if I skip the Highland Park options? I'm trying to decide whether to aim for a 9:30am haircut near Edens Plaza (been going there 21 years since I lived up that way) and an early alarm clock, or a 3:30pm haircut.

[Either way, a hot dog at Irving's will not be on my list. I had the mistake of having one for lunch the last time I got my hair cut... meh.]

Threadkiller, we'll probably be in Highland Park between 2:00 & 3:00.

CSD

Too far north and I have a large dinner, for which I am cooking a bit, that night so it would not be a great idea.

But I love the concept and look forward to your report. Ahh, food tours.

A very good time. I made 4 of the 5 places, and managed to not overeat. Four very different places/settings, and the only thing that was off was Stash's sweet potato fries.

And I even met an LTH lurker at fRedhots with his family, hopefully he will delurk and introduce himself.

Thanks to all who joined us for the tour. Some group favorites included: the Merk's cheddar fries and dipping dogs at the Wiener & Still Champion, the char salami at Poochies and those fabulous grilled onions that compliment their burgers and dogs, the buffalo dog and the deep brown, crisp, grease-free frites at fRedhots, and the jumbo char cheddarburger at Stash's. Fred was expecting us and had signs posted welcoming the group. Chris at Poochie's schmoozed with the group during our lunch, as did Harvey Bernstein's daughter. Harv was the original owner of Poochie's. Gus improvised a francheezie made to order. He deep fried a natural casing Vienna Beef hot dog wrapped in bacon and smothered it with melted Merkt's cheddar cheese on a steamed poppy seed bun. It was my absolute favorite. When he arrived at my table to take a picture, it was completely devoured. Due to excessive over indulgence, Portillo's and Michael's were dropped from the tour. Some stopped at Portillo's for a chocolate cake treat on their journey home. Everyone received a goodie bag of Vienna Beef natural casing hot dogs, a jar of Stadium Mustard, and a hot dog squeeze toy for their pet.

Cathy2 wrote:HI,

I have a meeting this particular day, though I might still drop in at some point.

If you are able to snag a tour of the Vienna Beef factory, then I would be very interested. I love factory tours!

Regards,

I just got my reservation!
Ever wondered how a hot dog is made? Let Vienna Beef debunk the myth about what goes into a hot dog (at least our hot dogs!) Vienna Beef is now offering limited tours at our Chicago manufacturing facility. We want to make sure that our biggest fans get a chance to see how Chicago’s Hot Dog® is made. Tours accommodate six people at a time and are offered on Wednesday from 10:00 AM until 11:00 AM. Space is extremely limited and waiting lists will be formed. Those interested must fill out the form completely, and will be contacted via e-mail with additional information. Please note the following:

* You must be 18 years or older to attend
* No photographs or cell phones allowed on the manufacturing floor
* No open toe shoes allowed...rubber soled shoes for wet environments are recommended
* No bare legs allowed
* Hair net and frock are required to be worn and will be provided
* This is a walking tour and it involves climbing some stairs
* Other rules apply and will be explained upon arrival

Here's the link to the form: http://www.viennabeef.com/contact/tour.asp

Hi,

I was recently at the factory for a tour. It was well worth the time.

Regards,