Cozy Dog Drive In, Springfield

So based on recommendations, I stopped at the Cozy Dog Drive In on the way to St. Louis.

Cozy Dog Drive In
2935 South Sixth Street
Springfield, IL 62703
http://www.cozydogdrivein.com

We'd already eaten earlier (my traveling companion hadn't had breakfast, so we had an early lunch at a subway -- her choice), so the two of us each bought only a Cozy Dog. The first ones we got were cold in the middle on the first bite, so they fried up another for each of us. So what's a hot one like? Nothing overly special, but worth the stop.

The cozy dog was a typical, non-kosher-style frank: soft, bland and greasy in texture. The breading is fresh-dipped and fried to order, has a great texture, and is somewhat sweet and a hint of spice. The nearby counter has relish, mustard, ketchup (horrors!), hot sauce and "Route 66 Herb Vinegar." I chose a bit of vinegar, which added some tang.

The place itself is an History Route 66 Attraction, with lots of kitch: signs, "artifacts", and souvenirs such as keychains and plush Cozy Dog "beanies" and a Route 66 library (touch books only after asking permission). Overall, prices are very low, with the most expensive item #3.39 for a double or chili cheeseburger (there is a $12.99 item for a dozen Cozy Dogs)

Worth a stop? Sure, it's only a mile or so off the highway. A must-stop? Probably not.

That evening, in St. Louis, we were lucky to find an unreserved table downtown, as the Cards had just finished pulling off an extra-innings sixth-game series-tying win in the playoffs (what, somebody's still playing baseball when there's none in Chicago?). Caleco's (visible from my hotel window) was an OK bar & grill & Italian sorta place, with a sauce bolognese that would be shameful to show up in Chicago. Pretty good wings, though.

I've been to Cozy Dog once. What I really liked more than the cozy (corn) dog, which as you point out, is only so good, was the chile cheeseburger. Old fashioned, griddled burger, with just enough chile to accent--better than say Tommy's in LA. On the other hand, the chile plain in a bowl was way too greasy. As a condiment it worked, as a dish, the chile was too much.

Rob

Vital Information wrote:Old fashioned, griddled burger, with just enough chile to accent--better than say Tommy's in LA.

Rob,

Have you been to the original Tommy's at Beverly and Rampart, in Los Angles? There is a great deal of difference between the original Tommy's and the franchises.


Also, I am not clear on what you mean by better, do you mean that Tommy's uses too much chile on the burger, that Cozy's chile tastes better, less greasy?

I've never been to Cozy Dog, so I am unable to make the comparison, but I have been to Tommy's, the original at Beverly and Rampart countless times and find the ratio of chile to meat spot-on. Also, in my opinion, the grease quotient is perfect and, is one of the reasons I prefer Tommy's to Jay's Jayburger, which is a hell of a chili cheese burger in it's own right.

Just as a way of comparison, on my last trip to LA I ate at Tommy's and Jay's Jayburger back to back days and would characterize Jay's as a polite Tommy Burger.

Enjoy,
Gary

Jay's Jayburger
4481 Santa Monica Blvd
Los Angeles, Calif
323-666-5204.

Tommy's
2575 W. Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, Calif
213-389-9060

Well, as I kinda noted, these opinions on burgers are very un-scientific opinions, opinions based with very few data points, but:

- I liked Cozy Dog's chile cheeseburger better than Tommy's or Jay's

- I have only sampled the Tommy's at the Hollywood Freeway entrance, not the original.

- I thought that Jay's burger was better than Tommy's burger, but that as a combo product, chile and burger, Tommy's was better. Tommy's burger itself was not so hot, but it made a great base for the chile. Next time at Jay's I would order a burger plain.

- Of all the burgers I have tried to date in LA, I liked Pie n' Burger the best.

- Sampling burgers in LA is a very worthwhile task as is a visit to Cozy Dog.

Rob

Vital Information wrote:- Of all the burgers I have tried to date in LA, I liked Pie n' Burger the best.

Rob,

Pie n' Burger is high on my must-try list for LA. Somewhat embarrassingly I passed right by the last time I was in Los Angeles, but did not stop for a burger.

I was on my way to the Jewelry district to pick up a birthday present for my wife and was afraid the shop would close before I got there. Much as I wanted to sample Pie n' Burger, I just couldn't take the risk of being empty handed for Ellen's B-Day. That is, if I wanted to continue living.

Enjoy,
Gary

Since we got on the subject of Tommy's, I thought I'd post a few from our July Los Angeles trip to the thread.

Enjoy,
Gary

I love the look of those peppers in the chili!

How do they compare to other sandwich peppers: sport, pepperoncini, giardinera, etc. in heat, souring and flavor?

Nice article in the Trib today re Cozy Dog...

Here's the link to the Tribune Cozy Dog Story



A shot I took at the Cozy Dog Stand at the IL State Fair a few years back.

The fact that they use Oscar Meyer wieners supports my earlier comment that Cozy serves fantastic cornmeal batter encasing a pretty bad hot dog. The place is still well worth visiting, and the fries are top notch.

This raises a question that occurred to me as I enjoyed (thoroughly) a corn dog at the Boone County Fair...

While normally I am all for the spicier, garlickier, more robust Chicago hot dog, over the bologna-like dog found in supermarkets throughout middle America, don't you kind of think that a corn dog requires a dog with, shall we say, a more recessive flavor profile? It just seems right, given the sweetness and mildness of the corn on the outside, to have a dog that's kind of mild and sweet, too.

Doesn't mean you couldn't do something else, e.g., put some jalapeno in the batter and use a more pronounced dog, but the classic style seems to call for something definitely less strong than you'd want on a dog qua dog.

(Oh, and one other point prompted by a recent visit somewhere: I'm convinced by now that the best part of Gene & Jude's is the few fries which had direct contact with onions (but not mustard) while wrapped up and in the bag. The dog's great, the other fries are great, but the fries with a hint of onion are sublime.)

Valid point, but the Oscar Meyer wiener does not play a supporting role, fading into the background. It tastes of corn syrup and liquid smoke and has the texture of paste.

I'll point to Wiener & Still Champion as an example of a corn dog made with a non-insipid wiener. Another example is Fat Willie's.

Many of you have probably seen this already but a new poster in the Enjoy Illinois series is appearing on Chicago's bus shelters.