OK, first - if we can get Hot Doug in there, that's a banner quote if I ever heard one:

Louisa Chu wrote:So that's how he does it - the first one's free my friend. The next thing you know, you're shivering on a street corner begging for a fix.

Kudos for your wit and your Trib article, Louisa!

And - to the rest of you - What a way to get up in the morning, eh?

Lent or no I sat in line for 50 minutes today - well worth it. We had the rib eye steak sausage with the chimichurri which exceeded my high expectations, the italian sausage, cheese fries and duck fat fries. Would have been happy with the cheese fries by themselves but they went to waste as the duck fat fries are so good.

Please Remeber that Dougs is CASH ONLY

I was one of the chumps waiting in line on a very cold saturday 2 weeks ago just to finally get to the front of the line and see the ONE SIGN saying "cash only"

Come on Doug, put a sign on the door or window, something. You know people often have to wait 20 minutes or more to order food.

I am still pretty upset about the incident and have given up Hot Dougs for Lent (Take That!)

The whole thing wouldn't have been so distressing if I could have just run off to schmoe hot dog stand to get my alligator sausage and duck fat fries.

If I worked at an amusement park with the newest greatest roller coaster in the world and I saw Doug ready to board after waiting in line for 2 hours - I would send him to the back of the line.

Kennyz you are correct in assuming I never discussed the matter with Doug. It all happened so fast. I felt like Ralp in " A Christmas Story" when he was waiting to see Santa and ask for the Red Ryder BB Gun.

I had gone to the gym that morning and worked up a pretty big appetite and though I never go to Dougs at peak times I had something of a craving on this day.
It was very cold and the wait was probably around 25 minutes so I had plenty of time to run endless sausage scenarios through my head.
I had just solidified and rehearsed my order mentally when the last person in front of me moved and I saw that cash only sign. It was heartbreaking, I think I might of even started to tear up a bit and I just walked out without saying anything. I guess Doug would have probably been very gracious but I never asked.

50 minutes, huh? Makes my 40 minutes from parking my car to parking my ass seem like nothing.

Went with the inlaws, as is traditional when they're in town; a sausage rampage took place.

One elk, one greek, one rosemary chicken, one apple-habanero chicken, three corn dogs, one Chicago dog, and one that's escaping my memory. (and a Cel-ray in a pear tree!) All excellent.

You can see pictures of and read more about my lunch at Hot Doug's on my Flickr set.

My friends and I were expecting a large meal at The Avenues later that evening, so between the three of us (one being pregnant), we ordered 5 dogs (yet we still managed to hit a tacqueria on our way back):

I ordered the "Celebrity of the Week," the "Treffly Coyne" (extra credit for those who actually know who she is). ($7) This featured mint garlic lamb sausage with anchovy aioli and Doux de Montagne cheese melted over the top. The sausage was gamey and lamby, which I liked. The anchovy aioli wasn't as pungent as I had hoped - I think the lamb really outpaced the rest of the flavors. The cheese was a great addition - slightly buttery and somewhat sharp.

I also ordered the "Spinach and Feta Chicken Sausage" with skordalia and sheep's milk haloumi cheese. ($7.50) This was a daily special and, as stated, was my favorite hot dog of the five we ordered. The chicken sausage was extremely moist and flavorful. It got a nice garlicky kick from the skordalia, which functioned as an adhesive for the chunks of cheese on top. I didn't get any feta from the sausage itself. Maybe it was all that yummy sheep's haloumi that covered it up. Loved this hot dog. Loved it.

My friend ordered the "Atomic Bomb" Daily Special: Spicy pork sausage with chipotle Dijonnaise and applewood-smoked Cheddar cheese. ($7) Two bites and it's pretty apparent why this is called the "Atomic Bomb." The heat is of the slow, gradual, then rapidly engulfing-mouth-in-flame type of heat. You think you're okay for the first bite - it's good, the pork sausage is wonderfully seasoned, and the cheese is nice and sharp - so you greedily take another big bite. Then it hits you. Despite the good kick of heat, I could have used more. Regardless, this should have been the last dog I tried. Unfortunately, it was my first. The heat lingered through the rest of my meal - not a bad thing, but I would have liked to taste the other dogs without that warm, spicy feeling in my mouth and throat.

He also ordered the "Game of the Week," a "Goji Berry Pheasant Sausage with Jerk Dijonnaise, Pappadew Peppers and Butterkäse cheese. ($7.50) You couldn't taste the pheasant by itself (I have no idea wha the goji berry was supposed to do for the sausage - there was only trace amounts). This was a sweet-ish dog, due largely to the peppadew, which also imparted some level of heat. The jerk dijonnaise, which looked not unlike dirty mayo, also contributed to the heat. The cheese was good, but the dices kept falling off, despite the dijonnaise glue. This was probably the least memorable of the dogs we had.

Lastly, my other friend got "The Dog," the original Chicago-Style Hot Dog with all the trimmings. ($1.75) When you order "The Dog," you're given a choice of weiner cooking methods: steamed, grilled, fried, or fried-and-grilled. My friend (wisely) choose grilled. This dog (served on a poppyseed bun) ended up taking second to the chicken sausage. The key to its success was the many different flavors (salty, sweet, tart, fresh) and textures (juicy, crispy, crunchy, meaty, etc...). Actually, I think the real key was the relish. It's a lot sweeter than I'm used to. It's also a lot more green. It's *neon* green. I thought it might be because it happened to be St. Patrick's weekend, but it's not - it's always that *neon* green. It almost looks toxic.

It being a weekend, we also splurged for duck fat fries (yes, we were being *VERY* irresponsible). And, of course, how can you eat sloppy food and NOT have a can of Cel-Ray on hand?

A good time was had by all (once we got inside the restaurant - the 40-ish minute wait on the freezing sidewalk was not fun).

I don't remember having to ever wait this long for Hot Doug's, but then again, the last time I visited I was a lot younger (in college), and the meal was more of an event (try convincing a college student that a $5+ hot dog is good value).

Hot Doug's
3324 North California
Chicago, Illinois 60618
773.279.9550

Your Flickr site is awesome. I had to tear myself away from the chocolate set. My birthday's coming, and by golly, I'm taking myself to Hot Doug's. Thanks for the latest scoop.

hey out of curiosity is the dog used for the chicago dog a vienna or a dog made for doug?

HOT Dougs has garnered some more press.

MSN's city guide had a decent article listing Americas top dogs and Doug got a nice mention

http://cityguides.msn.com/citylife/article.aspx?cp-documentid=6586895&page=2

One polish, one thuringer, one order duck fat fries, and one Duck sausage with blood orange sauce and bleu cheese drizzled with honey. Duck sausage itself was very mild, but the cheese with honey was brilliant, and delicious.

An excellent Saturday breakfast. (Arrived at quarter after ten and were already 10th in line. Considered ourselves lucky.) Oh, and as a point of data re: the Schwa Reservation thread and the Hot Doug analogy within, we called HD's at 9:45 (not sure of the opening time) and rather than the pre-opening default answering machine message, Doug picked up and happily answered my question. So, there's that.

Oh, and a Cel-Ray is a must-have for me at HD's, and bonus: I think I've made a convert to Dr. Brown's. Wife wanted to try it, so I handed her the remainder of my drink. "It's...interesting," she said, and proceeded to finish the can.

That duck sausage was great. I also had my first try of the bacon sausage recently, and was really impressed at how.. bacony it tasted.

My favorite of the relatively-recent crop of sausages is still the debreziner. Awesome.

whiskeybent wrote: Arrived at quarter after ten and were already 10th in line. Considered ourselves lucky.

That's nuts.

kuhdo wrote:

whiskeybent wrote: Arrived at quarter after ten and were already 10th in line. Considered ourselves lucky.

That's nuts.

Yes, and that's Saturday. Last time we went on Saturday we got there at quarter after 11 and stood in line for 45 minutes...in January. Under normal circumstances I try to keep my HD trips to mid-Tuesday afternoons.

whiskeybent wrote:Last time we went on Saturday we got there at quarter after 11 and stood in line for 45 minutes...in January.

Seek professional help.

We arrived at Doug's at 10:10 on Saturday, and were second, third, and fourth in line. It was okay, because it gave us a chance to chat with the guy who was first. He told us that he gets there every Saturday at 10:00, and that it's the best half hour of his week. He recounted a story about asking Doug if he could reserve the restaurant (this was back at the Roscoe location). Doug agreed and asked how many were in the party. The guy answered "2". It was a Valentine's Day surprise for his gf. When they arrived, Doug had filled the restaurant with candles and flower petals. He was dressed formally and served as their waiter. The two hour meal was served in a fine dining style. The guy seemed overwhelmed still as he told us the story.

And that is why Doug Sohm is my hero. And I'll be damned if the hot dogs didn't taste even better that day.

Thought I'd set up an alert for the newly-christened Tom Tunney - if you're heading out to Doug's, please keep us posted...

I just called over there, already planning my trip for "First Foie 2k8." The ban isn't lifted until 30 days from now, so Doug said that because they're law-abiding citizens, there's no foie dog today. But it won't be long.

Did anyone see Doug Sohn on the news last night in re: the repeal? And now I feel like an idiot because I can't remember which channel I was watching... I think it was CBS 2 but I'm guessing he was probably on all the local affiliates

... just did a search for this story and found he was mentioned on the BBC!

Has anyone tried the Smoked Shrimp and Pork Sausage with Cajun Tartar Sauce and Blue Cheese ? This sausage always intrigues me, but I've never yet tasted it.

Shaggywillis wrote:Has anyone tried the Smoked Shrimp and Pork Sausage with Cajun Tartar Sauce and Blue Cheese ? This sausage always intrigues me, but I've never yet tasted it.

It's one of my favorites, actually, though I don't remember if I've had it with the cajun tartar and bleu cheese.

Shaggywillis wrote:Has anyone tried the Smoked Shrimp and Pork Sausage with Cajun Tartar Sauce and Blue Cheese ? This sausage always intrigues me, but I've never yet tasted it.

yes! my husband got it last time we were there - it's really, really good.

Has anyone tried the Smoked Shrimp and Pork Sausage with Cajun Tartar Sauce and Blue Cheese ? This sausage always intrigues me, but I've never yet tasted it.

What's stopped you?

What's stopped you?

All the other sausage selections, I mean I'm a sucker for the gyro sausage, I crave it. But, next time I'm definitely going with the shrimp.

Let me suggest you try all three of these sausages if you see them in the rotation:

Whiskey-fennel smoked pork sausage
Debreziner
Beef landjaeger

All three are great, but especially the debreziner. The only problem is that the debreziner and landjaeger are both relatively small/skinny, and get slightly overwhelmed by the bigger buns. But the flavor on all are great, and the most recent whiskey-fennel combination (Whiskey-Fennel Smoked Pork Sausage with Peppery Dijonnaise, Double Cream Champignon Cheese and Sel Gris) was outstanding.

Thanks for the suggestions, it's hard for me to get to Hot Doug's as I work downtown and the weekends are always a mad house (myside and their's) but I'm going to try to make it this Saturday.

Has anyone tried the Smoked Shrimp and Pork Sausage with Cajun Tartar Sauce and Blue Cheese ?

It's pretty good. Try it some time!

The Magic at Dougs never stops. I was walking in to Gougs today when I noticed a couple outside having some sort of moment with simultaneous tears and giggling - odd I thought and proceeded inside to get my fix ( 3rd in line at about 12:40).

The special of the day as it turns out was.......


I thought it was pretty cool, Doug even dropped some champaign on the couple.

All of this went well with my Saucisse de Toulouse with Roast Garlic Sauce Moutarde, Venison-Cognac Pâté and Saint Rocco Cheese.
I loved this sausage and am conflicted at to whether I would disrupt all of the complex and well matched flavors with a little Spicy Giardiniera.

To the newly engaged
Congratulations and..

About 6 years ago, me and this girl I was seeing went to see the movie "24 Hour Party People", which is about the rise and fall of Factory Records in the 1980s and 1990s. Howard Devoto (original singer in Buzzcocks, and later singer/lyricist for the vastly underrated band Magazine) appears as a character (played by an actor) and the real Howard also makes a cameo. The girl I was with is too young to really appreciate the old Manchester scene the way I do, so I had to explain to her about Joy Division and Magazine, and all the rest of those bands as we headed over to our next destination: Hot Doug's.

When we got there, what did I spy on the menu for the first time?

The Howard Devoto.

Hot Doug's rules.

I've been Googling around, trying to figure out when Hot Doug's opened. It seems to me that when I first started going there in the spring of 2002 (shortly after getting a job at the Pit of Hell down the street) that it hadn't been open very long. The place was rarely full then, and there were usually only one or two specialty sausages. Anyone know the history of the place?

Suzy Creamcheese wrote:I've been Googling around, trying to figure out when Hot Doug's opened. It seems to me that when I first started going there in the spring of 2002 (shortly after getting a job at the Pit of Hell down the street) that it hadn't been open very long. The place was rarely full then, and there were usually only one or two specialty sausages. Anyone know the history of the place?

I believe Hot Doug's opened in 2001. This early report on Chowhound was the first I heard of it. Be sure to check out the list of German sausage expressions that's linked to in that thread.

Rene G wrote:I believe Hot Doug's opened in 2001.

Rene G,

I found a few old chi.eats posts of mine, and yours, but nothing predating the chowhound post you referenced and nothing that said definitively when Hot Doug's opened on Roscoe. So, following the sage advice of Michael Morowitz in a past thread, I called on the phone. January 2001.

Enjoy,
Gary

third coast foodie wrote:The Magic at Dougs never stops. I was walking in to Gougs today when I noticed a couple outside having some sort of moment with simultaneous tears and giggling - odd I thought and proceeded inside to get my fix ( 3rd in line at about 12:40).

The special of the day as it turns out was.......


I thought it was pretty cool, Doug even dropped some champaign on the couple.

All of this went well with my Saucisse de Toulouse with Roast Garlic Sauce Moutarde, Venison-Cognac Pâté and Saint Rocco Cheese.
I loved this sausage and am conflicted at to whether I would disrupt all of the complex and well matched flavors with a little Spicy Giardiniera.

To the newly engaged
Congratulations and..

hehe. hot doug's rules. doug was gracious enough to pimp the celebrity sausage board for me; can't think of anywhere else I wanted to propose. She said yes, by the way:)