Maxwell Street on Devon and Broadway is Open (First Taste)!

There is a Maxwell Street Hotdog place being built at Devon and Broadway. Does anybody have any idea when it's going to open and if it's related to the one on 31st and Canal?
I've been tortured with anticipation about having those delicious polish sausages so close (a block from home).

That sign's been there for a long time. I doubt that it will ever open.

They actually added an "Open 24 Hours" sign to the top of the big sign last week and I've seen workmen doing stuff to the inside.
It did sit without activity for several months to a year. But the recent activity has peaked my interest.

curry71 wrote:There is a Maxwell Street Hotdog place being built at Devon and Broadway. Does anybody have any idea when it's going to open and if it's related to the one on 31st and Canal?

I don't know when the Broadway stand will open but I doubt it will be in the near future judging from what I saw when peeking through the window the other day. I'm guessing the two businesses are unrelated since they have different names.

Maxwell Street Depot, 31st & Canal


Original Maxwell Street, Broadway & Devon

Good research!
That sound you hear is my deflating hopes.

curry71 wrote:Good research!
That sound you hear is my deflating hopes.

Not so fast, curry71!

Look's like they're hiring!:

http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/fbh/1844796826.html

I'm so excited I might tinkle!

curry71 wrote:I'm so excited I might tinkle!

Yay! Glad I could make you... tinkle

For the record, I'm pretty excited myself! I've been monitoring the progress of this place for a while now, and am thrilled they're finally going to be opening!

[quote="curry71"]I'm so excited I might tinkle![/quote]

should be interesting..
I've always been wondering why someone never opened a place near loyola to compete with gold coast dogs on sherdian.

Is Gold Coast Dogs any good?
I've always gone the extra couple miles to Wolfy's.
I wish Patio Beef was better. The people that work there are nice though.

Driving home today I saw a lighted Open sign and customers inside the Original Maxwell Street at 6350 N. Broadway (Broadway and Devon)
So I dropped off the family at home and raced over for a first taste.

The executive summary is that this place will nicely satisfy my Polish sausage and Chicago dog impulsive cravings. But it's not without some minor flaws.

First, the positive. I ordered my staples, Polish sausage with onions and mustard and a Chicago-style dog with no relish and extra mustard and celery salt). Both the Polish and Hotdog had nice snap when I bit into them. They were hot and had great flavor. Both came with fries. The fries were those soggy kind with the skins on. They had a good potato flavor and they weren't overly greasy, salty or burnt. They included salt, pepper and a token ketchup packet in the bag.
A loyola student sitting near me ordered the pork-chop sandwich and commented that it was good. I'll try that next time.
The people behind the counter were courteous and quick.

Now the negative. The buns didn't have poppy seeds. They didn't put hot peppers on my Chicago dog (I guess I'll have to specify that next time). I couldn't taste the celery salt, if they remember to put it on. And there's nowhere to sit. The sitting part isn't really a big deal since I like to sit in the car and listen to the radio anyway.
I hope this place does well although I'm worried that I'm gonna get a lot fatter and crowds of drunken Loyola students might stand in the way of me fulfilling my late-night cravings.

http://img708.imageshack.us/img708/6004/maxwellbway.jpg

The Original Maxwell Street Polish, at N. Broadway and N. Sheridan, is officially open for business. It opened on 4 August, 2010. It's a 24 - hour eating destination. My verdict? No poppyseeds on the hotdog bun. Bland hot dog toppings. Nowhere to sit. Clearly, this place caters to drivers craving grease, both in their cars and on their mystery meat. Now that I've gotten the complaints out of the way, now the positives. Honestly, I can't think of any.

The workers are courteous and service was quick. But, when all is said and done, I'll remain loyal to Patio Beef and Wolfy's.

Jackie

curry71 wrote:Both the Polish and Hotdog had nice snap when I bit into them.

So they're using a natural casing wiener?

curry71 wrote:Now the negative. The buns didn't have poppy seeds. They didn't put hot peppers on my Chicago dog (I guess I'll have to specify that next time). I couldn't taste the celery salt, if they remember to put it on. And there's nowhere to sit.

Original Maxwell Street is modeled on South Side joints so probably they purposely dispense with North Side frippery such as poppy seeds, celery salt and seats. Don't know what to say about the missing peppers. That's serious.

But, when all is said and done, I'll remain loyal to Patio Beef and Wolfy's.

I'll remain loyal to Wolfy's because they have a better Chicago dog (but I think I like Maxwell's Polish better). I'm stunned that you would mention Patio Beef in the same breath as Wolfy's. The people are very nice there and they have a broader menu, but their Polish is terrible, their hotdog is soggy and they use Sysco (or similar processed) bbg sauce.

The fact that Maxwell is open 24 hour means it will get more of my business. My cravings for that stuff happens after hours.

Stopped into the new Maxwell street for a late lunch with a friend. Curry71 will be happy to know that the Chicago Dog now comes on a regulation (S Rosen?) poppy-seed bun. Sport peppers are still by request. The dog has a nice snap to it, and comes with a crisp pickle,tomatoes, neon relish. onions and mustard. Fries come with every order and are as reported above, skin on and a little mushy (like Al's).

The Pork Chop sandwich was wonderful. It was two thin marinated chops served on a puffy steamed bun with mustard and sweet carmelized onions. It really hit the spot. The Pork Chop Sandwich did automatically come with hot peppers (5 of them actually). It was 3.15 with fires. A boneless version was avalable for 50 cents more.

I will definitely be back, especially since it is open 24hrs, and I drive through that intersection almost daily.

Interesting fact, that building used to be a Checkers. One Year, the president of Rotary International (headquartered in Evanston) was the CEO of Checkers. That year they opened the Checkers in RP. It closed soon after he was out of office. Rumour was that he had it built so he had a Checkers nearby when he lived in Evanston.

Interesting fact, that building used to be a Checkers. One Year, the president of Rotary International (headquartered in Evanston) was the CEO of Checkers. That year they opened the Checkers in RP. It closed soon after he was out of office. Rumour was that he had it built so he had a Checkers nearby when he lived in Evanston.

Thanks for the history d4v3. I think I heard that too.

I'd like to add that they put up picnic tables outside. It's nice to have a place to sit but it's not great for kids. The tables are on an island between the drive thru and the parking lot with no barrier. It's just a little hazardous if the kid bolts (the drive thru isn't functioning yet).

I ordered a "hot dog with everything" and this is what I got.





Only later did I realize they list a Maxwell Hotdog ($1.95 including tax and fries) as well as a Chicago Style Hotdog ($2.65). I guess I got the Maxwell by default. The skinless wiener was nothing special but the onions were great—perfectly caramelized but not mushy, with just the right amount of Polish sausage and pork chop grease. Fresh-cut fries were pretty good though the oil could have been a bit fresher. A fine snack and an excellent deal at under $2. Although you can't eat inside there are a few picnic tables next to the building.



Original Maxwell Street
6350 N Broadway
Chicago
773-681-0912
24 hours

Rene G wrote:Only later did I realize they list a Maxwell Hotdog ($1.95 including tax and fries) as well as a Chicago Style Hotdog ($2.65). I guess I got the Maxwell by default. The skinless wiener was nothing special but the onions were great—perfectly caramelized but not mushy, with just the right amount of Polish sausage and pork chop grease. Fresh-cut fries were pretty good though the oil could have been a bit fresher. A fine snack and an excellent deal at under $2.

Boy, I misquoted the price on the Chicago Dog, sorry. I must have been looking at something else. While I was there, they were telling a guy that they used two different weiners for the Chicago and the Maxwell dog (they said the Chicago Dog was boiled, but did not mention the casing). He wanted just a plain dog with ketchup, and opted for the Chicago dog, eventhough it was more expensive. I only had a bite of my friend's Chicago Dog, but I could have sworn it had a natural casing (he does too). I am going back tomorrow to get to the bottom of this.

At any rate, the pork chop sandwich is good.

This is a very exciting development. I volunteer directly across the street and always need food after my shift. Somehow I forgot about Maxwell Street last Saturday, but I'll remember to stop in next time. Thanks for the reports.

I ordered a "Chicago dog with everything" and this is what I got.



It's a skinless griddled wiener on a poppy seed bun with mustard, relish, raw onion, a very thin pickle spear, tomato and celery salt. No peppers were added; I received a separate packet only after I asked.

d4v3 wrote:While I was there, they were telling a guy that they used two different weiners for the Chicago and the Maxwell dog (they said the Chicago Dog was boiled, but did not mention the casing). He wanted just a plain dog with ketchup, and opted for the Chicago dog, eventhough it was more expensive. I only had a bite of my friend's Chicago Dog, but I could have sworn it had a natural casing (he does too). I am going back tomorrow to get to the bottom of this.

I specifically asked about this and was told the two sausages are identical and identically prepared (one guy working there didn't speak English but I think the other employee understood my question and answered clearly). It's possible they have two different sausages but what I was served (and paid $2.65 for) was clearly a griddled skinless dog, seemingly identical to the one I received as a "Maxwell hotdog." It wasn't bad, and a griddled "Chicago style" hot dog is somewhat of a rarity, but I can't see going back for another skinless wiener. If I return it will be for either a chop or a Polish (those sautéed onions were terrific).

I also went back and got the same story as you. In fact, the owner(?) said the majority of customers prefer skinless franks. Like I said, I only had a single small bite of my friend's dog, but he thought it had a skin on it. Maybe the way it was griddled gave it a chewy exterior. I do see they indeed use poppy seed buns for the "Chicago Style" dog. It is possible the cook was trying to explain the difference between a steamed bun and a griddled one to the guy ahead of me, but he did use the word "boiled", so I assumed he meant the hot dogs. At any rate, I am not a great hot dog fan, skin or not, but a skinless weiner is not a deal-breaker for me. After all, Romanian Kosher makes skinless dogs, and I think they are terrific. There is, however, something to be said for G&J's rubber-dogs. I will go back there for the pork chop sandwich, which was simple, but darned tasty with those sweet carmelized onions.

d4v3 wrote:The Pork Chop sandwich was wonderful. It was two thin marinated chops served on a puffy steamed bun with mustard and sweet carmelized onions. It really hit the spot. The Pork Chop Sandwich did automatically come with hot peppers (5 of them actually). It was 3.15 with fires. A boneless version was avalable for 50 cents more.

I stopped by this past Tuesday around 10:00p. I actually hadn't read this thread before I stopped in at this location. Aside from the beef Polish from both Jim's and Express on Union, the pork chop sandwich is my go to eat when at either or. So that's what I went with at this new location partly due to the fact they just had a polish on their menu, not that and a all beef option. I just prefer the all beef one's when on Maxwell street (Union). So anyways I ordered the pork chop and while it was pretty good, it had nothing on either or spot's from Union streets version (I actually prefer Express' pork chop to Jim's) I only got one chop in my sandwich ordered from Broadway and as described above it was really thin, however the fries at this Broadway location have both those at Union st. beat in my opinion. A nice spot for the students of Loyola to have. I only got 3 sport peppers but hey thats better than none. They did ask if I wanted them. Onions were really good, chop just could of been better.



Pork Chop Sandwich

Original Maxwell Street
6350 N Broadway
Chicago, IL
773-681-0912
24 hours

Anyone tried the burger?

Anyone tried the burger?

That was on my agenda this week but I had so much sausage and beer in New Glarus WI. over the weekend that I have to eat nothing but sticks and veggies for a while to compensate.

Da Beef wrote: I only got one chop in my sandwich ordered from Broadway and as described above it was really thin, however the fries at this Broadway location have both those at Union st. beat in my opinion.

I would not have been pleased if I got only one chop on my sandwich. They were really skimpy (I didn't know you could slice a chop that thin). I wonder, if because the place just opened, one of the owners was there training the new employees (which seemed to be the case). It seems the place went downhill rather quickly. I suspect that one chop is the standard configuration, and the guy working there was just being generous. Too bad. I seem to have developed a new found appreciation for pork chop sandwiches.