Hot dogs in Highland Park

Several months ago Cathy2 asked me to report about Highland Park hot dog places. Today I did a chowscience study of Michael's and Stash's, two long-time HP hot dog purveyors, and also compared them with Best Kosher's outlet.

Quick summary is that all three are pretty good and incredibly close in taste, but Best's is much cheaper. Also, Stash's clearly beats Michael's on fries. Best only offers bags of chips.

I went to all three today during the lunch hour. There were lines at Stash's and Michael's, but my simple order was handled quickly. At Best there was no waiting. Best is different in that you apply the fixings. They put the dog in a piece of foil on the counter next to the condiments and you go to it. No grilled onions, but raw are available as well as the usual mustard, relish, ketchup (ugh), peppers, pickles, and celery salt.

Hot dogs from Michael's and Stash's look exactly alike and taste virtually the same (my son preferred Stash's slightly). Both are on poppy seed buns. Michael's uses Rosen's buns (I saw the box). I didn't see what buns Stash's uses, but expect it's the same.

Best has a completely different bun, seedless, much larger and breadier - rather challah-like. The bun is so big it almost overwhelms the dog.

A hot dog costs $2.59 at both Stash's and Michael's. The same size is called a junior hot dog at Best and costs just $1.25. Best's jumbo hot dog, which is about twice as big and comes on a larger bun, is only $2.25 - a great value. Best's jumbo with a bag of chips and a can of pop is a reasonable meal for most people.

All three were meaty and chewy with a reasonable amount of pop. Best's junior dog seemed slightly less juicy, perhaps because it may have sat in the hot water too long. Best's jumbo was just fine - it was my favorite with lots of flavor. I'm sure the formula is the same, but the size may help it to keep its juices. Also, they probably sell five jumbos for every junior so it doesn't sit in the hot water as long.

Michael's fries ($1.59) are a slightly thicker version of McDonald's, but don't quite pull it off. They lacked the texture and flavor I expected. Stash's fries ($1.79) are about the same thickness, more gnarly with some skin, and taste better. Definitely worth the small premium. Stash's has a sign which says "best fries on the north shore." I don't know if that's true, but they are the best within a two block radius.

At both I asked if the fries were salted. The counterman at Stash's said no. I then had to ask him for salt. At Michael's I was told the fries did have salt, but one taste said otherwise. Fortunately, the salt from Stash's improved the situation, but even so Stash's was clearly better.

All three places have other offerings. Michael's and Stash's have extensive menus. Best's has several kinds of sandwiches (corned beef, salami, pastrami, etc.). A big part of their business is kosher butcher shop products.

Best Kosher
1630 Deerfield Road
Highland Park 60035
847-831-9435
Closes early (about 3pm) on Friday and is closed all day Saturday

Michael's Chicago-Style Red Hots
1879 Second Street
Highland Park 60035
847-432-3338

Stash's
Port Clinton Square
Highland Park 60035
847-432-6550
The official address is on Central Street, but they actually are around the corner in the 1700 block of Second Street

George!

I'm always tickled pink to read something from our town. Especially today, when I learned of a hot dog venue I have never graced their threshold: Best's. A new place to visit with as good or better hot dog, no lines and a cheaper price point! Lack of fries is a disappointment, which I can live with.

Given the intense rivalry between Michael's and Stash's, it is no surprise they have very similar, if not the same, product with fries tipping the scale in Stash's favor. Michael's was the first with the cheese fries, which were so exotic 20 years ago, are an easily found item today.

When I was growing up, Stash's was THE place and recognized regionally by Chicago Magazine as the best hot dog in the area. Stash's was recently reviewed on Roadfood.com to some note. Michaels, which does a brisk party business as well as better marketed, overshadowed Stash's until recently. There is a new owner at Stash's who has made many improvements including badly needed marketing. In my household, we are very pleased Stash's has had new life breathed into it.

We moved to Highland Park when I was 10-years-old. If we were in Chicago, we would get a hot dog at Suzie's, which continues to operate today just west of Elston on Montrose. Initially, we found Suzie's hot dog comparable to Stash's with each selling for $0.35. As time progressed, Stash's prices would rise and the hot dog would remain the same. Suzie's price remained at $0.35 for far, far longer but the quality of the hot dog declined, the pickle kept getting thinner and the tomato slice shrunk as well. My Dad used the two hot dog emporium's to discuss basic marketing and economics on the drive home.

Thanks for your review.

Those were interesting observations about marketing. Restaurant operators (and other business owners) should keep them in mind.

I found Best's Kosher by accident some years ago. (I think I may have been getting a gift at the Toy's R Us store in the same mall.)

One thing I forgot to mention about Best. If there is a line at lunch time, they usually have a plate of noshes (little pieces of salami, corned beef, pastrami, etc.) next to the cash register, so you won't feel you are starving as you inhale the garlicky aromas.

Of course, I also like the prices of the hot dogs which are comparable to cheap stands in Chicago.

I go to Bests outlet once a year to get four or so pounds of mini dogs to wrap in crescent rolls. Yeah, it's trite, but required at my annual holiday party. The kids devour platters of them, leaving the good stuff for the adults. Meanwhile, the adults elbow each other to get at a few before the kids get them all. A couple times, they've had them bulk packed in plastic bags, the most recent time, though, it was smaller packages.

Kosher mini dogs have pretty much disappeared from supermarket shelves, all you can find are the "smoky links" and other crappy mini weiners from places like Hillshire Farms.

JoelF wrote:I go to Bests outlet once a year to get four or so pounds of mini dogs to wrap in crescent rolls. Yeah, it's trite, but required at my annual holiday party. The kids devour platters of them, leaving the good stuff for the adults. Meanwhile, the adults elbow each other to get at a few before the kids get them all. A couple times, they've had them bulk packed in plastic bags, the most recent time, though, it was smaller packages.

Kosher mini dogs have pretty much disappeared from supermarket shelves, all you can find are the "smoky links" and other crappy mini weiners from places like Hillshire Farms.

I do the same thing, serving the mini dogs at our holiday party, and one year we 'rolled' 10# of them (about 450 dogs) that we bought at Best's Kosher Outlet. They all came in one single pack; a cryovac'd bag, nearly as big as a bed pillow. When the clerk brought it out from the back of the store, my wife and I both burst out laughing.

I'm in Deerfield and while I frequent all 3 of these places, I also think Dear Franks, just down the road a piece, is in their league on dogs (and fries). I think each place has its strengths and weaknesses (which are more profound in the non-hot dog categories) and they're all better than Irvings, IMO.

Very cool report. Thanks for taking the time.

=R=

Since you're in Deerfield, what do you think of Cookers? They used to be in Deerbrook Mall, but moved down the road to the shopping center with Frank's Garden Supplies.

My son thinks they're pretty good. It's been a while since I've been there, but I enjoyed Cooker's on my last visit. It's been years since I was at Dear Frank's, so I can't compare.

Cooker's Fast Food
469 Lake Cook Road
Deefield
847-272-7222
847-897-5880

George R wrote:Since you're in Deerfield, what do you think of Cookers? They used to be in Deerbrook Mall, but moved down the road to the shopping center with Frank's Garden Supplies.

My son thinks they're pretty good. It's been a while since I've been there, but I enjoyed Cooker's on my last visit. It's been years since I was at Dear Frank's, so I can't compare.

I haven't been to Cooker's since they moved to Lake Cook plaza, but now that you mention it, I should give them another try. I used to get their char polish on a regular basis and my wife's family all loves the place. The biggest negative about Cooker's is that it's a pepsi shop (used to be anyway) and I'm a coke guy.

=R=

I agree about Pepsi vs. Coke. Can't remember if Cookers still is a Pepsi only shop.

Years ago I was indifferent, but my wife converted me to Coke. Unlike Pepsi, there's a real hit when you drink it -- even with the caffeine-free version.

A while ago our local White Hen, where we occasionally get sandwiches for lunch, was forced by corporate to switch to Pepsi from Coke. I grumbled and they told me there were a lot of complaints.

Several months later Coke magically reappeared on the dispenser right next to the Pepsi!

Hi,

I regret to inform Highland Park is minus one hot dog outlet.

My Polish sandwich from last week:


I pulled in front of Best’s Kosher Outlet Store to see it had closed permanently on May 23rd. There was a letter on the door, thanking us for our business suggesting we go to their Pershing Road Store in Chicago or the many fine food stores, which carry their product. Huh? I was there only ten days ago, there was no hint of a closing. I asked the pet store manager what happened to Best’s? The stock boy looked up shocked as I was to learn it closed Monday. The property owner wanted double the rent and a year’s rent up front. On Monday morning Best had a half price sale and was cleaned out by 2 PM. On Tuesday, they collected their fixtures. Poof! Gone!

Again, my regrets.

that is sad news to hear about Best closing. I was going to ask if the Best outlet in Glenview on Waukeegan Rd was still there. I guess that answers my question.

I echo the chagrin at the closing. Their Monday jumbo hot dog special for, I recall, $1.50 and their lean corned beef for $7 a pound were hard to beat.

Dire news indeed.

I'm going to have to find some source for kosher-style mini-dogs by December... and mail-order may be preferable to a drive down to Pershing Rd.

Of all the gourmet and surreal items I make at our annual holiday party, dogs in crescent roll dough is one of the only constants. It'd be like Easter without jelly beans or Hannukah without latkes.

Pershing Rd. is not necessary. The Jewel on Skokie Blvd. and Gross Point Rd in Skokie has kosher mini-dogs year round. I bought them there last holiday season on a BOGO deal, but I believe they're stocked all the time. I can't recall now what brand - it might have been Best, but possibly Hebrew National, or even Aaron's. They are located in a cold-bin with kosher meats, and NOT where the rest of the hot dogs are stocked.

You might also check at Hungarian Kosher on Oakton, which carries an extensive selection of kosher products; I can't recall specifically whehter they have them, but it's likely. Garden Fresh Market is also a possibility.

(I'm surprised that the Jewel in Highland Park, which has a kosher butcher and everything, doesn't have kosher mini-dogs!)

George R wrote:Several months ago Cathy2 asked me to report about Highland Park hot dog places. Today I did a chowscience study of Michael's and Stash's, two long-time HP hot dog purveyors, and also compared them with Best Kosher's outlet.

Quick summary is that all three are pretty good and incredibly close in taste, but Best's is much cheaper. Also, Stash's clearly beats Michael's on fries. Best only offers bags of chips.

I went to all three today during the lunch hour. There were lines at Stash's and Michael's, but my simple order was handled quickly. At Best there was no waiting. Best is different in that you apply the fixings. They put the dog in a piece of foil on the counter next to the condiments and you go to it. No grilled onions, but raw are available as well as the usual mustard, relish, ketchup (ugh), peppers, pickles, and celery salt.

Hot dogs from Michael's and Stash's look exactly alike and taste virtually the same (my son preferred Stash's slightly). Both are on poppy seed buns. Michael's uses Rosen's buns (I saw the box). I didn't see what buns Stash's uses, but expect it's the same.

Best has a completely different bun, seedless, much larger and breadier - rather challah-like. The bun is so big it almost overwhelms the dog.

A hot dog costs $2.59 at both Stash's and Michael's. The same size is called a junior hot dog at Best and costs just $1.25. Best's jumbo hot dog, which is about twice as big and comes on a larger bun, is only $2.25 - a great value. Best's jumbo with a bag of chips and a can of pop is a reasonable meal for most people.

All three were meaty and chewy with a reasonable amount of pop. Best's junior dog seemed slightly less juicy, perhaps because it may have sat in the hot water too long. Best's jumbo was just fine - it was my favorite with lots of flavor. I'm sure the formula is the same, but the size may help it to keep its juices. Also, they probably sell five jumbos for every junior so it doesn't sit in the hot water as long.

Michael's fries ($1.59) are a slightly thicker version of McDonald's, but don't quite pull it off. They lacked the texture and flavor I expected. Stash's fries ($1.79) are about the same thickness, more gnarly with some skin, and taste better. Definitely worth the small premium. Stash's has a sign which says "best fries on the north shore." I don't know if that's true, but they are the best within a two block radius.

At both I asked if the fries were salted. The counterman at Stash's said no. I then had to ask him for salt. At Michael's I was told the fries did have salt, but one taste said otherwise. Fortunately, the salt from Stash's improved the situation, but even so Stash's was clearly better.

All three places have other offerings. Michael's and Stash's have extensive menus. Best's has several kinds of sandwiches (corned beef, salami, pastrami, etc.). A big part of their business is kosher butcher shop products.

Best Kosher
1630 Deerfield Road
Highland Park 60035
847-831-9435
Closes early (about 3pm) on Friday and is closed all day Saturday

Michael's Chicago-Style Red Hots
1879 Second Street
Highland Park 60035
847-432-3338

Stash's
Port Clinton Square
Highland Park 60035
847-432-6550
The official address is on Central Street, but they actually are around the corner in the 1700 block of Second Street

I my inaugural lunch at the "new" Stash's in downtown HP. Normally I don't like to hit lunch places during the noon rush. Time constraints took over today and I was hungry.

First, the decor. It's completely different from the original location down the street. Easily 2-3 times the size of the original. The space was a Cosi in its previous life. There are two rooms. The first is where you walk in and order. IMO. it's sort of a weird set up as you walk in. The menu is spread out along the wall on your left as you walk in from the front door toward the cash register. If you don't know what to order, you need to stop in front of the menu. The aisle is wide enough for people to get by. But you're walking in front of the people who stop to read the menu.

It's an open kitchen. After you order, there's a separate counter for soft drinks and utensils. The front room has high ceilings with no acoustics. Probably about a dozen tables. A bit on the noisy side. There are two flat screen TVs on top of each other along one wall. The back room has lower ceilings and is much quieter with about 10 tables. Nice bathroom.

Bobby Dubin was behind the cash register taking orders. You get a plastic number sign to put on your table. Some guy was hovering over his shoulder taking the orders from the cash register receipt and taking them over to the line cooks. Upfront behind the cash register is a wood burning pizza oven. They were making individual pizzas. Looking at the online menu, I don't see pizzas. They bring the food to your table.

I had my usual polish at Poochies earlier in the week, so I wanted something different. I decided to have a "Rueben-esque". Basically, it's a reuben sandwich with hamburger in place of corned beef. I ordered it medium rare and it came out medium. It was OK. The pretzel bun was good. In hindsight, I probably should have ordered a regular hamburger.

The main menu difference between the "new" and "old" Stash's is that fries are now included with most sandwiches. Also, I "think" the prices have creeped up a bit. I don't feel that my sandwich was worth $9.99. There are more items on the new menu.

Overall, a decent dining experience. In the future, I'll stick with the traditional hot dog stand fare. I still wonder how two well established hot dog joints (Michael's & Stash's) can operate within a 1/2 block of each other. I'm guessing each has their loyal following.

Stash's - Guido's Pastaria
1825 2nd Street
Highland Park, IL 60035-3113
http://stashsrestaurantandgrill.com/index.html
Hours: 11 am - 8 pm Daily

Cathy2 wrote:When I was growing up, Stash's was THE place

One of the great pleasures of my youth in HP was walking home along the Green Bay Trail, eating an order of Stash's fries out of a little grease-stained brown paper bag.

First, the decor. It's completely different from the original location down the street. Easily 2-3 times the size of the original.

The original was only wide enough for 4 or 5 bar stools along the counter at the front window, so I would say the new place is much more than 3 times the size of the original.

Katie wrote:

Cathy2 wrote:When I was growing up, Stash's was THE place

One of the great pleasures of my youth in HP was walking home along the Green Bay Trail, eating an order of Stash's fries out of a little grease-stained brown paper bag.

First, the decor. It's completely different from the original location down the street. Easily 2-3 times the size of the original.

The original was only wide enough for 4 or 5 bar stools along the counter at the front window, so I would say the new place is much more than 3 times the size of the original.

Allow me to clarify, I was referring to the previous location down the block in Port Clinton.

The original was only wide enough for 4 or 5 bar stools along the counter at the front window, so I would say the new place is much more than 3 times the size of the original.

Was the original Stash's also like that at one time? I don't recall it being so tiny... Ionly remember the space in Port Clinton that I always recall being the same size. I do however, remember when Michael's was only a couple stools big. During my childhood, it seemed Michael's expanded every year or two.

To add insult to injury, the still greatly missed Best Kosher Outlet (has it really been gone that long? Alas.) is becoming the latest outpost in the ever-growing Jared army of mediocre sub shops.

Having been to Cookers a week or so ago (my son has karate on Tuesdays at the Rec Center next door, so if I haven't had dinner yet they have a great Italian Beef and Fries special for $6 and change), it is still, alas, a Pepsi shop, which saves me the cost of a beverage at least.

As for Stash's, the pretzel rolls are a big step up for the grilled chix sandwich. They have a buffalo option now with hot sauce, bleu cheese dressing and crispy fried onions that was pretty decent the one time I stopped in. Another nice thing was they were open after 8 on a weekend, saving me the trip to Highwood (Buffo's). They hadn't really established closing hours yet when I asked, but lord knows HP could use a good quick option besides Subway and McD's that is open past 8.

And on a final note, it seems the DQ in Port Clinton is now serving hot dogs, etc. Who's taking one for the team?

AlexG wrote:To add insult to injury, the still greatly missed Best Kosher Outlet (has it really been gone that long? Alas.) is becoming the latest outpost in the ever-growing Jared army of mediocre sub shops. And on a final note, it seems the DQ in Port Clinton is now serving hot dogs, etc. Who's taking one for the team?

Yep - my Sunday ritual was a stop at the BKO for a polish. I already took one for the team earlier this week with my visit to The Money Shot. I will not visit DQ for a hot dog, or anything else.

Never realized how well loved the Best Kosher Outlet was! I worked there for the summer before I headed off to college... right when they opened in 1995. Until the day they closed years later, they continued to give my Mom the employee discount -- long after I'd left. After my summer there, it was quite a while until I cared to order a hot dog again. We got a free one daily for lunch, plus whatever was left at the end of the day... certainly ate my fair share that summer.

blipsman wrote:

The original was only wide enough for 4 or 5 bar stools along the counter at the front window, so I would say the new place is much more than 3 times the size of the original.

Was the original Stash's also like that at one time? I don't recall it being so tiny... Ionly remember the space in Port Clinton that I always recall being the same size.

The original Stash's was a small, dark, shoebox-sized place at the corner of 1st and Laurel ... before Port Clinton Square was built.

Because I've seen a number of posts about Stash's over the years here at LTH, I thought there might be some interest in the DoubleTakeDeals coupon posted today for the site. Like Groupon, DoubleTakeDeals gives you "pay X to get 2X' deals for local restaurants and services. It's run by the folks who put out the Clipper Magazine.

Anyway -- for anyone who is a fan os Stash's, today they're offering $20 of food for $10.

http://www.doubletakedeals.com/deals/il ... w/20110314

(Curry Hut, also in that general part of the world, is also on offer today. HP seems to get a lot of DoubleTake offerings.)

The best kosher hot dog in the world is right here in Chicago

Well, not quite in Chicago.
https://www.chicagojewishnews.com/2017/ ... n-chicago/

Hi,

I need a reality check or at least a confirmation of my memory: Stash's was awarded best Chicago-style hot dog by Chicago magazine in the early 1970's.

When Stash was still working his business, the hot dog trophy was visible in the store.

I have been looking for an image of the trophy and a reconfirmation of this event, but have come up dry. Chicago magazine's digital archives online don't go back that far.

Any tips on where to find an image would be appreciated.

Regards,
Cathy2