As in, yoso-silly, yoso-hungry, yoso-full, or best of all; mmm-delici-yoso!!!!! A San Diego based food and travel blog. An Ex-Pat Kama'aina and Friends explore food, restaurants, and travel from San Diego and points beyond.
The Old Fashioned in downtown Madison was on my list from my previous visit. One person I ran into told me that some of the dishes served; stuff like beer soup, weisswurst, knackwurst, and creamed herring. I was also told that the prices were reasonable…. and that there was always a nice selection of local brews on tap…… need I say more?
I made my way from Chicago, checked into my hotel, and took a nice drive to downtown Madison. Since this was a Sunday evening, I didn't encounter any traffic, and found parking with minimal effort. I parked in the shadow of the Capitol, and had a chance to enjoy the autumn colors…… something we don't really encounter here in San Diego.
The Old Fashioned is located right across the street from the Capitol building.
In spite of the looks, this place was packed to the gills, so I decided to grab a stool at the bar. Unfortunately, it's basically almost pitch black dark, so this will be a "PWTSDS" ("putz" – places where the sun don't shine) so I must apologize in advance for the lousy photos. As soon as I sat, a very chipper young lady named Ashley took my order. Friendly and efficient, always striding with a purpose, I gotta say, Ashley was awesome. There were thirty different brews on tap, Ashley asked me if I like "hoppy" IPAs. She suggested I try the Tyranena Brewing Company Bitter Woman IPA, especially since it was only $2.50. It was "not a big investment". To my very uneducated palate, it was quite hoppy, but not very bitter, with a hint of citrus. It turned out to be fairly refreshing.
Since I was in Wisconsin, where Germans make up the largest ancestry group, known as home of the Bratwurst…. of course I had a Brat. I had a single Miesfield's Market Sheboygan "Grand Champion" Bratwurst ($5.95):
Served on a hard roll, with a nice brown mustard, onions, and pickles, this was quite good. The brat was unlike anything I've had in San Diego….. less strong herb flavors, a bit sweeter, a very balanced flavor overall.
And just because I could, I had a side of Beer Battered Cheese Curds ($3), Ashley recommended getting the Horseradish Dip (50 cents) with these……
These were the best battered cheese curds I've ever had… not that I've had a bunch of them in my life. It wasn't too gooey, with a hint of cheddar flavor, and even a bit of a "squeak" to them. The batter was crunchy, yet light.
In spite of watching the Chargers lose on the television; this was probably my favorite meal in Madison. I'd come here again in a second. Nothing fancy, unpretentious, great service, and relaxing in spite of the crowd, I really enjoyed this meal.
The Old Fashioned 23 North Pinckney St. Madison, WI 53703
Right across from Fei Lai Feng, is the Lingyin Buddhist Temple. The temple was originally built in the early fourth century, and has been rebuilt at least 16 times over time. After paying admission, we entered the very busy grounds of the temple.
Due to the crowds of tourists, all paying admission, it was easy to lose sight of the fact that Lingyin Temple is a functioning Buddhist temple. And having been to Thailand and Laos, we were a bit shocked to see young ladies wearing pumps and mini-skirts and guys wearing tank tops (one had even taken his shirt off) and shorts on temple grounds. Folks disregarded signs within the halls prohibiting photos, and even let their children climb into urns within the cultural treasury hall…… it was all a bit surreal.
And yet every so often you'd see a monk walking the grounds.
Or folks making offerings……
In spite of all the wonderful Buddhist statues and carvings it was hard for us to enjoy Lingyin Temple. The amount of noise, and the crowds made it a bit of a tiring experience.
We headed back to our hotel, for a nap, and to attempt to escape the humidity. As we passed this doorway, the Missus suggested trying this place out. Strangely, some noodle soup sounded pretty good…….
I would later find out that this noodle restaurant Kui Yuan Guan is very well known around China. According to the story, the restaurant was founded during the Qing Dynasty, in the late 1860's.
There was reason the place was pretty busy in spite of the heat and humidity.
The menu is full of various noodle soups, and there is a single phrase English description of each type of noodle soup.
I went with the Pork, Bamboo Shoot, and Preserved vegetable noodle soup (10 yuan – about $1.45).
I was to find out later that Kui Yuan Chuan is credited with creating this dish, called Pian Er Chuan, go figure…..
Other than the very lean and tough pork (which I expected), I really enjoyed this soup. The combination of the salty-sour tones of the preserved vegetable, with the earthy and mildly sweet flavor of the fresh bamboo shoots, and what seemed to be a mildly rich pork based broth was a great combination.
The Missus selected the Shredded Eel Noodle soup (23 yuan – about $3.20).
The Missus seemed to enjoy Her soup well enough. We both found the noodl es adequate, though nothing special. This restaurant also marked a first distinct occurrence we were to find several more times at noodle soup restaurants in the region. Our noodle soup arrived, but no spoons were provided. I noticed that other customers simply brought the bowl up to their face and drank their soup, and I was perfectly fine with consuming my soup that way. But for some reason, this wouldn't fly with the Missus, who, in every case would flag down one of the employees and ask for spoons……. it turned out that soup spoons were only provided upon request.
The shop had the A/C going pretty good, which made the soup go down well. As we stepped back out into the humidity, we still felt satiated…. and ready for a nice nap!
*** Update 11/18, 0800 - The contest is closed……. there was only one person who guessed all six restaurant correctly. Congrats to Hao! The answers are all at the end of the post. And just for laughs I gave an eCup to the person who did the worst as well.
I haven't done one of these in a while……. I'll send a Peet's eCup to the first five folks who email(link upper right) me the correct guesses of the following revisits.
For the following three, list the dish and the restaurant:
1. This one is kinda hard, but not that hard……
Someone once mentioned lucious eyebrows…….
2.. This one is the easiest.
How about some drippy yolk porn……
3. This dish used to be much better when the restaurant was under previous ownership…..
But things have been getting better as the folks making the food have been gaining more experience.
For next three, you can just name the restaurant.
4. This "little little" place used to be in a different location.
5. I've never posted on exactly this dish, but guessing the restaurant should be pretty easy.
6. OK if you can't guess this one……. well, I'm not sure what to say…..
Easy, right? That's it, get those six and be one of the first five to email me the correct guesses and you'll get a Peet's eCup….. But let me ask you, are you a gambler? Would you go double or nothing? If you guess the name of this dish correctly, along with the previous six, I'll make it two eCups…… get it wrong, and you get nothin'(be accurate – as in what kind of meat etc, or the Chinese name would be even better)……. A couple of hints, it's not from a restaurant in San Diego, and it is delicious……
I'll let things go until the morning of 11/18
Just remember, send me the guesses via email, a valid email so if you're correct I can send youthe Peet's eCup. One guess per email address please.
Good Luck!
OK, here are the answers:
#1 – It's Beef Sate Noodle "Dry" from Tan Ky Mi Gia.
Since the new owners have taken over, my favorite dishes have been slowly getting better, as the guy behind the wok station gains more experience.
Our favorite dish here in the past was the Shrimp with XO Sauce Fried Rice. It still lacks the punch it once had, and Wok Hay (spirit of the wok) is still lacking.
Don't get me wrong, it's a good fried rice; just not as good……
#4 – Is Sieu Sieu BBQ, which literally means "small small"…..
I had gone to Barbecues Galore to try and purchase more Ono Kiawe Charcoal. I was told by the manager of BG, that a "well known" BBQ Manufacturer had bought the company and then took the charcoal off the market because it was competing with items in their product line. I'm not going further than that since I can't confirm this info. I may try purchasing the charcoal on the Ono Charcoal Website.
I'm really blessed to have so many FOYs (Friends of Yoso). There are times when I don't hear from them for pretty long periods, but I always appreciate the recommendations folks like KenB and "SomTommy" provide. Receiving emails from them is like getting an early Christmas present. I hadn't heard from FOY ChristinaC in a while, perhaps not since one of her recommendations Chef Tony closed. So I was pleasantly surprised to find an email from her in my inbox two days ago! And even better, it was a recommendation; for a shop called Alforon. Christina's rec's are beyond refute, so even though the Missus was under the weather, we made sure to drop by this tiny shop on El Cajon Boulevard ASAP.
The interior of the shop is tiny, but full of warm colors, and there are wonderful fragrances coming from the oven made of refractory concrete in the back of the kitchen.
The menu is small, but like the very friendly, energetic, and warm Samia, one half of the husband and wife team that owns this shop says, "it is full of good food, everything except one thing, the baklava is made here." Samia makes time to talk to all her customers, and since we really stood out; everyone else seemed to be Lebanese or Armenian, she was curious as how we had found Alforon. I told her that a very "dependable source had emailed me and told me I had to try this place."
Since the various versions of the freshly made flat breads looked great I went with the version topped with Soujouk($5.75):
Looking like a wood-fired pizza, this was wonderful, nice texture (a decent bit of pull), topped with deliciously spiced sausage, and a light sprinkling of fresh white cheese. I really enjoyed this, and can't wait to try othe versions of this…… I have a feeling the basic Zaatar, made with imported organic wild thyme and other herbs and spices will be heavenly.
The Missus, craving Falafel went with the Falafel wrap ($4.95):
This was a nice combination of flavors and textures, but was overshadowed by the Soujouk. Still the Falafel was fried to order, and was nice a crisp.
We also ordered the Baba Ghannouj ($5.85), which was nice, not overly processed, and without too much tahini, hit the spot.
This is where I failed twice as a food blogger; engrossed in my meal, I forgot to take photos of the pita bread (ok) and the wonderfully briney house made pickles. I loved those pickles, which edged on the briney side, but was great with the baba ghannouj on a pita. The young man helping with the tables noticed how much I loved these and asked me if I wanted more! At that point, George, Samia's husband started dropping by each table to see how the customers were enjoying their meal. You can tell that George and Samia really care about what they're serving…..
And since Samia told us that we "just had to try some dessert", I walked up to the counter, and asked the young man what we should have. He pointed to a tray in the cold case, pointed, and said "you have to try that, it is the best." Since I just saw a gentleman polish off one of these, then get two orders to go, I didn't need much more prompting….. we had the Aaysh Essaraya ($3.95):
Starting with a bed of slightly sweet, thick, clotted cream, on which laid a bread-bread-crumb like layer, topped with crumbled pistachios and fragrant rosewater, this was indeed quite good. No wonder they call this "bread of the mansion." Even I, not much of a fan of desserts really enjoyed this.
Needless to say, we'll be back. The food is reasonably priced(everything under $7), but you'll be tempted to get something to go. We saw two tables of two gentleman end up buying $55+ of food….they ate a good amount, and got even more to go……we were tempted to do the same……. George and Samia are so warm and friendly, they make the meal an even more enjoyable experience.
Alforon 5965 El Cajon Blvd San Diego, CA 92115
Thanks again for the wonderful recommendation Christina!
I now realize I haven't been paying much attention…..
To the strip mall where Spicy City is located. There appears to be a couple of new restaurants open, or opening up. The first one, called "Gorilla" has replaced Korean Hometown Restaurant, no more Bondegi soup for me I guess.
They're calling it a "Korean Fusion Restaurant"…… the menu looks like a combination of bar food, a la Min Sok Chon, crossed with modernized/westernized Korean Dishes…..Boo Dai Chigae…. along with Tonkatsu (served with French Fries!) and ramen, and cream corn even…..
I'm not quite sure what to make of it……. anybody check this place out yet?
I also noticed this restaurant in the place of Seafood Island. I'm not quite sure if they've opened yet.
All in the strip mall at 4690 Convoy.
You never know what you'll find at 99 Ranch Market:
I was picking up some lamb to make Cumin Lamb, when something grabbed my attention….. I literally did a double take.
Was it what I thought it was?
You bet…. plus it was on sale!
In case you have a problem finding this…… it located right next to the, ahem, Beef Pizzle.
One of the two things I was craving when I got back from Madison/Chicago:
Strangely, or perhaps not, I wanted a salad when I got home from Chicago and Madison. The other thing I craved was taken care of last night at Sushi Yaro.
Something that I found ironic is that Zo-san is now working at Sushi Yaro. Folks might remember that he used to own Sushi Ishikawa which was on this very spot before Sammy Sushi and Convoy Sushi.
Now if I can only talk Zo-san into making some of the Okinawan dishes they used to serve at Ishikawa!
When I first started coming to San Diego over a dozen years ago for work, one of the first places recommended to me was Ichiro. I grew up eating in little mom and pop places like Ichiro. Speaking of "mom", my Mother's favorite restaurant was one of these places, called Wisteria Restaurant, which sadly at the end of 2004. It seems that these places I refer to as Japanese-American Diners are slowly disappearing. Recently, I was in the same strip mall as the restaurant, looked over at Ichiro, and felt a bit guilty. It had been a good number of years since I visited.
In some ways, perhaps the years haven't been very good to Ichiro…. and the sign near the front door speaks volumes.
About five years ago, I noticed changes at Ichiro, starting with the addition of "kozara" (small dishes) of standard Japanese bar food fare.
Still with places like Izakaya Sakura, Okan, and even Tajima to a certain extent; Ichiro is sometimes forgotten.
Being in the area a bit more often, I decided to have a few lunches at Ichiro, just to see what was going on. Things look about the same with regards to the dining area, and the service is the same….. friendly.
All lunches start with a small dish of Tsukemono…..
And come with miso soup (watery), and a pretty routine green salad.
A couple of months back, I was told to try the "Ponzu Chicken", which is what I had on my first visit.
Actually, this was fairly disappointing. The chicken was a basic salt rubbed, grilled chicken; like something I'd make at home. It was also on the dry side. The ponzu tasted bottled, and was not of good quality. In the end, it was just sustenance.
And yet, the two women working here were so very nice, I just didn't want to leave it at that. So a week later I returned and had something I'd eaten a few years back, and thought was pretty good. The menchi katsu, this time as Menchi Katsu Curry ($7.25).
Man, that was a load of curry……. not too bad, mild spice, but nothing but onions in them. The breaded meat patty was pretty good, a bit leaner, with less filler than I remembered. It didn't have the rich flavor of the version at Izakaya Sakura, and for some reason I like my mechi katsu to have more filler.
Still, this was nicely prepared, crunchy and moist.
During one of the recent 90 degree plus days, I wanted some Zaru Soba. Instead of heading to Izakaya Sakura, I decided to return to Ichiro for lunch one more time. This time I had the Zaru Soba Tororo ($8.50).
On the good side, Ichiro includes a quail egg for the tsuyu, on the bad, the tsuyu had a super salty artificial taste to it. The soba was also undercooked and was very hard.
I didn't expect soba like I-Naba, but this was like something I'd throw together at home.
After five plus years since my last visit to Ichiro, I found that the service here is still very nice and friendly. I see that Ichiro is taking steps to try and upgrade the menu. Also, Yasu, an old time Itamae favorite of mine is working there, though only on Fridays these days. On my visits I noticed that most of the customers were either older "Gaijin", and once two elderly Japanese women who were friends with the owner. I'm still up in the air as to whether I'll check out Ichiro during the evening, or for Happy Hour…… sadly, the food just seems s bit tired and dated(and I like old-style Japanese food) to me. Perhaps you'll find it more to your liking than I did.
Ichiro Japanese Restaurant 4344 Convoy St San Diego, CA 92111
After dinner at Zheweiguan, I slept quite well…. probably because I was exhausted. The Missus got up the next morning raring to go. We decided to just grab a quick breakfast at Zhiweiguan(again), and catch the bus to the Lingyin scenic area.
This time we went with the first floor area, which sells snacks and fast-food type dishes. At this time of the morning it was waaaaay more empty than usual.
The drill here, similar to many other places is…… first you go to the counter and buy script:
You then go to the various counters, place your order, pay with script, and get your food. If you have script remaining at the end of your meal, you return them to the counter and get a refund.
This is what we ended up with:
The Missus enjoyed the porridge (when doesn't She?), but the youtiao (fried dough) was on the greasy and soggy side.
The Xiao Long Bao were actually better here then in the more upscale restaurant on the third floor.
The bean curd skin stuffed with glutinous rice and broad beans was also pretty good.
Crisp on the exterior, perhaps it could have used a bit more flavor, but the glutinous rice sure was hearty and filling. This made for a fairly substantial breakfast for us.
After the meal, we caught the bus to the Lingyin Scenic Area.
Even as we walked up the trail to Lingyin Temple, a line of buses were already unloading tourists.
So instead of hitting the temple with the first wave of tourists, we took a detour, and decided to check out Fei Lai Feng (Peak Flown from Afar), also known as Nimble Vulture Peak (Ling Jiu Feng). This 700 foot peak was supposedly named by an Indian Monk named Hui Li. Hui Li noticed that this limestone peak was so different from everything around it, and also that it resembled the mountains in India. He theorized that the peak had flown to this spot from India… thus naming it "Peak Flown from Afar).
There are trails around the peak, with over 500 Buddha Statues carved from limestone, many dating back to the Song Dynasty (10th Century).
Even more fascinating for us, were the caves lining the base of the peak.
There are over 300 carvings in the wall of the caves….. which adds a sense of drama to the whole experience.
Within one of the main caves, named Shexu Cave, there is a spot where the sun shines through a crack at the top of the cave. I was told this is called "one thread of heaven" which makes quite an impact.
That's not to say that the trails up and down the peak aren't quite dramatic in their own way. Because it takes mild effort to walk up and down the peak, there are less tourists, and some very nice carvings.
Of course, it's not just the carvings that catches the Missus's eye……
So far on our visit to Hangzhou, we enjoyed Fei Lai Feng the most…… but right across the street was Lingyin Temple.
*** This location of Quaker Steak and Lube has closed
I'm not quite sure what to make of the "eating for sport" kinda thing…… I used to be able to put it away when I was younger (on a wager, I once finished Beth's Cafe challenge). But it's been decades since I've even given though to doing anything close to what I did during my youth. Now it seems a bit silly, something that was great during my college days, but a recent spate of shows like "Man vs Food" have made such gastronomic excess/stress popular. For instance, when an acquaintance of mine found out I was going to Madison, he quickly told me, "hey, there's a Quaker Steak and Lube in Madison." To which I replied, "what…. a gas station?" He quickly explained that it was Quaker S-T-E-A-K, a chain which featured his favorite wings back in Ohio. So far, Quaker Steak hasn't made it West of Colorado, so there were no shops on the West Coast. Knowing how I enjoy chicken wings he soon got my undivided attention. As a kicker he threw in something called the "Atomic Wing Challenge"…… I explained that while I enjoy spicy food, I enjoyed varied nuances with regards to heat, not just the sensation of having skin burnt off my body. I recently sampled a ghost pepper, and decided that it was like a bad neighbor, any contact is painful and is something you'd like to avoid as much as possible. Even worse was some Naked Shrimp from the Original Sab E Lee with MrC and friends. MrC is Lao, and ordered it "Lao spicy"…… man that was tough. By the end of the meal, I had a ring of first degree burns around my mouth. Luckily for me, even though sweat pours down my face, I've never had problems with my stomach.
So I declined…. which led to a bit of heckling, during which I was called something that rhymes with "fussy". Even though giving in to my inner-machismo has often had terrible results, I decided to go with the Atomic Wing Challenge, after all….. it really seems like the dude on "Man vs Food" is doing a bit of (very bad) over-acting at times. 150,000 Scoville Units? That's just a mild Habanero……
Instead of the Madison location, I went to the Middleton location, just outside of Madison, and closer to where I was staying.
As you can figure by the name, the restaurant is Gas-station themed…. with a sportsbar-meets-corporate chain restaurant type of atmosphere (think Jiffylube crossed with TGI Friday's). The folks here were indicative of the service I received in Madison, friendly, laid-back, but efficient.
Having a seat and perusing the menu, I found what I was looking for.
So there it was…… until I read the top of the menu….
Now I had read up a bit on the Quaker State Atomic sauce….. rumor had it, that the restaurant Atomic Sauce sauce was made by the folks who make Endorphin Rush Hot Sauce, and the bottled Quaker State Brand Atomic Sauce was basically cayenne and tabasco. But here was something supposedly clocking in at 500,000 Scoville Units, which is about a 100 times hotter than a Jalapeno. So why not???
When I ordered the wings, the nice young lady asked me if I wanted a blindfold and a cigarette…. just kidding…. I was asked if I wanted to do "the triple atomic wing challenge". When I asked her what I got by doing the challenge, I was told I'd get my photo on the wall and a bumper sticker….. nah, not for me. I'd just settle for my six triple atomic wings without the fanfare. And I really could have done without the flashing police light they put on my table….
And of course a "waiver" confirming that I'm a total knucklehead is all part of the show…..
I'm sure that when my Server went to place my order of wings, someone pointed out that I look like a classic sufferer of Hyperhidrosis, and was given a good amount of extra napkins……
Since the wings at Quaker Steak come six to an order, I decided to try something else just to see how the wings are. The young lady told me that the Arizona Ranch Wings were her favorite.
These wings are not battered, but were decently fried, the skin was fairly crisp. The sauce was fairly mild, not too spicy (supposedly, 2,050 Scoville Units), and did have a mild buttermilk-ranch flavor that edged on onion soup base. Nothing really that special though…..
Of course I know that you really don't care about those wings, you really want to see what Triple Atomic Wings look like, right? Well here it is, in all of it's anti-climatic glory…..
These were hot…. or maybe I should type Hot…. but were definitely not HOT, if you know what I mean. The capsicum smell was pretty strong, and the heat was in your face, and sweat was dripping down my face, but no hallucinations, not even the usual tingling scalp that occurs when I eat something super-spicy. The heat was tempered with a bit of sweetness, and the oil content, which usually just plain kills you by keeping the heat applied to your tongue, lips, and everything else that it comes in contact with, was relatively low. I recently had a couple of drops of Mad Dog's Revenge Habanero Extract, which clocked in at 1,000,000 Scoville Units, and actually made two of my FOYs (Friends of Yoso) MrQ and PeterL jump out of their seat and run out to the parking lot. This was nowhere near that. As a wing, it was hot, totally in your face, and not something I'd order again.
The wings at Quaker Steak are decent, better then most chains, and I'd probably drop by and have them again if one was in the area. It's nothing I'm going to crave though. I did text TammyC and told her that MrC would eat this stuff like it was candy……
One of the manager's came and spoke with me after I ate my wings…. she was very friendly, and funny. She told me that the Triple Atomic Wing sauce was made with Ghost Peppers….. funny it didn't seem as hot as the Ghost Peppers I've had.
Quaker Steak and Lube 2259 Deming Way Middleton, WI 53562
Some really nice folks I met once told me that Adam Richmond is a basically an actor, earning a Master's Degree in drama from Yale. And though I've never seen the episode, I can't believe he had any problem with the Quaker Steak Atomic Wing Challenge. If he was, he must have been making good use of his drama degree.
I received an email from a FOY (Friend of Yoso) today who mentioned that my posts have recently been a bit long-winded. Actually, the term used was "verbose". Under certain circumstances, I'm pretty sure that I'd be somewhat…. well pick the verb; maybe offended might fit the bill…. and perhaps I'd even respond with a somewhat colorful adjective of my own. The humorous and jovial tone of the email erased all possibility of that, and was a reminder that many of you are perhaps more interested in seeing what I ate, rather than reading about it.
And I just happened to have a bunch of photos….. revisits all, of recent meals with friends. The locations are miles apart, but here goes……
*** Ba Ren has closed
Ba Ren:
Yet again. I usually don't even take my camera out any more. During a recent visit, Akira requested a meal at Ba Ren. I believe the main reason being that I remember what his favorite dishes are here. So here's what Akira, Mr S, and I had.
After all these years Ba Ren still delivers……
You can find links to my zillions of posts on Ba Ren on our rotation page.
Ba Ren 4957 Diane Ave San Diego, CA 92117
*** Chautara has closed
Chautara – Madison (Wisconsin):
I made sure to return, since I enjoyed my meal there on my previous visit. This time around, the food seemed to fall short, the Lamb Palungo way tough, the beef over-cooked, my dish, the Khasi Ko Masu was the best of the lot, but was a bit too salty. At least the photos came out a lot better than on my previous visit. Oh, and those thingys that look like Xiao Long Bao? They're "momos" a Nepali/Tibetian type of dumpling. My eating companions on this evening were from Shandong and Taiwan respectively, and were surprised when that hit the table.
In case you're wondering what, or where Chautara is, you can find out here.
Chautara Restaurant 334 State St Madison, WI 53703
Sea Harbour – Rosemead (Los Angeles):
Believe it or not, after my breakfast at Gardena Bowl, on my recent visit to LA, I still had lunch in store. I was meeting Akira, and good FOYs PeterL and Angela, who drove all the way from San Diego, for Dim Sum at Sea Harbour. Packed as always, it was a fun and mostly delicious meal.
I love this first photo…. of the Durian Pastry…. it looked so good that PeterL could not help himself and snatched one away as soon as it arrived!
Sea Harbour Seafood Restaurant 3939 Rosemead Blvd Rosemead, CA 91770
So there you go…… more photos, less verbiage… sheesh, I feel like a laundry detergent ad, you know, more cleaning power, cheaper price!
Man, it's hot around here, I hope everyone is keeping cool!
Last week, I went back to Madison for some training. Like the last time, I flew into Chicago and drove to Madison. This meant that I was able to stop a bite (or two… or three) on my way out of town. This time, I wanted to make sure to try a couple of places I'd never been to before…. and of course, it was only right that I have a sample of one of Chicago's iconic food items; the hot dog.
On previous visits, I'd had dogs from Superdawg and Weiner Circle. This time around Cathy's brother recommended that I give Gene and Jude's, a place that should rightfully and proudly be called a joint, a try. Gene and Jude's is located in the community of River Grove just a couple of miles from O'Hare, which made access pretty easy.
Established in 1946, Gene and Jude's longevity says that they must be doing something right. Later on, I mentioned this place in conversation. I was told that Gene and Jude's are always among the top sellers of Vienna Beef Hot Dogs in Chicago.
I was also told to always expect a line, but not to worry as the line moves very quickly. You just get in line behind this sign.
I stood in awe as the guy two places in line in front of me ordered 10 dogs and fries…. only to be topped by the woman in front of me who ordered two dozen! The guy taking the order didn't even blink an eye.
I felt positively unworthy ordering but a single dog (with everything) and fries. You order, then move over to the next spot and pay.
I grabbed my dog and fries and headed over to the counter to eat.
Yes, the place is a bit worn, and possibly in need of a good scrub-down, but that just seems to add character……
For $2.20, you get a dog covered with a handful of fries…..
The fries are hand-cut, natural, that is, skin on, made fresh from potatoes. These were greasy, but in a good way, and even though I'm not a fan of this type of fries(i.e. In-N-Out), these had good potato flavor.
Below the fries the Dog was a mess…..
The roll was pretty much a mushy mess. "Everything" on this dog consisted of sport peppers, piccalilli, onions, and mustard. No tomato, pickle spear, and no celery salt. In fact, the very same guy who seemed to know everything about hot dogs told me that this was the way Chicago Hot Dogs were originally served. Though this was a mess, I loved the snap of this dog…. it was the snappiest of the four I had on this trip.
In spite of the rapidly disintegrating roll, I thought this was a decent dog. And can you beat the price? The "Hot Dog Nazi" - dive atmosphere added to the (lack of) ambiance. Nothing fancy here, just a couple of things on the menu….. and don't even think about asking for ketchup on your dog!
While eating my dog and fries, I noticed this copy of an article on the wall…..
The article tells of Charlie Trotter's recommendations for best dogs in Chicago….. and Gene and Jude's is one of the three mentioned. The mental image of Charlie Trotter eating greasy fries on a messy dog elbows on the worn and in need of a good scrubbing counters cracked me up.
Gene & Jude's Red Hot Stand 2720 River Rd River Grove, IL 60171
A few weeks before leaving on this trip, I sat next to a guy from Chicago at Sushi Yaro. When he mentioned where he was from, I told him I'd be flying to Chicagoland before driving to Madison, and staying one night upon my return. We got to talking about Chicago Hot Dogs, and the beauty of the neighborhood Hot Dog stand. His stand was a place called Peep's in Arlington Heights…. in his words, "not the best, but good, and a very typical neighborhood stand. There used to be one in every neighborhood." Since I was able to take my time driving to Madison, I decided to stop at Peep's. It was a bit of a detour from the freeway…….. but very easy to find on the corner of Rand and East Thomas Street.
**** Peep's has closed.
Basically not much more than a shack with a counter and a small dining area.
Here's the Dog with everything from Peep's……
Your standard issue Chicago Dog, nice sprinkling of celery salt, sport peppers, tomatoes that were kind of mushy, and the pickle didn't seemed, well pickled enough. The bun was a bit drier then I appreciate. Strangely, all the dogs I ate were of the same heritage; dogs from Vienna Beef, but they were all different. This one had less snap, though the flavor was right on.
I've had better dogs, and many much worse……
Peep's Hot Dogs 1600 N Rand Rd Arlington Heights, IL 60004
fficient, always striding with a purpose, I gotta say, Ashley was awesome. There were thirty different brews on tap, Ashley asked me if I like "hoppy" IPAs. She suggested I try the Tyranena Brewing Company Bitter Woman IPA, especially since it was only $2.50. It was "not a big investment". To my very uneducated palate, it was quite hoppy, but not very bitter, with a hint of citrus. It turned out to be fairly refreshing.
These were the best battered cheese curds I've ever had… not that I've had a bunch of them in my life. It wasn't too gooey, with a hint of cheddar flavor, and even a bit of a "squeak" to them. The batter was crunchy, yet light.
The Old Fashioned
