Finally made it by Lucky Dog. Let me start by saying thank the Powers That Be for giving us a decent Chi-style joint.
I had a combo, hot and wet. That's Italian beef and Italian sausage with hot gardenaire and au jus. Pretty good. Woulda been damn near perfect with a Gonella roll, but apparently they don't travel well. Lucky Dog uses Torino rolls instead. Wadda ya gonna do?
My buddy, also from Chicago, had a Maxwell Polish with fries. His only gripe was the default brown mustard. He was looking for yellow. The folks at the counter pulled out a Vienna manual and showed him brown is now the official recommended mustard. Must be some cheese-head influence creeping in over the last decade.
I like the brown mustard, plus onions and sports on a Polish, but I had a couple of other comments. The bun was sadly lacking in poppy seeds. And the fries were only fried once. They were good, but not the twice frieds a Chicagoan might expect.
In Chicago, Lucky Dog would be passable, at best. In Austin, the place rocks. I particularly liked their generic poster promoting Italian beef sandwiches with the impossible Chicago skyline. Reminded me of the faux Chi skyline in "Adventures In Babysitting".
> Finally made it by Lucky Dog. Let me start by saying thank the Powers > That Be for giving us a decent Chi-style joint.
> I had a combo, hot and wet. That's Italian beef and Italian sausage with > hot gardenaire and au jus. Pretty good. Woulda been damn near perfect > with a Gonella roll, but apparently they don't travel well. Lucky Dog > uses Torino rolls instead. Wadda ya gonna do?
> My buddy, also from Chicago, had a Maxwell Polish with fries. His only > gripe was the default brown mustard. He was looking for yellow. The > folks at the counter pulled out a Vienna manual and showed him brown is > now the official recommended mustard. Must be some cheese-head influence > creeping in over the last decade.
> I like the brown mustard, plus onions and sports on a Polish, but I had > a couple of other comments. The bun was sadly lacking in poppy seeds. > And the fries were only fried once. They were good, but not the twice > frieds a Chicagoan might expect.
> In Chicago, Lucky Dog would be passable, at best. In Austin, the place > rocks. I particularly liked their generic poster promoting Italian beef > sandwiches with the impossible Chicago skyline. Reminded me of the faux > Chi skyline in "Adventures In Babysitting".
> Cheers,
> Dusty
> As a native Chicagoan having spent 56 years there and having eaten in
a lot of beef and hot dog stands from inner city to the burbs let me asure you that there a two offical breads used for the beef and sausage sandwiches. One is Gonnella and the other is Turano— not Torino. Both of these bakeries started out as small local bakeries on west side of Chicago and a Suburb before the sandwich took on so much popularity. I'm talking about the late 50's here. The choice the owners made on either bread was based on what the costs were to them. Both breads are hearth baked and are designed to hold up with gravy that is poured on a beef especially if you order it "wet". Try doing this with any type of bread baked here and you'll wind up with mush.
The brown mustard referred to is a spicy mustard and this was used on Maxwell street with the push cart vendors u p to the late 80's. I don't know the last time your friend was on Maxwell and Halsted, but you'd be hard pressed to find a push cart vendor selling this Chicago favorite anymore. You're apt to find tacos instead.
> In article <iKQT3.75518$y45.946...@news4.giganews.com>, > "Dusty Rhodes" <te...@SPAMLESS.texas.net> wrote:
<snip>
> The brown mustard referred to is a spicy mustard and this was used on > Maxwell street with the push cart vendors u p to the late 80's. I don't > know the last time your friend was on Maxwell and Halsted, but you'd be > hard pressed to find a push cart vendor selling this Chicago favorite > anymore. You're apt to find tacos instead.
Haven't been there for a while. I hear the market is all but gone. Even the last time I was there, 15 years ago, the street market had changed radically. There seemed to be more Korean clothing dealers than anything else.
Dusty Rhodes wrote: > Finally made it by Lucky Dog. Let me start by saying thank the Powers > That Be for giving us a decent Chi-style joint.
I second that!
> I had a combo, hot and wet. That's Italian beef and Italian sausage with > hot gardenaire and au jus. Pretty good. Woulda been damn near perfect > with a Gonella roll, but apparently they don't travel well. Lucky Dog > uses Torino rolls instead. Wadda ya gonna do?
Actually, it's Turano (Torino was the kind of car Starsky and Hutch drove). Believe it or not, some of the best beef shops in Chicago use Turano instead of Gonnela and you probably never noticed. Both breads are equally excellent. Furthermore, above you mentioned you would have rather had the sandwich on a Gonella roll instead of the (Turano) roll but in Chicago the beef joints have daily access to fresh Gonella or Turano loaves. Because of this they don't use the rolls at all back home, they cut the bread for the sandwiches right off of the long fresh loaves (which are so long they must be bent in half to fit in the bag). Unfortunately, it would be impossible to get the fresh loaves down to Texas as they tend to go stale after a day. Therefore, the only option is to get the packaged rolls which are made to last a bit longer. The trade-off is that they don't have the same texture and crunchy crust that the loaves do and so the beefs are a bit different here than they are back home. But I believe the rolls are still better for the beef sandwiches than any bread baked here locally.
> The bun was sadly lacking in poppy seeds.
I'm sure they are getting the Mary Ann poppy seed buns direct from Chicago. Those are the authentic buns used at all the hot dog stands back home. If you were shorted a few poppy seeds, don't ding Lucky Dog for that....they're getting the goods straight from the source.
> In Chicago, Lucky Dog would be passable, at best.
That's not a fair statement (IMHO) because you have to remember that Lucky Dog does not have access to the real Gonella and Turano loaves (see my comments above). Aside from that, I think they have done a great job at duplicating the Chicago taste with their beefs, polishes and dogs. It's all coming directly from Scala's and Vienna so it's the real thing.
> In Austin, the place rocks.
I second that, too. My frequent visits for lunch and dinner attest to that.
> I particularly liked their generic poster promoting Italian beef > sandwiches with the impossible Chicago skyline. Reminded me of the faux > Chi skyline in "Adventures In Babysitting".
I like the photo of Fidel cramming a dog down his gullet best.
In article <3821F582.BBA90...@eden.com>, <m...@eden.com> wrote: >> Finally made it by Lucky Dog. Let me start by saying thank the Powers >> That Be for giving us a decent Chi-style joint. >I second that!
Maybe I missed this part. Where is it?
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Free Spirit wrote: > That was the first thing I noticed on my Italian Beef combo, > The bun was cold and the outside was not crispy.
you need to get that combo "wet" (i.e. dipped in the juice)
> The beef and sausage inside were tasty, but they didnt have the right > spicy pepper > mix, not that it wasnt spicy.
As far as I know, they're using the giardinera supplied by Scala, the same one used at the best beef joints in chicago.
> they used pretty skinny dogs.
huh? They're using the same exact vienna red hots used at vienna hotdog joints in chicago. In chicago we don't use those big, fat, gross dogs like they do in NY.
> They also didnt tuck two sport peppers under each end of the dog, but > that's nitpicking.
Strange, they always do if I order a dog. Musta forgot.
> In all, pretty good, the only thing they really miss was steaming > or toasting the buns before serving the sandwiches.
You might be on to something there. Lightly toasting the Turano rolls might be a good idea to get them a little crisper on the outside. They're always open to suggestions.
MikeC -- *********************************** Mike Canzoneri Austin, TX
********************************************************* ********************************************************* ** Do they still play the blues in Chicago ** ** When baseball season rolls around ** ** When the snow melts away do the Cubbies still play ** ** In their ivy covered burial ground ** ** ** ** When I was a boy they were my pride and joy ** ** But now they only bring fatigue ** ** To the home of the brave, the land of the free ** ** And the doormat of the National League ** ** ** ** Steve Goodman - from A Dying Cub Fan's Last Request ** ********************************************************* *********************************************************
> > That was the first thing I noticed on my Italian Beef combo, > > The bun was cold and the outside was not crispy.
> you need to get that combo "wet" (i.e. dipped in the juice)
Plus, like me, he's probably used to Gonella rolls. But wet and hot is the way to go. My favorite is a wet, hot, sweet combo.
> > The beef and sausage inside were tasty, but they didnt have the right > > spicy pepper > > mix, not that it wasnt spicy.
> As far as I know, they're using the giardinera supplied by Scala, the > same one used at the best beef joints in chicago.
I thought it was great. Just like I remember.
> > they used pretty skinny dogs.
> huh? They're using the same exact vienna red hots used at vienna hotdog > joints in chicago. In chicago we don't use those big, fat, gross dogs > like they do in NY.
Yep, authentic Vienna Red Hots. They showed us the massive Vienna catalog and user guide with examples of the most authentic serving styles.
> > They also didnt tuck two sport peppers under each end of the dog, but > > that's nitpicking.
> Strange, they always do if I order a dog. Musta forgot.
Garden on a bun. Gotta get yer veggies. Should be plenty of sports.
> > In all, pretty good, the only thing they really miss was steaming > > or toasting the buns before serving the sandwiches.
> You might be on to something there. Lightly toasting the Turano rolls > might be a good idea to get them a little crisper on the outside. They're > always open to suggestions.
A little toasting couldn't hurt, assuming they have a browning oven.
Dusty Rhodes wrote: > > you need to get that combo "wet" (i.e. dipped in the juice)
> Plus, like me, he's probably used to Gonella rolls.
actually the gonella rolls are about the same as the turano rolls, dusty. they can get the gonella rolls, too, but apparently they weren't holding up to the soaking on the "wet" sandwiches. the actual fresh loaves can't be obtained here in texas as they go stale within a day. back in chicago, you've probably eaten at beef joints that used the turano french bread and didn't notice the difference. Many of the places on north avenue and on roosevelt road used turano because the bakery was right there in the hood. it's not the brand name that's the problem....it's the fact that they only have access to the rolls that are made and packaged to last longer.
> But wet and hot is the way to go. My favorite is a wet, hot, sweet combo.
rock on, dusty!
> A little toasting couldn't hurt, assuming they have a browning oven.
yeah, this might crispen the rolls and make them more like the bread we're accustomed to. i bet they'd give it a try.
MikeC -- *********************************** Mike Canzoneri Austin, TX
********************************************************* ********************************************************* ** Do they still play the blues in Chicago ** ** When baseball season rolls around ** ** When the snow melts away do the Cubbies still play ** ** In their ivy covered burial ground ** ** ** ** When I was a boy they were my pride and joy ** ** But now they only bring fatigue ** ** To the home of the brave, the land of the free ** ** And the doormat of the National League ** ** ** ** Steve Goodman - from A Dying Cub Fan's Last Request ** ********************************************************* *********************************************************
OK, we're going to try this place tonight. What would be a baseline Chicago hot dog? Do I just say "hot, wet, sweet"? Will they kick my SO out for ordering chili and onions? -- jan
Dusty Rhodes <te...@SPAMLESS.texas.net> wrote in message
> > > That was the first thing I noticed on my Italian Beef combo, > > > The bun was cold and the outside was not crispy.
> > you need to get that combo "wet" (i.e. dipped in the juice)
> Plus, like me, he's probably used to Gonella rolls. But wet and hot is > the way to go. My favorite is a wet, hot, sweet combo.
> > > The beef and sausage inside were tasty, but they didnt have the > right > > > spicy pepper > > > mix, not that it wasnt spicy.
> > As far as I know, they're using the giardinera supplied by Scala, the > > same one used at the best beef joints in chicago.
> I thought it was great. Just like I remember.
> > > they used pretty skinny dogs.
> > huh? They're using the same exact vienna red hots used at vienna > hotdog > > joints in chicago. In chicago we don't use those big, fat, gross dogs > > like they do in NY.
> Yep, authentic Vienna Red Hots. They showed us the massive Vienna > catalog and user guide with examples of the most authentic serving > styles.
> > > They also didnt tuck two sport peppers under each end of the dog, > but > > > that's nitpicking.
> > Strange, they always do if I order a dog. Musta forgot.
> Garden on a bun. Gotta get yer veggies. Should be plenty of sports.
> > > In all, pretty good, the only thing they really miss was steaming > > > or toasting the buns before serving the sandwiches.
> > You might be on to something there. Lightly toasting the Turano rolls > > might be a good idea to get them a little crisper on the outside. > They're > > always open to suggestions.
> A little toasting couldn't hurt, assuming they have a browning oven.
Ugh, JAN! No, don't order your hotdog hot, sweet and wet for God's Sake! That would get you arrested in Cook County! Simply order the Chicago Dog and they'll fix it up right for ya. If you get an Italian Beef, Italian Sausage or a Combo (Beef and Sausage) then go for the hot, sweet and wet.
JCS wrote: > OK, we're going to try this place tonight. What would be a baseline Chicago > hot dog? Do I just say "hot, wet, sweet"? Will they kick my SO out for > ordering chili and onions? > -- > jan
> > > > That was the first thing I noticed on my Italian Beef combo, > > > > The bun was cold and the outside was not crispy.
> > > you need to get that combo "wet" (i.e. dipped in the juice)
> > Plus, like me, he's probably used to Gonella rolls. But wet and hot is > > the way to go. My favorite is a wet, hot, sweet combo.
> > > > The beef and sausage inside were tasty, but they didnt have the > > right > > > > spicy pepper > > > > mix, not that it wasnt spicy.
> > > As far as I know, they're using the giardinera supplied by Scala, the > > > same one used at the best beef joints in chicago.
> > I thought it was great. Just like I remember.
> > > > they used pretty skinny dogs.
> > > huh? They're using the same exact vienna red hots used at vienna > > hotdog > > > joints in chicago. In chicago we don't use those big, fat, gross dogs > > > like they do in NY.
> > Yep, authentic Vienna Red Hots. They showed us the massive Vienna > > catalog and user guide with examples of the most authentic serving > > styles.
> > > > They also didnt tuck two sport peppers under each end of the dog, > > but > > > > that's nitpicking.
> > > Strange, they always do if I order a dog. Musta forgot.
> > Garden on a bun. Gotta get yer veggies. Should be plenty of sports.
> > > > In all, pretty good, the only thing they really miss was steaming > > > > or toasting the buns before serving the sandwiches.
> > > You might be on to something there. Lightly toasting the Turano rolls > > > might be a good idea to get them a little crisper on the outside. > > They're > > > always open to suggestions.
> > A little toasting couldn't hurt, assuming they have a browning oven.
> > Cheers,
> > Dusty
-- *********************************** Mike Canzoneri Austin, TX
********************************************************* ********************************************************* ** Do they still play the blues in Chicago ** ** When baseball season rolls around ** ** When the snow melts away do the Cubbies still play ** ** In their ivy covered burial ground ** ** ** ** When I was a boy they were my pride and joy ** ** But now they only bring fatigue ** ** To the home of the brave, the land of the free ** ** And the doormat of the National League ** ** ** ** Steve Goodman - from A Dying Cub Fan's Last Request ** ********************************************************* *********************************************************
On Wed, 10 Nov 1999 14:48:53 -0600, "JCS" <teeo...@jump.net> wrote: >OK, we're going to try this place tonight. What would be a baseline Chicago >hot dog? Do I just say "hot, wet, sweet"? Will they kick my SO out for >ordering chili and onions?
the hot wet sweet is about Italian beefs, not hotdogs, for hotdogs, just say a chicago style
(in my case -- "hold the celery salt" which is of course another topic for debate among afficionados)
> On Wed, 10 Nov 1999 14:48:53 -0600, "JCS" <teeo...@jump.net> wrote:
> >OK, we're going to try this place tonight. What would be a baseline Chicago > >hot dog? Do I just say "hot, wet, sweet"? Will they kick my SO out for > >ordering chili and onions? > >-- > >jan
> If I remember correctly Lucky Dog has a hotdog on the menu with Chili > and onions.
Why in the world would anyone go to a Chicago hot dog stand and order a Coney dog? Sacrilege.
On Wed, 10 Nov 1999 14:48:53 -0600, "JCS" <teeo...@jump.net> wrote: >OK, we're going to try this place tonight. What would be a baseline Chicago >hot dog? Do I just say "hot, wet, sweet"? Will they kick my SO out for >ordering chili and onions? >-- >jan
If I remember correctly Lucky Dog has a hotdog on the menu with Chili and onions.
Fred Nemecek Intercim NC Solutions Center (512) 458-1112 x19 fr...@austinnc.com
