#classicchicago

Why are 80% of essential Chicago food spots hot dog joints? I’m not complaining, just beginning to see a continuous thread on this blog. Gene & Jude’s is a hot dog joint. It's not even in the city, which takes it down a few notches in my view, but some people swear it's the best dog you'll find.

Their hot dog is like if someone ate at Primanti's in Pittsburgh and asked themselves "Now how do I make this Chicago style?" Answer: take a Chicago style dog minus the poppyseed bun and celery salt (and tomatoes, okay so it's just the onions, mustard, relish and sport peppers) and plop some greasy fries on top.

I'm okay with this idea. Potatoes are my jam. But who wore the “fries between bread” concept better? Well... I’ll just say that in my current ranking of Chicago hot dogs, this Gene & Jude’s comes in somewhere about the middle.

The hardest part is staring at those fries so anxiously calling out for ketchup. I love ketchup almost as much as I love potatoes. Would it have made a better hot dog? I don't know Chicago. What's good?

Line it up TOURISTS. Don’t take a million years deciding what to order–look into your heart and ask: what greasy food do I most desire at this moment? Launch that arrow from your heart at the register and prepare to fall in love.

All this time I had been calling myself a Chicagoan and yet I had never been to Portillo’s. I confess this in front you, dear blog reader, and receive your judgement. In my defense, there is only one little ol' Portillo's in the entire city limits.

So I ventured through the funhouse mirror of Chicago Touristville to finally get my Portillo's fix. It’s like an indoor state fair but much more satisfying. There's multiple windows for ordering (confusing) and a cacophony of order numbers ringing out like a cattle call. They make you wait just long enough to anxiously CRAVE that hot dog. The Maxwell polish was tasty. Just the right balance of fat to meat in the sausage. The fries are acceptable. I’ve heard the chocolate shakes are amazing. And the ribs.

Look, you’re not coming here for something new. You come to Portillo’s for the American classics you already love, prepared in the most pleasing way possible. Isn’t that enough? Isn’t this swirl of stomach romance enough to put a smile on your face at least for a little while? The answer is yes.