Chicago, of course, has tons of them. I worked for a firm based downtown in Chicago for a bit, and Gold Coast Dogs became my favorite. Chargrilled loveliness. And, just love the sport peppers and the neon relish. If you're ever in Buffalo, you have to try Ted's Red Hots. Man, the Ted's sauce is just legendary. And, the loganberry drink? That's high class. No doubt about it. I even found a Ted's in Phoenix once by chance. I did a drive around the country, and stopped there to see some friends, they wanted to go to a hot dog stand, and I was in. Lo and behold the Ted's owners moved or wintered in Phoenix and opened one up there!
Needless to say, I like hot dogs. And, Indy has a great restaurant right downtown - King David Dogs. I love everything about this place... well... everything, that is, but the hot dogs. I love the location. I love the souvenir glasses. I love the crushed ice. I love the simple logo and signage. I love the fact these guys can make it in the restaurant business by only being open 11-4, Mondays through Fridays. I love the buns. I love the tater tots, even if they're likely from an OreIda bag. I love the plethora of toppings. I love the fact that it is a good value for the huge, quarter pound dog. I love the fact you are full when you leave.
So, what don't I love? Well, I feel kind of wimpy about this, but... it's just too much hot dog for me. I'd actually prefer a smaller diameter hot dog. Now, I think it is a good tasting dog, yes. I guess it is that I like a different hot dog to toppings and bun ratio. And, while on today's visit I had the Reuben Dog (pictured with some tots) and could pick it up, on some dogs like the South of the Border Dog, it is almost impossible to pick the thing up and eat it. That is a pretty lame complaint, eh? Yeah, I know.
So, ultimately, if I could make any change to King David Dogs, I'd just offer a secondary choice of maybe 1/8th pound dog, and I'd likely get two... with different toppings on each so I could try more things on the same visit! I am pretty consistent on this meat-to-toppings ratio thing. I am not very crazy at all about Bub's burgers up in Carmel for the same reason (and don't care for the bun). And, I love the smash burger style at Culver's, Steak N Shake and 96th Street Steakburgers.
King David Dogs is a great local place, hopefully you've tried it already, and hopefully you'll continue to support them. They also have a location at the airport.
The verdict: 4 belly rubs (out of 5). Again, it is more of a preference thing, but just too much hot dog for my tastes.
1 comment:
One of the great mysteries of our day: Why is it nobody can replicate a Chicago style dog outside of the greater Chicago area??? My hypothesis is that it's the fresh Rosen's poppyseed bun and the radioactive green relish, but maybe it's just the big yellow Vienna Red Hots signs.
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