Pam's Chicago Style Dogs & More

I had actually heard about Pam's Chicago Style Dogs & More before ever going there. While I didn't know know its name, it was described to me by my wife's obstetrician. We were visiting the doctor and I was discussing how we could make changes to our diet to make sure both Mom and Baby were getting the nutrition and vitamins they needed throughout the pregnancy. 

The doctor listened to me drone on about organic vegetables and grass fed bison from Whole Foods and when I was done said, "I was just in another room with a lady who was telling me about the deep fried Twinkie she had for lunch, you guys are eating fine."

I think it goes without saying the good doctor has yet to discover this site. 

Anyway, a few weeks later I wandered into a small hot dog shop on the eastern section of The Loop to try what the River Front Times readers voted "Best Hot Dog in St. Louis - 2008". I was welcomed by the friendly staff and began the lengthly process of dissecting the menu, which includes a dozen or so hot dogs, and then page after page of "more". 

Arriving at the end of the menu I discovered that I had indeed found the restaurant our doctor had been talking about - an extensive deep fried list of treats that went beyond the fried Twinkie to include Zingers, Ding Dogs, cupcakes and muffins.

However, it is the selection of dogs that brought me to Pam's, not desert. With the help of a few strong stomached friends we managed to work our way though half of the hot dog choices:

Pam's Chicago Style Dog

You can't highlight Chicago in your name of your business (especially in St. Louis) without bringing the goods when it comes to your signature hot dog. The Chicago style dog is as one would expect - a steamed poppy-seeded bun with a Vienna beef hot dog hidden under a bright neon relish, yellow mustard, onions, tomato, celery salt, sport peppers and a pickle spear. The dog itself is true to style and quite tasty, save the tomato which seemed bland, soft and flavorless.

Pam's New York Dog

Much like the New York style dog at Woofies, the New York Dog at Pam's is a midwestern interpretation, or better yet a homage to the east coast dog. However, it is far from the real thing. The New York dog at Pam's is a Vienna Beef dog topped with a brown mustard, sauerkraut and a spicy giardiniera. The addition of giardiniera is a nice touch, but has more to do with Chicago style Italian beef sandwiches and antipasto than a dog from New York. 

Warren's Maxwell Street Polish Sausage

Paying respect to Maxwell Street in Chicago, the Polish Sausage at Pam's tasted like a slice of home to this grandson of Polish immigrants. Featuring a Vienna beef sausage that lives in the sweet spot between a natural cased hot dog and a Polish kielbasa, this dog is topped with yellow mustard, grilled onions and sport peppers. As I enjoy the play of sauerkraut and kielbasa, I had it added as a final touch. Smaczny!

Hot Dogs With Ketchup

Above you'll notice two hot dogs, naked, barren, dressed only in ketchup. To my knowledge, one was a Vienna Beef dog and the other was Pam's Turkey Dog. The menu at Pam's states "Turkey Dog - Served Chicago Style unless you request otherwise". I can only assume that is what happened here. Very sad.

Slaw Dog

The slaw dog at Pam's is a Vienna beef hot dog topped with chili, yellow mustard, onion and a creamy cole slaw. For me, this variation on a southern dog is much closer to the original than the New York dog. The chili is loose meat in a spicy sauce that pairs nicely with the slaw. 

The Pamirito

Saving the most interesting for last we have The Pamirito. Pam's takes a Vienna beef dog and wraps it in a tortilla. The pair are then submerged into the deep frier until its brown and crispy. The fried roll is then topped with onion, tomato, cheese and chili to make the only knife and fork dog that we ran into on the menu. The Pamirito is a treat on par with the Slinger as an example of St. Louis required eating.

You'll notice that I didn't end up getting desert on either of my two recent visits to Pam's. I'll have to run five miles and get an all clear from my primary care physician before my next visit, because that's the only way I'll ever get a chance to experience a deep fried cupcake.

Opinion: Recommended

6016 Delmar Blvd.

St. Louis, Missouri