Andrew Mark Veety

Send Me To Hot Dog University!

There was a bit of talk on Twitter recently about the Vienna Beef iPhone app, which I downloaded and had a chance to check out. While the functionality of the actual application appears to be dubious at best, it does have a link section. And that link section includes a reference to the Hot Dog University in Chicago.

Jackpot.

Known as "The Harvard of Encased Meats", Hot Dog U has a weekend long course entitled "The Art of the Cart" which was designed for people who are considering purchasing a hot dog cart. Now, regular readers of this site know I'm a sucker for a good hot dog. Is the leap from hot dog aficionado to hot dog vendor that hard to imagine for me?

Ok. Maybe the hod dog vending life is not for me, with my life as it exists today. However, I think the experience would be priceless and help to improve my writing on the topic of hot dogs. Who would doubt a hot dog review from a guy with an actual degree in hot dogs?

I was all kinds of fired up when the video above was highlighted on CBS's Sunday Morning several years ago. Alas, I could not get my wife to agree that attending a $700.00 class at the University was an efficient use of our resources. Unable to get a convincing argument past her, I moved on but never really forgot about my idea to attend Hot Dog University.

Well, all this talk of Vienna beef has me thinking it might make sense to give it another try, the good old college try. However, this time with some help. I will gladly cover the cost of travel and lodging, but I'd like to make a heart felt appeal to my readers for help with the class. Will you help? Please click the image below to donate.

New York vs Chicago Style Hot Dogs

Hidden a short distance off Interstate 170 in St. Louis you will find Woofie's, a Vienna Beef Hall of Fame member serving up Chicago style hot dogs. Unless you work in the area, just getting to Woofie's these days is an adventure given the current construction on Interstate 64. However, seeing the journey though to the end will find you elbow to elbow with both tradesmen and white collar workers at a slim counter, enjoying some of the finest hot dogs in the city.

For over 30 years Woofie's has been serving up an eclectic mix of hot dogs, some classic like the Woolfie Dog and some downright inventive dogs like the Chili Pie and the Coney, a Vienna dog on a seeded bun topped with a slice of American cheese, chili, onion and a pickle. 

 

Gastrointestinal challenges like the Chili Pie aside, I was wondering how the restaurant's flagship dog, the Woofie, stacked up to a Mid-west perception of a New York dog. While I'm sure this establishes my East Coast bias in hot dogs, the Chicago style is without a doubt impressive and I can fully appreciate the adoration this dog receives. 

First up is the Chicago style:

The Chicago style hot dog is built for it's city, for the people that live there and for surviving its weather systems. This is the hot dog that the Mike Ditka would eat on a Saturday Night Live sketch. This is the mid afternoon snack of futures traders at the CBOE. The Chicago dog contains all the major food groups, is here to take on your stomach, and it's brought all of its friends for the fight. The Wolfie Dog is what you would expect from a Hall of Famer, riding deep into the pocket of a seeded bun and covered in a garden including a neon green relish. 

On several occasions my Woofie Dog was served with a knife and fork. This experience reminds me of a meal I enjoyed once with a friend's family, owners of several Italian restaurants. Dining on a plate of pasta one night and perplexed by the act of twirling linguine around a fork, my host pointed at the spoon and said, "Andrew, some Italian's use the spoon...but not the good ones." This is the essence of the Chicago dog. While help is provided, reaching for it is a sign of defeat. Woofie's Dogs are indeed woof'ed sans fork in a manner that is messy but in the end, fulfilling.

The New York Dog:

The New York style dog is also a homage to its fair city. From street vendors and small shops, the New York hot dog is made for transport. Dogs are topped with combination of onion sauce, sauerkraut and mustard, wrapped in paper or a single napkin and eaten on the fly. Even loaded down, a New York dog appears to be perfectly designed for an action figure's kung-fu grip. A New York dog is not here to bullshit with you.

The New York hot dog at Woofie's is delicious. Instead of being steamed, it is cooked on a griddle like the dogs at Grey's Papaya. It comes topped with a spicy mustard and a bed of sauerkraut, sitting there in front of you like a nest on a branch. Alas a New York dog it is not. Instead it is a Mid-western nod to the original, as if Chicago looked at it and said, "there, New York...now you are finished." 

The verdict:

In the end, the Chicago style Woofie Dog wins this throw down of cities and dogs, but it was never really a competition with Chicago's near home field advantage. Either way, I can't help but think that is it the diner who wins, no matter what their cardiologist says. For all I know your doctor might be sitting next to you as you eat. Woofie's is that good.

Opinion: Highly Recommended

1919 Woodson Rd

Overland, MO 

314-426-6291

Election Night 2008 Recap

Tuesday night's election gave me an excuse to embrace decadence in multiple forms as long as I could tie it into the theme of the day - the election of Barack Obama.

My first stop was a post work happy hour with friends at The Three Monkey's, where lots of election day food and drink items were on the menu. That is, except this, which I named the Obamargarita. True, it was just a blue margarita, but it was tasty nonetheless.

For dinner I tried my hand at making a Chicago style deep dish pizza in a cast iron skillet. You'll have to excuse the lack of detail and instruction as I try my hand at documenting the trials and errors of turning out a onion, mushroom, garlic and spinach pie from scratch on a work day. 

 

An olive oiled cast iron skillet, brushed on both the bottom and sides. I've read that some pizzerias in Chicago do this to help the dough release after cooking. While I didn't think I would try to turn this pie out, I did want to be able to cut and serve it.

This is a version of the Neo-Neapolitan dough that I discussed back in August, with corn meal cut into the dough. Once baked I thought the dough came out more like a hybrid pizza/cornbread crust, which was tasty, but not what I was looking for. Room for improvement here for sure.

Sliced mozzarella cheese builds the base of a Chicago style pizza. All told this was about 6 or 7 slices.

The next layer was a mixture of spinach, onions, garlic and mushrooms that I sauteed on the stove before adding to the pizza. My goal was to cook most of the water out so it didn't end up pooling in the pizza during cooking. 

The next two layers were a chunky tomato sauce and Parmesan cheese. Next time I think I'll try adding the cheese layer about half way into cooking, if only for aesthetics when the pie is pulled from the oven.

I made a quick foil rim to cover the crust for the first 30 minutes of the 400 degree / 50 minute cooking time. I also let the pizza cool and set up for about 15 minutes before cutting.

I'll have to give several aspects of this recipe some thought before attempting again, especially the dough, which was sturdy enough to hold up to the mass of this pie, but not really what I was looking for. However, for all the things this pie was not, it was a welcome change from our normal pizza night pies. It was also a great night of celebration with friends stopping by all night to watch the results come in and partake of this Chicago masterpiece.

When Hot Dogs Cost Hundreds

Very often I find myself seeking out American cuisine that transcends region and social structure, foods that are woven into the fabric of our country and rise to the level of equalizer, enjoyed by all, but in our own individual ways. Regionally, there are few items that represent this idea better than the hot dog. 

Be it the perfect union of dog and fruit juice at Gray's Papaya in New York City, the crunch of a deep fried Ripper at Rutt's Hut in New Jersey, the ritual of visiting The Varsity in Atlanta or dogs that are dragged through Chicago's best gardens, I am always seeking out places that are new to me, but are long time standards for locals, foodies and road warriors in the know.

It is with this in mind that I headed to Chicago recently to attend a conference on Information Technology Governance, which happened to be located close to two standout hot dog joints that I missed on my last trip in June. My goal was to attend the conference and then enjoy a dinner of dogs before heading back to St. Louis. I planned to stop first at Hot Doug's and then move on to Superdawg where in car dining still reigns supreme. 

Alas, my plans were interrupted as I was hustling though a dark construction zone about 40 miles outside of Chicago. I was heading back to my hotel with dinner - a coveted Lou Malnati's pizza resting between an Investors Business Daily and Wall Street Journal, covered by a sweat shirt and kept warm by the seat warmers in the passenger seat. With the smell of deep dish wafting though the car and my thoughts turning towards sitting back in my room with a beer and pizza I did not notice a large object in the road. Upon impact it shredded my front tire, banged around the underside of the car for an eternity, sent me into what shoulder there was to be had and the mud left from 9 inches of rain left by Hurricane Ike a few days before. 

The process of extracting my car from that mess took over an hour and included a second tow truck when the first slid into the mud and also got stuck. Back in my hotel room and with my conference plans in doubt I dug into that Lou Malnati's pie in a joyless state that did not give it justice (hence no review), but with a hearty appreciation for whomever invented the heated seat, which kept my pie hot though the whole ordeal. 

I spent the next day sitting around a repair shop having my car checked out and waiting for them to locate the tires I needed to match my existing ones. As morning turned to afternoon, I slowly gave up on making it to my conference and instead grabbed my GPS to see if I could find lunch, specifically a hot dog, within walking distance of where I was stuck. 

I ended up at a chain called Portillo's that in many respects reminds me of a Fuddrucker's where the burgers have been swapped for Chicago style dogs. The size of a small warehouse with a two lane drive though wrapping around the back, the place was busy for 1:30PM in the afternoon, which for most is long past lunchtime. 

There are 40+ Portillo's now, however the first opened as a stand called "The Dog House" in 1963. While they have expanded to a minor restaurant empire you can't tell by the hot dogs which were excellent. I started with "the works" that met my recommended daily intake of vegetables and nitrates. Loaded down with sauerkraut, mustard, onion, sweet pickle relish, a dill pickle spear, tomato, peppers, and celery salt, this dog is a challenge to fit into your mouth. All this rides inside a steamed poppy seed bun which holds up to the task of transport from wrapper to waiting stomach. It is worth the effort and very filling, living up to the nickname this style of hot dog has, "The Depression Sandwich", earned in 1929.

The misfortune of the past 24 hours began to vanish, but was not complete until I moved along to a chili dog with onions. 

I rarely partake of the chili dog for reasons that range from intestinal fortitude to domestic tranquility, but I am a long time fan. I've even been known to root friends on when they opt for this special dog. Without the salad that perches atop a Chicago dog, the quality of the Portillo's hot dog has a chance to shine, especially the natural casing which has a pleasant snap when bitten. The chili reminded me of the style you can find at Skyline in Cincinnati and it played well with the added onion. Again, the poppy seeded bun was sturdy enough to carry the dog and fixings without becoming overly soggy or breaking. 

Back in St. Louis, I am happy that the damage to my car was not worse. The materials and slides from the conference will find their way to me via Fed-ex over the next week or so. Finding Portillio's was a stroke of luck, but I am not done with the city by the lake. I will be back sooner rather than later, Superdawg, and I'll be hungry.

Opinion: Recommended

Multiple Locations in Illinois, Indiana and California

Chicago 2008

My wife and I recently visited Chicago for our 1st anniversary and to tour the Smart Home at the Museum of Science and Industry.  From an environmental perspective, I’m sure the greenest thing to do would have been to stay home and read about the Smart House online. However, we wanted a chance to see the technology and materials up close so we decided that we would try to travel in the most environmentally friendly way we could - the train.

For the round trip of 602 miles, how did the train stack up against taking a plane or our car:

Airline = .458 Tons or 916 LBS of CO2
Automobile (Avg 25mpg) = .234 Tons or 468 LBS of CO2
Train = .12 Tons or 240 LBS of CO2

Via calculator at Native Energy.

Given that we are Americans and are creatures of speed and convenience, we would have loved to take the hour long flight between St. Louis and Chicago. Taking our car would have been quicker as well given the track work that delayed us on both legs of our trip. However, we saved hundreds of dollars by not flying, as well as avoiding the hassles and delays that come with trips to the airport. With gas and parking in downtown Chicago for the long weekend it’s realistic that we would have spent around $200 for transportation. Instead on the train we traveled business class to Chicago and home in a private sleeper room with a meal for the same $200. We also had time to talk and relax, watch a movie, read several magazines and enjoy the rolling Illinois countryside.

Chicago is a great city and my list of places to see and more importantly eat at was as long as our weekend was short. We walked where we could and utilized the train system to cover our adventures from Lincoln Square to Hyde Park. Highlights included the Smart House, an architectural river tour, an outstanding meal and bottle of 1999 Marques de Riscal Baron de Chirel Reserva at Café Iberico, and the morning coffee at the W Chicago City Center. A major disappointment was our brunch at Kitsch’n which can be summed up as pretty food that tastes pretty bad and the W Chicago City Center in general. Missed and saved for another day were Superdawg Drive-in, The Frontera Grill, Lou Malnati's Pizzeria and Gene & Georgetti.

Summer 2008 Chicago Trip: A Photo Essay

Inspired by tales of many friends who have traveled around Europe by train, Sara and I packed a light picnic of grapes, crackers and cheese and wine for our trip to Chicago.

Sara and I at the Navy Pier celebrating our 1st wedding anniversary. Interestingly enough, our wedding was recently included in the Missouri/Kansas print edition of The Knot Wedding Magazine.

A thunderstorm rolls across Illinois farmland.

Our return trip included accommodations in a sleeper room as the train was on its way to LA. As part of our ticket, we were invited to a meal in the dining car, which was a pleasant surprise. Sara and I each had a Flat Iron Steak and enjoyed our meal with a nice German man by way of Toronto who travels the rails around the world as a way to enjoy his retirement.

Things Discovered and More Information:

• Birds of Paradise, Price’s Chicken Coop, Charlotte, North Carolina
• Robbs Run House
• NatureMill Automatic Indoor Composter
• Michelle Kaufmann
• Smart Home Exhibit Resource Guide
• Inside the Scandal That Rocked the Formula One Racing World