I didn't grow up with Superdawg (hit it regularly but infrequently from my north-suburban homebase) but I'm a fan. The dog, especially for skinless, has soul and distinctive flavor. I agree with Kman (and others) about the fries, though -- they should be better. It's not the potatoes that impede them, it's the packaging. I love the little box concept but the fries tend to suffer because of it. You can tell that they were once crispy and have lost their rigidity along the way because there's a certain translucence to them. And I love the pickled tomatoes, too. They taste just like the ones grandma_suburban used to make.

=R=

saps wrote:Superdawg is one of those places that you want to be good because of it's age, the kitsch, and the novelty of it.

The fact is, the food isn't that good, the owners aren't that engaging, and the overall experience falls well below expectations. People that grew up with it will love it and defend it, and I can't blame them for doing so, as I have my own local favorites that outsiders hate (eg. Hamburger Heaven in Elmhurst).

I agree with the above almost word-for-word in its entirety (except the bit about Hamburger Heaven, to which I havent been

Ive been a few times now, mostly due to the repeated LTH-love..and I continue to be almost totally mystified. Sure the Morry-and-Florry on the roof are cute enough, but IMHO Ive never once had anything more than a mediocre (and overpriced) meal there. I thought the dogs were poor and the fries worse, and might have said so on the previous board.. and was then urged to try the cheeseburger (which I found to be maybe marginally better than mediocre I must say I agree with Steve on the fries.. in all my trips there I had never even dreamt the fries might be fresh, they taste so completely processed and soggy - Iam still shocked that they are!

My last trip was a sort of enforced one a few weeks ago, when a friend visiting from out of town wanted to go (he had seen something on the Food Network that ranked it "second best dog in the country" or some such nonsense - my attempts at suggesting there were half a dozen better options on the northside itself fell on deaf ears, unfortunately). We all had the dog-and-fries IIRC.. mediocre as ever, sadly (and my out-of-towner friend expressed great disappointment after his high expectations - I told him to just ignore the Food Channel from here on out, that the next time we'd just hit Weiner and Still Champion, one of many spots where he'd pay less and get a far superior product, IMHO. Luckily a trip to Bari's later in the day for a different kind of sandwich made him forget the Superdawg experience soon enough

c8w

My cousin flew in from Canada and insisted on a trip to SD straight from the terminal. I obliged. He loved every bite and demolished his superdawg in about 90 seconds.

I'm not so crazy about SD. I love the beefy dog's quality, but want mine flat grilled or chargrilled. I also want it dragged through the garden. But at late nights, I must admit that there is soemthing magical about basking in the glow of those blue lights and plowing through the beefy serving and fries.

However, I have to say that the Whoopercheesie was a grand disappointment. I used to be addicted to them in high school and now i cannot even finish one. The taste of the beef is like that of a high school cafeteria.

From now on, i'll be sticking with the dogs and the Polish sausage, which is unlike any other polish i've had in Chicago.

btw - Maurie was in the dining room and sat with my cousin and I while we ate. He was a great guy and very friendly. He mentioned that they're opening another location on "restaurant row" in Wheeling on Milwaukee avenue, right next to Bob Chinn's.

I told him to just ignore the Food Channel from here on out, that the next time we'd just hit Weiner and Still Champion, one of many spots where he'd pay less and get a far superior product, IMHO.

Eschewing the Food Network for the most part is a good idea, but don't give up Guy Fieri viewing. I watched an ep of his original show, "Guy's Big Bite," this afternoon, and was rendered slackjawed by his making a big batch of Italian beef, inspired by and based on the fine IB's made at Paradise Pup, to which he gave a king-sized shout out in the body of the show - he even made a close approximation of their giardinera for those elsewhere who have never had an IB. Good show - he's solid on cooking technique, never passes along faux facts (I'm looking at you, Tyler Florence!), and evidently really loves to tackle what I call Project Food. In addition to the above, and his fabulous turkey pastrami show, has anyone else on the FN ever even attempted to make a big batch of tamales on-air?

Can't wait to see the Weiner and Still Champion & Kuma's eps of "Diners, Drive-ins & Dives." Love that show. So does my Constant Dining Companion, who TiVo's it faithfully, and has hit several of the out-of-town spots Fieri has visited, based on his great track record here.

sundevilpeg wrote:Eschewing the Food Network for the most part is a good idea, but don't give up Guy Fieri viewing. I watched an ep of his original show, "Guy's Big Bite," this afternoon, and was rendered slackjawed by his making a big batch of Italian beef, inspired by and based on the fine IB's made at Paradise Pup, to which he gave a king-sized shout out in the body of the show - he even made a close approximation of their giardinera for those elsewhere who have never had an IB.

How did the finished product look? Was he able to reproduce an IB (not one of PP's strong points, BTW)?

How did the finished product look? Was he able to reproduce an IB (not one of PP's strong points, BTW)?

It was surprisingly photogenic! Understand that Fieri is a newbie with a crush on a wonderful new food that he can't get at all in either NYC or NorCal, so he's going pretty much on the basis of his experience with 1) an IB at the airport, and 2) a decent one at Paradise Pup.

Methodology looked good, too: he seared a big chunk of top round (the size of a good brisket) after doing a rub comprised of Italian seasoning, cayenne and paprika, and a couple of other ingredients (I'll look it up on the FN site later, I promise). Used a big - wait, BIG - Creuset oval French oven. He added chopped onions, caramelized them, and added beef stock to scantly cover, and oven-braised it for roughly three hours. He let the hunk o' meat cool, thinly sliced it, put it in a proper roll, and added both jus and the homemade giardinera. I'll link the recipe(s) asap.

*Interval - had to make the lingonberries*

Here you go - comments?

We may be heading towards another thread but...

thanks for bringing this up and describing Fieri's method. Recipe looks pretty good. Comments vs. my family's version (ex Melrose Park c. 1930s):

- letting sit with generous rub for a few hours sounds just right
- we chop garlic coarsely vs. using whole cloves
- never heard of Worcestershire sauce in IB; we go bouillon cubes or "stock extract" (sold in some Italian grocery stores) in addition to homemade beef stock or Campbell's canned beef broth and water
- beef is not seared first, oven starts cool for roasting and then high blast on top rack close to end*
- Fieri's wine for deglazing sounds non-canonical (does anyone do this?)
- 135 sounds lovely for my modern palate, but in reality Italian beef is rarely rare, even before its final bath
- you can half-freeze (or freeze, then half-thaw) the cooked roast for easy thin slicing / reheating in gravy

Most importantly:

- screw jarred red peppers. Longitudinally-sliced green bell, cubanelle, and Melrose red pepper coated with olive oil and stuck in a broiler (preferably in a basement kitchen in an old bungalow) and forgotten about until charred is the way to go. Or, if you're more in the Portillo's vein, just green bell sauteed stovetop in oil till wilted.

*though another branch of the family starts really high, a la 500, then finishes low and slow

OK, so i didn't exactly grow up with Superdawg (had my first visit in high school) but i am a fierce convert since my first visit. i agree and disagree with a few of the things said in this thread. they are as follows...
- i will be honest, i am not a huge fan of the dogs either. i am not saying their terrible, they have just never done it for me. honestly, i haven't even had one in a few years so i cant even pinpoint why, exactly, i was turned off (note to self, make trip to Superdawg to find out if i still feel this way). One of the main reasons i haven't had a dog in a while, is because the burgers rock. i always go for a Whoopercheesie... cant be beat.
- for whatever reason, i like the fries. truth be told, i mix my food and i like how the fry flavors meld with the rest of my meal. and, as someone already said, they're not all sog, i feel like they seem to retain some crunch (especially with the smaller fries).
- I didn't really see mention of Superonionchips... if you have never tried these little deep fried wonders, shame on you! i freaking LOVE those things!! if you are worried about getting a little crunch with your meal, these guys are where it's at. next time you make it to Superdawg, you absolutely HAVE to try these. i hope i made my point.
- yes, the shakes are absolutely ridiculously good. they are a must.
- i also agree that some of my fondness for the food here could be due to nostalgia i have for this place (i used to come here after Cubs games on the way back to the northern burbs)...
- oh yea, had a tamale there once and it is not recommended, also, i love the "tangy piccalilli"

so here is my go-to Superdawg order... (1) Whoopercheesie, (1) Superonionchip, (1) Vanilla Supershake and i usually get another Supershake to go ... so yea, i am pretty much craving this right now, i just wish it was a little cheaper....

Judy wrote:... We were on Milwaukee in Wheeling and passed a sign about Superdawg....husband says "hey, they're building a new Superdawg there". I did a quick turnaround and, sure enough, there's a new Superdawg about to go up in a space just north of Bob Chinn's. It does say Superdawg DRIVE-IN, so I'm assuming it will be just that, thought that remains to be seen.

It's almost spring, and yet there hasn't been a shovel of dirt turned at this site. All fall and winter, I'd go by and wonder when they were going to finally begin construction...nothing but the sign promising "opening in spring 2009". Does anybody know if their plans changed, and if this will ever happen? Sure doesn't seem so, so I guess they might as well remove the sign...

It's almost spring, and yet there hasn't been a shovel of dirt turned at this site. All fall and winter, I'd go by and wonder when they were going to finally begin construction...nothing but the sign promising "opening in spring 2009". Does anybody know if their plans changed, and if this will ever happen? Sure doesn't seem so, so I guess they might as well remove the sign...

FWIW, I've heard Labor Day now. Still definitely going to happen.

pizano345 wrote:

It's almost spring, and yet there hasn't been a shovel of dirt turned at this site. All fall and winter, I'd go by and wonder when they were going to finally begin construction...nothing but the sign promising "opening in spring 2009". Does anybody know if their plans changed, and if this will ever happen? Sure doesn't seem so, so I guess they might as well remove the sign...

FWIW, I've heard Labor Day now. Still definitely going to happen.

Bad weather and financing problems have delayed the restaurant's construction and opening, originally planned for February.

Daily Herald on 1/20/09

i've had Superdawg a few times, it's ok, but nothing special, and the price is a really big turn off. a 5 buck hot dog is not essential for me. a little over 12 bucks if i want to get 2 dogs & a large drink...that's a lot.

After reading about the upcoming Wheeling location, I thought I'd head over to Google Maps & check it out. When I switched to street view, first thing I saw was "For Sale, 1.62 Acres", and didn't see any "Coming Soon" or Superdawg signs. Has anyone heard anything?

Click here for a link to the Google Maps street view. It's the empty lot directly north of Bob Chinn's, right?

I hope the economy didn't sink the project...sadly it seems more and more common everyday.

Khaopaat wrote:After reading about the upcoming Wheeling location, I thought I'd head over to Google Maps & check it out. When I switched to street view, first thing I saw was "For Sale, 1.62 Acres", and didn't see any "Coming Soon" or Superdawg signs. Has anyone heard anything?

Click here for a link to the Google Maps street view. It's the empty lot directly north of Bob Chinn's, right?

I hope the economy didn't sink the project...sadly it seems more and more common everyday.

No idea what's going on with the project, but I wouldn't read anything into that image. Even with the more recent streetview feature, some of those images are a couple of years old. Without knowing when, precisely, they bought the property, I'm guessing this was probably before Maurie and Flaurie were even on the scene.

That's definitely an old picture. The current situation is a chain-link fence, a black sign with the happy encased meat couple, and an "Opening Spring 2009".

I'll be passing it later this morning... but I saw it a week or so ago and no signs of work.

I have to side with the naysayers here, at least as far as the Superdawg; I find it bland and overpriced. Part of this is that I hate the fries, they are always overcooked and stale, so I don't appreciate being forced to pay for them as part of the sandwich price.

I love their shakes though, especially the pineapple, and enjoy the double cheeseburger (Supercheesie?), which is always made fresh. Both are a bit pricey for what they are, but worth the extra wait time.

Flat grill. They need to flat grill their dogs or char them up. the quality of their dog could really shine with a touch of carbonization/oxidization/caramelization. You know what I mean.

My journey to and from work takes me past SuperDawg and Gene and Judes every day. If i'm going for a boiled wiener, its G&J every time.

Has anyone tried the steak sandwich or the chicken breast at SuperDawg?

From a posting (March 30, 2009) on another site...

"Sorry for the short delay folks. Winter hit unexpectedly early and hard. We are beginning construction within the next few weeks, and expect to be open in the Fall of this year. We hope to see all of you there!

Laura Berman, VP Superdawg Drive-In, Inc."

And for the record, I'm a fan of the dawgs and atmosphere but they really need to work on their fries. They are always overcooked. Don't get me wrong, I prefer overcooked (dark brown) to undercooked (white) but fries should be golden brown. Even Portillos seems to be rushing their fries lately.

LTH,

Typically terrific Superdawg for lunch today, juicy meaty large diameter dog, crisp fries, pickled green tomato, count me a fan.

Ate in the 'dining room' overheard out of towner telling her Chicagoan friend, who suggested Superdawg as a must have, "surprisingly intriguing" She said it in a positive fashion, after polishing off a Superdawg, fries and shake. I took to be high praise indeed.

Enjoy,
Gary

Update: I rolled past the Wheeling site of the coming Superdawg today. Surprisingly, there are signs of the new one finally coming! Two giant backhoes on site, construction tailer, portapotties. Key reason- the sign has been revised and names the bank, so the financing finally came through.

sandman wrote:Update: I rolled past the Wheeling site of the coming Superdawg today. Surprisingly, there are signs of the new one finally coming! Two giant backhoes on site, construction tailer, portapotties. Key reason- the sign has been revised and names the bank, so the financing finally came through.

Update 2.0 - active construction going on. Piles of dirt abound.

My grandparents lived literally 5 minutes away from Superdawg, so as a kid visiting Chicago, it was somewhere I always wanted to go...call it the dogs on the top of the building. But, my favorite thing there is the pickled tomatoes, love them.

Update 3.0 - opening mid-October. http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=305060

Update 4.0 - Around November 1st. It looks like the Tribune is finally catching up with the rest of the world - http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ ... 8595.story

Update 5.0 - aiming for November 1st. http://www.pioneerlocal.com/barrington/ ... s1.article

EvilDoc wrote:i've had Superdawg a few times, it's ok, but nothing special, and the price is a really big turn off. a 5 buck hot dog is not essential for me. a little over 12 bucks if i want to get 2 dogs & a large drink...that's a lot.

Say no more.

Dave148 wrote:Update 5.0 - aiming for November 1st. http://www.pioneerlocal.com/barrington/ ... s1.article

I drove by tonight- unless they get A LOT of work done tomorrow, this isn't going to happen. Probably a couple more weeks.

Yea, fairly certain it won't be opening tomorrow. Pretty poor timing. I wouldn't think you'd want to open a drive-in in December. Looks like they've got a lot of work ahead of them if they're going to beat winter.

My grandmother lived in Albany Park and we lived up in Morton Grove. Since my mom didn't drive on expressways we used to come home via Elston to Milwaukee then north to Dempster. Anyway, we did this pretty much every Friday night of my childhood, and in all these years I don't think I've ever eaten at SD. My brother and I used to call the rooftop dogs Gumby and Poky, no idea why except the blue/red of the eyes may have corresponded to our toys?

Anyway, I think I shall have to give it a try.

sujormik wrote:My grandmother lived in Albany Park and we lived up in Morton Grove. Since my mom didn't drive on expressways we used to come home via Elston to Milwaukee then north to Dempster. Anyway, we did this pretty much every Friday night of my childhood, and in all these years I don't think I've ever eaten at SD. My brother and I used to call the rooftop dogs Gumby and Poky, no idea why except the blue/red of the eyes may have corresponded to our toys?

Anyway, I think I shall have to give it a try.

The dogs are high on quality, but if you want the best-tasting option, go for the Romanian Polish Sausage and the very interesting bbq sauce they put on it. Not for the timid, but highly recommended.