Could Hot 'G' Dog Become A New Hot Doug's??

A buddy of mine posted http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20150427/uptown/former-hot-dougs-cooks-carrying-torch-at-new-uptown-joint this info about Hot Doug's cooks' new place on facebook. Probably all you Chicago-local LTHers know this, but maybe not.

Geo


Hot "G" Dog's
5009 North Clark Street
Chicago, IL.
http://www.hotgdog.com/
773.209.3360
Mon - Sat 10:30am to 8:00pm
Sunday 10:30am to 4:00pm

Edited once to add info

I'm sure you've heard by now, but there's a new hot dog joint in Andersonville/Uptown owned by former cooks at Hot Dougs...and it's pretty obvious. Duck fat fries, foie gras duck sausage...specials lifted directly from their previous employer (with Doug Sohn's blessing). Best thing about Hot "G" Dog is that they're open until 8 pm most days.

NY Style Sauteed Onions, Spicy Mustard and Bacon


Duck Sausage Truffle Aioli, Foie Gras Mousse and Fleur de Sel


Toulouse Pork Sausage Dijon Peanut Sauce, Sauteed Spinach with Garlic and White Wine, Provolone Cheese


Duck Fat Fries


For those missing their Hot Dougs fix, Hot "G" Dog should satisfy.

Hot "G" Dog
5009 N Clark St,
Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 209-3360

Mon - Sat 10:30am to 8:00pm
Sunday 10:30am to 4:00pm

Those duck fat fries look crisper and better than any I ever saw at Hot Dougs. Nice!

I'm going today!!

I'm happy to report that I just stopped by and the line is nearly out the door(and every seat taken). I didn't have time to wait today, I've got to go to work ,but good for these guys !!
I'll stop by on a weekday when they're not as busy

I went last week around 6:30 on Wednesday and this place practically filled the hole that Doug Sohn carved into my heart/stomach. The elk sausage special could have been a Game of the Week at Hot Doug's.

I had the elk sausage today (with some tater tots). Very good, indeed. After some fits and starts with other restaurants, this block on Clark seems to be turning around. I'm also looking forward to Cantina de La Granja's opening.

I was there for lunch today, and man was it good!

the details are fuzzy, I had 5 sausages and fries (so full right now it's hard to think) - and it was a peaceful lunch in an empty restaurant (11am Tuesday)... I know that's not good for them, but in a perfect world - I could eat here at 1030/11 (empty, no chaos) before I go to work, and THEN they can get busy... Doug's was never open long enough for 2 flows...

All the sausages were the same, if not better (though this was probably only in my mind), than the original.

I have tried all of the other knock-offs, and haven't been impressed. This place is not an imitator - it's the same thing (Minus Doug)!!

Same guys making the food, same sausage purveyor.... nice work! I am going to be a frequent visitor of Hot G Dogs...

PS - just to clear up something that I misunderstood based on what I had read: Duck Fat Fries weekends only, not everyday

I went early today. The Thurlinger is exactly the same. Fries could use a few seconds longer in the fryer. And they kept the one thing I disliked about Doug's, the ketchup. I am a Heinz man, always will be.

These are quibbles. This is an awesome place.

Another successful visit to Hot G Dog today.


The Ribeye Steak Sausage sausage is a holdover from Hot Doug's, though this particular toppings combination was new to me. The sausage was itself was great though a little light on snap. Topped with chimichurri sauce, banana peppers, and romano cheese, this was one that's worth going back for.


The Spicy 3 Pepper is one I don't remember seeing at Hot Doug's (but I might've missed it). It's a slightly spicy pork sausage with provolone, almonds, and grape jelly sauce. The sausage itself was really nice and I liked the balance with the grape sauce. I would have liked a little more cheese and, more importantly, the cheese to have been put on the sausage a little earlier to warm up. Would have also enjoyed more snap in the casing. Still really good.


The duck fat fries were crispy, delicious, and surprisingly plentiful.

Overall, my feelings about Hot G Dog are consistent. I really, really like the food there. I think it's one of the best places to go for encased meat in Chicago and it's the unquestioned king when it comes to the very small subset of places that feature wackier flavor profiles. Unfortunately, because of the hold Hot Doug's had over people, I wasn't surprised to see just two people in line when I got there today at 1:30 (Duck Fat Friday).

Obviously, there's no Doug and his personality made people want to visit. But, and this is much more important, the food was better at Hot Doug's. One one hand, it's kind of unfair to compare any place to Hot Doug's, but these guys are using a lot of his recipes and invite the comparison. In some cases, the chosen toppings at Hot Doug's were better. Take the ribeye sausage as an example. The sausage itself seems the same as does the chimichurri, but romano and banana peppers don't hold a candle to the St. Angel Triple Creme and fried crispy onions that Doug used. Also, the little things like the lack of snap of the casing from proper finishing, an insufficient amount of chimichurri, and the slightly cool cheese wouldn't have happened at Hot Doug's (at least they didn't to me).

Arguably unfair comparisons to Hot Doug's aside, Hot G Dog is more than a worthwhile restaurant to have in Chicago and I hope it sticks around for as long as the owners continue putting out quality product.

I had a good meal there. I found the food to be interesting, creative, delicious, and decently well made in it's own right, but not as good as Doug's. Comparing anything to Hot Doug's will be a letdown... On it's own Hot G Dog isn't bad at all.

Food wise when I visited I couldn't really tell the difference between G's and Hot Dougs.

Count me- underwhelmed


This CASH ONLY restaurant next to Man's Country Bath House on this next-to-be-developed stretch
of N. Clark Street has their menu spilt on 2 "screens".
The left screen is more traditional Chicago-style dogs...priced around $4.00 each (and their $4.00 Duck Fat French Fries)-
the right screen is the more exotic encased animal meats = Wild Boar & Snake are a few that I recall.
Those "Hot Dogs" are mostly below $10.00 each-
averaging around $8.50 each.
Both my Italian spiced Hot Dog and our shared order of fries (requested crispy, please) were- average.
No noticeable flavor variation from the fat used to cook the potatoes-
and the wimpy bun they served the wiener with fell apart repeatedly-
perhaps from the toppings of grilled (allegedly carmelized- but not) onions and sport peppers and Giardinera.

Service seemed efficient-lot's of "Encased-Meat-Fan-Folk" present as customers....
(based on their Hot Doug T-Shirts and Ink.)
Just don't think I'll be heading outta my way-any time soon.
But, (pun intended)
for those inclined for a quick-in-&-out-spin @ Man's Country...this'd make a great 2-fer.

Duck fat fries are available Friday-Sunday. They are now leaving the skin on the fries. My duck fat fries were cooked to order and on point. Those big on crispiness may want to request "well done." Cheese sauce was a bit too much like what you get on stadium nachos--a Merkts-based sauce would be better.
My kid said his regular hot dog was very good; he especially liked having caramelized onions as an option. Sausage choices for kids are pretty limited, as almost all of the specialty dogs have a spicy or boozy element. More so than Hot Doug's.
Overall an impressive family-run operation.

Duck fat fries are available Friday-Sunday. They are now leaving the skin on the fries. My duck fat fries were cooked to order and on point. Those big on crispiness may want to request "well done." Cheese sauce was a bit too much like what you get on stadium nachos--a Merkts-based sauce would be better.

I remembered Doug not allowing people to order cheese sauce for duck fat fries at Hot Doug's or at least forcing you to order them separately. The cheese sauce isn't nacho cheese but the standard liquid cheddar you would get at most places. Doug didn't have Mertkt's, so why would Hot 'G' Dog?

Closed per Block Club.

The GP wrote:Closed per Block Club.

Sucks, but it sounds like they've been planning a move for a while. Hope they reopen.

These guys gave you between 75-100% of the Hot Doug’s food experience for 0% of the inconvenience of actually going to Hot Doug’s. Pretty good trade off imo. Godspeed and good luck.