Oct 16 2015 09:30 AM
So now we have two cities with signature dishes playing October baseball. So now people are going to argue Chicago vs. New York pizza. I'm sure that will be what the politicians from the two cities will wager on the outcome.
But that's not right.
My daughter lives in Chicago. She says that no one there thinks pizza is the city's signature dish. Instead, it's the Chicago hot dog, which leads to heated arguments and condemnation if anyone strays from the traditional combination. New York, of course, has Nathan's, which are great, but are only just the starting point for a Chicago hot dog.
Chicago hot dog
An all-beef hot dog with yellow mustard, fresh relish, chopped onions, sport peppers (a mildly hot pepper packed in vinegar), tomato slices, a sprinkle of celery salt and a big dill pickle on a poppy seed bun (there aren't a lot of poppy seeds -- not like a bagel. Just a few baked into the bread.)
Asking for ketchup will get you kicked out of the restaurant.
I first had one when I visited Chicago at Petrillos, which is one of the originators of the hot dog and listed as one of the top restaurants of any kind in the city. On the east coast, you can get a pretty good one at Sonic (Petrillos uses fresh relish; Sonic uses jarred). I usually like my hot dogs with just some mustard, but this combination is definitely worth it.