T Minus Zero: Its Sausage Time.

Remember how I had a hankering for sausage last week? Well, I didn't last more than 20 minutes after I landed at O'Hare before I had to pull off the expressway and get me a red hot. It's hard for me to even be on the northwest side of Chicago without jonesing for a hot dog. In fact, I'm fairly sure that the only reason I lasted so long at my last job on the far, far northwest side was because of the excellent local hot dog selection.

Anyway,  I was lucky to be riding with another hard core hot dog lover, my dad. Both he and I have very well-developed hot dog radar, and needless to say, we both knew where to go:

Superdawg.

Now, Superdawg is not one of my usual hot dog haunts. I tend to prefer the ramshackle, triangle-shaped, yellow and red painted shack with a rusty Vienna Beef sign out front. But, Superdawg is quite a classic, and my god, did it deliver. It's been at least 10 years since I have had a Superdawg, and I dont think I was mature enough then to fully appreciate the fantasticness of their weiners and the true campiness of their schtick.

I mean, the hot dog is wearing a leopard print tunic! Leopard print! (which he might want to rethink, considering he is fat, bald, and kind of douchy looking already)

Anyway, I FULLY appreciated the bizarre uniqueness of this place, which didn't dilute the authenticity of their hot dogs at all. Check this baby out:

Finally! This is what I've been looking for!! No more seitan dogs for me! no more cold-bun-no-celery-salt-boiled-not-grilled New York contraptions out of a cart! Never. Not after having the real thing. My faith has been restored.

PS: This dog was huge! The actual sausage was way thicker than normal, and it came with all the right fixings, including the weird pickled green tomato thing shown in the box. The chocolate shake was also, to quote my dad, "exactly what you'd expect."

I also ate at the fantastic Publican, but that was an entirely different kind of meal. High brow-- the kind where they tell you what farm the meat came from. Not that thats bad, but the fancy work dinner just didnt live up to this Superdawg eaten outside next to the airport.

Still, here is a noteable romaine and mushroom salad with buttermilk dressing and crispy pig ears.

I also ate sweetbreads there... but I'd rather not talk about it.