Relatives in the Midwest giggle when I grumble about the shortage of humble hot dog joints in the West. Not in cities like Los Angeles, but certainly in the Pacific Northwest and here in Reno, too. Neighborhood hot dog stands — with delicious cheap eats — are everywhere in my hometown of Chicago.
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| The late, great Little Eddy's Hot Dogs on Chicago's Southwest Side |
When my husband, kids and I moved to the Seattle metro area, we were jazzed to find Matt's Famous Chili Dogs. The original location near Boeing Field (now called Matt's Gourmet Hot Dogs) still seems to be there. Other locations in Bellevue, Kirkland and the U-District have closed. http://www.mattshotdogs.com/
Back in the day, Matt's flew in products from Chicago: real Vienna Beef Hot Dogs and poppyseed buns from the Mary Ann Bakery. And they were properly dressed with yellow mustard, sweet relish, tomatoes, onions, a dill pickle spear, sport peppers and celery salt. Matt's Chicago dogs were pricey but tasted exactly like those you'd get in Chi-town. Unfortunately, I've heard rumors that Matt stopped using Chicago products and that the quality just isn't the same these days.
I have known for a while that there's a restaurant called Chicago Dogs inside Atlantis Resort and Casino, 3800 S. Virginia St. in South Reno. http://www.atlantiscasino.com/dining/chicago-dogs
I doubted that these would be authentic Chicago hot dogs because this restaurant is located inside the "Fun Zone," the kid-friendly arcade on the second floor at Atlantis. Arcades that offer children's birthday parties aren't generally well-regarded for their cuisine. I figured Chicago Dogs might be like the ho-hum hot dogs at Chuck E. Cheese.
But what did I have to lose by going to Chicago Dogs at Atlantis — except a few bucks and maybe my dignity? Ha ha.
I ordered a $6.99 lunch special: a Chicago-style hot dog with a bag of Lays potato chips and a fountain drink. In the Windy City, it's not uncommon to find meal deals such as TWO hot dogs and a big bag of French fries for about $5. Oh well. I guess it's the law of supply and demand.
The all-beef hot dog and condiments at Atlantis Chicago Dogs were surprisingly satisfying, although the tomato slices were nearly invisible and I couldn't taste any celery salt. The poppyseed bun was incorrectly prepared. It seemed to have been toasted instead of steamed and the bottom of the bun tasted stale.
Granted, the Atlantis "Fun Zone" was not exactly ripping with activity on a weekday afternoon.
Maybe the hot dog buns are fresher on occasions when a lot of hungry kids are present.
And there's no ambiance at this restaurant to support the Chicago Dogs name. There's a small counter and a few tables — no pictures of Chicago, no Bears or Bulls shrines, no Blues Brothers music. Not even a picture of Oprah.
When I first moved to Seattle, a woman in a hair salon actually asked me how often I used to run into Oprah. That same woman thought Chicago was in Michigan because the city is bordered by Lake Michigan.
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| Navy Pier, Chicago, Illinois |
Bottom line, if you're a Renoite, or a visitor to Reno, with a powerful craving for a Chicago-style hot dog, this small eatery at Atlantis will probably meet your need.
Otherwise, if you want the real deal, order a Vienna Hot Dog pack or a Portillo's Hot Dog pack from Lou Malnati's Tastes of Chicago. They ship Chicago delicacies in boxes packed with dry ice and I've never had a problem with a late delivery or incorrect order.
http://www.tastesofchicago.com/?utm_source=loushome&utm_medium=headerlink&utm_campaign=shippinglogo
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