Email
Bob Troche and Laura Lancaster have lunch at Chicago Dog, which brings the tastes of the Windy City to Downtown Albuquerque. (Adolphe Pierre-Louis/Journal)
If you have any history with the food of Chicago, you’ll not think it unusual that “sport” is an adjective for the word “pepper” or that buns (studded with poppy seeds, no less) ought to be steamed rather than toasted or that celery salt belongs on a hot dog. But to know a Chicago dog is to love all these things and more, including the knowing smile from across the counter when you receive the Windy City’s finest right here in Albuquerque at Chicago Dog.
Jeff Jump grew up on the West Side of Chicago immersed in the culture and the cuisine. When his folks relocated to New Mexico in 1982, they brought their business sense and opened the first Chicago Dog location. They provided Midwestern transplants with a few home comforts and seemed to do a respectable business for a few decades.
A few years ago, Jeff was ready and he and Danny Santistevan bought the business from Jeff’s parents. They overhauled the diminutive space west of JC’s NYPD on Central and opened the doors in May. It’s cozy – barely room enough for a few tables and the ordering counter – and that means most customers chat, getting to know each other while swapping tales of trips and meals in the cold Upper Midwest.
Like we chileheads with our definitions of the perfect stacked enchiladas, there is a formula for the correct Chicago hot dog: a steamed poppy seed bun is the foundation, followed by an all-beef frank. Condiments are next and many: mustard, vibrant sweet relish (almost a teal bluish green in many places), tomatoes, a fat pickle spear, onions and celery salt. Cucumbers are optional but common.
Fans describe the dog as being “dragged through the garden” for the veritable salad of toppings. New York chili dogs have nothing on this fresh and lively flavor combination.
Italian beef fans, Chicago Dog has you covered. Thin roast beef is piled on a hard roll with peppers, onions, cheese and au jus and giardiniera upon request (and you should so request). At $5.99, this and other hot sandwiches are the most expensive menu items, guaranteeing minimal damage to your lunch budget. Even their Spinach Salad ($4.99) is a bargain, though I’m often tempted to have Jeff pile on some meat to bolster the meal – it’s a petite serving as is.
 |
||
|
Chicago Dog LOCATION: 219 W. Central, 435-1771 HOURS: 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays NO ALCOHOL |
|
|
This being New Mexico, liberties have been taken with the Windy City’s formula. Chile is involved, of course, on the Albuquerque dog ($3.99), simple in a smothering of cheese and mild chile. I actually prefer a few of the more inventive dogs, like the newest Carolina Dog ($4.99), draped in hot roast beef and BBQ sauce. Or the Philadelphia Dog ($4.99), topped with the fixings from an Italian beef sandwich. Finish up with a fresh-baked muffin from the counter display, or a Mexican paleta from the freezer.
