Dining pick of the week: Chicago Dogs

2055 E. Tropicana Ave., 998-4492

"Second City" is the nickname for Chicago, but when it comes to hot dogs, it is "First City." A Chicago hot dog begins with an authentic Vienna brand all-beef hot dog. It is then "dragged though the garden" with bright green relish, diced onions, tomato, spicy sport peppers, dill pickle spear and yellow mustard and finished with a shake of celery salt. One must experience a Chicago hot dog to truly understand its international popularity. Besides the original, you can find a bean-less chili dog, kraut dog, Maxwell Street beef Polish sausage and the Jordan (as in Michael), which is a "hot and spicy" Vienna dog. Other featured sandwiches include hot pastrami sub on French roll, Reuben on marbled rye, Italian beef on Gonella roll (dry, wet or dipped), gyros, Philly cheese steak with Chicago Italian beef and Chicago Italian Fontanini sausage with mozzarella and sautéed onions. There are 100 percent Angus beef burgers, Chicago pizza puffs, fresh cut Idaho (skin-on) french fries and chicken tenders. Green River soda, described as the "original soft drink of Chicago since 1919," is $2.89 a bottle. Chicago dogs start at $4.49. Chicago Dogs is at open from 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11:30 a.m. to
4:30 p.m. Sunday. - Jack Bulavsky