The Clark Street Dog

I'm a chef and an Italian beef fanatic, I've tried most of the Northside places (Windy City, Al's by Wrigley, Portillo's, etc) and while all are good there is nothing like Clark St. I felt like I was fighting for my life eating this sandwich, it's packed with so much beef. Amazing location, friendly staff, I can't recommend it enough.

1 of 2 restaurants I am a regular at. The other is Chicago Bagel Authority on Belmont. They have steamed bagels available for mobile order & pick up. I get the everything bagel with plain cream cheese and a small coffee. Perfect for mornings when I wake up last minute. Coffee stays hot on the red line to work. Unless the train car smells. I dont like to drink it so much then

Befitting the surroundings of an urban hot dog stand open past midnight, the onion rings come counter-served, plunked in a white paper bag, jostling for space with the rest of my order, including a plastic cup of ranch. As I settle in on the patio, I realize I’ve actually been here before, but only in passing while killing time waiting for a Gloryhammer/Alestorm concert to start at the nearby Vic Theatre. Unwrapping the bag, I’m almost knocked over by the tantalizing power of the onion aroma, curiously strong given the relatively small size of the onion rings. More than a few of them are cracked, a common hazard for paper bag packaging, but there’s an appealing and consistent color in the batter, albeit a bit on the darker side. Though I strive to be objective in my analysis of onion rings, I still have my preferences, however informed they may be. Larger onion rings are one of them, as is a belief in the superiority of batter versus breading. Though these rings are small, and thus unable to muster a critical mass of onion, they manage to balance the thin slices of flavor with the salty batter. I’m also biased against dryness in onion rings, a scourge I mostly associate with them being frozen or overcooked. The onion rings from Clark Street Dog are quite dry, but the way the batter lightly clings to it makes the overall bite not just palatable, but tasty, and dangerously easy to thoughtlessly devour in the August sun. The watery ranch wasn’t anything special, but it brought just the right level of moisture to the onion rings, and a slight creaminess. These remind me a little bit of the artisanal and overpriced potato chips you would find at a middling brewpub: crunchy, but with a bit of give and a decent chew. Perhaps it’s more like popcorn, something light, crunchy, and easy to eat. In any case, the batter, and its ambivalent hold over the onions, is the dominating textural sensation. The onions, again, are on the small size, but they hold their shape surprisingly well. In essence, they’re exactly the right mouthfeel for the place, time, and situation in which I’m consuming them, a definite plus. Though the portion is large and the quality is above average, these onion rings are a little pricey at $6.95. Moreover, the price is incongruent with the general vibes of Clark Street Dog, though this may just be an unfortunate artifact of inflation and the general cost of living in Chicagoland. They were a fitting re-introduction to the city’s culinary scene, as I had mostly been relying on decade-old memories of a place called “Eggsperience” and that one time I went to Ed Debevic’s in high school. I suspect all three have this in common: more expensive than I would have liked, but still pretty good.

Food- 4/5 exactly what a hot dog should taste like, burger was flavorful although a bit undercooked. Service-4/5 Price- 4/5 not terrible Restrooms-4/5 could’ve used a quick cleaning why am I photographing your bathroom? What kind of question is that? So you are saying an expensive restaurant has different standards than you? The toilet bowl was dirty on the inside and floor was a little sticky, so no, it was not 5/5.