Hot Doug's

Encased Meat Emporium
Avondale - 3324 North California


Still on our quest to make our way through the Á la Card list, we decided to take an afternoon off for Jim to experience some serious sausage. Even though it was 1pm on a February weekday, the line still wrapped around the building, as usual. But we weren't swayed.


The first time Brittney went to Hot Doug's, she was still eating meat. And visions of ostrich sausage and duck fat fries danced in her head. This was going to be interesting...

When we finally reached the counter after 45 minutes of taking turns to be in the sunlight and rubbing our denim-clad jeans with our hands, I approached Doug with a plea. "It's great to see you again, Doug. Kate says hi. So... well... um, last time I visited, I still ate meat, but now I don't. Is there any way I can order one of the special sausages but get a veggie dog instead? I'll pay the price for the special!" Without hesitation, the ever-friendly Doug replied, "Why would you do that? You can pay the price of a veggie dog. What would you like?" The Pete Shelley (AKA veggie) is only $2.75. Doug is a saint!

After some friendly hassling from Doug about "when I'd be coming back over from the dark side," I ordered the Pete Shelley with apple chutney and manchego cheese.

Although I did miss the heartiness of a real-meat sausage, these ingredients could make anything taste like heaven. Whether this was meant to be boar, rabbit, or dinosaur, it likely would've been a little juicier with some animal fat, but the cheese and chutney were really tasty.

I also ordered the Pete Shelley with Chipotle Dijonnaise and Burning Nettles Smoked Gouda Cheese.


Again, a veggie dog is a little slight for such a big bun, but I paid under $3 for some awesome ingredients. Good show, old chap.

...and of course, cheese fries (minus the duck fat). These chips are cooked in, um, regular fat?

My heart might have stopped momentarily after ingesting maybe half of these, but that didn't stop them from being delicious.

Jim, being the meat fanatic that he is, was like a kid in a candy store... Or like a man in a sausage store. He ordered the Foie Gras and Sauternes Duck Sausage with Truffle Moutarde, Foie Gras Mousse and Sel Gris.

This thing was nuts. Anthony Bourdain ordered this on his Chicago episode of “No Reservations” and I couldn’t resist. I love duck and I’ve always wanted to try foie gras. The sausage was smaller than I expected but if it had been any larger I may have had a heart attack at the resturaunt.

As I said, this was my first experience with foie gras. It was more of a foie gras mousse (kind of smooth and fluffy) and I know it’s usually prepared differently than the stuff on the sausage. I tried the foie gras just so I knew what to expect; it was very very rich and reminded me of pate. The truffle moutarde was extremely intense. It initially had a distinct mustard flavor but it soon morphed into a very smooth truffle flavor. The duck sausage itself was pretty mild and almost overpowered by the other items. However, I would worry that any other type of sausage would not be as good a vessel for the amazing toppings.
Additionally, in honor of this great city I ordered a traditional Chicago dog.
Basically it was your typical Chicago Dog. I had my dog grilled (you can have it boiled too) with all the usual toppings: Mustard, Neon Green Relish, Pickle, Tomatoes, Grilled Onions, and Celery Salt. I also added sport peppers since I can't say no to anything spicy.

It was good, but certainly nothing special. I would have wanted more celery salt, and the tomatoes were kind of dull (granted, it is February). It was only $1.75 so I guess I shouldn’t have expected too much. I would skip the Dog next time and just get two sausages.
Finally, how could I resist the duck fat fries?
These were just unnecessary. They were super rich and I could really taste the duck flavor when I ate a few at a time. Probably best when shared with a group (I couldn’t finish them).

Hot Doug's is a serious must for all that call themselves Chicagoans. It's not in the most convenient location in the city, and there will definitely be a wait, but it's well worth it. Hot Doug's never disappoints.