I tried one of the most famous hot dogs in Chicago and it was delicious - but I made one huge mistake while ordering
I went to the Portillo's located at 520 W. Taylor Street. Like their other locations, this Portillo's serves a variety of foods including ribs, burgers, chicken sandwiches, salads, and more — but my plan was to eat the only menu item that matters: the hot dog.
Each Portillo's location is decked out in the theme of a different decade. This particular location is 1930s themed.
Portillo's hot dog menu options are straight forward. You're either ordering a classic Chicago style hot dog (regular or jumbo-sized), a chili cheese dog, or a Polish style dog.
Here's the only mistake I made: I ordered the jumbo-style Chicago hot dog. As a native Texan, I've been conditioned to think that everything that's bigger is better. But apparently in Chicago that's not the case.
As Dolinsky so eloquently put it, my "OBR," or optimal bite ratio, was messed up because I went with the larger dog.
As a less experienced hot dog consumer, I'm used to three condiments: ketchup, mustard, and relish. So, as I witnessed this Portillo hot dog master craft my Chicago style dog, my mind was blown.
Most importantly, there's no ketchup involved. "Ketchup never goes on a hot dog," said Dolinksy. "Because, first of all, it's crap. It's too sweet. You want that mustard to cut through that beefiness."
The "seven holy condiments" as Dolinsky calls them are: yellow mustard, neon-green relish, sliced tomatoes, chopped white onions, a pickle spear, sport peppers, and a shake of celery salt. To make it a Chicago dog, these toppings along with an all-beef dog, must be served in a steamed poppy seed bun.
Down to the last shake of celery salt, Portillo's delivers on these tried and true ingredients.
My first bite into the dog was a spicy one — which was a confusing experience since I've never associated hot dogs with that kind of heat. The sport peppers gave it this kick.
Dolinksy was right — you can't order a jumbo style dog in Chicago. The size messed with the ratio between the hot dog and the dill pickle. The consistency was confusing because everything else was relatively easy to chew and soft, and then you had this pickle spear that was difficult to bite into.
The sesame seed bun was super soft and delicious, but didn't hold together too well. At this point in the meal I was glad the only liquid condiment on this hot dog was mustard — ketchup would have completely destroyed it.
Overall the amount of flavors within this one simple dish was overwhelming in a good way. The onion, sport peppers, and the pickle particularly stood out flavor-wise — and for someone who is used to relish being the only green condiment on a hot dog, this opened up my world to new and delightful possibilities.
While Portillo's isn't Dolinksy's favorite hot dog spot (he prefers Super Dawg) he noted that they certainly make a "a pretty respectable Chicago dog." I agree.
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