Muskie's

-Got beef?
The Burgers of Chi

Today were headed to a classic neighborhood joint not too far from where I come from. In fact I've been eating the burgers at Muskie's since I can remember and its a place that's always been in my rotation. Its one of them spots where when you see it and its old school sign and you just gotta stop on in and see whats going on. Anyone who's lived in the 'hood and all those that currently do have most likely been to Muskie's. Its been around forever and from my recollection it hasn't really changed all that much. Its one of them neighborhood joints where the people working there are great and you can also get a well priced to go with the kindness and of course their much loved charred burgers and dogs, fresh cut fries and shakes.


a staple in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood

The menu at Muskie's is pretty simple since it is literally a small shack. Aside from their most popular item the burgers they also do up an amazing grilled chicken sandwich and have a gyro cone along with hot dogs and some exceptional fresh cut fries from real American potatoes. Some of the best fries in the city in fact. You see not to many places do up thin fresh cut fries anymore. Luckily there's still alot of spots that make fresh cut fries and Muskies is one of them and they also happen to be thin, about the same size of McDonalds but these are so, so much better.


Muskie's thinly cut fresh fries

-The Sammy's of Chi

I had heard a while back that Muskie's had a really fantastic chicken sandwich and it wasn't to be missed. So maybe about three or four years ago I finally gave their famous chicken sandwich a try. It quickly became my favorite grilled chicken sandwich in the city. They char up a well marinated breast perfectly and top it with bacon, Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato and mayo. Its no surprise muskie's always smells so good when you walk by. The smoke from the burgers, dogs and this fine sandwich are always grilling away while the place is open because people cant get enough. I cant get enough either and when the hankering for a char grilled chicken sandwich comes around, Muskies comes to mind. Apparently the same can be said for what seems like the entire CPD (Chicago Police Department).


Muskie's must get chicken sandwich

Chicago is a roadfood loving type of town. We love our hot dogs, beefs, pizza, taco joints and all the rest of the wonderful regional eats you can find throughout the city and course we love burgers. I wouldn't say that there's a specific "Chicago Style" burger but if I were asked to describe one, the burgers from Muskie's and how they are done would be my answer. The burgers are char grilled to your liking and the only way to get one is with cheddar. Except this isn't a slice of cheddar cheese, like so many other spots in Chicago Muskie's has been using Merkt's cheddar spread for their cheeseburgers. You don't find this spectacular combo in too many other spots around the country. The melted spread works real well with a charred burger patty and some grilled onions and mustard and the bun holds up to the slop. It's quick, cheap and always been an old neighborhood standby going on 20+ years now.


Muskie's char grilled cheddar burger

Muskie's Hamburgers
2878 North Lincoln Avenue
Chicago, IL 60657-4202
(773) 883-1633

More Fresh Fries

-Fried out on 420

Do you have that holiday feeling? You getting hungry because of it? 420 is here and so is the now annual "Fresh Fries" post that comes with it. Last year I showed you around town and where to go to get the best sets of fries in the city and beyond and this year is no different. So I hope you got your munchies going and are enjoying yourself on 4/20/10. Check out last years featured fries right HERE.


an old neighborhood standby in Pilsen (Fran's Beef)


Fran's Fry sandwich: fries and hot peppers loaded inside a gravy bread


Something I do up at Pop's now and then with their fries and gravy bread


an old neighborhood standby in Evanston


Little Islands cheese fries have been eaten by generations of locals


Toons Bar & Grill: best stoners creation with the use of fries
(nachos ordered with fresh cut fries instead of chips and topped with chopped brisket)


fRedhots: best unique set of fries in the cityscape


Tore's Beef: best fries at any of the blue collar favorites


W&SC: best fries and dipping sauces for them


Illinois Bar & Grill: largest and best batch of fries in the city


Top Notch Beefburgers: best old school style fries in the city


Miner Dunn: best fries with a burger in NW Indiana


Kopp's: best fries with a burger and custard in Milwaukee


Mr. D's: best sandwich and fries combo in the city


Redhot Ranch: best set of fries loaded up on top a hot dog

You know your hungry.

Redhot Ranch

-The other Chicago-style hot dog: Depression dog's

We went North to Murphy's and then south to O'Malley's and now we end with a place both Cubs and Sox fans can agree upon. The newly opened Redhot Ranch located on Western ave. in between Fullerton and Armitage is a second outlet from the owners of White Sox Fans favorite and a previously featured joint on here...35th st. Red Hots. The original (35th st.) is located a stones throw from The Cell but the newly opened Redhot Ranch is on the Northside and sits on Western which extends from Evanston all the way south to the far suburbs. Aside from the name, nothing is different as far as the Original and newly opened outlets go. Both spots serve one of if not Chicago's best hot dog along with their addicting fresh cut fries loaded on top.


The best hot dog on Western ave and maybe in the city


The menu...all of it...same as at 35th street

Unlike the last two joints (Murphy's & Morrie O'Malley's) up to bat in the order Redhot Ranch does the original Chicago style aka the "depression dog" or "the minimalist" and they come with mustard, relish, onions and sport peppers served on top of a Vienna Beef natural casing hot dog stuffed in a steamed bun and loaded with freshly cut in house fries on top. Other options available are Polish Sausage and French Fried Shrimp. I think it was Anthony Bourdain who said "You pick sumthin and you stick to that and you do that good and perfect that" that's exactly what they do at Redhot Ranch the same way its done at 35th. The fries are put thru the fry machine multiple times a day and the shrimp are shelled and deveined on site and coated and freshly fried when ordered. Its the classic example of an old school Chicago hot dog stand.


Redhot Ranch French Fried Shrimp


available with hot or mild sauce

But the reason I was ecstatic when Redhot opened not too far from me was for their hot dogs. The minimalist style is done to perfection at this little dog shack on Western and the fries always come piping hot and fried to perfection and they make sure there's plenty of food for the $3 (tax included) it'll set you back for a dog and fries. The people that make their way up and down Western will be happy to know, just like I was, that Redhot Ranch is open late on weekends. It was great to get this other Chicago style of hot dog in the area since my other favorite spots are all out there. Make sure you put 35th Street North aka Redhot Ranch into your starting rotation. This is the type of place that all of Chicago is glad to have on its team.


Double Dog from Redhot Ranch w/ fresh cut fries on top

Redhot Ranch
2072 N Western Ave
Chicago, IL 60647
773-235-5538

Morrie O'Malley's

-In Chicago: Every Dog Has it's Day

Where the White Sox fans get their grub on.

Its Opening Day 2010 and we continue on with our baseball and hot dog features that come with it. We went to Cub fans favorite Murphy's last week and today batting second in the order is a longtime favorite of White Sox fans-Morrie O'Malley's. Located at 35th st. and Union in Bridgeport and just like Murphy's, O'Malley's has been doing Chicago style hot dogs justice and opened just a year after them in 1988. Its a seasonal stand and an institution in one of my favorite 'hoods. Morrie O'Malley's is BIG with Sox fans headed to and from The Cell.


Front


and back

Its no coincidence that both Murphy's & Morrie O'Malley's opened up within a year of each other and have so much in common including being the dog stand of choice for Cubs and Sox fans. What started off as a little trailer within a backyard at the corner of 35th and Union has turned into a cornerstand and a Vienna Beef Hall of Famer. Its going on 22 years now and they have been serving the residents and workers of Bridgeport along with White Sox fans from all over from every 1st Monday of March until its time to close down when the winter weather comes around.


O'Malley's is a proud member of the Hall

Only in Chicago will you find so many world class fast food joints and Morrie O'Malley's is a great example of one. Its the type of place where the saying goes "this is where customers have a name, not a number" and as soon as they open their doors for the spring, hungry southsiders come flooding in like they've been hibernating all winter and how could you blame them? O'Malley's does up Chicago style dogs that include everything (no ketchup) on them as seen in the pic below. The standard dog comes steamed but they also do everything charred up on their grill and you really cant go wrong either way. I like to get mine their way (steamed w/ everything) and love the fries here too. They remind me of a spots fries that I loved growing up (fazzios). The menu is great tasting from up to down and they have ice cream sundaes, shakes, floats etc. too.


What you get...


Top Notch Fries

The places that thrive and become legendary and part of their neighborhoods do what Morrie O'Malley's does and that's give its customers a great tasting meal for a great price. They take great pride in their food over there and its made to order but there's no worries because you can take a spot at one of the tables outside with the recognizable Vienna Beef umbrellas.


Hot Dog with Everything

I love the hot dogs and always get a gravy bread which is a must have menu item for any respectable southside beef or hot dog joint. The one other thing that I would consider their specialty is the strip steak sandwich. I love a good steak sandwich but sometimes dislike them when you have to wrestle the meat apart and its hard to eat. But at O'Malley's they know how to do a steak sandwich proper. You might get a little resistance here or there but nothing too bad, the steak is full of flavor and tender. It comes made to your preference and on a garlic toasted french bun...Yum! I would recommend getting it with just grilled onions. It's easily one of the best steak sandwiches in town and aside from the regulars not too many people know this.


Gravy bread is a childhood favorite of mine

Morrie O'Malley's is a straight shot from Comiskey and has parking for fans attending the game during all homestands. You really cant beat parking there and ending your night with a snack from there too, it'll be great win or lose. When O'Malley's first got started with their hot dog trailer the White Sox had a 3rd year SS named Ozzie Guillen and a 2nd year OF named Kenny Williams. Old teammates now working with each other and fighting over Twitter. The 1988 team also had a future Cy Young winner in Jack McDowell and the men with the statues in and outside the ballpark-Harold Baines and HOF'er Carlton Fisk.

I will also admit that I also don't know what to expect from this years White Sox team. They are in a tough div where they, the Tigers or the Twins could win and the Wild Card wont be coming out of the AL Central. They have good pitching and not so good hitting. The season is already off to a shaky start with Ozzie being denied a Twitter account and then his son being fired for being dumb. I have a feeling that just like the Cubs will, the White Sox will have a new manger in the dugout in 2011. I think Ozzie Guillen will be in Atlanta. I'm setting the 2010 White Sox wins at 85 wins. Either way the dogs and steak sandwich at O'Malley's will win 162 games a year, they're never losers.


Morrie O'Malley's Strip Steak Sandwich

Morrie O'Malley's Hot Dogs
3501 South Union Avenue
Chicago, IL 60609-1629
(773) 247-2700

Murphy's Red Hots

-In Chicago: Every Dog Has it's Day

Where the Cubs fans get their grub on.

Is there anything more symbolic of summer than baseball and hot dogs? No. So for the first week of April we'll be doggin' it. Lets take a look at three of Chicago's best hot dogs stands and a couple of hall of famers on both the northside and the southside visited all summer long by both Cubs and Sox fans. So first up to bat we head to Murphy's Red Hots over on Belmont and Racine in the Lakeview/Wrigleyville neighborhood where they have been doing Chicago style hot dogs justice since 1987. Murphy's is also BIG with Cubs fans headed to and from Wrigley.


a popular stop in Lakeview

Murphy's might not be as old as some of the other famous hot dog stands around town but it sure is just as Real Chicago as any other. Walking into Murphy's for the first time you might even think its from the 50's back when the neighborhoods were filled with buildings with a storefront on the bottom and apartments on top. Its got all sorts of character and is one of Chicago's best weiner stands and a Vienna Beef Hall of Fame inductee. In fact its so much a part of the neighborhood and city that the man who started it all, Bill Murphy, lives right next door and is a resident of the community. It got so big that at one point back when he was 30 he was hired by a Japanese business that owned over 400 coffeehouses and wanted to get into the hot dog business and specifically, the Chicago style. So Murphy's can be credited with introducing the far east to our beloved Chicago style hot dogs.


Murphy's is a proud member of the Hall


The menu at Murphy's includes much more but these are favorites

Although the 15 minutes of fame seem to be up and Bill Murphy is no longer on all the commercials and billboards in Japan, the original stand is still going strong with no signs of it ever ending. Murphy's has a few tall tables with stools to sit at inside and during summer time when the Cubs fans come a calling they also have outdoor tables along the side of the house. Here is a little photo look into the story of how Japan was introduced to the Chicago style hot dog. You can click the pics to enhance them.


Inside the stand they have the walls filled with memorabilia


Article from the Tribune


another article


Japanese Hot Dog Stand Menu with the Murphy Dog


Chicago to Japan

So how's the food? well how do you think it is? they've been going strong for 23 years now and its all because of the food. Murphy's will hit a home run each time on most menu items. Obviously its the hot dogs that are the most popular but Murphy's has some other regularly ordered items and like any place that wants to be great, they do their fries fresh. I grew up on this place and took many a bike rides over and as a kid my go to was the dog and chili cheese fries. Since my youth I have moved onto Murphy's cheddar fries which are made with spread and seen below.


Murphy's fresh cut fries


Chili is available as is or on anything you want it to be


chili cheese fries


Murphy's Cheddar Fries are da bomb

I still love the hot dogs over at Murphy's and how could you not? They are the Vienna Beef (the best) and come char grilled and everything on it means everything...except ketchup. If its something char grilled, which most things at Murphy's are, then it's going to be good. Its what Murphy's does and on a windy summer day you can smell the smoke from the grill down the block and all around the stand. I have two current favorite and I tend to order either or when I'm headed to Murphy's these days. It just depends if I want beef or if I'm feeling like going light and ordering something chicken. Because the double cheddar char burger and the char grilled chicken sandwich on French bread are both great eats.


Murphy's double char cheddar bacon cheeseburger

Chicago doesn't have a particular burger style like say CT and steamed cheeseburgers but the char grilled cheddar burgers made with Merkt's cheese is pretty standard around town. If you wanna talk about a couple flavors that go real well together, its flame/fire and Merkt's cheese spread. The cheese is on the bottom in the picture of the double up above but it makes all the difference and its my favorite cheese of any type to have on a burger. The double charred over at Murphy's is a fine example of a Chicago Char Cheddar burger. I know I have alot of ladies that like to read the site and also alot of yuppies so if your not feeling like all that beefy goodness I would highly rec the grilled chicken sandwich. Its one of the best of its genre in the city.


Murphy's Grilled Chicken Sandwich

Murphy's is a short shot from Wrigley Field and has been a favorite of Cubs fans since the day it opened in 1987, when the bleacher bums were literally drunken bums and the Cubs had this rookie from Las Vegas named Greg Maddux, along with an up and coming 2nd year starter named Jamie Moyer, Cubbie favorite and current ESPN MLB broadcaster Rick Sutcliffe along with two future hall of famers in Ryne Sandberg and that years NL MVP Andre Dawson, 1987 was also the last season at Wrigley Field without lights.

I gotta admit I don't know what to expect from this years (2010) team. I think its a very good thing not to have these high hopes like last year and be more under the radar than on it. I also think good things are ahead now that the team is family owned by real Cubs fans and not some corporation. We shall see. You can also expect to see Rhyno in the dugout in 2011. I'm setting the 2010 Cubs wins at 88 total.


Murphy's Chicago style with EVERYTHING

Murphy's Red Hots
1211 West Belmont Avenue
Chicago, IL 60657-3205
(773) 935-2882
Website

fRedhots

-In Chicago: Every Dog Has it's Day

Today's stop on the Chicagoland food tour is to a place that could fit into alot of the featured series' here on S'C'&C. fRedhots is a spot that opened up in the last five years or so and in that time has made quite a name for itself. Located in Glenview the name comes from the owner, Fred, who started his high class fast food shop due to his passion for the food. Fredhots is a place that cares greatly about the food it serves and the customers who eat it. It falls into the "high class fast food" cuisine that Chicago is so well known for. While many people might consider it a knockoff of Hot Doug's, it is anything but. Yes fRedhots does have many specialty sausages on the menu but also oh so much more. It's more like a really good burger/dog/sandwich joint that also has some interesting specialty sausages.


an instant classic in Glenview

I don't even know where to start when it comes to fRedhots so I'll just start out with the fact its one of those places you can bring the entire family too. Grandma and Grandpa on to the youngest child down will all find something they enjoy on the impressive menu over there. You can expect all the usual suspects like Chicago style Hot Dogs, Polish Sausage and good old fashioned char grilled burgers along with fresh cut fries and also Italian Beef but there's alot more. Another popular go to on the menu board are the specialty sausages. Popular examples include the gyros sausage which is like eating a gyro in tube form and the Wild Game Sausage which varies on the specials board. One of the specials during Christmas time is the reindeer sausage. It doesn't matter what you get as your main course your going to want some fries to go with it, or Belgian potato frites as their known at fRedhots. The fries are 5 star worthy and come with a dipping sauce that come in a range of flavors. Some of my favorite dipping sauces are the Spicy Aioili and the Filipino banana pepper.They also have a dipping sauce flavor of the day.


fRedhots excellent french fries

It doesn't end with just the dipping sauces when it comes for ways to pimp out your fries. Here we have one of the many great specials you can find on that aforementioned board. The "Western fries" as they are called include little pieces of debris (fallen from the roasted beef) that is thrown on top of Fred's fresh made fries along with some BBQ sauce and cheese. Its a rich tasting batch of goodness, especially the bottom fries.


Fries with "debris" BBQ sauce and Cheese

Everybody has their go to item at Fredhots and for me that is the debris sandwich. It's similar to the Italian Beef but more like a roast beef po' boy. It was specifically made with the po' boy served at Mother's. Fred takes the "debris" from the beef roasts made for Italian beef which is just all the little pieces that fell off during its long cooking. The little shredded pieces of beef go on a roll that holds the juicy debris well and comes topped with lettuce, tomato and mayo. I like to add onions and extra pickles to mine. The sandwich is one of my favorites anywhere. Since this beauty was thrown onto the permanent menu I've had a hard time further exploring it.


Fred's Debris Po' Boy

However its a must to always peek at the specials board located to the right of you when your ordering. On one visit Fred had a Cuban burger available for order. Fred took the basis for a Cuban sandwich minus the pork (ham, roasted pork*, mustard, Swiss cheese and pickles) and threw a burger patty in there. As someone who has a love for a great Cuban sandwich, it was something I knew was going to be good as soon as I saw it. Well I wasn't wrong.

*They skipped the roasted pork part on the burger, good nonetheless.


Pressed Cuban Burger from fRedhots

I've had quite a few good sandwiches from Fred's and the sammy's might be the places strongest point. Over at Fred's there are no short cuts taken and that includes his Italian Beef. Fred's makes the beef in house and a sign in the spots reads "Our famous Italian beef is the best you will ever taste-Guaranteed" Well I'm a fan but its not the best. What I enjoyed greatly about the IB was the almost roast beefy like French dip feel from it, it tasted more like a pot roast sandwich than a beef but its still da bomb. I enjoy the heavy pepper addition. There's always a good a good sammy on the specials board.


Chicken Club Sandwich


Click HERE to see how their beef rated against others

But you know what? no matter how many progressive menu items this hot dog stand offers, they still gotta make a good dog if they wanna stick around. Well I got a feeling their going to be around for a while. The Fredhot aka a Chicago Style hot dog is one of Chicagolands best example of this style. Even though it actually includes ketchup, although I think they ask, that's still a sin. But we all can have our sins forgiven 'cause the fRedhot is a heavenly hot dog for what it is. Minus the ketchup its an authentic and excellent example of the more well known Chicago style hot dog. The people of Glenview and the surrounding suburbs are lucky to have a spot that cares so much about the product taste and customers of this all star hot dog stand.


a fRedhot aka Chicago style hot dog

fRedhots & Fries
1707 Chestnut Avenue
Glenview, IL 60025
(847) 657-9200
Website