Hot Dog!

One of the lessons that I learned while living in the Chicago area is that there's always room for interpretation with food. The city's food scene is pretty innovative. There are chefs toying around with molecular gastronomy. Mexican restaurants are just about as ubiquitous and unique as the city's legendary pizzerias. There's a vegan soul food restaurant. And, Doug's is doing wonderful things with hot dogs. I like to think of each hot dog I make as an ode to Doug's. That's actually funny considering that I've never been to the actual restaurant.

Exhibit A: Veggie Dogs with Egg over Hard, Tomato, Avocado, Onion, Mustard and Sweet Pickle Relish on Whole Wheat Buns
Verdict: I must'a had some really good avocados because that's all I could taste. This could probably be improved by using pico de gallo with a small hint of avocado.

Exhibit B: Veggie Dog with Egg over Hard, Sun-dried Tomatoes, and Cream Cheese on a Potato Bun
Verdict: Wow. Orgasmic! My creative juices really kicked into high gear with this one. I hereby relinquish my palate to sun-dried tomatoes from this day forth. I wonder where this could go with some basil, oil and vinegar added to the mix. Uhhh, I could probably do a homemade basil relish for this one.