Bob O's Hot Dogs

-In Chicago: Every Dog Has it's Day

Well let me add to the much deserved good pub that Bob O's just got from the Hungry Hound. I saw he was there over twitter a few months back and it looks as though he's also just so happened to put up a little piece on the NW Side institution. Located down at the end of the western end of Irving Park road within city limits, Bob O's has been a fixture around these parts for 50+ years. Its where the folks from around that way both residents and those that work around it go to get their Chicago style fast food fix.


Bob O's in Dunning

The menu at Bob O's is simple but still leaves you with choices to choose from and of course hot dogs is where it all began. Bob O's started off as a shack and eventually had a few other trailers according to hungry Hound before they came to be where they are now. The hot dogs are pretty good, as they should be if you wanna survive selling them in this city. They come loaded up Chicago style with all the trimmings and include a nice side of fresh house cut fries.


Chicago Style Dog from Bob O's

Along with hot dogs, Bob O's offers up an assortment of sandwiches and burgers. The chicken sandwiches come in the options of plain, bbq, Teriyaki and parmigiana and are served on a bun but I would suggest asking for it on French bread. I loaded my Teriyaki chicken sandwich up with the toppings offered and came away impressed with the goodness this regular old chicken sandwich was putting out. Most certainly one of the better versions of a normally boring standard of this sandwich that I've come across. The meat was cooked perfectly, thus not dry and also was marinated long enough to soak in some flavor.


Teriyaki Chicken Sandwich

The reason for my visit and also that of the Hungry Hound was the beef at Bob O's. It wasnt until a little later on, after their hot dogs made a name, that they decided to put a focus on putting out a top notch Italian beef sandwich. I had heard their homemade version which is a rarity these days, was also a classic worthwhile beef to seek out. So one day this winter i had some time and a hankering for a good beef with hot and went on over to Bob O's. Much to my surprise they also serve up a gravy bread aka the bread from an Italian beef dipped and soaked in thegravy. A childhood favorite of mine I still love to eat. Very good.

Bob O's gravy bread

Today they sell alot of beef. Maybe even more than hot dogs. They also offer up Italian sausage sandwich as well as a combo (beef and sausage) and homemade meatball sandwiches too. The beef was a stand out as everyone who'd rec'd it had said. Made in house, the beef starts off as a raw roast sprinkled with dried onion and garlic which is then slow roasted and left to sit overnight. The next day it's trimmed of fat and sliced thin and sits until ready to be thrown into the gravy for the days hungry customers, many of whom claim this beef to be the best. The peppers come with a celery mix but still produce some heat from the bits of sport peppers. They don't skimp on da beef. I tasted no reason it isn't one of best beefs in the city. It might be called Bob O's 'Hot Dogs', but for me and many other it's the beef that hit's cleanup here.


Bob O's Beef with Hot (Click HERE to see how it scored against the rest)

Bob O's Hot Dogs
8258 W. Irving Park Road
Chicago, IL 60634
(773) 625-9840

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

Descendants of the Italian Beef

-Got Beef? Da Combo

Gimme a hot Juicy combo and a gravy bread please. The Italian Beef is such a big part of Chicago's food culture that it has a few descendants that are also very popular on Italian Beef stands menus. The almighty "combo" is made by adding a piece of char grilled Italian sausage into your beef sandwich making it a combo. For those times when you’re just feeling like something a little different than your normal beef fix...but not too different. Every beef stand in the city offers a combo but one stands above the rest in my books. The beefs at Johnnie's are a favorite for almost everyone that has tried one and when they add a piece of perfectly spiced char grilled sausage, cooked in the open air over charcoal, it takes the sandwich to a different level. In fact I usually order a combo from Johnnies passing on the Italian beef.


Hot Juicy Combo from Johnnies


The almighty combo

If the combo is a bit too much meat for you then try a gravy bread instead. The gravy bread is just the bread of an Italian beef soaked in the gravy. It’s a popular side item at Italian beef and hot dog stands around town. Some people enjoy them plain and others like them with hot peppers while some places stuff fries inside. The best gravy bread in the city is found at Pop's which also has one of the better beefs. It’s more of a south side thing but they can still be found on menus across the city. As a teen I could easily eat four of these in a single sitting.


Gravy Bread from Pop's on Kedzie

Johnnie's Beef
7500 W North Ave
Elmwood Park, IL 60707
(708) 452-6000

Pop's Italian Beef and Sausage
10337 S Kedzie Ave
Chicago, IL 60655
(773) 239-1243
Website