July 6, 2001

By Allan Borgen,

Correspondent for the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin Newspaper  And the

No need to TRAVEL: You can get authentic, Chicago-style hot dogs without leaving California.

     A tradition since 1893, the hot dog has long been an American culinary icon. But there is only one real hot dog and that, in my opinion, comes from Chicago.Windy C's® Chicago Hot Dogs is the only restaurant in our area that serves these popular items the way they should be served. What makes these little doggies so great? The owner of Windy C's® Chicago Hot Dogs, hails from the Windy City, and is a sticklers for authenticity. All of the ingredients they use come directly from Chicago. The hot dogs are manufactured by Vienna® Beef Sausage Co., another Chicago institution, and are made from choice cuts of beef. The poppy-seed buns are steamed until soft and they are topped with a variety of items that are found in Chicago.

     A good example is the Chicago Dog™, which features a "larger than the bun hot dog" along with mustard, a delicious lightly colored brightly green, semi-sweet relish, a slice ot tomato, a kosher pickle spear, diced onions, hot pickled peppers called sport peppers, and a sprinkling of celery salt. The entire dog must be seen-and eaten-to be believed. If you like a spicier hot dog, the Fire Dog™ also is available. Another culinary treat is the Maxwell Street Polish Sausage™. This hefty sausage is served on the same steamed bun along with mustard, grilled onions, a pickle spear and the sports peppers. Talk about heaven.

     If hot dogs are not your thing, surely the Italian Beef Sandwich™ will, as the company says "Hugs your taste buds." This hefty sandwich consists of thinly sliced roast beef in a giant Italian Gonnella roll™. The entire sandwich is served with a marvelous au jus sauce and exquisite, yet very spicy, pickled olive and vegetable mixture called Giardinera. This sandwich is incredible. Other items that deserve your attention are the better than McDonald's® like french fries, apple pies and the chili dogs along with several other tasty dogs. Windy C's® Chicago Hot Dogs Rating (based on five stars) is four stars.

Notes: Child friendly, no alcoholic beverages are served, disabled accessible.