Festival Report: Hot Dog Week 2014

"It's time," said Brandy through the phone to Bailey.  "I understand," Bailey responded solemnly, "When does the operation commence?"  "Monday the 21st," said Brandy.  Then they both hung up and synchronized their calendars, for they knew what was on the line.  It was Hot Dog Week at Bull & Bear.

As you loyal readers may remember, last year Brandy and Bailey braved their way through Bull & Bear's infamous Frank Plank, thoroughly testing each of the 5 dog concoctions before declaring their own personal favorites.  As they were more than up to the challenge last year, there was no question they would be putting their expert palates to the test once again this year (for the benefit of our readers, of course) in scrutinizing a new crop of inventive red hots.

Where as last year's theme was Chicago neighborhoods, this year the dogs were decked out in honor of five different US locations: New Orleans, Miami, California, Wisconsin, and Cincinnati.  But before diving into their Frank Planks (a sampler plate featuring mini versions of all 5 dogs), the ladies ordered up some white sangria to cool off from the humidity, and a plate of truffle fries, which were so delicious that there nearly weren't any left to accompany the dogs when they arrived.

First up was the New Orleans Po Boy, an andouille sausage topped with olives, provolone cheese, and served on a sesame seed bun.  The sausage was not nearly as spicy as Brandy expected it to be, but it still had a good dose of beefy flavor, and the toasty flavor of the bun really helped to set it off.

Next came the North Woods of Wisconsin, a venison dog with mustard, caramelized onions, and fried cheese curds.  This was probably the one dog Brandy was looking forward to the most, and it did not disappoint.  The sweetness of the onions was a nice contrast to the gamy meat, and the mustard gave a good hit of sourness.  The cheese curds on top were really fun texturally, but in the smaller version of the dog that came on the Frank Plank, they didn't add the kind of melty goodness Brandy was hoping for.

After that came the Miami Vice, which consisted of a turkey dog topped with braised pork, Swiss cheese, and a pickle.  This was probably both Brandy and Bailey's least favorite of the bunch, not because it was terrible, but because in comparison to the other four, it seemed a little bland.  The pickle provided a nice bite of sweet and sour, but other than that, there just wasn't a whole lot of flavor or texture to this puppy.

Following that came the Sooo Cali, a bison dog on a ciabatta style bun with avocado, tomato, and a pesto aioli.  This was the one Bailey had looked forward too, as it's list of fresh ingredients, she thought, would make for a lighter, more refreshing hot dog.  The bison dog was probably the most flavorful sausage of the bunch, though it was a little dry (which is to be expected from such a lean meat), but the toppings did put on in mind of a summer day on a California beach.

Lastly was the Cincinnati Coney, which came topped with a beef chili, cheddar cheese, and pickled onions.  Brandy, who is not a Midwestern native, was not aware that Cincinnati was so famous for its chili, which Bailey seemed to think was highly amusing.  This dog was perhaps the most traditional, but also the juiciest and most well balanced.  The chili had a nice level of spice, and the onions lent a bit of a bite to counteract the richness of the other ingredients.  

Finishing off their meal, Brandy and Bailey split a divine creation called simply Chocolate Torte, which turned out to be the most decedent sort of brownie, topped with caramel ice cream, salted caramel sauce, and peanuts.  The texture of the torte itself was some where between a pudding and angel food cake, an impossible state of matter that seemed suspended between viscous liquid and airy solid.  "They should study this thing in a laboratory!" Brandy exclaimed, "I'm fairly sure this shouldn't exist.  But I'm glad it does!"

Hot Dog Week at Bull & Bear carries on through the 27th with one of each of the hot dogs being offered in full size each day, as well as the Frank Plank sampler and the Homewrecker Challenge Dog (a 22 inch Chicago style dog served with a pound and a half of fries) served every day.  The most popular dog from this year's crop will be added to the fall menu.  Brandy and Bailey both had the same ranking of their favorites:

1. Cincinnati Coney
2. North Woods of Wisconsin
3. Sooo Cali
4. New Orleans Po Boy
5. Miami Vice

If you, dear readers, decide to visit Bull & Bear for Hot Dog Week, be sure to let us know your favorites by using the tag #RankYourFrank!

Festival Report: Hot Dog Week at Bull & Bear

While Brandy has enjoyed many burgers for brunch over the years, she's never really considered that hot dogs might also be a viable option (well, except for that the Brunch Dog at Franks 'N Dawgs, obviously).  But when the good folks at Bull & Bear contacted Brandy with a little proposition that involved a few encased meats, some of Chicago's most colorful neighborhoods, and a national holiday, she decided to make a (second) exception.

As some foodies in the know might have heard, this past Tuesday was National Hot Dog Day, and to celebrate this most momentous day, Bull & Bear have been offering a selection of five different gourmet hot dogs all week, each one themed after a different Chicago neighborhood.  Diners were also invited to taste all of the creations together in miniature form via the Frank Plank and vote on their favorites.  And as much as Brandy would have liked to attempt the Home Wrecker Challenge (which entailed devouring a 22 inch Vienna Beef dog, dressed in the traditional Chicago style, plus a load of handcut French fries in one sitting, thus gaining the winner a $25 gift certificate, a T-shirt, and a fist full of antiacids), she instead opted to vote for the King of Hot Dogs, enlisting the help of Bailey from The Cider Press to help her choose from the five different candidates.

First up was the Pilsen Dog, which had a Mexican flare.  Served on a bolilo roll, the dog itself was made from spiced pork, then topped with a cilantro cream, pineapple and cactus salsa, and sliced jalapeno peppers.  Brandy loved the tangy sweetness of the salsa as well as the cooling power of the herbed cream sauce, which helped to sooth the slow burn from the peppers ("Not quite soothing enough!" choked Bailey, who got one particularly thickly sliced jalapeno).

Next was the Uptown, which had more of an Vietnamese slant, drawing inspiration from a traditional  Banh Mi sandwich as well as the warming noodle soup known as Pho.  This time it was a spicy beef sausage, topped with a chili infused mayo and a crispy slaw made from pickled daikon radish and carrots, all served on a jalapeno bun.  This one had too much kick for Brandy's taste, but seemed to suit Bailey just fine (Brandy, always a bit of a delicate flower when it comes to heat, was nearly brought to tears by this dog, but found the sausage so flavorful she couldn't put it down).

Following that came the Pulaski Dog, a smoked Polish sausage on a poppy seed bun with a crisp house made pickle,  charred onions, and chunky brown mustard.  Both Bailey and Brandy agreed that this was the closest to a traditional hot dog, and that they could have easily eaten the full sized version.  The mustard wasn't overly spicy (which after the first two dogs, came as a relief) and along with the sweetness of the onions, the smokiness of the dog, and the tang of the pickle, the flavors and textures seemed to have been perfectly balanced.

The Little Italy Dog was next, consisting of a salami style sausage, arugula pesto, provolone cheese, and earthy mushrooms on a fennel seed bun.  This one was sadly disappointing for both Brandy and Bailey.  "Its just one of those situations where a bunch of ingredients that sound wonderful end up in a mediocre whole," Brandy sighed.  The fennel seed in the bun was a little too powerful, it seemed, and masked the taste of the pesto, mushrooms, and cheese, but at least the bold meat managed to shine through in the end.

Lastly was the Greek Town Dog, made from a lamb sausage on a sheet of pita bread and topped with tomatoes, pickled red onion, feta cheese, and tzatziki sauce.  Brandy simply adored this dog, which had a smooth, velvety texture to the meat, as well as a wonderful richness from the tzatziki.  Bailey lamented the lack of spices in this one and felt the sauce Brandy so loved was over powering the rest of the toppings a bit. Brandy did agree that this one needed something crisp to round it out, but still really enjoyed the traditional Greek flavors.

After so much meat, Brandy and Bailey decided to round off their meal with a little slice of Cheesecake, which had a non-traditional salty pretzel crust and came served with caramel sauce and raspberries.  As we all know by now, Brandy can hardly resist a salty/sweet combo, and this dish didn't let down on either front.

Both ladies continued to debate their favorites to the bitter end.  Brandy preferred the sweet/tangy Pilsen and the rich Greek Town, while Bailey sided with the crisp Uptown and the traditional Pulaski.  Luckily, Hot Dog Week at Bull & Bear is not yet over, so if any of our readers would like to judge for themselves, we would love to gather some more opinions on which one is truly the King of Hot Dogs!

* The writers of this blog were invited by the restaurant to sample the offerings for Hot Dog Week at no charge in exchange for an honest review

Festival Report: CS Magazine Burger Cookoff

Now that Chicago is in full summer swing, Brandy has found herself inundated with requests for her attendance at several fabulous foodie events across the city.  "I haven't been this in demand since I came out as a debutante," Brandy has been known to joke.  Sadly, as she is a very busy woman (her quilting society meetings alone take up 72 hours of her week), she is not always able to attend everything that comes her way, but she made an exception this week.

Brandy was invited to the 4th Annual Burger Cook-off, sponsored by CS Magazine and held at Presidential Towers (a stunningly beautiful and modern luxury building in the heart of River North), which featured five local restaurants and bars all competing for the title of the night's top burger.  All proceeds from the event went to benefit the Garfield Park Conservatory, a thriving community center which also provides a home base for some of the finest burgeoning performance and visual artists in Chicago.  A nobler cause there could not be in Brandy's mind.

As she didn't wish to go by herself, Brandy invited along Hawk from The Cider Press to be her date for the evening so that she wouldn't feel too out of place amongst all the bright young fashionable things.  First stop of the evening was at the Stella Artois bar, where Hawk was delighted to see they were serving their signature cider along side their classic Belgian style beer.  The beverage was light, crisp, and refreshing to Brandy, but of course she was not the stated expert on the subject (we'll leave the full assessment up to our friends at The Cider Press).

The first burger they tried was the Mediterranean Burger from Palace Grill, which had been stuffed with feta cheese and kalamata olives before being topped with a creamy tzatziki sauce and sandwiched between two pita bread slices.  The flavor very much reminded Brandy of the slider Michael Psilakis made at the Buick Food and Wine event a few weeks ago, as it had the same sort of gyro spices mixed into the meat.  This was officially Hawk's favorite burger of the night.

After that was the Chorizo Burger from Municipal Bar & Dining Company, which had spicy sausage at the center of its beef burger and came topped with Manchego cheese, tomato, and crispy onions.  This burger had a rather nice kick from both the chorizo and the chipotle aioli, but Brandy felt the sausage was a little overwhelming, reminding one a little more of a particularly tasty taco rather than a burger.

Another beverage break took Brandy and Hawk to the Grey Goose bar, where three signature cocktails were being featured.  Brandy chose a concoction that featured Grey Goose's Cherry Noir alongside some citrus elements and garnished with a sprig of rosemary.  Brandy felt the cocktail was a little medicinal for her taste, but that definitely didn't stop her from finishing off the whole thing.  "A drink is a drink," she told Hawk.  While enjoying their beverages, Brandy and Hawk managed to snag some of the side dishes being passed around, which included Tandoori potato chips (nicely flavored with Indian BBQ spices) and some tater tots topped with a truffled mayo.

Going back to the burgers, Hawk managed to snag one of the last plates from Grill on the Alley, which featured a Peppered Bacon Burger with cheddar cheese and a little avocado.  Sadly, Brandy didn't manage to sample this burger, but Hawk said she wasn't missing much.  "I'm mostly getting the pepper," he said, "And the rest is pretty greasy and charred."

Moving on to what turned out to be Brandy's favorite burger of the evening, the amazingly creative entry from Protein Bar.  Rather than a bun, Protein Bar placed their burger on a foldable piece of lettuce and covered it in what seemed to be a tangy buffalo sauce, crumbles of blue cheese, and bits of crispy kale.  Though the most untraditional burger for sure, Brandy thought this was the most flavorful by far and she simply loved the combination of flavors and textures.

Last but not least was the all American burger from Bull & Bear (a familiar restaurant to Brandy) which had good old fashioned American cheese, tomato, and a house made pickle all stacked on a sesame seed bun.  This burger, though simple sounding, had some real love and care put into it, especially when it came to crisp slice of pickle, a condiment Brandy is usually want to bull from her burgers.  If there were special awards to be given, the Bull & Bear crew definitely should have won one for having the most fun out of all those working the event.

So all in all, a rather spectacular night was had by all at the CS Magazine Burger Cook-off, with the icing on the cake being the spectacular views from the second floor rooftop of Presidential Towers.  It just goes to show that one can surround one's self with all the splendor and luxury money can buy, but sometimes all you need is some time outside and a good old fashioned hamburger to make you feel truly at home.

*The writers of this blog were invited to this event as members of the media.