Hot Doug's

It was 19°, or maybe 23°, but still there was a line snaking down the block of people willing to wait 30-45 minutes in the cold to be able to sample the divine cuisine at Hot Doug's last Saturday afternoon in Chicago.



My friends and I happily became part of that line, and like everyone else, we stomped our feet and moved around, trying to keep warm, as we talked to other people in the line about what to order once inside.

There are hot dog's of course...but Hot Doug's bills itself as The Sausage Superstore and Encased Meat Emporium














You get the idea...well, here are some of the sausages that were offered last Saturday:

Brown Ale & Chipotle Buffalo Sausage, with La Fin du Monde mustard & Oak Smoked Cheddar

Spicy Cilantro Chicken Sausage with Chipotle Dijonnaise & Pepper-Jack

Blue Cheese Pork Sausage with Prickly Pear Cactus Cream and Smoked Almonds

Ribeye Steak Sausage with Horseradish Cream Sauce and Caramelized Onions

Smoked Crayfish and Pork Sausage with Creole Mustard and Crumbled Blue Cheese

Spicy Thai Chicken Sausage with Sweet Curry Mustard and Spicy Red Lentils

Fresh Mint and Garlic Lamb Sausage with Roasted Red Pepper Mayonnaise and Brisante Cheese

Decisions, decisions...

I finally decided on the Blue Cheese Pork Sausage w/Prickly Pear Cactus Cream & Smoked Almonds, and it was good, but I found myself experiencing sausage envy after sampling the Fresh Mint and Garlic Lamb Sausage w/Roasted Red Mayonnaise & Brisante Cheese, which was incredible.

And of course, it being Saturday, we had to have a couple orders of the Duck Fat Fries (french fries fried in duck fat, available on Fridays and Saturdays only).



Oh my. Standing around in the cold, one tends to work up an appetite, and Hot Doug's is DEFINITELY worth the wait. After indulging ourselves, we waddled back to the car, and I found myself smiling, happy that I didn't have to pour myself into the dress I'd worn the night before...