The "Best" Hot Dog

If I keep eating the way I have been eating lately I am going to measure 5'2" x 5'2"....not kidding.  Yesterday our very good friends from Arizona came in for a brief visit so we spent the day together talking and eating, eating and talking, talking and eating.  We began our day with a trip to River North in Chicago to eat at the "best" hot dog place in the United States according to Rachel Ray.  Rich felt the need to eat there and Joyce and I were certainly up for the chance to eat at the "best".   They may have won the best tasting contest, but they sure did not win for style.  A stand-alone little rectangle building, glass windows, a counter to order the "best" hot dog from and a shelf along the wall to stand and eat at.  Real style!! 

This place has been in business since 1946, I guess after 65 years they should be the "best"....

Notice how "cheap" the menu is, a hot dog with fries for $2.28?  No wonder the place was packed....I was inside taking pictures and a gentleman behind the counter kept waving at me....I thought he wanted me to take his picture....no, he proceeded to politely tell me that NO PICTURE TAKING ALLOWED.  I thought that was mighty strange, like I said there was not much style to the place.  My little devious mind figured maybe they had some "illegals" working behind the counter who definitely did not want their pictures taken.  Did I just say that??  But really, no pictures???

This is Rich eating the last bite of the "best".  I think the 2nd best is somewhere in Arizona and they are headed there next.  (Don't tell Rachel Ray, but I really think Portillo's has it all over Gene & Jude's.)
But we can now all say we have eaten at the "best' hot dog place in the United States. 

We headed back to the burbs, picked up a newspaper to see what was playing at the movies, we are all such movie freaks, and decided to go see "Real Steel" at the IMAX.

Good movie, great special effects and a really sweet story, and I gotta say, that Hugh Jackman is really nice on the eyes.   Ofcourse popcorn and coke were right beside me as I watched those robots battle in the ring.
After the movie it was on to Chili's for a drink, definitely was not hungry for dinner, since I had pretty much  been in constant eating mode most of the day.

What goes better with margaritas that chips & salsa, a few loaded baked potato skins and spinach dip, a three-stage-palate-pleaser!!   But where was my nutrition for the day??  The little bit of spinach in the dip?  Oh my, not a good day and my stomach let me know it about 2:00 AM in the morning.  But we sure had fun, eating & drinking & talking.  Good friends, good times. 

"Friends feed each other's spirits and dreams and hopes; they feed each other with the things a soul needs to live."  ~  Glen Harrington-Hall

Until next time......