Chicago...Home Sweet Makes Me Want to Visit Often...

So, this weekend was a busy one, but that is not unusual for the Spontaneous'...  This Saturday consisted of shopping for pageant/prom dresses for my niece, meeting up with friends, a house party and a birthday party...all the while trying to squeeze in various homework assignments that were coming due.  On the way to the house party, Mr. Spontaneous decides that he's hungry and that we should probably get something to eat before we hit the town.  Driving down Stage Road, we perused the many options that were available to us, but nothing really stood out.  In the immediate vicinity of Stage Road and Summer Avenue, Mrs. Spontaneous yells out "Hey!  There's that place you were telling me about!"  Mr. Spontaneous found a safe place to bust a u-turn and we pull up to 6773 Stage Road.

It's Jimmy's Hot Dogs!  My significant other had previously informed me about this establishment, but we had no idea where it was located.  He hails from Chicago and I suspect that it was a personal mission to find this restaurant and eat everything that his tummy could handle.  Jimmy was on deck, still serving with joy and excitement, and I was summarily informed that the gorgeous lady waiting on us was not, in fact, Ms. Helen Waite.  

Jimmy's was founded by a true native Chicagoan, and believe me, if you claim to be from Chicago, they will test you on that theory.  I wasn't brave enough to even tell them that I'd visited the city often...I like what I like and I had no idea what all the food codes were to ordering a hot dog.  I personally love ketchup on my hot dogs, but apparently that's a Southern thing and in Chicago, es ist verboten!

Upon entering the restaurant, there were so many options for what we could have in the form of our hot dog and we weren't sure where to start.  I personally wanted to try a hot dog, but because time was of the essence (as in we didn't have all night for me to make a decision), we collectively decided that we would just have a 12" beef pizza and be on our full and merry way.  The caveat to the pizza selection is that when ordering a deep dish pizza, it has to be ordered no less that one hour prior to the close of business because it takes approximately that long for it to cook.  We ordered a regular pizza and only had to wait 25 minutes.  Normally I think I would be in a tiff over having to wait that long for my meal, but it was entirely worth the wait, and I would have contenly waited longer if necessary.  In the interim, we had time to reminisce over the food in which we'd partaken in Chicago, why there is "no ketchup allowed" on the hot dogs and what it means to have wet versus dry meat...I'm from the South and was sincerely confused...wet, by the way, means that your meat is served with its juices on the sandwich.  There were so many clever signs, historically significant news stories from the Windy City and even a Ms. Pac Man arcade game!



Beef Pizza Before



Other patrons entered who were making their maiden visit to the eatery as were we, and it was awesome to see the look on their faces when trying to figure out the proper and precise way to order their dogs; I grabbed a take-home menu so that the next time we dine there, I could be prepared and well-versed in the ways of the Jimmy's Hot Dog.  They offer a variety of specialty hot dogs to satiate any want and I'm going to jump in with both feet and try the "Southside Coney" with chili, cheese, mustard and onions.  The variety of toppings include, but are not limited to, cream cheese, sport peppers, taco sauce, relish, Giardinaire peppers and bacon  bits.   I would venture out and say this place could be a pregnant woman's Shangri-La.

What Beef Pizza??

  In addition to hot dogs and pizza, they offer burgers, sandwiches, gyros, fries and cheesecake... mmmm...

Jimmy's has a Facebook page, so "Like" it for more information and to be added to their VIP list.  I promised Jimmy that we would be back and we intend to keep that promise and to bring others with us when we return.  It was a fine dinner experience, no complaints at all.  Mr. Spontaneous has repeatedly and unsuccessfully tried to convince me to relocate to Chicago and I considered it for the food alone, but now that we've found this place, I'm staying in the South!   Certainly our winter thus far is as close as I would choose to living any further north than I already reside. 

So please, roll through Bartlett and stop in to see the crew at Jimmy's Hot Dogs.  They've won lots of awards for their cuisine, and justly so.  But if for whatever reason you are of the misfortune to want to complain about anything, I send you with warnings that all complaints can go to Helen Waite.