Why I Oughta...

When we used to go to Michigan, we tried to incorporate Michigan-based foodstuffs into our rotation like this local Michigan beet sugar , local potato chips and these Koegel's hot dogs from (wait for it....Flint, Michigan).  Since we transitioned to Wisconsin, we've done some of the same - and I've chronicled both on-going and one-off Wisconsin foodstuffs like this local root beer , various cheeses ,  New Glarus beer and...of course... the King of Clubs cold pack club cheese .  There's a new entrant from the Usinger's Sausage company:  Mr. Baseball's Famous Franks Beef Frankfurters.  That's Bob Uecker for those non-sports folks (or...really....non Sports-movies people as my introduction to Bob Uecker was as Harry Doyle in the Major League Movie s and that Miller Lite Beer commercial - "must be in the front row! ").  He does the radio call for the Milwaukee Brewers , so it is a natural to see him involved in hot dogs, right?  Hot dogs and b

Right on the Stateline is a town called Richmond, Illinois.  To get to Twin Lakes, you drive through Richmond.  There's a McDonalds.  An Ace Hardware.  And a couple of flea markets .  But there's also a Dog n Suds.  And we, of course, had to give it a try.   I had a boss back in the day that appreciated a Dog n Suds and we stopped when we came across one. This one in Richmond is trying to stay true to the original.   From their site : Richmond Dog n Suds was opened in 1963 by a local family and has always been a small family owned business. The restaurant was sold in the fall of 2005 to another Richmond family, with a strong commitment to food quality, friendly service, and the determination to retain the nostalgic atmosphere which made this Drive In such a success.  After 2005, they refurbished the interior and exterior of the business paying close attention to architectural standards used in 1963. They also added many new events. Look for Live Music, Cruise Nights, a

Recently, Nat endured a little trip up to Wheeling with the express purpose of trying the 2nd location of Superdawg .  We went to the original back a few years and after hearing about how the Wheeling location had a bigger dining room, I wanted to go.  And...it was delicious. We all had our own Superdawgs - lounging inside their boxes - 'cushioned in Superfries' and the kids always get a kick out of a meal in a box.  Of any kind.  Their own little special box of food. The Superdawg in Wheeling feels a bit different than the original location, but the food was the same.  Nat isn't a huge hot dog lover, so I'm grateful she went along on the journey. And who doesn't love the rooftop wieners that adorn both locations??

Nat, the Babe and myself made our way to Gene & Jude's .  (Or...is it Gene's & Jude's?  See the photo below.)  Having "America's Best Hotdog" just 14 miles from our house and never eating one is a great point of embarrassment for me.  When we arrived, the parking lot was half-full and the line moved pretty fast.   They serve "Depression Dogs" that are dressed with just mustard, onions, relish, sport peppers and french fries.  I'll be honest?  The only thing I missed was the pickle spear (and maybe the Celery Salt), so not having the cukes or tomatoes didn't bother me one bit. It was a delicious dog.  And a neat place.  This seems to be a place that we can take out-of-towners and give them a feel for what a real stand is like.  Can't wait to go back.

Continuing on the trend of attempting to eat local while we are up in Michigan ( last year, we started to  use local Michigan Pioneer Sugar ), this year, we decided to "Serve the Curve" with Koegel's Michigan All Beef Frankfurters . The company has been making hot dogs and sausages in Flint Michigan since 1916 and their slogan appears to be " Serve the Curve " - because their all beef skinless dogs curve up when cooked.  Although they're not Chicago dogs, I believe these have become a part of my regular rotation up at the Lake from here on out. Here's a video about Koegel's .  Be warned.  There's a tiny view of the Lips and the Assholes.