I told J when we started making plans for US Figure Skating’s National Solo Dance Finals that I had a list of restaurants in the area I wanted to go to. She didn’t have to go, but I was going to sneak away from the rink for a while to go search out food.
L could really care less about my food adventures. A lot of the other skaters and their families were just Door Dashing Chick-Fil-A or Potillo’s right to the rink. I hate when we travel and eat at national chains out of convenience. If I get anything out of L’s figure skating (other than being super happy watching her compete) it’s traveling and finding new places to eat.
We got to Glenview around 10:00 Thursday morning. L didn’t skate until a practice session around 5:30 that night but she and J wanted to watch some of the other skaters in our club compete.
I watched the first event we were there for and when it was over, I sent J a menu and said I was going to grab lunch. If she or L wanted anything, they could text me and I’d bring it back. L, of course, didn’t want anything. She just wanted Tropical Smoothie. There was one of those nearby so I ran and got her a smoothie THEN when and got myself lunch.
I headed out to Des Plaines for a classic Chicago hot dog stand that has become pretty famous over the years.
Paradise Pup is on River Road between Riverview Avenue and Kennicott Court on the east side of Des Plaines. The restaurant kind of sits in the parking lot for for an auto repair shop that surrounds it. For as popular as this place is, there’s not a lot of parking. A few spots behind the restaurant and a few spots along the back of the building in a lot that appears to be shared with the repair shop.
Paradise Pup is pretty classic Chicago sandwich shop. It’s a walk up window with a small menu. The place has been in Des Plaines since the early 1980’s but really grew it’s fame when it appeared on an early episode of Food Network’s Diners Drive-Ins and Dives.
The restaurant used to have an inside area where you ordered at the counter and there were some stools to sit an eat along the outer walls. That’s all been closed off now and ordering is done at a window outside.
The menu is a lot bigger than many hot dog places in the city. Yes, they have Chicago dogs, but they also have burgers..which they’re pretty famous for and what Guy Fieri ate on his visit…and my favorite, the Italian beef.
There was a line pretty far back when I got there but it moved quickly. When I got up to the window, I put in an order for a Combo Beef and Sausage for myself, an order of fries, and a Cheddar Pup for J. The cost was right around $20 which I paid for with cash. I was given a buzzer and I stepped out of the way to wait for my food.
The lady handing out orders apologized in advance that it was going to take a little longer. They were working on a 50 person order that was ready to be picked up while they were still cranking out walk up orders. It really didn’t take that long. It was about a ten minute wait when my buzzer went off.
There is a little bit of outside seating via picnic tables. There are a few in front of the order window and a couple of more on the side of the building right next to a very, very busy River Road. One of those side tables was empty when I picked up my food so I decided to sit down and eat. Since I was taking up a whole table, another couple asked if they could share the table with me. I wasn’t going to be that long and I didn’t need the whole space so I invited them to sit down.
I started with the fries first to give my Italian beef a little more time to soak in it’s own juices.
The fries are crinkle cuts. Kind of disappointing for a hot dog joint but they were fine. There was a lot in the bag so I dumped about half out for myself and left some “bonus” fries for J who didn’t ask for any but I knew would appreciate them.
I grabbed my Beef and Sausage combo out of the bag next. This is my favorite kind of sandwich in Chicago. You get an amazing Italian beef plus a sausage tucked in to the bottom of the bun. The menu says these are both “house recipes” and the sandwich comes “slightly dipped.” If you read my last blog about an Italian beef sandwich, you know I was a little annoyed with what they called “wet.” What Paradise Pup calls “slightly dipped” is more of what I’m looking for. The sandwich was over stuffed with thin slices of beef and a delicious spicy Italian sausage. I went for the hot peppers which were the mix of giardiniera vegetables that I really like. The sandwich was soaking in the gravy it was dipped in. The bun was wet and just barely holding together but it held. Biting through the bread felt like it wasn’t even there. It was just a flavor burst of meat. The sausage is really well hidden under the meat but it’s presence is felt in every bite.
I took J’s Cheddar Pup back to the rink for her. The sandwich is a Chicago red hot with liquid cheddar cheese. They still dress this thing like a Chicago dog so I left off the onions and tomato knowing J doesn’t like those. I should have left the sport peppers off too but those are easy to pick off. J was a little surprised to see the neon green relish and the pickle but she talked about this hot dog all weekend so I don’t think the extra condiments were too much for the hot dog.
You hear me talk a lot about Chicago sandwich shops. They are literally the best thing in the world. Paradise Pup has been on my list since I first saw it on Triple D many, many years ago. We never get to the north side of Chicago though so I’ve never had the chance to stop. It is about 15 minutes from the ice rink we spent all weekend at so I finally had my chance….and it was worth the wait.