Love Chicago-Style Hot Dogs And Italian Beef Sandwiches? Good News Las Vegas!

If you love Chicago-style hot dogs and Italian beef sandwiches, then we have good news for you! Because Portillo’s is eyeing Las Vegas for expansion with their Chicago-style eateries.

At this point, representatives for Portillo’s say they are looking to expand in the near future. At the same time, they did mention that they are looking seriously at expanding to three different markets. That’s according to an article by News 3 Staff on News3LV.com.

Of course, this would not be big news unless Las Vegas was one of those three markets. Additionally, Denver and Atlanta are the other markets joining Southern Nevada for Portillo’s next expansion. The casual fast-food chain currently also has locations in nearby Phoenix and Southern California. So, expanding to Las Vegas seems like a logical next step in their expansion plans.

If you’ve never had a Chicago-style hot dog, then you’re in for a deliciously messy treat. An authentic “Chicago Dog” starts with a sesame seed hot dog bun. Then, they fill it with a Vienna Beef frank. After that, they cover it with mustard, chopped onions, sliced tomatoes, relish, a dill pickle spear, and spicy hot sport peppers. Man, I’m craving one right now!

Furthermore, Portillo’s will also be serving up another Chicago favorite, the Italian Beef sandwich. For one thing, they slow-roast their beef for four hours so it’s nice and tender. Then they pile thinly sliced beef into a fresh baked French bread roll. You can eat it dry or dip it in their specially seasoned gravy.

I like my Italian beef sandwiches to include giardiniera. Basically, that’s a bunch of chopped veggies pickled in vinegar and then marinated in olive oil. You can try it mild or hot.

To check out Portillo’s full menu, click here.

As a matter of fact, there are already some great Chicago-style eateries here in the Las Vegas valley. So, you don’t have to wait for Portillo’s to open a location here to taste one of those Chicagoland favorites.

By all means, you can dine at Rosati’s Pizza, Chicago Joe’s, Great Links Brewhouse and Grill, Windy City Beefs N Dogs, Giordano’s, or Amore’s Taste of Chicago. That just names a few. FourSquare.com has a more comprehensive list, including addresses. Click here for that list. Enjoy!

It’s National Hot Dog Day in the USA! There are millions of ways to dress your hot dogs. In fact, there are probably as many ways to top that puppy as there are people in the USA! For the most part, that depends on where you grew up, because different regions tend to generate their own styles.

My wife and I have been joyously married for thirty-plus years. However, very early in our relationship, we had our first argument over how to dress a hot dog! I know, how trivial. She topped my franks with mustard and ketchup. KETCHUP!?! Well, I got a little loud over that. No respectable hot dog lover puts ketchup on a hot dog. Of course, she correctly pointed out that if I didn’t want ketchup on my dog, then get a different one and dress it the way I wanted it. The wife is always right, right?

Here in Las Vegas we have friends who grew up all over this great country of ours. I bet each one of your friends likes different condiments on their hot dog than you. Heck, I even know someone who likes them plain! I grew up in New York City, so I’m partial to hot dogs dressed with spicy brown mustard and either sweet onion sauce or sauerkraut. My wife grew up in West Virginia, so she likes hers topped with chili, cole slaw, and mustard.

The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council (yes, there is such an organization) has a pretty comprehensive list of regional varieties of hot dogs on Hot-Dog.org. That is where I’m getting the descriptions of all of the delicious dogs below:

Atlanta and Southern U.S.: Topped with cole slaw and chopped raw Vidalia onions

Kansas City: Topped with sauerkraut and swiss cheese. Sounds like a Reuben sandwich to me.

Colorado: The “Rockie Dog” is a foot-long frank topped with grilled  peppers, kraut and onions.

Boston: The famous “Fenway Frank” is served on a New England style bun and then topped with mustard and relish. Sometimes, they add baked beans. Now you know why they call Boston “Beantown.”

New Jersey: Their “Italian Dog” is served on thick pizza-style bread and topped with onions, peppers and deep friend potatoes.

Philedelphia: An all-beef hot dog with a fish cake inside the bun as well. What? Philly, I love your cheese steaks but this one is a little weird. This offering is topped with sweet vinegary slaw and spicy mustard.

California: There are many styles of hot dogs throughout the state, but the most popular one is a bacon-wrapped frank topped with grilled onions and peppers.

Alaska: A Reindeer dog perhaps? It’s actually a sausage made with caribou meat, often topped with grilled onions sauteed in cola.

Scroll down to check out seven more deliciously dressed regional varieties on National Hot Dog Day in America!

This is the one I grew up with in Queens. It seemed like there was a Sabrett hot dog cart on every busy street corner. After a game of sandlot baseball or football, my buddies and I would stop off for a New York City hot dog with dark brown mustard and sweet onion relish. Sometimes, I would switch it up and add sauerkraut. Delicious memories!

Cincinnati is famous for its chili, and they love to eat it on pasta, in a bowl, or on their hot dogs. Why not? Chili dogs are popular all around the nation. However, Cincinnati-style chili has a much sweeter taste than other chilis. They add cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves to season their chili. Good stuff! But mounds of cheddar cheese on their dogs doesn't hurt either.

This style of hot dog has its origins in Sonora, Mexico, but has migrated to Arizona in the USA. It's a grilled bacon-wrapped hot dog that's usually dressed with pinto beans, grilled onions and green peppers, chopped fresh tomatoes, relish, mustard, mayo, and cheese. Sometimes, green tomatillo salsa is added as well. This big boy battles the Chicago Dog for total number of condiments on one sandwich.

We have visited Seattle quite a few times over the years, but I have never tried one of their street cart hot dogs. I see them everywhere, especially after hitting the night spots. I'm sure their cream-cheese laden hot dog is delicious, but I'm not sure I would have been pleased at first glance once it was served to me. I'll have to try one next time we're up there.

Now, don't quibble with me because this sandwich really isn't a typical hot dog. Cleveland's Polish Boy Sandwich can be served with a Polish kielbasa sausage, or an American style frank. It's really the barbecue sauce and French Fries that set this puppy apart from all the rest. It's always nice when you have a sturdy enough bun to handle what's packed inside. I hate when overstuffed hot dogs or sandwiches fall apart in my hands. This one looks deliciously filling.

Texas and chili con carne just go together. They serve Texas-style chili over corn chips, hot dogs, and just about everything else. Texans love their meaty chili as much of the folks in Cincinnati love their sweetly spiced chili. Of course, everything's bigger in Texas, so you know it's a foot-long hot dog, smothered with chili con carne, jalapenos to spice things up, and plenty of cheese to cool things down.

The King of all hot dogs in America. The Chicago Dog. Even if you don't like a lot of condiments on your food, this one is packed with everything but the kitchen sink. For some reason, I always end up working up a sweat when I eat one of these. Must be because of all the spicy sport peppers, and the vinegary pickle and mustard. To be an authentic Chicago Dog, it should really be a Vienna All-Beef hot dog served on a poppy-seed bun. I'd like to see Joey Chestnut eat fifty of these!

Larry Martino is the long-time afternoon drive personality on 96.3 KKLZ. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of Larry Martino and not necessarily those of Beasley Media Group, LLC.

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