IN SEARCH OF: A Real Hot Dog

with apologies to Leonard Nemoy

One of my quests in the seven or so years I’ve lived in California is finding adequate replacements for the unique regional (and mostly unhealthy) cuisine my hometown of Chicago has to offer. I fully realize it’s more likely we’ll have a White Christmas before I find something remotely comparable, but that doesn’t stop me.

To pine for the euphoria of Gianotti’s seven finger cavatelli or the primal gratification of a dunked cheesy beef from Al’s on North is a recipe for disappointment…I know this. These things have no equal, no substitute and are completely unique. As is the Chicago-style hotdog, perhaps my favorite vernacular delicacy. I suspect it’s the peculiar juxtaposition of the Vienna “Pure” Beef dog covered with what amounts to a salad of vegetables embellished with celery salt that does it for me. And of the many great hotdogs in Chicago, Superdawg on the city’s Northwest side stands out as the pinnacle to me, a veritable Xanadu of entubed cow part puree tossed with the best of grandma’s garden.



It’s not just the food either, it’s the full experience…the sight of the authentic ‘50’s-style building, the car hops, the smells, the ‘dese, ‘dats and ‘does of the guy ordering in front of you…the 15-foot tall his-n-hers hotdog couple on the roof! The salt-of-the-earth, Midwestern Chicagoness of it all.



If I digress here it’s because a new place opened in Santa Cruz this week promising “Chicago-style” hot dogs. And if it don’t measure up, these are fighting words to me.

So it was with the twisted arms of three co-workers and the chip on my shoulder that I made the trip to Santa Cruz News, a newsstand/coffee shop/hot dog stand that opened this week on the West Side. Shoehorned into the facade of an old gas station that currently serves as a drop-station for Goodwill, Santa Cruz News is under the propriety of a former Chicagoan (and I use the term loosely as he’s actually from Arlington Heights)** named Robert.



With sweaty palms I approached the counter and ordered my hotdog, paid my $4 and waited—alternately hoping for a miserable failure, then for a euphoric foodgasm, then back again. I noted the buns and dogs were steam cooked, and the buns had poppy seeds—good signs both. The tomato wedges and pickle were cut just right and fit into the crevasses between bun and dog, held together by the mortar of ketchup and mustard. A couple points off for the natural brown mustard—it’s supposed to be near neon yellow—but that could be a minor quibble if it tastes OK. Points on the plus side for the oblong paper dog wrapper…white and pleated on the ends to perfectly surround, protect and present...oh, and the celery salt—quite satisfactory.

I sat down, eyed it up and took a deep breath as I lifted the dog towards me. In the milliseconds before my teeth hit, I registered a familiar and intoxicating smell. This converted to taste as the full mix of flavors—punctuated by the celery salt finish—hit my tongue and the hotdog ‘snapped’ with the firmness only properly steamed hotdogs exhibit. As I swallowed and went for bite two I realized that this was a more than satisfactory result. The Santa Cruz News dog is the real deal.



Better than a Superdawg? Well let’s be realistic here—HELL NO! But it’s right up there with your average Chicago dog, and that ain’t bad…and for the West Coast, that’s pretty darn excellent.

So if you see a little snow on the West Side of Santa Cruz come Christmas, you’ll know why.

Santa Cruz News is located at the corner of Mission and Trescony Streets and is open from 7am-3pm daily.

** Those of us who actually grew up in the City of Chicago take offense to folks from the suburbs saying they’re from Chicago because we’re snobs like that. It’s like people from Walnut Creek saying they’re from San Francisco. We also don’t like it when people in Lincoln Park or Bucktown claim to be Chicagoans because they’re all frat kids from Michigan. I know, I’m such a bitch.