Thursday, December 13, 2007

Portillo's

Chicagoan's rejoiced when an outpost of their very own opened up in California. Throngs of faithful diners lined up non-stop to relish one of the things they missed most, the Chicago hot dog. Even though Portillo's has been open for a while now, it always seems to be crowded.

I came here wanting a taste of something truly original, the Chicago hot dog with the works. For Chicagoan's nothing can seemingly be beat. For Californians it seems like an odd mix of ingredients to pile onto a hot dog.


The Classic Hot Dog comes adorned with mustard, relish, onions, sliced tomatoes, Kosher pickle slice and sport peppers loaded onto a steamed poppy seed bun.


The hot dog has a natural casing for those who like that snap. The hot dog itself is very good, nice and juicy although a bit on the smaller side. The combination of all of the ingredients just didn't work for me though. There was way too much going on. I didn't realize it was a sweet relish, and though the Kosher pickle's saltiness was a flavor contrast, I went into cucumber overload. The cornucopia of toppings just seemed to hide the taste of the hot dog, which is ashame since the hot dog should be the main character and not just another role player.

I would certainly give Portillo's another try, but would tone it done and have it "California style".





Portillo's
8390 La Palma Ave.
Buena Park, CA 90620
(714) 220-6400

3 comments:

Chubbypanda said...

Man, I love pickles, but I know what you mean. I usually only add a little mustard or relish to mine. Cat has her's plain. We don't really see the point of some of the monstrosities you can get at places like Pink's.

Vegasbuff said...

CP,

Yeah, when it comes to dogs, less is better in my opinion. And if you get those peppers on it, you won't be able to taste anything. They were atomic hot on mine.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.