It’s a dog eat dog world, folks. Hot dogs, that is. And while the hot dog cart is a growing trend—as Restaurantarama touched on last week—one local chef is bringing the craze back indoors. The Downtown Hotdog Company will move in to York Place at the end of this month. The goal? To “give the hot dog a better name than it has now,” says owner Eric Saunders.
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Eric Saunders’ Downtown Hotdog Company will be open in a few weeks. For now, your mouth will just have to keep watering. |
Saunders, formerly of Starr Hill and Prince Michel Vineyard and Winery, will serve Chicago-based Vienna Beef hot dogs and tells us he’s worked up a menu for all tastes: Chicago dogs (“A hot dog dragged through the garden, is what [Chicagoans] call ’em,” he says), Buffalo dogs with mild wing sauce, diced celery and crumbled blue cheese, and even, he tells us, a hot dog with peanut butter and banana. Plus, veggie hot dogs and something Saunders calls the “invisible dog.” Does “invisible dog” mean “invisible price”? Not quite, he says. But, diners will be able to get a hot dog, chips and a drink for about $7.
Frozen, in time
Good news, fro-yo lovers. Yofina, a new high-culture probiotics frozen yogurt restaurant, is moving in next to the Downtown Mudhouse. Says owner Robert Lupica, it’ll be similar to popular L.A. yogurt spot Pinkberry, but with a more self-service feel.
Customers will choose a yogurt, then add their own toppings at a topping bar. Five or six different smoothies will be on the menu, too.
For now, Lupica plans to be serving up some tasty yo’ by June 1, if not sooner, depending on what happens to the front of the shop. Late last year, the storefront at 219 W. Main generated controversy, as building owner Joe Gieck demolished the original 1947 curved glass façade without approval from the Board of Architectural Review. Lupica says he’s just waiting for the renovation to be finished.
When it opens, he tells us, a familiar face will manage the restaurant. Vita Nova owner Giovanni Sestito is a partner in the business and will manage its day-to-day operation.
Bluegrass to move?
When it comes to Bluegrass Grill, you like it, you love it, you want some more of it. Restaurantarama is here to tell you: Your wish may be coming true. Bittersweet, Bluegrass’ Glass Building neighbor, is gearing up for a move onto the Mall, leaving its (much bigger) space vacant. Says the restaurant’s general manager Chrissy Benninger, the brunch favorite is considering moving next door.
Benninger qualifies that, by saying, “It’s a huge, gigantic maybe,” but she predicts that by mid-May, the folks at Bluegrass will have a much better handle on what’s going on.
