Gold Coast Dogs: Home of the Char Dog

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Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

Gold Coast Dogs

It was my last day in the city on this Chicago trip. I needed a new briefcase and then had a bit of time before heading to the airport.

Found a nice luggage store and got a great back on sale and, in need of a hot dog, asked where to get a good Chicago dog. After some consultation with the other staff, it was decided that Gold Coast Dogs was the best place.

I left the store and headed a few blocks over and saw it. I'd passed it before. Looked good on the outside, inside, a bit non-descript, but what does one really want a hot dog place to look like (here's a quick aside, the location is also an outlet for another fast food place - won't name it here - and that's what shows up on your credit card; who would get THAT food when they have a choice of the hot dog here is beyond me!).

First thing you'll notice, see the picture above, is that this is the home of the "char dog". Not your typical Chicago dog, nope, here they split it and grill it. Wow!

On top of the dog is the list of ingredients that are mandator to the Chicago dog:

• poppyseed bun
• yellow mustard (NEVER ketchup!)
• chopped onions
• tomato wedges
• pickle spear
• green relish
• hot peppers
• celery salt

In this case, though, the char just really takes it a step above. Kim & Carlo's was great, with a great location, but for just the dog, Gold Coast is my number !!

More photos. See the website for some additional locations.

Meal: Lunch
Rating: ****
Date Visited: 14 July 2009
Address: 17 S Wabash Ave, Chicago, IL‎
Website: http://www.goldcoastdogs.net/

R.I.P.: Joe Tarrentino's

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Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

R.I.P.: Joe Tarrentino's

First off, this isn't the more famous Tarrentino's on Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. In fact, the bigger, more famous Tarrentino's once sued the smaller Joe Tarrentino's in South Lake Tahoe for use of the name.

But hey, what was Joe supposed to call his place? Alioto's? Joe won that case, but time eventually took it's toll and Joe Tarentino's eventually closed.

Tarrentino's was the first "real" restaurant that I remember going to. It wasn't a Denny's or a Dairy Queen. There was a maitre d' (usually Joe himself or one of his daughters). Joe and family were friends of my parents (well, I'm guessing they were friends of most of the year-round residents in South Tahoe), and Tarrentino's was where we went for a "nice" dinner when we weren't going to a restaurant in one of the casinos (in those days, just Harrah's, Harvey's, and the Sahara Tahoe).

The place always struck me as dark, but maybe that was the style. Big banquet style booths (we always seemed to sit in a booth).

And the food? It was Italian (in case you haven't guessed). I probably usually got spaghetti or maybe ravioli. But what I remember where the antipasto plates. Carrots, olives, little gherkins, the usual. And the bread, with little pats of butter! Nothing really special, but the kind of things that said "restaurant" to me then and probably still does to this day.

So Joe, thanks for the memories and for the pasta!

Meal: Dinner
Rating: N/A
Date Closed: ?
Address: South Lake Tahoe, CA
Website: N/A

Tom's Bar & Grill: St. Louis

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Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

Tom's Bar & Grill

Coming in and out of St. Louis, I generally take the Metrolink from the airport (STL) to Central West End (and then make my way to the Missouri Botanical Garden).

On my last two trips, I've spent more quality time in the Central West End, which, once you get past the mega-construction around the medical center, is quite nice and full of some intriguing restaurants.

On this trip, I didn't have time for in-depth exploration, but just a quick stop.

My friend Doug was going to drop me off at the Metrolink, but we had some extra time, so he suggested we stop in at Tom's Bar & Grill. Doug suggested Tom's since it had parking and was close to the Metrolink.

Coming from Washington, it was hard to get used to the fact that there was still smoking allowed anywhere (!), but we settled in at the bar for a quick drink.

Service was quick and fine and, if I was looking for a good and frindly spot for a quick drink, I'd be sure to hit Tom's again.

Meal: Drinks
Rating: ***
Address: 20 S Euclid Ave., St Louis, MO 63108-1410
Website: http://www.tomsbarandgrill.com