The two half eaten sausages you see in the photo’s are from Hot Doug’s. The first one you see is a venison sausage with pomegranate puree and little bits of cheddar and bleu cheese sprinkled on top. Hot Doug’s called it something like dream sauce but I can’t remember the real name. The venison sausage was the game of the week. This week they are offering a bacon and cheddar elk sausage.

The second sausage you see was insane. It’s listed on their website as a “Foie Gras and Sauterne Duck Sausage with Truffle Aoli, Foie Gras Mousse, and Sel Gris”. Michael and I decided to share the duck sausage because we weren’t sure if we could bring ourselves to finish a whole one. I have never tasted anything this rich in my life. You bite through all this creamy foie gras mousse and truffle aoli and reach the encased duck meat. The smells and tastes were so intense that one bite I had to stop my gag reflex from doing its job. This is one of those things you try once.

We shared both of these gourmet dogs and each ordered a Chicago Dog with all the trimmings. I don’t have a photo of the Chicago Dog but it was the star of the show. You can find out the ingredients here.

The best thing about Hot Doug’s besides the food was the owner Doug. He takes every order while The Clash is blasting over the speakers. It was inspiring to see someone carry out a vision at such a high level of quality and have loads of fun doing it. There is no way one can visit Chicago and not go to Hot Doug’s.