hot dogs, Chicago-style

Ah, home sweet home.

Last day of Apple training was much more palatable to my brain. The last half of the class was spent putting everything we learned to use, which I loved. Everyone in class downloaded and installed a little app which completely hosed our computers, and our task was to diagnose the problems (note the plural) and solve them, one by one, until everything was fixed. It was TOUGH. I enjoyed the challenge, even though I was not able to successfully solve all the problems. This is the way I learn: by doing.

Anyhoo, Molly and I had one more great Chicago dining experience before we left. We went to Portillo's in Elmhurst for lunch - one of the guys at Mac Specialist recommended it. The place looks like an old-fashioned diner and the interior is decked out with all kinds of fifties memorabilia (the revolving door even has song titles stenciled on it in the style of the old jukebox cards - nice touch). I ordered the jumbo dog with everything, which includes hot peppers, tomatoes, and a big slice of kosher pickle sittin' on top. It was SO good. I also had a big slice of chocolate cake for dessert. Again, amazing. The cake was light and moist, while the frosting was out of this world. Heaven!

It sounds like what I had was the genuine Chicago-style hot dog, according to this entry in Wikipedia. "Dragged through the garden" indeed!

Here's Mike Royko's hilarious smackdown of former Illinois Senator Carol Moseley-Braun, who had the audacity to suggest that a Chicago-style dog has ketchup!