In Search of Tubular Meat
Last summer I had the occasion to travel to Milwaukee to take my son to the airport for a trip to see his cousin. Since my wife and I were going to make a day of it I decided to do some research on hot dog places in the city by the lake. My online search brought me to an article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Among the listings in this article was a place called “Sammy’s Taste of Chicago”. Sammy’s just happened to be close to where we were traveling so it became our target for the day. Unfortunately on that trip, I didn’t have my camera with me. So when I had to make a run to Milwaukee last week I knew where I was stopping for lunch, and this time, with my camera.
Sammy’s has three locations in the Milwaukee area, Slinger, West Allis and Highway 100 & Silver Spring in Milwaukee. The later is the place I went to this time. Tucked away on the end of a small strip Mall, Sammy’s doesn’t have an imposing facade. But the mustard yellow awning hints at things inside. When you walk in the place you are greeted by an interior painted in mustard yellow and ketchup red. The counter is to the left and ample seating with tables and booths. Sammy’s offers 13 different tubular meat combinations including Hot Dogs, Polish, Brats and Corn Dogs. Now I will admit I enjoy eating, but a dozen dogs is more then I can handle. I decided to try three different ones on this trip. I will save the others for another time. I ordered a Double Chicago Dog, a Cheese Dog with onions and a Corn Dog. Each comes wrapped in was paper whether your eating in or carrying out. The nice part of this whole experience was that it was Sunday. On Sunday dogs are only 99 cents! Including a soda this whole feast only cost a little over $5, how can you beat that!
The Double Chicago Dog was almost too much for the bun, containing TWO dogs with all the usual additions certainly made it a mouthful. The Vienna Red Hots were tasty and the condiments met the usual standard for a good Chicago Dog, Pickle, Florescent Green relish, Sport Peppers, Onions and Mustard. There is a simple quiz I run at every hot dog joint I visit that serves “Chicago Style” dogs. I always ask “Does that come with Ketchup?” I was very please to see the guys behind the counter give me that look of “Are you nuts” and then tell me that Chicago Dogs never come with Ketchup. I knew this was a place that knows their dogs.
The Cheese Dog was my next victim. Mine included raw onions along with the cheese sauce. Because it is all wrapped in wax paper the Cheese Dog can become a bit messy. The cheese sauce was luscious and the onions provided a nice contrast to the smoothness of the sauce. My Last item was the Corn Dog. I must say I am not a big Corn Dog fan but this dog-on-a-stick impressed me. The batter was cooked perfectly with a slightly sweet flavor that balanced nicely with the meat. In this case dipping it either mustard or ketchup didn’t seem to take away from its flavor.
With three dog options down and many more to be tried, I will certainly be heading back to Sammy’s again. Along with the dogs, Sammy’s service Subs, Italian Beef, Burgers and kids meals. The staff at Sammy’s was very friendly and clearly enjoyed their work. The locals were streaming into the place while I ate taking advantage of the Sunday Special. One guy came in and ordered 18 dogs to go.
If your travels take you to the west side of Milwaukee I recommend making a stop at Sammy’s.
Your article makes me drool. If I wasn’t already commited to a wedding reception in the Dells, I’d be on my way to Sammy’s in Milwaukee. Maybe next weekend…..
Outstanding food but how do they get so much pork into the Doyle dog?