The nostalgia overload begins even before one enters the first Wisconsin location of Chicago staple Portillo’s Hot Dogs, 17685 W. Bluemound Road, Brookfield. In front of its spacious façade stands a replica of The Dog House, the food cart with which Dick Portillo began his restaurant chain 53 years ago. It looks positively quaint next to the spacious structure behind it, rife with movie posters, record sleeves, product signs and more signifiers of the early rock ’n’ roll era.
The flavors of those small hot dog-stand beginnings linger on in Portillo’s Chicago dog. Served in foil wrap, this iteration of the city’s signature sandwich features the sausage in question on a steamed poppy seed bun topped with onions, relish, kosher pickle, celery salt and sport peppers that add a heat that doesn’t overpower the other toppings. A measly 50 cents upgrades the meal in itself to a bigger frank and more of the fixings.
A less-heralded Windy City standby, the tamale, is a delightful log of corn masa turned light orange by the slightly spicy ground beef inside. French fries come crinkle cut and free of excess grease. A gamut of hamburgers and other sandwiches, barbecued pork ribs, salads and strawberry shortcake will guarantee return visits for this customer, but for dessert on my first visit? The chocolate cake milkshake is at least a minor culinary marvel, combining dairy and pastry in a texturally unlikely but scrumptious duet. Even the smaller of the two available sizes is a generous portion of a treat that’s almost too rich for its own good.
