THESE DOGS HAVE THEIR OWN STYLE
Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Ill.:  July 11, 2003.

By Phil Vettel, Judy Hevrdejs, Lou Carlozo, Charles Leroux, Linda Bergstrom and Jason McKean.

On the cover, we set up the challenge: Can other hot dogs survive in a city where Chicago-sytle rules? We found out they can. Here's Fridays guide to Anything But Chicago Style dogs.

AMERICA'S DOG
Navy Pier (312.595.5541), and Buckingham Fountain (312.583.0040)

You can get a Chicago-style hot dog at these tourist friendly hot dog stands, but why would you, when dog styles from a doen other American Cities are offered as well? Brother George and Manolis Alpogianis embarked on a three-week road trip in 1993, researching hot dog recipes in various towns, ad the result is the menu at America's Dog. Chicago-style accounts for 40 percent of sales, but the rest are divided among such intriguing creations as the Kansas City Dog (topped with melted Swiss, mustard and sauerkraut -- actually very good), the Pittsburgh Dog (with barbecue sauce, tomato wedges and grilled onions -- OK, but the barbecue sauce is a little too much like ketchup for me) and the Baltimore Dog (a deep-fried monstrosity drenched in liquidy cheddar cheese and grilled onions). The Milwaukee Dog isn't a dog at all, but a bratwurst with brown mustard and saurekraut, and the messiest by far is the Charleston Dog, topped with chili, onions, coleslaw and yellow mustard -- you need a raincoat for this thing. All the dogs (except Milwaukee's) are made with Vienna Beef, and are priced at $2.69 regular, $3.39 jumbo.

--Phil Vettel