Hot Doug's, Chicago

When I heard about a place in Chicago that served duck fat fries, I knew that I had to come (3324 North California Avenue, 773-279-9550). Unfortunately, they only serve duck fat fries on Fridays and Saturdays, and I wasn't going to be in Chicago that long, but I still came by before heading to the airport.

They had a selection of sausages to choose from, such as the Madonna andouille sausage, which was labeled as being "mighty, mighty, mighty hot!" (as opposed to the Jennifer Garner fire dog, which was only labeled as "mighty hot" - hey, they created these names, not me). I picked up the Madonna together with some cheese fries. Even if they were only cooked in "normal fat," at least it was better than nothing.

They were much more than that. They were in fact some of the best fries I've ever had. They were crispy enough on the outside to be fun but not so crispy so as to be annoying. They conveyed just the right amount of (borderline excessive) grease taste, and yet they didn't feel heavy. And, oh yes, the hot dog was grilled on a fire with just the right amount of carbon scorchness. It wasn't exactly what I would consider to be "mighty, mighty, mighty hot," but it was still greasy and full of flavor to be enjoyable (plus, you could always ask for the usual Chicago style sport peppers for a bit more heat).

Nice one. This is definitely a must visit when in Chicago, with the possibility of leaping into one of my favorite spots in the world. Now I just have to try to get here on a Friday or Saturday one of these days to try those duck fat fries (and get here before they close at a very early 4 PM).