Does the chain’s first plant-based hot dog hold a candle to the meaty original? We found out.
While now synonymous with all sorts of origin pressure - heighten snacks like Italian Beef sandwiches , chocolate cake - impale milkshakes , char - broiled burgers , and even a saucy slab of ribs or two , pollyannaish Midwestern chain Portillo ’s built its rapidly expand empire on the back of a single merchandise : the Graeco-Roman Chicago Dog . Dick Portillo kickstarted the speculation back in 1963 , opening a little hot dog stand in near - suburban Villa Park , where he set up the standard for theoverstuffed regional style(a Chicago Dog is limit as an all - squawk frank , piled high with yellow Indian mustard , neon relish , chopped white onion , tomato slices or wedges , pickle sport peppers , a dill pickle fizgig , and celery salt tucked into a fresh steamed poppy seed bun ) . It ’s tidy , yet portable enough to easy jam while huddled inthe hallowed stands of Wrigley Field . It ’s a unflawed dish and , most notably , it should never , ever , under any setting call for a drizzle offlavor - eliminate catsup .
Fast - forward to the nowadays , and while the Chicago Dog has undoubtedly secured its righteous place in the city ’s culinary repertory , the the great unwashed are initiate to languish for more . Between the environmental impacts of mill land , the rising cost of sum , and a shift toward a more wellness - witting culture , the all - boeuf part of the equation does n’t on the button have the same ingathering it once enjoyed . Today ’s consumer is looking for a lite , plant - based option , whether it ’s to befit the casual meatless Monday or an animal - free lifestyle overhaul . And until this very calendar week , the only veggie dog Portillo ’s hawked was , according to this 2020 tweet , markedly lacking in the detent department .
Enter Field Roast , the multifaceted plant - based food conglomerate famous for its line of forward-looking meat and dairy alternatives . Previously focused on the grocery store market , the Seattle - born enterprise decided to get together effect with the Portillo ’s folk music to go where no reputable Chicago Dog has gone before — the vegetarian route . To lionise the Garden Dog ’s launch , the iconic eating place radical invited journalist , influencers , media personality , and — no joke — the writer of the above tweet , to come down and try the menu addition on for size . Here ’s what you need to know .
Photo by Meredith Heil for Thrillist
The Basics
Manufactured in partnership with long - standing plant life - based food for thought company Field Roast , the Garden Dog is centered around a Non - GMO Project - verify vegan sausage made in the first place from pea protein . Other ingredient include potato starch , vital wheat gluten , brown rice protein , faba bean plant protein , beetroot powder , garlic powder , smoked sugar , onion powder , and pimiento . Portillo ’s assures that there ’s nary an unreal flavor or color in sight .
The veggie dog is smoked , seasoned , and char - grilled on the same cooktop as the veritable firedog , make mark - contamination a potential risk element for the strict meat - free set . It ’s then plump down onto a spongy poppy seed roll and , of course , dragged through the ol’ garden by agency of yellow Indian mustard , neon nip , chop white Allium cepa , sliced tomatoes , spicy sport peppers , a dill pickle spear , and a few good milkshake of cultivated celery salt . The result is a plump and perky handheld existence , a horn of plenty of topping imperil to snap through its pillowy scale all while a campfire - esque , griddle - kissed olfactory property snakes its path through those glorious accessory .
The Test
Upon first scrutiny , the Garden Dog looked and smelled just like the existent deal . The blimp appeared ample , not dry out up or too weedy like some veggie dogs , and the olfactory property was adequate piece meaty and vinegar - tinged from the toppings . Biting into it , the veg pip first with an explosively wise bang , follow by the dog ’s satisfying , ease thickness nestled into the hindquarters of the cushiony roll . The blimp tasted great and shouldered its full-blooded , dense texture with ease . It definitely served its purpose — not merely another layer of window bandaging .
The only thing pretermit was the elasticity . Oh , the catch — that toothsome pop that can only come from ripping off a opus of pristinely scald sausage casing with your canines like a idle fauna rupture anatomy from a pearl . Too much ? Perhaps . And perhaps it was also too much for the severely - working kinfolk at Field Roast , who fail to fully nail this one vital feature when design their Portillo’s - spring creation . “ The Garden Dog shares similarities to the traditional hot dog , ” read the new bill of fare detail ’s explainer . “ But [ it ] will not taste exactly the same and will not have the Hellenic snap when you take a bite . ”
The only way I could opine conjuring up that signature snatch would be to cook the everloving heck out of it atop an undecided flame . But would the change in cooking methods transform the sausage ’s supple entrails into a rock - hard coil of composition board ? At the death of the twenty-four hours , you have to break up your struggle , and it seems that for Portillo ’s , chasing the cinch just was n’t deserving tossing the proverbial baby out with the bathwater .
Photo by Meredith Heil for Thrillist
Final Thoughts
After a unmarried Garden Dog — and , okay , probably more than my fair percentage of languorous , incredibly piquant crinkle - snub fries — I left the retro - styled speedy - service joint feeling full and happy . With assistance from Field Roast , Portillo ’s put out to make a plant life - based hot click that could stand up to its all - beef harbinger , and to that extent , they by all odds succeed . The infamous 2020 tweeter concurred .
As a Chicagoan , will I be making the switch for good ? Most likely , that ’s a no for me , but I will rest easy know that thousands of veg - fueled Midwesterners will now have something young and delightful to chew on — one that most certainly does not require ketchup .
Photo by Meredith Heil for Thrillist
