Price: $2.05 for 1 Dipping Dog regularly; paid – $3.00 for 3
Promotion: National Corndog Day deal; buy more, save more
Location: 802 Dempster St., Evanston, IL 60202 (map); phone: (847) 869-0100
Rating: 4 out of 5 – good
Status: independent
If you noticed that new last line up there, this is the first time I’ve reviewed something from a non-chain restaurant here on the site. Not that I have anything against the more independent establishments out there; it’s just that I’ve tried to keep to items people can easily find outside of northern Illinois (and, particularly, the City of Chicago). I’ll make exceptions for the offerings I really enjoy, however, and the Dipping Dogs at Wiener and Still Champion certainly fit the bill with regards to my personal tastes.
The WASC takeout menu describes the Dipping Dog as follows: “A Wiener and Still Champion specialty! All-beef hot dog hand-dipped into our freshly-made Corn Meal batter….” The appeal of the Champ’s DDs is that they’re dipped in the batter right before your eyes, made-to-order, and set to properly fry for a good few minutes. This isn’t heat-lamped and frozen batter, y’all, so the juiciness of the Dogs really comes through in the final product. My Dipping Dogs were so heavy on the stick that the wooden handles were in danger of snapping off without the proper support, but I felt no qualms about oily fingers once I began to dig in.
Buying 3, 6, or 12 Dipping Dogs at a time will net you some bulk savings at the register (cash-only for now), as well as get you a free special dipping sauce from among the handful listed. I had a hard time choosing between the spicy and garlic aiolis on offer, but Gus was gracious in letting me sample two sauces for the price of one. (What a great Easter Eve!) The garlic is probably the one I like more, but it’s hard to keep going back to just that one sauce, as alternating with something less like mayo helps keep the palate fresh. Other 50-cent flavors I remember from the menu board were curry ketchup, Argentine garlic, Texas ranch, and honey mustard.
For a meal, two Dogs might prove adequate, but three really sealed the deal for me. Dipping Dogs are also appropriate for those occasions after a burger or fries when you still want to eat something substantial, but need just a little more to feel full. Adding one for a buck to a combo meal is the epitome of savings, but you’ll have to check before presuming that offer’s still valid. I liken the value — even at regular price — to that of a tasty hot dog sold anywhere else… yet provides more satisfaction. In the end, The Wiener and Still Champion’s my favorite place for fresh, affordable corndogs. (Again, the Cheddar Burger and fries are good, too.) Give ‘em a try if yer in the area.
Tags: affordable, aioli, all-beef, Argentine, batter, buying, cheddar, Chicago, combo, corn meal, corndogs, curry, dipped, dipping, Dipping Dogs, Easter, Easter Eve, Evanston, garlic, good, honey, hot dogs, Illinois, independent, juiciness, ketchup, made-to-order, mayo, menu, mustard, National Corndog Day, non-chain, ranch, review, sauce, specialty, spicy, Texas, The Wiener and Still Champion, WASC, Wiener and Still Champion
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