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Better late then never! Since discovering that I work joyously close to fRedhots and Fries I think I have had about half of my meals there. Now, I’m sure my cardiologist (if I had one) would not be pleased but to heck with him! fRedhots is everything that is good about Chicago food to me right now. At once, it is a traditional hot dog stand, avant-garde sausage spot and comfort food stand run by folks that are truly passionate about what they are doing and go out of their way to show their customers just how much they appreciate them.

The perfect meal at fRedhots & Fries:



Of course, the inevitable comparison to Doug and Hot Doug’s can not be pushed aside but, rather than shrug off his inspiration, Fred freely and enthusiastically gives credit to Doug. Still to call fRedhots a simple imitator would be a great disservice and plainly untrue. After only a few meals at fRedhots the differences in style become readily apparent. First off, there is the relatively expansive menu. Fred understands that not everyone wants pheasant and cognac sausage with orange mustard, Roquefort, and truffle (I sure do, but not everyone). So he included a number of sandwiches and burgers, all done well. Heck there is even salad… yes salad! I have yet to have a true clunker on the non-sausage portion of the menu. OK, the I.B. isn’t traditional but I like it for what it is… Secondly, Fred has a different style when it comes to his specials. I have come to appreciate his lighter touch with the toppings on his game sausages. Fred does not load up the delicately flavored sausages with heavy sauces and obscene amounts of dairy. A slice of cheese here and a light brush of sauce there is often the perfect accent to his impeccably sourced encased meats. Finally there are the fries… Ahh, the fries… Early reports of sogginess and incorrect oil temps are a thing of the past. I have never really been a French fry (excuse me, Belgian Frite) guy, but I love these. Perfectly crisp and seasoned and served with great sauces such as Jamaican Jerk, sweet chili, green onion and sage, or wasabi. The garlic frites topped with garlic butter are just sinful.

The ongoing fRedhots thread:

http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=10648

All things considered I think fRedhots and Fries is a unique spot run by great folks and the north ‘burbs are lucky to have it.

fRedhots and Fries
1707 Chestnut Ave
Glenview, Il
847-657-9200
fredhots_fries@sbcglobal.net
M-F: 10:30am to 8pm
Sa 10:30am to 4pm
Su: In the works, hours TBD

This is another place that was on my short list of potential GNR nominees. Fred really cares about both the food and the customers he serves. He also appreciates LTH Forum and its members, as can be seen by anyone who has ever visited fRedhots and mentioned that they read about his place on LTH Forum. He takes an artisans approach to some of the most traditionally un-arsenal foods being served in the Chicago area and it shows. fRedhots is a cut above and deserves to be a GNR.

I happily second this nomination.

I haven't been for a while, but I thought the fries were great and it was fun that they had reindeer hotdogs at Christmas.

Which resulted in a couple of well known LTHers appearing on Channel 2 News. Be sure to watch the video for Cathy2's singing debut.

I hate to be a wet blanket (well, not really), but I've eaten at fRedHots several times and am, frankly, not impressed. At all.

I've had at least one of the (overpriced, IMHO) specials on each visit, and the "frites" have been either overcooked or soggy every time. Their standard Chicago dog is pretty run of the mill, as well.

I work near there, and really wanted to like the place (which is why I kept returning after more than one lackluster visit) - but it just doesn't do it for me. Definitely NOT anywhere near the same league as Hot Doug's, and, as far as I am concerned, certainly not worthy of a GNR.

I've brought co-workers with me on more than one occasion, and we all agreed that we would expect a much better product at fRedhots' inflated price point.

Okay, that flushes me out of the woodwork, too.

I've been to Hot Doug's 1,217 times and Fredhots twice, so I can't really make a fair comparison there or evaluate Fred's style overall. A better comparison is that Saturday I ate at Wiener and Still Champion, then ran up to Fredhots for a second lunch. Wiener and Still Champion, the honest basic hot dog place, pretty much kicked the pants of Fredhots, the more ambitous postmodern hot dog place-- better fries (the ones at Fredhots were a lot of little pieces, which made it hard to use the dipping sauces; and anyway, the l-a-r-d fried ones at WaSC are just better); lower prices; and both the dog and my son's corndog beat my pheasant sausage avec corn relish (which shouldn't have been fridge cold to my mind), which was all right but a little dry.

I think the personable Fred deserves notice for breaking out of the mold of hot dog places and trying to come up with his own take on a sausage emporium, and the dipping aiolis are a nice innovation (I liked the chipotle a lot). I'm just not sure, after two visits much separated, if Fredhots' results are equal to its ambitions. I'd like to hear from anyone else who has two cents on this topic...

I don't know if its kosher to defend my own nominee but I do have to inquire about this as my curiosity will kill me if no one else asks... are you considering fRedhots over priced in general or compared to the competition as their most expensive sausage special (that I have seen anyway) is still 50 cents cheaper than Doug's priciest sausage (again that I have seen). The other question I have is when was the last time you gave it as shot as the main thread has several folks that agree that the initial problems with the fries have been sorted out for at least the last sever months. Anyway, I'll leave it there as I don't want to say too much beyond my initial post.

First off, I think it's definitely kosher to defend your own nominee. That's what LTH Forum is all about...

In terms of fRedhots' "value for money" - I'm not comparing them directly to Hot Doug's here, it just seems to me that it's too expensive given the quality of the product & my enjoyment thereof. In other words, not a very good value.

Last time I was there was about a month ago, well after the problems with the frites were (supposedly) worked out.

I've been to fRedhots about a half-dozen times. I agree that the ownership cares a lot about their product and that they have distinguished themselves from the average dog stand. But to my palate, they have not yet achieved GNR-level status.

For example, I think the dipping sauces are a great idea, but the ones I've had just seem to be dominated by the base ingredient, usually mayo if I'm not mistaken. I've sampled a few of their sausages and I just don't seem to get that bold flavor I crave there either. It's like that old Woody Allen joke about having worked out all the little details, if only they could come up with the main points. The proprietor is a friendly fellow, always checking up on customers to make sure everything is copacetic. I usually just fib and say everything is perfect, which is a big mistake because he seems like the kind of guy who would welcome some constructive criticism.

I have little doubt that fRedhots has the potential to be a GNR someday. But to put it in the same tier with Hot Doug's at this stage would be a disservice to all those folks who come here looking for great food who are then referred to the GNR list.

Aioli is basically a garlic-flavored mayonnaise. I've sampled three or four of the dipping sauces and thought all had good flavor.

I just posted a report in the original thread, but I'm not impressed enough to call this a GNR.

To me, this seemed more of a standard hot dog stand finding ways to justify Glenview high rental costs, than something positive for the neighborhood. I just didn't get that "WOW" vibe I have when visiting GNRs such as Spoon or Katsu.

Note that I don't have Hot Doug's in my experience to compare to it.

I've made two recent trips (in the past two weeks) to fRedhots after a year or more time lapse; it's as good as ever. I like the constant efforts to innovate. The gyros sausage with feta cheese and traditional gyros toppings is not only delicious, it actually improves over the original by eliminating the sloppiness factor; you can eat gyros from fRedhots while driving a standard transmission car and not ruin your necktie! Nobody is more dedicated to his craft, his community and his customers than Fred. Unlike Kuma's, which some are saying has grown too big for its britches and no longer needs or deserves GNR status, fRedhots is a very popular place where you can still roll in at 6:00 and be eating (and eating very well) by 6:15.

Recent posts on fRedhots here, here, and here.