Chicago Hot Dogs are Back Tonight at 5:08 p.m.

No surprise here, Cub fans. . .starting at 5:08 p.m. Tuesday, we’ll begin serving authentic Chicago Hot Dogs timed to the first pitch of Game 1 of the World Series in Cleveland.  Chicago Dogs will be available every night of World Series play, and with 600 tube steaks in stock, we don’t expect to run out.

A Cub Fan’s Devotional

There is no Easter Bunny, Santa Claus is a fraud and the Cubs will never make it to the World Series.

So, please understand what a big deal this is for Drew and me.  The Cubs in the World Series. . .no frickin’ way.  This is the stuff of pure fantasy, a dream that degenerates into a nightmare when the Cubbies, thrust into an alternate reality, finally make it to the Fall Classic and then. . .  This is a cruel pipe dream reserved exclusively for small-ball penitents who dwell on Chicago’s north side.

After 55+ years as a Chicago Cubs disciple and Wrigley Field devotee, I am finally one with the universe.  I have persistently maintained that if the Cubbies won the series during my lifetime, I would die with a smile forever burnished on my lifeless mug.  And now, we’re oh, so close.

With mighty but seemingly effortless strokes, the Cubbies smote two West Coast juggernauts.  Now there are only the pesky Cleveland Indians and four victories that separate Chicago from baseball salvation. . .from basking in the promised land of baseball immortality.

Yes, this is a big deal, the biggest of deals.  And that’s why I’m getting on an airplane headed for Chicago on Thursday just to immerse myself in the aura of Wrigley during the Cub’s three-game home stand.  Yea though I am ticketless, I shall not want.

Perhaps my most significant failing as a parent was to imbue my son with an unwavering fealty and singular allegiance to the Chicago Cubs.  He lives and breathes everything Cubdom.  I can remember our first game together when he couldn’t have been more than five years old.  We took a train and then a bus to Wrigley, and all the way I’m describing the place, the field, the ivy, the players and what he was going to get to eat.  When we finally got to the front of the ticket line, I was totally crushed to find the game was completely sold out, even standing room.  Wrigley never sold out, so there was never a need to buy tickets in advance.  We ended up watching the game in a bar on Sheffield Avenue behind the park.

Today, Drew worships Joe Maddon, the brilliant skipper of the north siders, a pure baseball savant.  He knows all the players intimately. . .Rizzo, Bryant, Baez, Lester, Ross and all the rest.  He has a Joe Maddon bobblehead on his desk, a Pabst Blue Ribbon neon sign on an office wall, and he has collected every imaginable piece of Cubs apparel.

Like his dad, he bleeds Cubbie blue.

And now comes the series.  We’re both stoic about what is ahead, and right on cue, we’re both intently optimistic.  We covet nothing else in life with such relish, passion and a raw sense of entitlement.  It’s our turn damn it, and we’re not settling for anything less.

Unless, of course, we have to wait until next year.

The Details are in the Dogs:

For the uninitiated, here’s what’s so special about a Chicago Hot Dog (the best ones are served at little mom & pop stands near Wrigley; the ones in the park, not so much): It all starts with essential raw materials imported from the City of Big Shoulders:  S. Rosen poppy seed buns, steamed before serving; all-beef Vienna brand hot dogs; neon green relish; sport peppers; dill pickle spear; tomato, onion and yellow mustard (French’s is traditional).  The secret ingredient is celery salt (plus Chef Alexander’s expertise); the poppy seed bun is essential.  Ask for ketchup and you earn a Pete Rose-style lifetime ban from Carpe Vino.

Served with chips, these Carpe Vino icons are priced at $8 each or two for $14 (absolutely worth it).  Available in the bar only on the dates below.

Tuesday 25th 5:08 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Wednesday 26th 5:08 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Thursday 27th NO GAME – NO DOGS
Friday 28th 5:08 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Saturday 29th 5:08 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Sunday 30th Game but NO DOGS
Monday 31st No Game & CLOSED
Tuesday 1st 5:08 p.m. – 8 p.m. (If necessary)
Wednesday 2nd 5:08 p.m. – 8 p.m. (If necessary)

Holy Cow!! For this event, we’ll be rolling out the Carpe Vino Wiener mobile, which will be set up in the Wine Mine.