ArcaMax

Next up was the Terrine of Foie and Tete de Cochon. The terrine came with a rhubarb mustard compote, pretzel chips to garnish along with bits of pigs ears. Longtime readers will know what a huge fan of foie gras I am. I can eat that in any form. Sauteed, in a terrine, as a mousse. I’m all over it. Pared with tete de cochon I am not so thrilled. This was my first venture into head cheese. I can recall as a child seeing women ordering head cheese at the local, German butcher shop. I didn’t spit it out. I didn’t moan with delight as I ate it either. It just was. Kinda hammy. Kinda bland. This seems to be my season for trying new things like pigs ears and head cheese. Maybe it’s a sign of maturity. In any case I’d pass on it next time. My husband refused to even try a bite.

Lastly we ordered what would be considered our entrees. They weren’t as large as entrees usually are but they were sizable. I gave the chef his choice of what to serve to me. My husband had the wagyu skirt steak sliders. He was happy.

I was thrilled. Guess what Chef Hickey brought me in this fancy restaurant? He brought me a hotdog.

Chef Hickey’s hotdog is all the rage in a city nuts about their hotdogs.

This is no normal hotdog.

First of all, it is fatter than any hot dog I have ever seen. It still fits in the poppy seed bun that Chicago dogs are famous for, but I chose to eat it with a knife and fork. Chef Hickey makes his own buns and everything else that goes along with the hotdog. Chicago has a very special recipe for their hotdogs too and his gourmet version sort of follows along, starting with that famous poppy seed bun.

Chef Hickey makes his own mustard, his own relish and his own ketchup. In Chicago you only eat ketchup on your fries; never on your hotdog. I cheated. This ketchup was made with a balsamic vinegar reduction and was to die for. I put some on my hotdog.

The fries were done in duck fat and cooked to perfection. But it was the hot dog that really made my mouth jump. The first bite squirted all over the inside of my mouth. I had never tasted a hot dog so juicy. The grill effect was perfect, the skin not too thick or too tight. He does the whole thing in house, starting off with wagyu beef as his base. This is no Oscar Mayer wiener. Big YUM and WOW.

Chef Hickey came out of the kitchen to sit with us and find out what I thought of his hotdog. I thought he did such a good job that I had him autograph my menu.

But WAIT! There’s dessert.

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