In America, one of the county's most iconic foods is the hot dog. Hot dogs can be found anywhere from backyard barbeques to kids' birthday parties. In Chicago, one of the city's most famous foods is the iconic Chicago hot dog which elevates the classic hot dog to even tastier levels. Traditionally, a Chicago hot dog includes a snappy hot dog, poppy seed bun, and a whole plethora of toppings. The toppings never include ketchup but instead are yellow mustard, sweet green pickle relish, onion, tomato slices or wedges, a pickle spear, sport peppers, and celery salt.
Despite the vast history of the hot dog in Chicago and popularity in the Chicago hot dog, the newest restaurant in the hot dog scene brings an entirely new twist to the popular American dish. The Hot Dog Box has been recently created by famous musician, Bobby Morelli, and is definitely a new player in the Chicago restaurant scene. By trade, Morelli is a R&B music artist and entrepreneur.
Following his success in the music industry, Morelli is now spreading his wings and attempting to replicate his success in Chicago's restaurant scene. Originally, his plan was to create a cookie shop which unfortunately fell through. After quickly pivoting to find new ideas, Morelli decided to stick with hot dogs. The idea came to him from one of his favorite dishes to eat with his family which is a hot dog slathered with a rich and unique bourbon barbeque sauce. That same dish eventually transformed into the Bronzeville Bourbon Dog at The Hot Dog Box and has quickly become the champion of the establishment. Since The Hot Dog Box's opening in the summer of last year, Morelli has continued to improve and expand the menu to even more exciting and tasty options.
The Hot Dog Box is currently owned and run by Bobby Morelli but his daughter also comes in as a great help to his businesses as well. She has some cameos in his music videos but also helps out her dad a ton at The Hot Dog Box as one of the staff members by helping out with writing down customer orders, cleaning the kitchen, and gathering all the ingredients for the restaurant. The restaurant itself has definitely become the heart and soul of the Morelli's father daughter connection and lives up to the true essence of a family restaurant.
As for the restaurant itself, one of the key menu items to its success is the four ounce filet mignon hot dog which is paired with a plethora of equally rich and dense toppings and mixtures. The most popular hot dog is definitely the Bronzeville Bourbon Dog but everything else on the menu is just as decadent. Another great choice is the Compass Steak Dog which plays off of the idea of surf and turf meals with the same four ounce hot dog made of filet mignon with a heft topping of shrimp, greens, and a perfect chipotle honey sauce that brings it all together.
Since the restaurant is still very new and expanding, the Morelli's are also inventing and testing a huge variety of exciting new ideas. These test runs can be found in very limited time periods where customers can experience crazy concoctions like a chicken and waffles hot dog. Another way The Hot Dog Box might expand to is with different proteins to include in their hot dogs. No matter what, the future for The Hot Dog Box is very bright and definitely is a great place to stop at to experience at least a couple amazing hot dogs.
The Hot Dog Box can be found located at 332 E 51st St.