Establishment: Howie's Top Dog
Location: Davie
Meal: (celebration) Lunch
Drink: bottle of Coke
Appetizer: n/a
Main #1: Chicago Dog
mustard, onion, relish, pickle, tomato, sport pepper and celery salt
Main #2: Italian Beef
wet
Side(s): Cheese Fries
Dessert: n/a
Server: Howie himself
Remember when the Cubs won the World Series (a game we watched at last week's 43rd taste)? Yeah, so the day after we decided that a perfect way to celebrate over lunch would be in a Floridian Chicago style eatery ... and that's how we ended up at this place. (Note ... keep an eye out for the guy out on the main road holding the arrow sign, because the other signage is easily missed.) Admittedly we were on a World Series win high, but this authentic eatery almost got itself the first ever perfect score in this countdown ... except for the fact that he's only open Mon - Sat from 10:08 AM - 3:57 PM (not a typo ... those are the actual official hours) and so we're limited in how frequently we can eat there ... take a look at the nearly perfect score (and count the number of times that the word "authentic" is used) below:
AMBIANCE: 10/10 (don't let the parking lot and outer appearance of the mall scare you off ... because once you get inside, it's clean and bright and cozy ... sure, it's basic tables and chairs in front of a counter where you order, but this is all about the Chicago food, as the skyline on the wall lets you know ... sometimes simple is just the right fit for presenting something authentic representing classic midwest lack-of-attitude)
FOOD: 10/10 (everything tasted like home ... where home was defined as where we lived for a dozen years prior to the big move to Florida ... so of course it was delicious ... and that's because it was authentic, since Howie imports his foodstuff right down to the Vienna beef underneath all of those Chicago specific toppings [including the bright green relish] ... even the fries were perfectly crunchy with just the right amount of the melted sauce)
SERVICE: 10/10 (there may have been two ladies behind the counter, but we're not sure if they were in training because they did nothing other than handle the cash when we paid ... because Howie himself took over and kept the conversation going -- especially after we started talking all things Chicago ... AND he went out of his way to keep on chatting and to invite us back in an authentically friendly way)
BACON: 10/10 (just because it wasn't on the Chicago authentic sandwiches pictured doesn't mean it wasn't a choice to be added to burgers and such ... plus you can do EXTRA bacon for just a dollar [yes please] and you can get it wrapped around your hot dog and deep fried ... so yeah, they get it)
BONUS: 7/10 (+3 for all the Chicago vibes everywhere, +3 for a creative extra menu of "specials" for those who want to try something beyond the basic items, and +1 for being a place to which we will return because we appreciate authenticness and because we'll want to feel like we're "home" again sometime soon)
TroyScore: 47 out of 50 -- aka 94, a solid A
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