The Near North eatery is named Coney Dog, but has nothing to do with New York. It serves Cincinnati-style chili, but it doesn`t call it that on the menu.
Confused? No, problem. The selections are very simple. They`ve got chili and they`ve got chili dogs.
Craig McCoy and Randy Reynolds, a pair of out-of-towners who graduated from Northwestern University in 1984, returned to open a tiny, fast-food place in a storefront in April. With a fondness for Cincinnati-style chili, but the smarts not to call it that for fear of offending Chicagoans, the dish is billed as ”chili spaghetti,” served 2-way ($2.35), 3-way ($2.60), 4-way
($2.85) or 5-way ($2.95).
The basic dish is a large plastic bowl of spaghetti covered with a thick, homemade chili that`s low in grease and high in spices, although it won`t burn your taste buds. If you want a fire, there`s Louisiana hot sauce on the side. The spaghetti makes the chili Cincinnati style (but don`t tell anyone). The next level adds fresh, shredded Cheddar cheese. A 4-way is beans or onions and a 5-way adds both.
A Vienna beef hot dog in poppy seed bun with all the trimmings ($1.40)
can be turned into a cheese dog ($1.60) or a transformed into a coney dog
($1.79) by adding chili.
There are also nachos on the menu-cheese ($1.50) and chili cheese
($1.80). Skip them, as well as the Frito pie ($1.89) in favor of the french fries (90 cents). They are great.
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McCoy and Reynolds make their own french fries from Idaho potatoes. They are plump and not greasy. But don`t stop. Coney Dog has cheese fries ($1.50)
to beat all others. The fries are covered with melted Cheddar cheese-the real kind-sour cream, onions and jalapeno peppers.
The cheapeaters` favorite, however, was the order of chili cheese fries
($1.80), everything that can come with the cheese fries plus a smothering of chili.
Coney also offers Ben and Jerry`s ice cream treats. Split that brownie bar ($1.79) with a friend.
CONEY DOG
438 W. Diversey Av., Phone: 348-8780. Hours: 11 a.m.-midnight Mon.-Thurs., until 1 a.m. Fri.-Sat. and until 10 p.m. Sun.