The Dish

Introducing Emmett’s No-Ketchup-Allowed Chicago Dog

Photo: Bobby Doherty/New York Magazine

Acting as culinary ambassadors for their native Chicago, brothers Emmett and Dillon Burke unleashed deep-dish pizza on our thin-crust-pie town at their South Village bar, Emmett’s. Now, with the introduction of their hometown hot dog, the Burkes are courting controversy again. Chicago-style dogs were a product of the Depression, when vendors would strew them with a virtual salad of toppings to give the impression of a full meal. Variations abound, but some things are sacred: Above all, ketchup is verboten. Emmett Burke, whose palate was honed at Scooter’s in Lake Bluff, Illinois, takes issue with our local contenders—even Shake Shack’s Shack-cago Dog: “They don’t capture the essence of what a Chicago dog actually is,” he says. “With all due respect to Danny Meyer, he grew up in St. Louis. If Cub fans knew a St. Louis guy was serving Chicago dogs in New York, they would throw a fit.”

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On the menu at Emmett’s, $8.95 with fries; 50 Macdougal St., nr. King St.; 917-639-3571.

This article appears in the October 6, 2014 issue of New York Magazine.

Introducing Emmett’s No-Ketchup-Allowed Chicago Dog