Recently, I’ve tried Portillo’s Hot Dogs, a Chicago-style eatery that is famous for their hot dogs, Italian beef, and sausage sandwiches. It is conveniently located near UCR in the Moreno Valley Shopping Center, just 12 minutes away by car or less than a half hour away heading on the RTA bus (Route 16 eastbound will take you to the Moreno Valley Mall, which is near Portillo’s).
The food joint’s interior is filled with numerous furnishings and ornamentation reflecting the ambience of the 1920s and early 1930s. The cavern-like building is covered with an array of neon light signs, framed vintage cartoon illustrations, a mixture of advertisement ads from the two decades, including old mug shots of real people!
I chose their classic hot dog (generously stuffed with mustard, bright green Chicago-style relish, chopped onions, fresh tomato slices, kosher pickle, and Southern-style sport peppers all piled onto a steamed-just-right poppy seed bun) and a side of crispy, lightly salted crinkle cut fries. It was a very tasty combination of tangy, sweet, and spicy flavors, which I strongly recommend for first timers of this place. Portillo’s classic hot dog is one of the best hot dogs I’ve ever tasted, because it contains all these distinctive ingredients that add a zesty flavor and substantial quality, resulting in a more appetizing hot dog meal. And they are light years better than New York-style hot dogs, that’s for sure! The additional menu items range from fresh chopped salads, yummy onion rings, and even the Chocolate Cake Shake, which I heard is a customer favorite. The next time I swing by Portillo’s, I’m definitely going to try their shake. It’s a must.
So long for now!
* Stay tuned for new food adventures to appear in [Part 2].
– Sincerely your HCUCR food critic,
Anna
{The featured food dish was photographed and edited by the writer via iPhone 5c}