QUICK BITE: Rating the Jumbo Dog and Cheese Fries at Portillo's

I had never heard of Portillo's.   One location opened here in Tampa in 2016 and there was lots of "buzz" from many people that they were super excited one was finally coming.  I have always wanted to try it but rarely drive to the area where it is located.  When I recently visited our local asian supermarket to get ingredients for Pad Thai, I knew Portillo's was nearby so it seemed like the stars were aligning.  So what exactly is Portillo's?   It started out as local restaurant called The Dog House in Villa Park Illinois in 1963.  In 1969 that single restaurant was renamed to Portillo's in deference to the owner Dick Portillo.  It expanded throughout Illinois and the Chicago metro area until 2014 when it was sold to a holding company.  Since then, they have been expanding Portillo's into other states, promising to open five to seven restaurants each year. Right now they have about 46 locations. Based on the map from their website (portillos.com), they are still mainly focused around the upper midwest with a few stores in Florida, Las Vegas and Southern California.     I visited the location at 2102 E Fowler Avenue in Tampa which is not far from the University of South Florida campus.

The outside reminds me of the architecture you find in Chicago so it is fitting for a place with roots in that area.

Once inside, it was a little overwhelming since it has lots of signage which I needed a minute to review.  I wanted take out but wasn't immediately clear which line to go into.    I quickly figured out that all orders except mobile ordering were in one line which was to the far right.  They had two lines and three registers so it was very easy to order.  While  they offer many items here from chicken, to burgers to Italian Beef, it seemed like a hot dog was the item that would best represent this place.  I ordered what is listed on the menu as a Jumbo Hot Dog which comes with "everything".  This was essentially all the toppings from what I know as Chicago hot dog.  According to their website this is: "mustard, relish, celery salt, freshly chopped onions, sliced red ripe tomatoes, kosher pickle, and sport peppers piled onto a steamed poppy seed bun."  At first I thought it was strange they don't call it a Chicago dog. But then you must remember that this is a Chicago based restaurant.  I'd compare it to when I went to Nashville and ordered Hot Chicken.  It wasn't called Nashville Hot Chicken as KFC would have you think.    I also ordered cheese fries since I had read they were also a speciality of this place.

I ordered these to go since I was going to eat them at home.  First the fries.  I was surprised at how hot that had stayed in my 15 minute ride home. That says alot about how quickly they serve them from the deep fryer and the packaging.  The cheese was also still very warm.  The crinkle cut fries were the perfect style to use for cheese fries.  The edges grab onto that cheese when you dip whereas it would slide off a traditional fry.  I had mixed reactions on the cheese sauce itself.  For those that love "plastic cheese", you would love their preparation.   Smooth, velvery sauce that was surprisingly not goopy - at least while warm.    While I appreciated the texture, the flavor needed some help for my taste. It was a bit too mild and needed more notes of cheddar.  

Now onto the star attraction,  the Chicago  . . . rather Jumbo Hot Dog. Let's start with the very important vessel - the bun.  Based on their website, they steam their buns.  Now depending on the quality of a bun, steaming it can have adverse impacts.  The poppy seed bun they use was of excellent quality and held up perfectly to the steaming.   I was also very impressed in how they managed to get all the ingredients into the bun.  The hot dog itself was terrific.  It had that snap I love in a hot dog.  Slightly smoky and salty.  Perfectly complimented by the mustard and pickle to cut the richness.  The big surprised was the tomato.  In having previous "C" dogs, the tomato always seems to be a throwaway ingredient usually being diced so that you don't even know it is there.  At Portillo's  they assemble their dogs using a sliced tomato which was very meaty.  You could taste it and it really added some freshness to each bite.  

I was also impressed by the price.  The Jumbo Hot Dog at this location was 3.59.  The fries were 2.39 for a large order with an extra charge of .70 for the cheese.  So for about $8 (plus any drink) you could have a decent lunch since it was very filling.  No wonder this place is very popular with the university crowd.  I think I was outnumbered 10 to 1 during my visit.

Well done Portillo's!!  I'll be back to try some of your other items including the Italian Beef.