Jody's Hot Dogs: Patch Editor Tries The Fries

JOLIET, IL - When I was a kid growing up in Joliet during the 1980s, there was only one place to go for great tasting french fries. That was the McDonald's on Broadway Street. Why there? Well, it was close to my grade school, St. Mary's Nativity Church, and it was near the St. Joe's Baseball Park where I spent many hot summer days. But when you're a child, your world view is small and so was my restaurant selection. Last week, I branched out in search of great french fries around Joliet. I paid a visit to 326 Republic Ave. over near the old Grant's appliance store. My destination was Jody's Hot Dogs.

This was my first visit to Jody's. Why did it take me so long? For starters, I was away from Joliet for nearly 20 years until I moved back to the area a little more than a year ago.

Actually, my purpose for selecting Jody's Hot Dogs for my latest Joliet Patch restaurant feature wasn't for the hot dogs. For whatever reason, I just wasn't in the mood for a hot dog last week. It might have been the weather. It was raining pretty hard that afternoon. I ordered the poorboy sandwich meal.

As far as poorboy sandwiches go, Merichka's on Theodore Street is the gold standard. After I sat down to eat last week, I really liked my poorboy sandwich I ordered at Jody's. It's good, real good, I thought.

Now, when it comes to the fries, I think Jody's Hot Dogs is in a league of its own. Eating is believing.

After visiting Jody's, I now see the world through a different lens.

I see why so many people around Joliet talk about the Famous Fresh-Cut Fries that are served at Jody's Hot Dogs on Joliet's west side.

Will I come back to Jody's in the future? Absolutely. Will I order a poorboy next time? Maybe.

Or maybe I'll try to branch out and try something else on the menu. I like the fact that Jody's has a nice variety on its lunch menu. I might give the gyros a shot next time.

But, whatever I do, I will definitely make sure I order these fries.

Sorry, McDonald's on Broadway Street, your fries, I'm sure are still good, but from now on, I'm bragging about Jody's.

Images via John Ferak/Joliet Patch Editor