Chicago Dogs Offers Windy City Flavors at the State Fair

Stillwater hotdog purveyor Bruce Chesin is a man who cuts to the chase.

“When people ask me what I do, I tell them — ‘I sell wieners,’” said Chesin, who owns local lunch spot Chicago Dogs.

Stillwater residents attending the Minnesota State Fair can find a taste of the Windy City at the Great Minnesota Get-Together.

In fact, Chesin got his start in sausage slinging at the state fair. Chesin, who is originally from Minneapolis, used to manage hotels in Chicago. When he was transferred back to Minnesota and moved to Stillwater, he decided to bring a bit of the Second City to his home state.

It began 14 years ago, when fair officials were looking to fill the original beer garden building with food vendors. Chesin pitched his idea and has been at the state fair every year since, selling hotdogs from a stand decked out in flashing red and yellow neon lights. Six years after starting the state fair stand, he began selling out of a trailer throughout the entire year. Today Chesin and his wife, Anne, own the shop in Stillwater. On top of that, they typically sell 1,000-1,100 hotdogs per day at the state fair.

“My whole pitch was to be able to sell a quality hotdog,” said Chesin.

But what makes a truly great Chicago dog?

A Chicago Dogs hotdog at the Minnesota State Fair consists of a quarter pound all-beef Vienna hotdog on a poppy seed bun. The dog is topped with brown mustard, fresh onions, relish, tomatoes, cucumbers, sport pepper, celery salt and a dill pickle.

Chicago Dogs also offers a chilidog, Coney dog, Italian beef sandwich, Maxwell Street polish sausage and bratwurst to customers at the fair, although Chesin says the Chicago dog is by far the most popular.

The restaurant also serves gluten free hotdogs and buns.

Chicago Dogs and Lift Bridge Beer

This year, the hotdog stand is selling beer from Stillwater’s for the first time. State fair patrons will have the opportunity to try the crosscut pale ale, which is a balanced beer, brewed with amber malt and grapefruit zest.

“It seemed like a logical choice,” said Dan Schwarz, CEO and co-owner of Lift Bridge. “The state fair is such a quintessential Minnesota event.”

Chicago Dogs is located on the state fairground at the intersection of Dan Patch Avenue and Underwood Street. It will be open until the fair ends on Sept. 3.