Mulgrew's in East Dubuque, IL (see map)is one of those places that you have to visit at least once in your life. Located on the infamous Sinsinawa Street in East Dubuque - infamous in that there are at least three strip bars located on the street - Mulgrew's has drawn thousands of late night visitors from both sides of the Mississippi for their chili dogs.
Mulgrew's is nothing more than a dingy bar with an attached liquor store. They do have a sandwich menu but the top seller are their foot long chili dogs. The hot dogs are steamed in a pot of water that, I understand, probably hasn't been changed since Christ was in high school. If I found that they cooked 'em in urine, I'd still eat 'em.
The chili has no beans and is understated in it's spiciness. You can order a chili dog as a "Snow Dog" - tons of onions on top. They also have shredded cheese they can put on top, but I think the cheese detracts from the taste.
One night, years ago, I did a sales meeting for a store up in Dubuque, then took the guys across the river to Mulgrew's for chili dogs. One of the guys, Jim Sullivan - who was not a small guy - ate FIVE "snow dogs" that night. I tried to keep up with him. I had three, but without the slug of onions on top. I thought I was going to die afterwards.
Nearly every time I go through Dubuque, I have to stop and get a Mulgrew's chili dog and a cold Old Style to wash it down. It's heaven on earth, buddy...
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