Hell Freezes Over; Chicago Hot Dog Place Comes to Detroit

Well, this is the cherry on top of the whip cream. I know I'm mixing too many metaphors, but this news item is the exclamation point on how incredibly unlike any other year 2020 has been: a Chicago eatery - Chicago hot dogs, and Italian Beef - is opening up in Detroit.

Did no one watch "The Last Dance"? Did no one ever go to a Blackhawks-Red Wings game, and hear "Detroit Sucks"? Next, we'll be seeing Arabs and Israelis kissing on the lips. These are crazy times we live in.

Portillo's, a company that has taken Chicago food corporate, is opening a location in - you better sit down, kids -Sterling Heights, Michigan. Detroit. Oh, my God.

In all seriousness, this makes perfect sense, as this just is another indicator of how mobile our society (okay, maybe not this year, but you get the gist) has become. Just because you were born somewhere is no indicator of where you'll end up living. And these days that usually means at least two or three cities along the way. But keep in mind, chains that trade on a city's food heritage, that doesn't guarantee anything. Old Chicago just closed last year in Portage. A Detroit style eatery, Buddy's Pizza is set to open in its place (very soon), but they'll still have to prove themselves.

Portillo's food is fine, in the sense that it is a Chicago dog, a Beef, a French fry, but as with most things, if you have a local mom and pop place, chances are the food will be that much more outstanding there. In Kalamazoo, we have Ray Ray's, a local place, with simply outstanding food. But if you're in Detroit and jonesing for Chicago food, then Portillo's will hit the spot just fine. The new location will open next year, in Macomb County on Hall Road.