Boomer’s Sweet Home Chicago

The next stop on my Phoenix metro area hot dog tour list is Boomer’s Sweet Home Chicago in Glendale, AZ. I wasn’t aware of this hot dog shop until I read a small write Boomer's Sweet Home Chicago up about it in Phoenix Magazine last month. Phoenix Magazine gave it one of the best dogs of the valley status so I thought I would put it to my own test. This is a small restaurant hidden in a strip mall on the corner of 59th Avenue and Bell Road in Glendale, AZ. When I walked in, I initially received a good sign from the fact that there were a number of local firefighters putting in a large order in to go. My dining companion and I approached the counter and I asked the cashier what was good on the menu. She advised me that the Italian beef was excellent which I ordered to go, but since I was really there for the hot dogs I proceeded to order the chili cheese dog with onions and a half order of chili cheese fries on the side. Yes, I know I went a little overboard on the chili. As a side note, Boomer’s has a really wide menu that includes burgers, sandwiches, and sliders as well. My dining companion ordered the “Char” dog with mustard and grilled onions and we both sat down and waited for the server to bring the goods out to us.

Our order arrived about 10 minutes later – overall, it was pretty good. I like the steamed poppy seed bun that Boomers uses, but I think that they use a little too much chili and cheese. Now everybody knows that I like my hot dogs messy, but I had to use a fork and knife to Boomer's Chili Cheese Dog eat this one and I like to maintain finger food status with my hot dogs. The chili was pretty good, not too many beans but nothing special. The hot dog itself had good snap, but I was disappointed that I couldn’t really get the essence of the whole thing because I had to use a fork and knife to eat it. The hot dog is always the star of the show, but the toppings should complement it smartly. Same with the chili cheese fries; they were good but nothing special.

Now, on the other hand, I really liked what my dining companion had ordered; she got the “char” dog which means they char broil it a little bit

Boomer's "Char" Dog

during the process. I personally had hesitated about getting it this way because I assumed they would cut into it thereby eliminating the snap of the hot dog. However, they did not cut into it so snap was maintained very well. The grilled onions were a really nice touch to the whole thing as well. Below are some pics of the chili cheese fries and the “char” dog.

Overall, Boomer’s Sweet Home Chicago is pretty good; I enjoyed it but I probably wouldn’t make it a destination restaurant. I would probably eat there again if I was on that side of town, but probably wouldn’t make a special trip out there just to get a hot dog.