Chicago-style hot dog. Photo by Mark Davis

Maxwell Street Polish sausage dog.

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Texas state fair season is upon us, but you don’t have to venture far from our neighborhood for gourmet fair food. Case in point: Chicago Hot Dog. When Eddie Lee moved from Chicago to Dallas in 1990, he realized the city’s restaurant scene was missing something. “I could not find a hot dog place anywhere around here,” he says. So, about a year and a half ago, he opened his own place at the southeast corner of Abrams and Northwest Highway — but not just any hot dog joint. Chicago Hot Dog specializes in traditional hot dogs made famous by the Windy City. The undisputed ingredients are as follows: a 100 percent Vienna Beef dog, freshly chopped onion, two tomato wedges, a kosher dill pickle spear, two Vienna Sport Peppers, mild mustard, Vienna’s bright green cucumber-based relish and a dash of celery salt, all served on a poppy seed bun. The restaurant also sells the Maxwell Street Polish sausage dog, which comes with grilled onions, two Sport Peppers and yellow mustard. Patrons must adhere to the sign, which jokes “no ketchup unless under age 17.”

Three more spots for fair food

1 Lakewood Landing
From 11 p.m. to last call, this neighborhood dive bar serves hand-battered jalapeño corndogs for $2 a pop.
Live Oak & Skillman
214.823.2410

2 Alligator Café
For a Cajun spin on fried food, Alligator Café serves up adventurous dishes such as fried alligator and crawfish tails.
4416 Live Oak
214.821.6900

3 Twisted Root
You can’t go wrong at this famed burger joint, which also offers an array of deep-fried hot dogs such as the cheddar, chipotle sauce and guacamole dog topped with fried onion strings.
5609 SMU Blvd.
214.361.2910