Really Early Breakfast - Harry's Hot Dogs 6 AM Good Friday

Let's get together for a grits-centric breakfast at Harry's Hot Dogs. Harry's opens at 6:00 a.m. - perhaps not early enough for some of you, but plenty early for Harry (he's about 90, so it says something that he even shows up before noon).


Harry's Hot Dogs
Corner of Randolph and Franklin in Chicago
Date: Wednesday, July 14
Time: 6:00 a.m.

So far it looks like only Cathy2 and I are committed here (although I'm probably going to get my pal Tim, whose office is right there on the same block, to join in). SO ... let me remind everyone that July 14 is Bastille Day, and I do believe Harry's serves FRENCH TOAST ... or would if asked to ... so just think on that. It's over a year since anyone talked about FREEDOM TOAST, and I say let's celebrate!

Well, I, my pal Tim, Cathy2 and Rich4 made it to Harry's by 6 a.m. The grits were great, buttery, and freshly made, just as I'd promised (and thanks to Jeffb for the original tip on another board). The rest of the food basically sucked. They also screwed up our orders (Cathy ordered grits and a side of hash browns, they gave her hash browns and an enormous side of grits). I was equally amused by how they handled Cathy's request for cheese grits - a slice of velveeta at the bottom of her bowl. So, if you really have a grits jones going and you're in the Loop, try Harry's. In every other way, the breakfast we had at Manny's two weeks ago was vastly superior.

Jim, glad Harry's team came through at least on the grits, especially at that early hour. To do one thing very well is really all anyone can ask for from a humble spot like Harry's, no? You and I know that grits are a rare item in Chicago, and good grits nearly a myth.

My breakfast at Harry's, when I want more than grits, is a bowl of grits with a slice of Velveeta on top, and two eggs sunny-side-up, on top of that, with lots of hot sauce. They will make this "to go" in a large styrofoam beverage cup as well, but you must give strict instuctions.

sorry to have missed the grits and even better the great company and conversation. Having been at the way to early Korean, Babba Palace, and Manny's, i look forward to the next one. Just got back from Veracruz Mexico and found a great 24 hour place where it is packed at all times for everything from cafe con leche to flapjacks to heuvos rancheros, all washed down with Modelo Especial. But hard to get there from Chicago for the 5:15am sitting.

What I love about these dead early breakfasts, I can cruise into the city in no time. I would suggest I am breaking land speed records, but like the age old question: does a tree fall in the forest make noise if nobody can hear it, I'd hate to get a speeding ticket by witness of my post!

I've learned where to conveniently buy a New York Times, without a parking hassle, just under the el tracks at Washington and Wabash. I run in, grab a paper, hand over a dollar and return to the car. Because if it is Wednesday, then it is Food Section day.

I arrived to Harry's about 10 minutes before the 6 AM meet time. Clearly it opens earlier because I could see people well into their breakfasts. I didn't want to commit to a table until everyone else arrived. So I just carefully read the signage while watching the waitress-cook stir the grits. You have to love a place with self deprecating humor mixed with their offerings:

Harry's world famous hot dogs
Under 1,000,000 sold

Official hot dog of Superbowl XX

Call ahead for pick up or delivery
782-7386

Another advantage of dead early breakfasts: parking is not a challenge. However, there are unique features to parking at Harry's. Meters are in operation from 6 - 7 AM, then 9 AM until 6 PM, at a steep 25 cents per 5 minutes. I almost got my first Chicago parking ticket, when just before 7 AM a meter maid came up to my car. I was deep in conversation with Rich4, when he remarked someone was about to get a ticket. I turned and ran to my car and popped in before the meter maid's pen hit the paper.

I had missed dinner the night before due to a board meeting, so I was hungry as a bear. I ordered two eggs sunny side up, rib eye steak, grits with cheese and a side order of hash browns with onions. The eggs were eggs (a gleaming example of a tautological argument, my newest conceptual conquest). The rib eye steak was a serviceable cut, not to be remotely mistaken with choice or prime cut. I cannot recall if the hash browns had any onion, though they certainly were not hash whites, which is worse!

The absolute star of the show was the grits. More often than not, grits need salt and butter to make them passable to me. These grits needed neither because they were already present in abundance. In fact, they had such a yellow hue from the butter; I assumed the cheese had already been incorporated into the grits. Only at the tail end of eating my grits, did I discover a piece of cheese on the bowl's bottom.

I will absolutely return for the grits. I really, really like JeffB's suggestion of those grits, two sunny side eggs and I will even dabble a bit in the hot sauce to see how it flows. I'm still a bit chili-adverse but my tolerance is improving all the time.

Due to this dead early breakfast being a bit on the late side, remember I am used to finishing up by 6:00 AM, driving home was no picnic. It took over an hour to get home. So there is some method to my madness to conduct these breakfast's so darn early.

Again, it was great to spend time eating and chatting with Tim, Rich4 and Jimfromlogansquare.

http://www.suntimes.com/business/129733 ... 25.article

Phil wrote:http://www.suntimes.com/business/1297339,CST-FIN-harry25.article

Perhaps Hizoner will move Harry's to Union St. between Jim's and Maxwell Express.

Hi,

I learned from Bob Schwartz of Vienna Sausage last night that Harry's Hot Dogs will close in March when Harry turns 100-years-old.

Regards,

Just because it's still open ...

Harry's Hot Dogs
Corner of Randolph and Franklin in Chicago
Date: Friday, April 10th, 2009
Time: 6:00 a.m.

Hi,

At 5:59 AM this morning, I loaded $2.50 in quarters to allow me a 40-minute window to breakfast at Harry's Hot Dogs. I only dined at Harry's once before, though I recognized the woman behind the counter who not only takes your order, she cooks it, too.

For $6.50, I ordered a Coke (my version of coffee), cheese grits, bacon, two eggs, hashbrowns (forgot to ask for onion) and buttered rye toast.


Since it was their last week of operation, the Coke was from a can and not the fountain. There was no ice available, which I attributed to their winding down. The bacon was precooked, though it was sufficiently crisp to make up for being warmed over. The sunnyside up eggs had runny yolks and firm whites, which lately seems to mystify some griddle masters. I don't consider a request for sunnyside up eggs so tricky a cook is challenged to keep yolks runny that the whites are served runny. I eat the whites first, then mount the yolk on the toast for a choo-choo into my mouth. A bad day is when the yolk breaks in advance of reaching the tunnel.

I remembered from my first visit the cheese was under the grits, which is just peaking out at 12 o'clock. I had to scrape the melted cheese from underneath to integrate into my grits along with added butter. Cheese grits do much more for me than oatmeal just about any day. Of course, when I make it at home it is with lots of sharp cheddar.



Maybe not the most outstanding breakfast, though it was filled with charm these long lived diners almost always have. I returned to the car with 6 minutes left.

Harry's Hot Dog's last day of operation is Friday April 17th.

Regards,

I walked by today and saw the wrecking ball tearing down Harry's. Shed a small tear since that place was such a good hangover cure.