Dodos / Underdogg : Chicago

10.15.2008

Dodos / Underdogg : Chicago

Last week I was up in Chicago visiting Mariann. We saw a few shows and ate tons of yummy food. Ginny and I took the megabus up Wednesday afternoon, we had tickets to The Dodos show that evening. Ginny and I scarfed down some Popeyes on the way because food was very necessary and we hadn't planned ahead to get anything else. But that was at 2:30 in the afternoon so we were pretty hungry by the time we got to Bottom Lounge around 9:00. And Mariann hadn't eaten since lunch either so she was starving!

We knew Bottom Lounge served food, and the menu actually looked pretty good, so the plan was to get there early and eat something before the show. Unfortunately we made the mistake of checking in for our will-call tickets too early. Because Ginny is under 21 we had to bypass the restaurant area and head straight into the concert. Which was fine, except that we were starving and the only "food" available was beer. So we had some (not Ginny though, of course).

As anticipated, the show was awesome. It's amazing what the band can do with a guitar, drum set, and a trash can. Apparently the lead singer, Meric Long, was sick (mono?!). But you would have never guessed from his intensity and enthusiasm. Sweat was flying everywhere. And his voice sounded perfect. Their Bloomington show was cancelled on Thursday, which is sad for all the Btown people. They played a few older songs, but most of the set was from Visiter. It was great to see them in a small venue after watching from a distance at the Pitchfork Music Festival in July.

The show ended after midnight and by then we were so so hungry. We weren't sure where to find food since it was so late and we still needed public transportation to get home. We hopped off the blue line at Damen and, luckily, we found what we were looking for just a few steps away. Hot Dogs!

Underdogg (yes, two g's) is kind of hidden beneath Flash Taco, we were a bit confused when we walked in and saw a menu of tacos, burritos, and quesadillas. You have to go out and down the stairs to find the counter. It certainly wasn't the best hot dog I've ever eaten, but after two beers on an empty stomach, crammed in a tiny room filled with hundreds of hot sweaty people it was kind of perfect. Mariann had the traditional Chicago style dog with all the fixins. I like mine plain, charred with yellow mustard. Ginny went with the corn dog, and said it was delicious. Everything was super cheap, fast, AND came with fries. It was like $3.50 for a hot dog and fries. The french fries were obviously frozen, but whatever, they were hot and good. The reviews at Yelp are pretty mediocre, but my hot dog definitely hit the spot.