I just went to Gene & Jude's for the first time. My office just moved up to the area and somebody mentioned this little hot dog stand that is dear to many, having had Food Network fame and a visit from Rachel Ray. Sadly, I've discovered that this dive and Wrigley Field have a lot in common: they're both vintage establishments with strong enough charm and longevity to mask the fact that they're actually putting forth a frighteningly mediocre product unworthy of legendary status. Gene & Jude's is a very small stand (there's nowhere to sit down and eat in the tiny place) with a super-simplistic menu consisting of hot dogs, fries, tamales, and Coke products to drink - that's it folks! The hot dogs are typical Vienna beef dogs that can be found at any other greasy fast food joint in Chicagoland, although I'll admit that they seemed to be the higher end Vienna dogs with the great casings. What was interesting though is that their dogs didn't come with the pickle spear, tomatoes, and celery salt commonly found on a ""real"" Chicago-style hot dog. The only toppings to choose from are mustard, relish, onions, and sport peppers. And if you need ketchup you're totally out of luck at Gene & Jude's - they flat-out don't carry it. My conspiracy theory is that the streamlined menu is mostly about cost savings which the owners have brilliantly marketed over the years as old-fashioned purity. As for the famous fries, they're fresh cut right behind the counter in a slicing machine for all to see as they wait in line. Pretty good flavor, but they were really greasy and some were even undercooked. They're enjoyable if you're really hungry, but they're not worthy of being called ""famous."" All in all, I think the place has its appeal because it's a small hot dog stand from the old days with lots of memories attached to it. If you took Gene & Jude's hot dogs and fries out of that old 1950's building and put them in a modern stripmall setting, the place would probably go out of business in a matter of months.
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