6016 Delmar Boulevard
St. Louis, MO 63112
314-721-7267
$5-10

Coming from Chicago, one of my usual diet staples that I dearly miss when I am living in St. Louis is hot dogs. They can be found all over the place back home, but rarely do I run across the encased capsules of fun down here. So in search of the delicious taste and mysterious combination of meat that comprises wieners, I located Pam’s Chicago Style Dogs and More on the far-East side of the Loop.

For a fast food joint, Pam’s is really clean and kind of cool. Pictures and giant Coca-Cola signs cover the brick walls. The place looks like it could be featured in an ad for Mr. Clean, which is saying something considering all the grease and other filthy items Pam’s deals with everyday.

As soon as I entered, the friendly host behind the counter greeted me and asked me if I had ever been to Pam’s before. After I responded no, the host decided that it was necessary to inform me of what exactly Chicago-style dogs are. A Chicago hot dog has many toppings: tomato, onion, relish, mustard, celery salt and pickles. Most importantly, no one from Chicago ever gets a dog with ketchup.

After ordering my hot dog with extra ketchup, I sat down at one of the several black tables on one side of Pam’s. After about 10 minutes, another nice employee brought me my order.

The first thing I noticed was that the amount of french fries was pretty small. I started to feel skeptical of the “Chicago style” part of Pam’s name since the fries in Chicago typically come in quantities large enough to ensure a raised cholesterol level; SNL’s “the superfans” would not be pleased.

Nevertheless, the fries were excellent. They were salty and crunchy, which in my opinion is the best combination for a good order of fries. I loved how golden brown they looked when they first came out, hot from the fryer.

Pam’s “Colossal Dog” was a foot-long hot dog on a fresh bun. There was so much stuff on it that it was too big to fit in my mouth. Perhaps they were making up for their shameful performance with the french fry quantity.

Regardless, after slightly downsizing the colossus, I was finally able to bite into the surprisingly plump and savory hot dog. I thought that with all the toppings there would be no possibility of tasting the actual meat, but Pam’s proved me wrong. Not only could I taste the meat, but the meat tasted wonderful. The millions of condiments on top performed well, too, creating a nice combination of flavors to accompany the dog. I’m a heavy eater, but even I was relatively full after finishing this dog.

Never one to stop on a full stomach, I plowed my way on to Pam’s Italian beef sandwich. The classic Chicago sandwich came piled high with beef along with sweet peppers and giardiniera (hot peppers). I ordered mine to be dipped in Pam’s au jus so that the sandwich came “wet.” This was my personal favorite. Without being overly spicy, the peppers added great flavor and texture to the slow-cooked beef, which was so tender, it was practically falling apart.

Typically I like sandwiches to have a little crunch, but this sandwich would have to be an exception. The slightly soggy bread conformed to the meat, soaking up its flavor and making every bite a meat-lover’s dream, and the peppers provided all the crunch I needed.

Pam’s is a little bit out of the way, but the food, service and reasonable prices make it well worth the slight hassle it takes to get there. If you are ever on the Loop and looking for a good beef product, check out Pam’s.