Top Notch Corn Dogs, Deep-Fried Bacon, and Heart Attacks at The Wiener and Still Champion, Evanston, IL

The Wiener and Still Champion

Jessica made mention of a place in Evanston that sold deep fried bacon and then looked at me strange when I was so excited to learn that such a thing existed. Of course we had to go there, there was really no other possibility. The Wiener and Still Champion should win a prize for one of the best hot dog stand names ever, too.

I happily placed my order for Country Fried Bacon and decided to add on a Dippin’ Dog. After I ordered, I saw  photos of Guy Fieri visiting and understood that I was in the presence of something at least a little special. I don’t think I’ve seen a feature of The Wiener and Still Champion on the show, so something must not have worked out right in filming the segment or perhaps it will air in the future. I’m wondering if Guy visits more spots than actually air on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives? I guess that would make sense.

Heart Attack Platter

Sauce Detail

Country Fried Bacon is pretty much just bacon that has been freshly breaded in a batter similar to country fried steak or chicken might be. It’s thrown into the deep fryer and served up with a pair of sauces. The first was a straight hot sauce similar to Tabasco or Frank’s and the second was a mayo based tartar sauce concoction that seemed to be homemade. The Weiner and Still Champion had quite a few sauces featured on its menu leading me to believe that these were are crafted freshly in house.

Dippin' Dog

Delicious Breading

The Dippin’ Dog was the real Wiener of the meal. This was a freshly battered corn dog that came out with one of the most amazing breadings I’d ever had on a corn dog. The breading was thick, almost cake-like, a little sweet, but definitely from corn meal. The dog was juicy inside the breading, perfectly cooked. I paired it up with a side of Curry Ketchup and the combo of sweet corn bread, salty dog, and slightly spicy ketchup was perfect. The Dippin’ Dog was also quite a substantial item because of the thick breading. It would have definitely been hard to attain a triple double on National Corn Dog day if these were the corn dogs on hand.

Apparently the fries are hand cut, so I’ll have to stop back around for another visit one of these days. I just couldn’t stomach much more than I’d already ordered and tried. There were burgers and standard Chicago dog options on the menu, as well as the Chicago area classic pizza puffs. The owner told me that he’s working on the final touches of deep fried gyro, so something tells me the world hasn’t seen the last of frying innovation from The Wiener and Still Champion. On the Yelp page, someone makes mention of a secret menu that includes deep-fried chili. I think that may require a re-visit. I can’t wrap my head around what deep-fried chili might actually be.

As for Guy’s visiting, I was definitely sure that The Wiener and Still Champion clocked in well on the side of Dives in the pantheon of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. It definitely had an appearance just slightly above gas station men’s room. But any place that makes corn dogs as good as these can look as crappy as it wants. Country fried bacon is more of a dare food if you’re an experienced fried food veteran and have let your self go. The Dippin’ Dogs are really the magic here and that’s what I would come back to try.

Tags: bacon, chicago, corn dogs, hot dogs