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Worshipped Chicago Restaurant Hot Doug's Is Returning ... Kind Of

Five months ago, Hot Doug's, the holy temple of encased meats, closed. The neighborhood hotdog joint that drew customers from across the country and created lines that stretched down the tiny Avondale side street it butted up against, people were -- what's the word -- disproportionately heartbroken when it closed.

While I don't have the figures in front of me, I'd wager the people who waited in line on Hot Doug's last day outnumbered the poor saps who ventured out into the cold to vote in the mayoral election yesterday -- and they didn't even get a hot dog for performing their civic duty!

Anyway, Hot Doug's is coming back. For one day. And one day only.

On May 16th, Doug Sohn, who just returned from a long overdo vacation, will be serving hot dogs at Paulina Meat Market (3501 N. Lincoln). According to the Chicago Tribune, Paulina Meat Market and Doug will be serving some of the sausages Paulina Meat Market had once made for everybody's favorite hotdog eatery.

"I won't be there cooking," Sohn told the Tribune, "but yes, I'll be designing the sausages, chit-chatting."

Starting March 1st, you can also get a taste of Doug at Piece, though not in the form of a hot dog. He's designed a pizza for the Wicker Park pizzeria called the "Atomic Pizza!" It will be topped with pepper jack cheese, caramelized onions and Doug's very own Atomic Bomb sausage.

No matter what, you can be certain that Hot Doug's will continue to exist in the hearts of Chicagoans everywhere. Mostly in our arteries, to be exact.

I'm sorry.

Mason Johnson is a Web Content Producer for CBS Chicago. You can find him on Twitter.

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