Rudolph steps up to plate
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http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/1676 ... 11.article)
December 11, 2006
BY JANET RAUSA FULLER Staff Reporter
Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer had a very shiny nose -- and a coat of mustard and grilled onions.
That's the gist of a menu special being offered through December at fRedhots and Fries, a hot dog stand in Glenview -- a reindeer hot dog dressed the way Alaskans like it, in a poppyseed bun the way Chicagoans like it.
FRedhots owner Fred Markoff, 49, first tasted a reindeer hot dog in 2003 while skiing in Anchorage and decided he should serve it at his stand, which opened in October. Markoff also sells a smoked alligator and pork sausage and a buffalo bratwurst with pomegranate-infused sauerkraut. He is awaiting a shipment of caribou sausage patties, for a possible hoagie special.
"When you think about it, meat is meat, and it gets its flavor from its seasoning," he said.
Other meats included
The reindeer dog, which costs $8, is made by Indian Valley Meats of Indian, Alaska.
It's actually a blend of reindeer meat, beef and pork. Because reindeer meat is so lean, it needs fat to add flavor. An all-reindeer hot dog would just taste like "rubber," said Cathy Drum, whose family owns Indian Valley Meats.
The company had to reduce the amount of reindeer meat in its sausages a few years ago "because people were calling, complaining they were too rubbery," she said.
Barry Soskin, 49, a fRedhots customer who sampled a reindeer dog Friday, found the texture "tougher" than a regular red-hot but liked the flavor.
"Is it worth $8? . . . Well, I paid 10 bucks for a hamburger once that I didn't think was worth 10 bucks," said Soskin, who ate the $9 alligator sausage on a previous trip to fRedhots.
Inescapable comparison
Reindeer and caribou are the same animal, but reindeer are domesticated while caribou are wild, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Native to Siberia and Scandinavia, reindeer were introduced to Alaska in the late 19th century.
Because there's no way of getting around the reference to the beloved creature from the 1964 animated TV special, Markoff said he might stick a grape tomato and some frisee on one end of a reindeer dog for a store display.
"But the kids might not be happy with me if I do that," he said.
jfuller@suntimes.com