Wow, I'm sorry for you that Oscar Meyer hot dogs were the best you could do for your Chicago Dog. How rural is it out there in Vermont? Could have used a "ball-park" style dog, ala N.Y.C., that dinky Oscar Meyer dog looked lost in your beautiful bun. And I grew up on Oscar Meyer! But Vienna Beef is king in Chicago! Buns looked fantastic, though. And I just have to mention that on the Southside they may put red sauce on their Italian Beefs but I've never had one that way and I've had beefs from joints as far "south" as Berwyn. (Which is actually a near-west suburb.) The beef is slow-roasted with all this fabulous seasoning and a "jus" is created from the drippings. (I wish I knew how.) You can order your sandwich "wet" which means they'll dip your bread in the juice. Oh it is so good, but you gotta have good bread. In Chicagoland that is Gonnella or Toscana Italian bread. Portillo's is a local chain that actually makes a really good beef. I've been wanting to try your Italian bread recipes in the hope of getting something similar to the bread used in Chgo.; it seems to have changed over the years. If the delis in Vermont sell thin sliced roast beef, don't they offer the "jus"? Ours do. It's funny, the regional differences, isn't it? Hey, I figured Oscar Mayer would be approachable to all of us around the country; if I were going with my favorite, it would be a Maine "road flare" dog, bright red and 8" long; or a Rhode Island "saugy." How rural is Vermont? Well, with WAAAAAY under a million people (under 700,000, in fact), let's say it's pretty uncrowded. Makes for a lot of nice scenery - cows and the Green Mountains and autumn foliage. The phrase "Vermont deli" is pretty much an oxymoron, so looking for "jus" with your thin-sliced roast beef would no doubt elicit nothing more than confusion. Vermont just isn't an "Italian beef, wet" kinda place... But I pledge to do my part by figuring out a roll that'll work with this sandwich. :) PJH

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