REVIEWS

Cheap Eats

- taken from 'What's Happening/Seattle Post-Intelligencer (Dining Out - Cheap Eats); July 4, 1997

Recent visits to Matt's Famous Chili Dogs resulted in almost daily cravings for "Chicago-style" hot dogs and spicy Italian sausage sandwiches.

Located in a tiny red-and-white hut resembling a small-town '50s drive-in at East Marginal Way and Fourth Avenue South, Matt's prides itself on its Vienna Beef and Boar's Head dogs made from 100 percent lean beef.

Order any dog "Chicago-style" and you also get mustard, sweet relish, tomato, crisp onions, dill pickle, "sport pepper" (a hot pickled pepper from Mexico) and a sprinkling of celery salt. The chili dog ($2.15) features poppy-seed bun, a mild, beanless chili and a flavorful dog. The Italian sausage sandwich ($4.60) features fennel-flavored Polverari sausage soaked in owner Matt Jones' own au jus and served with tomato, crisp onions and sauteed sweet peppers on a steamed French roll (the roll was a tad mushy on a recent visit). Other offerings include the standard hot dog ($2.45), featuring a skinless beef dog; an outstanding Polish sausage dog ($2.75) and a "fire dog" ($2.75), featuring the same Vienna Beef Polish sausage spiced with sport peppers. Also worthy of attention are a chicken sandwich ($2.45), featuring a skinless chicken breast, and a cornmeal-and-beef tamale topped with chili sauce.

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