Portillo’s & Chain present a Chicago Hot Dog High Tea pop-up | Eater Chicago

"The Chicago-born hot dog chain, which started in 1963 in suburban Chicago and has since expanded into a national fast-food power with stores in 10 states and a reported net worth exceeding $1 billion, is leaning into showcasing the city’s street foods to a national audience via branded pop-ups. As part of a collaboration with celebrity-backed food pop-up Chain, it is staging A Hot Dog High Tea — a 30-minute, 21+ experience that presents its signature items as bite-sized, gourmet tea-tower offerings: the Chicago Pup “loaded with all of the trimmings for a Chicago dog”; a miniature Italian Beef made with ribeye marinated in Jameson Black Barrel whiskey, giardiniera infused with truffle, and whiskey au jus; the chicken chopped salad fashioned as an English tea finger sandwich with milk bread and smoked chicken thighs tossed in Jameson Black Barrel Whiskey barbecue sauce; crinkle fries reimagined as a savory pizzelle sandwich filled with tomato jam; plus the popular chocolate cake drizzled with a whiskey caramel glaze. The chain’s chocolate cake also played a part on Season 1 of The Bear after Loaf Lounge co-owner Sarah Mispagel-Lustbader created the dessert for the show, its inclusion inspired by the chain’s uber-popular chocolate cake. The collaboration and pop-up series (Chicago, New York, and LA) are framed as another step in elevating the Chicago dog and other street foods into more curated, fine-dining–adjacent presentations." - Serena Maria Daniels