We have a winner! See the results of our contest here.

Apparently, our recent hot dog feature inspired many of you. We received more than 80 entries in our Create Your Own Hot Doug’s Hot Dog Contest. We sent the entries to Doug Sohn himself, and he chose four finalists for you, the TOC blog readers, to vote on over the next week. Remember: the winner of the voting will have their dog featured on the Hot Doug’s menu for a week. But even if you don’t win or weren’t chosen as a finalist, don’t fret: Hot Doug wanted us to pass along the following:

"There were a number of great entries and it was really hard to narrow it down to 4. And you can be certain that some of the ones I didn’t pick will still be showing up on our menu at some point down the line. It is truly an inspiring list of ideas."

High praise!

So here are the four finalists. After the description of each, you’ll see where to vote for your favorite. Voting ends at the end of the day on Thursday July 24 and we’ll announce the winner on Friday July 25.

The Johnny Depp
My hot dog is named the Johnny Depp, because girls want to see a hot dog on your menu that’s named after a hot guy. This offbeat and slightly eccentric hot dog would feature a spicy lamb sausage, a sweet spread made from roasted red peppers, eggplant and garlic, with a sweet purple cabbage slaw (the recipes that I’ve found call for red cabbage in a light sauce made of sugar and vinegar, sometimes mixed with caraway seeds or a tart apple. I’ve had this sort of slaw at a Russian restaurant before). I think the purple of the cabbage against the red of the spread would really stand out. Any kind of sturdy bun would do - maybe a piece of baguette, slit down the middle? (A nod to a French-style hot dog, and our favorite expatriate).

The New Chicago
Mexican chorizo sausage, Asian pear chutney, Indian paneer cheese, chili mustard, served on a multi-grain roll. As the original Chicago dog reflected our immigrant heritage (Greek, Italian and Jewish immigrants), this encased meat reflects our new and future immigrant population. Latinos now account for 1 in 4 city residents, our Asian population is expected to grow over a third in a matter of a decade, and India presents the third largest group of new immigrants to Chicago. This new sausage celebrates this new Chicago.

La Cosa Nostra
In the sausage: chicken, pesto, roasted garlic, crushed red pepper. On top: Sauteed spinach, soft goat cheese, crispy chopped pancetta. Bun: Is there such a thing as an Italian bread hot dog bun?  Probably not, then just a regular ol’ hot dog bun. Made with love, lots and lots of love. I know I’ll be having mine with some duck fat fries, because lets face it, they make my life complete.

Hot Doug’s Dog’s Breakfast
Breakfast sausage, candied bacon, black pepper goat cheese, blackberry reduction, maple syrup. Toasted bun.