The once and future Sausage King of Bronzeville rules the next Monday Night FoodballMike Sulaon October 19, 2022 at 9:51 pm

The Hot Dog Box is a ketchup-safe zone.

“I know they say you’re not supposed to put ketchup on hot dogs,” says Bobby Morelli. “But I think you know I don’t really follow rules.”

As befits the Sausage King of Bronzeville—or rather, Portage Park—Morelli can do as he pleases. Since I wrote about him a year and a half ago, Morelli and daughter Brooklyn moved the exalted Hot Dog Box from its 51st Boxville Marketplace shipping container into a spiffy brick and mortar, and unleashed their loaded, quarter-pound steak Macdogs upon the Six Corners.

This October 24, they’re expanding their realm to the Kedzie Inn for Monday Night Foodball, the Reader’s weekly chef pop-up, just to the west in Irving Park.

No, there’s no ketchup on Morelli’s menu, but the Macdog can stand up in whatever he’s dressing it in, including pizza sauce, mozz, and pepperoni; bleu cheese and buffalo sauce; vegan chili and cheese; or onions pickles, cherry tomatoes, and mustard. He’s also hinting at a Chef Special: the signature Bronzeville Bourbon, with Peach BBQ Slather, fresh cabbage and carrot medley and hickory smoked bacon and sport peppers–the Macdog that started it all.

Morelli’s bringing his line of jarred sauces as well, so nobody will judge if you decide to apply THB’s smoky bacon ketchup, peppercorn whiskey steak sauce, or sriracha mustard either. Youngest daughter Bailey’s brownies will also be in the house, as well as THB’s grape Mac’alade, which Morelli recommends with a shot of bourbon. Just ask barkeep Jon Pokorny to spike it. There are no rules to break.

No preorders needed for this one. Just walk on in and place your order this Monday beginning at 5 PM at 4100 N. Kedzie.

Meantime, please gurgitate the full fall Foodball schedule, picking up again after our Halloween break:

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