The Judas Priest concert I was assigned to cover for the Houston Press on Tuesday, October 22, was cancelled “due to unforeseen circumstances.” I was ready to rock but, as the band has famously sung over 40 years, I “had another thing coming.” Turns out that other thing was a dinnertime visit to Portillo’s on its opening night in Richmond. As fate would have it, the legendary Chicago hot dog restaurant’s Houston-area debut proved hardly different than the sensational concerts I routinely cover.
Maybe my mind was primed to write a concert review and that is why you’re getting this food review written in the style of our concert wraps. But, I think it’s more than that. Portillo’s is a culinary superstar, a classic rocker that started in 1963 in Villa Park, Illinois when its namesake, Dick Portillo, took $1,100 and a dream to eager, hungry audiences. Fans went wild, like those teens during Beatlemania. Now, it’s “on tour,” if you will, across 10 states, with 85 restaurants including the newest, right off Grand Parkway in Aliana.
Like most big music acts, Portillo’s has a megahit, the one that keeps bringing fans out night after night, and that tour de force is its Chicago-style hot dog. Like the best kind of song, it’s multi-layered but begins with the harmonious mix of a perfectly steamed poppy seed bun and a Vienna Beef frank cooked to perfection. According to this entertaining and informative mashed.com article, there’s a whole process Portillo’s religiously follows to ensure the satisfying pop you get when you bite into the frank, adding the important element of texture to taste.
That duo is topped with mustard, a wonderful relish bordering on neon green, must-have celery salt, freshly chopped onions, sliced red tomatoes, a kosher pickle and sport peppers that, until this week, have been hard to find in the Houston area. My companion, Mrs. Sendejas, and I had one each at $3.89 per, with liberally-salted crinkle fries ($2.89 for a small order) and a pop (Chicago for soda).
You can get a plant-based version or a chili cheese dog (there’s beans in the chili, y’all), but c’mon. Just look at these beauties. The Chicago dogs are so incredible I’m using Portillo’s stock photos to show their true glory rather than the meager photos I took of my meal. Same as at a concert when I’m snapping blurry pictures of pop stars, I’ll leave these images to the professionals.
Of course, we didn’t waltz right up to the register on opening night. As often happens upon reaching a concert venue, my faithful concert companion and I were met by parking attendants directing us, it was that busy at 8 o’clock on night one. So many residents from Richmond, Rosenberg, Katy, Sugar Land and elsewhere were keen on being Portillo’s first Houston patrons that it took a team of yellow-vested lot attendants to maintain some order. We were advised to park across the street at a neighboring Costco. (They too have a nice, inexpensive hot dog).
Then, as we do on concert nights, we stood in a long line and waited to enter the space. It was an hour’s wait to get through the front doors of the restaurant and it may have been longer had we elected to try one of the two drive-through lanes Portillo’s boasts.
Because we wanted the full restaurant experience, we opted for the sort of wait usually reserved for Franklin Barbecue in Austin or Truth here at home. The line snaked around the 7,700-square foot building. That gave us time to scan the menu and enjoy the buzz from foodies around us. Customers who’d already received their orders sat on a spacious outdoor patio under an awning, munching happily and bobbing their heads to the intercom’s oldies, like Jackie Wilson’s “Higher and Higher” and The Miracles’ “Shop Around.” The mood was high and why not? It’s not every day a food sensation from some other part of the world sets up shop in your neighborhood.
We recalled our first taste of Portillo’s on a trip to visit family in Chicago so we had some idea of our favorites. We decided on the hot dogs and the Italian beef sandwich with extra gravy, “The Portillo’s Way,” according to the menu. This means the sandwich ($7.79 at its regular size) gets a “splash” and isn’t doused in gravy. We’d had it before and were dying to try it again, especially since TV’s The Bear has made Italian beef a sought-out item in food cities everywhere. “Portillo’s Way” is taking time, slow-roasting its beef for four hours before packing it generously into French bread. The beef is beautifully seasoned. It’s so good I considered returning to the line to purchase a take-home package, which runs $16.99 a pound or $39.99 for 2.5 pounds.
Mrs. S and I shared an Italian beef sandwich combo (splitting 690 calories between us) and it was plentiful. Something to keep in mind when you’re ordering the sandwich – if you don’t ask for the all-important sweet peppers or cheese, you’ll get only the meat and bread. It’s fine that way – we finished it all – but we’ll have to return soon to get those tasty, hot giardiniera peppers.
The experience is so “Chicago,” I found myself wondering if the restaurant’s employees were enjoying their relocation to Houston. It took a minute for me to realize the staff was built with neighbors who were also getting familiar with the concept. According to its website, more Houstonians will have access to Portillo’s hot dogs, Italian beefs, char-broiled burgers, salads and chicken sandwiches and tenders soon, with a Willowbrook location planned next. The Aliana store will also offer catering, delivery and pickup options but it appears those services aren’t available just yet.
In Richmond, the restaurant may have tasted like Chicago, but it looked like Texas. The indoor seating area is large, with room for nearly 200 diners. Texas license plates and a corrugated tin version of the state flag adorned the walls. There’s a marker denoting Richmond’s historical importance as a cattle shipping hub. And, other bits of flair recalled being at a concert. The store has merch, just like any respectable music act, shelves where one can purchase Portillo’s caps, coffee mugs, even a food-centric alphabet book for kids. Our booth was near a large mural depicting a cowgirl strumming a guitar in a boat floating the Brazos River with lyrics from Don Edwards’ “Down by the Brazos” to remind we were in Texas and not near Lake Michigan.
We did not get to visit Smart Financial Centre for Judas Priest, but it is one of the Houston Press’s Best of Houston honorees this year, thanks largely to its efficient and friendly staff. Opening night at Portillo’s offered a glimpse of how efficient the fast-food restaurant is from decades of operations. Despite its newness and the many eager opening night patrons, things ran smoothly. No one seemed impatient or frustrated. Folks ordered and got their numbers, which they could track on video screens near the pick-up area. An employee gleefully called them up for food with sing-song verve – “Order 163, come see me!” or “Order 152, it’s time to chew!” The whole time we were in the restaurant, with all those customers, we never saw anyone complain that their meal was incorrect.
We finished things off with chocolate cake, two ways. We shared a small chocolate cake shake ($4.69), a Portillo’s go-to for dessert lovers. It’s just what it sounds like, a creamy chocolate shake up top and gooey bits of the restaurant’s famous chocolate cake packed at the bottom of the cup. We also ordered a slice of the cake ($3.89), which is made fresh daily, and took it to go, to eat at home with a large glass of milk. It was the perfect encore to a marvelous opening night show.
Personal Bias: I messaged my Chicago cousins a photo of Mrs. S and me in front of the glowing red Portillo’s sign and they were delighted. “Love that for y’all!” said Cousin Amanda, a personal family favorite, fellow foodie and Chicagoan to the core. Her mom, Debbie, recommended the Italian beef and the Polish sausage dog, which oddly was missing from the opening night menu. Hopefully it’ll be added soon.
The Crowd: Hundreds of happy Houstonians hungry for hot dogs.
Overheard in the Crowd: “I’ve never been to In-N-Out.” Someone whistling “Sweet Home Chicago.”
Random Notebook Dump: If you normally confine your Houston Press reading to the food section (we get it, the section has excellent writers doing real culinary reviews) maybe saunter over to Music and see what’s happening there. If you dig the template, check out Pete Vonder Haar’s recent review of the last-ever (maybe) Houston stop for X or maybe scroll back to my last concert review for…ready for it?…Cake.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2024.
