Mystery Diner: Jody's Hot Dogs offers variety of comfort food in a '50s-style venue

Usually, I’m not impressed when a single venue offers every choice under the sun. I mean, how can one food place specialize in everything?

But my co-workers frequently order from Jody’s Hot Dogs in Joliet, and they order more than hot dogs. In addition to any number of hot sandwiches, a fair amount of salads and wraps get delivered to our door.

I always know when that happens because the mouth-watering scent of Jody’s signature hand-cut fries comes wafting my way.

For this review, I could have ordered carryout. But I was encouraged to dine in, or – at the very least – order “to go” in person. That’s because the ’50s atmosphere and friendly, easy-going staff is half the fun. So I grabbed a hungry friend one night and off we went.

Stepping through the door felt like entering the set of a remake of “Happy Days.” The yellow and white walls along with the red and white checked flooring felt cheery under the bright lights, even though the hour was late.

A giant “Elvis” rules the far side of the room; various vintage memorabilia line the walls. I almost expected to hear “The Fonz” call out, “AAAYYYYY!”

The order-taker behind the cash register patiently waited for us to make up our mind as we perused the many choices; the workers in the open grill area next to her moved at a unhurried, relaxed, but steady pace.

Although Jody’s prides itself on Chicago-style hot dogs, we decided to veer off that beaten path. We decided on a poor boy (my friend) and a medium rare rib-eye steak sandwich (me), asking whether I could add grilled onions to the mayo, lettuce and tomato (I could).

We split a side of cheese sticks (just because) and a small side of Jody’s fries, ordered extra-crispy as another friend instructed us to do.

Our counter girl jotted our selections on a white paper bag and handed it to the grill staff. The dining room was empty, but carryout orders from other customers kept the phone ringing and the door opening.

Orders placed, we hung out on the red bar stools near the window counter and played on our phones, an ironic contrast to the ’50s decor. When our food arrived, we settled at a table and compared our selections while “Take Good Care of My Baby” played in the background.

The rib-eye and garnishes (my sandwich) arrived exactly as ordered. The poorboy came smothered in mozzarella cheese with very garlicky butter. However, my friend felt the cheese could have been melted more and the bread toasted.

The cheese sticks? No argument. My friend loves cheese sticks, which remained hot and crispy throughout the entire meal.

The fries tasted every bit as good as they smelled. BTW, Jody’s idea of a small order would be extra-large somewhere else, something to keep in mind if you decide to stop by and order a large.

My one complaint lay, not in the food or the atmosphere, but in the fact I wound up with only two of the six cheese sticks, while my friend innocently insisted they’d been evenly divided. Hmmm ...

• The Mystery Diner is an employee at The Herald-News. The diner’s identity is not revealed. The Mystery Diner visits a restaurant and reports on the experience. If the Mystery Diner cannot recommend the establishment, we will not publish a review.

--------------------------------------------

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Jody’s Hot Dogs

WHEN: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily

WHERE: 326 Republic Ave., Joliet

ETC: Multi-cuisine, walk-ins welcome, dine-in or carryout, delivery, catering

INFO: Call 815-729-0251 or visit jodyshotdogs.com.