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Platter: Food Finds, Restaurant Reviews and Dining Trends

Wayne's World

By MICHAEL C of the Oregonian

Friday, March 21, 2008

Even during these hard economic times, a guy's gotta eat, and the all-American hot dog is, as always, an appealing choice. Enter Randy Sanders and his new Northeast Portland storefront, Wayne's Chicago Red Hots. Since 2006, the 50-year-old has enjoyed a following in Warren, just up the road. But the Windy Cindy native decided it was time to move his operation to "da big leagues" in Portland, a move completed last month.

Named for his dad, Wayne's is doing its part to meld Sanders' Midwest working-class sensibility with Portland's PC vibe. Witness a tofu dog christened the "Tree Hugger" ($4.50) sharing the menu with a classic Chicago Red Hot ($3.50 regular/$4.50 jumbo) -- a Vienna Beef dog with yellow mustard, "neon green" (don't ask) relish, chopped onions, garlic dill pickle, hot "sport pepper" and a sprinkle of celery salt, served on a steamed poppy seed bun.

But mostly the selections could make a Chi-town transplant weep with joy. You want giardiniera, the Chicago-centric spicy pickled vegetable mix? They got giardiniera. You want beanless chili? It's here, along with Italian beef, garlic fries and Polish sausages. If all that's not enough to make your Cubbie-loving heart beat faster, the fridge is full of ice-cold Heileman Old Style tall boys ($2.75; $2 during Cubs games).

Speaking of the historically hapless Cubs, all the games will be shown here -- da Bears, too -- on flat-panel televisions scattered around this simple but colorful L-shaped space. Before or after a game and a dog, the true fan will pause to contemplate the collection of Chicago sports memorabilia under a long, glass-topped counter and maybe trade memories with Sanders and other expats.

(Wayne's Chicago Red Hots; 3901 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.; 503-493-4537; open daily, www.wayneschicagoredhots.com)

_{Michael C. Zusman is a Portland freelance writer; send your insights and information to him at mczlaw@yahoo.com}.

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