Meat Wins!

The character of 26th and Lyndale has changed little in the last few decades. The C.C. Club still has a decent breakfast and a better jukebox. Though Oar Folkjokeopus is gone, the ancient carpets in Treehouse records steeped so long in Oarfolk essence that a sniff can bring the old days back, as you wander through the bins. But after thirty years as a vegetarian landmark, the Mud Pie restaurant has taken down its shingle.

For fundamentalist vegetarians and the carnivores who dated them, the Mud Pie for those three decades supplied a favorite meeting ground. Even hardcore vegans found multiple menu entries, while the meat-and-potatoes crowd was able to get surprisingly logy on soft, dark bean dishes rich with dairy. Complete with the occasional celebrity sighting (Jon Bon Jovi once ate there, you know), there was nothing more anyone could ask of the Pie. Except Chicago-style hot dogs, of course. Enter the Bulldog.

When Mud Pie owner Robbie Stair hung up his apron, Matt Lokowich picked up his own torch. Having always dreamed of having his own Chicago-dog joint, Lokowich had recently flirted with an offer on the West Bank’s Wienery. When the Mud Pie location opened up, he was on it like a rat on a Cheeto.

We looked in the other day. It was three hours before the dinner bell on opening night, and there were still more power tools out than menus. Lokowich chatted with me with the dispersed attention I’ve found to be characteristic of restaurateurs. He had installed a gorgeous bar, refinished the floors, and brightened the place up in a few hundred other ways. And he was steamed up on the subject of Chicago dogs. “I love Chicago-style dogs! People love Chicago-style dogs,” he said, offering his girth as proof of this fact. “It’s nice to get back to basics.”

Lokowich has gone beyond the basics. Even the most venerable wiener cart isn’t likely to keep twenty selections of cold beer on tap. Why it’s taken so long for this combination to tumble outside the ballpark, nobody knows for sure. But the marriage of Chicago dogs and a beer license is an obvious attraction in all directions.

Also beyond the basics is the honor with which Lokowich treats the heritage of the site. The Mud Pie stained glass remains in place. Since Robbie Stair has himself gone into brewing, the Bulldog will make room at the taps when his first kegs are ready. And just in case someone didn’t get the news and shows up hoping for a square vegetarian meal, the menu offers a veggie burger under the name, naturally, Mud Pie. We checked in a few weeks later to find out how the Mud Pie is selling alongside the dogs and roast beef. Lokowich assures us that the veggie burger is moving briskly. Perhaps even more surprising, he seems to have tapped into real demand with his “No Dog” vegetarian wiener. —Joe Pastoor