Late in 2010, Dr. Dawg opened up on Milwaukee’s north side. I really enjoyed their Chicago-style hot dogs with all the fixins and Sprecher root beer on-tap. A little while later, I went back to test out the Doctor’s Italian beef.

Can I get an “Mmm, good”?

Dr. Dawg’s Italian beef comes in three sizes: 5-inch, 7-inch and “Da Big 12.” Slow-roasted, paper-thin slices of tender beef are piled high on a cushy, fresh Italian roll. Also slathered on top of the sandwich is your pick of sweet peppers or spicy giardiniera.

Your next option is to have your sandwich dry (just a little bit of au jus), juicy (a full ladle of gravy) or a soaker (just dip that whole mutha in the sauce, folks). I went for juicy.

The bread sopped up all the gravy and was falling apart. It was absolutely wonderful. Napkins are a MUST.

I also enjoyed a heaping helping of Dr. Dawg’s garlic-rosemary fries with my sandwich.

If there are any vampires near you while eating these fries, they’re toast. These suckers are full of garlicky flavor and fragrance. I didn’t catch that much rosemary since I was being overwhelmed with the garlic, but I didn’t really mind. The fries are fresh, hand-cut and have the perfect crispy crust with a touch of salt.

A small bag of fries is huge. I can’t even begin to fathom how big a “pile” is. I had enough to take home to munch on later.

Overall, you can’t go wrong with either Dr. Dawg’s hot dogs or Italian beef. It’s truly a gem on Milwaukee’s North Shore. Learn more at www.drdawg.net.