Bite Club: Deep fried Polish sausage

The verdict: The deep fried Polish we got at Jim's Original on Union emerged delicious and taut, but not much snappier than a regular griddled sausage.

• We did, however, love Jim's new-ish sport-pepper studded mustard.

The caveats: Yes, we know that deep frying can create carcinogenic compounds, hot dogs may take 36 minutes off your life and meat is bad for the environment.

• But sometimes a small Chicago indulgence can tide us over for months.

Other spots to order a deep fried Polish:

• Mikee's 1-2-3 in Pilsen — known as the home of the deep fried Polish.
• Express Grill next to Jim's Original in University Village.
• Papa Chris in Wildwood, where it's called The Big Stan.