Who said being stuck in the doghouse had to be a bad thing? Hand-cut fries, fountain sodas, wieners dressed in creamy coleslaw and late-night hours don't seem to bother the scores of students and bar hoppers strutting inside the DePaul area's premier Devil Dawgs.

This campus community doghouse strategically centers between the Fullerton and Armitage L stops, in a section popping with pubs but absent of late-hour eats. Nights fill with drunkards, mostly harmless undergraduates, nickel-and-diming their way in after Kelly's Pub and McGee's pull the plugs. Days see clutches of commuters, local residents with children and the mail carrier satisfying his devilish craving.

A tile-scaled, stainless steel-topped counter pitchforked before sunny yellow walls fits the walk-up-and-order idea. Picnic tables planted outside suit groups summoning the devil ... dawg, that is; it's this takeout's staple laced with mustard, onion, relish and sport peppers ($2). Among other choices: The Coney Dawg is glazed with a demonic in-house sauce. The Slaw Dog and polish include some of the other choices on a limited chalk-inscribed menu. And if you didn't get the cheese fries, made from a perfected special cheese recipe, you're not getting the whole experience.

Driving by? Make use of any street parking available, or surrender to the pay box alternative. Delivery is in the works.

Average cost: <$10

Centerstage Reviewer: David-Anthony Gonzalez