[REVIEW] Chicago Italian Beef Sandwich

[pinback]

Other than the "deep dish" pizza, the food most closely associated with Chicago is the "italian beef" sandwich. I actually had one in Boulder, Colorado, when the "Old Chicago" chain of pizza joints offered one as a special, and I thought it was the best thing I'd ever had. I knew it wasn't the "real thing", though, so upon arriving at Midway yesterday, I was figuratively, but not literally, counting the seconds before I got to try a "real one".

Now, there ARE world-famous places to get this stuff. "Mr. Beef". "Al's #1". The names are as well-known as "Pat's King of Steaks" in Philly, or Nick Tahou in Rochester. I threw that last one out for you guys.

We'd been walking around downtown all morning, though, and by the time we hit the Navy Pier, we were ready to sit down for some lunch.

1. One place you don't want to get Beef is at a sit-down joint. It's meant to be cheap, to be purchased at some variety of stand or other, and be eaten on the street, with juice dribbling down your arms onto the pavement below.

The Navy Pier is a touristy spot, but we were pretty desperate at that point.

2. One place you don't want to get Beef is at a touristy spot.

But there was Harry Caray's Tavern, and there were plenty of seats in the cool A/C'ed interior. When we finally sat down at our high-top in the bar, we notice the bar was actually connected to the inside of a mall.

3. One place you don't want to get Beef is at a mall.

We got our menus. We picked our beverages. I saw Beef was on the menu. I was a little worried, but I asked our waiter, compared to other places, more famous places, how was the Beef here? He said, you know, it's... he thought it was good.

4. One place you don't want to get Beef is where the waiter says "you know, it's... I think it's good."

Against my better judgement, I ordered it. He suggested I get it "soaked", which I was going to do anyway, before he suggested it. "Soaked" or "wet", in Beef-talk means that after the beef is loaded into the roll, the entire sandwich is dipped into a vat of jus, making the entire thing a sopping wet mess. This is the whole point. So of course I ordered it wet.

When it came, it was not wet.

5. One place you don't want to get Beef is where the waiter suggests you get it wet, you order it that way, and they still don't do it for you.

I looked around for our waiter, but he had split. I asked the bartender for help, she said she'd just have him bring me more jus.

6. One place you don't want to get Beef is where their solution for screwing up your order is not fixing your order, but instead just-- well, you get the idea.

Frustration was setting in, but finally I got a big extra bowl of jus, and I pour the shit all over the sandwich until it was like Italian Beef Sandwich Soup.

Here's my review:

I had the worst Italian Beef sandwich in Chicago, ordered from the worst place, at the worst time, with the worst customer service.

FIVE FUCKING STARS. One of the most memorably awesome sandwiches I've ever eaten.

Love this town.

[Flack]

The last time we were at Navy Pier we ate at the Billy Goat Tavern & Grill. It's the place the old SNL skit (cheeburger cheeburger cheeburger) was based on (and there are signs all over the place reminding you as much).

My absolutely favorite place to get Italian beef sandwiches in Chicago is at a place called the Oasis Beef Hut. It's way far away from where you guys are staying and not worth the drive, but you don't have to order it "wet" there, that's for sure. It's just kind of understood.

There's a chain up that way called Andy's Hot Dogs that sells hot dogs (duh) and beef sandwiches. It's a chain and fast foodish, but we always hit it and it's always good.

If you are where I think you are, check out Luke's Italian Beef (get the cheese fries). Last time we ate at Taco Fresca on State street which was ... eh. I had a hot dog, Susan had the shrimp tacos.

I know you mentioned Al's and Mr. Beef's but IMHO Portillo's is better.

Jesus Christ I'm going to drive to Chicago tonight.

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

Fuck it, we're all going to Chicago. I've never been, except for the execrable half-dozen times I've been there because I had a stopover for a flight into Rochester.

(Actually, next time I fly home I'm getting a four-hour layover in Chicago and doing something.)

(I will never, ever extend a day of fucking flying.)

I didn't even know there WAS such a thing as a Chicago Italian Beef Sandwich. Now I must have one.

I'm glad this place is just 12 idiots yelling at each other, but sometimes, like when I want to trade for a new(er) Amiga and get a sandwich sent to me, I wish there were more of us.

[Flack]

I have had an Aurelio's pizza, from Chicago, delivered to my house, in Oklahoma. They ship it overnight on dry ice and I think the delivery fee is about $40. It's worth it.

An Italian Beef Sandwich, if prepared properly, turns into a disgusting mess in about 6 minutes, give or take. When applied, the juice immediately begins systematically turning the bread into mush. It's like ... have you ever dropped a crouton into a glass of water and left it for a week? It'll be like that within 10 minutes. With each bite, juice will be dripping on your chin, running down your chest, and pooling in your socks.

Sam's Club (in Chicago) sells frozen Italian Beef. The Sam's Club here (in Oklahoma) does not. I do not know what the Mason/Dixon line for frozen Italian Beef is ... St. Louis, perhaps? Point being, you can buy a big tub of beef for like $15 and then make sammiches in your home for a month.

Somewhere I have this picture of a beef sandwich that I ate the last time I was in Chicago ... let me dig this out ...





Yeah. You do not want that shipped to you. THIS, on the other hand ...

[The Happiness Engine]

I'd suggest a http://chicago.seriouseats.com/2012/03/ ... hicago dog while you're there. The toppings combien to create a flavor that is unlike any other tube of emulsified meat.

[The Happiness Engine]

I'd suggest a chicago dog while you're there. The toppings combine to create a flavor that is unlike any other tube of emulsified meat.

Also phpBB does some FUCKING STUPID things if you dare mess about with the tags.

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

It ate your post like I'm gonna eat that piz--

Flack, if you win that car, I will celebrate by getting one of those pizzas shipped (to me).

[pinback]

We went to Portillo's today for a dog (Kathy) and another beef (me).

It was ridiculous. I wanted to polish off my beef with two more beefs.

I would like several beefs right now.

I don't see any reason to ever eat any other type of sandwich. Whenever I am served a sandwich from now on I will loudly complain "WHY HAS THIS NOT BEEN DIPPED ENTIRELY INTO FATTY MEAT JUICE???"

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

I gotta ask somebody. What is IN the "italian beef"?!

[Flack]

Ah, I'm glad you liked it!

Chicago Dogs are like White Castles -- they're not great, but it's kind of tradition to have one.

Sonic Drive-Ins have added Chicago Dogs and they're pretty darn accurate, down to the slice of tomato and seeded bun. I'd rather have one in Chicago, sure, but when driving 800 miles for lunch is out of the question, it's not a bad substitute.

It's pretty hard to screw one up, so you can get one almost anywhere. One of the best ones I had was from a cart outside the Museum of Science and History. I had another great one from some fast food Mexican place called Taco Fresco downtown. We always hit Andy's too, but like I said, a dog's pretty much a dog, as long as it's beef.

[Tdarcos]

I'm glad this place is just 12 idiots yelling at each other

Do you really think our combined intellectual capacity rises to the level of idiots? I think you overestimate all of us.

I'm glad you consider trusting the development of an on-line Hugo interpreter to a fellow idiot.

[Turing Test]

I'm glad this place is just 12 idiots yelling at each other

Do you really think our combined intellectual capacity rises to the level of idiots? I think you overestimate all of us.

Speak for your own programming, watson. Fail.

[pinback]

I gotta ask somebody. What is IN the "italian beef"?!

For some reason Flack answered your question by telling you what's IN a "chicago dog".

I will now answer your actual question by telling you what's IN an "italian beef", or, simply, "beef":

You take a round roast. You roast it in a huge bath of beef broth, oregano and garlic, and perhaps a couple other spices of your choice, until it is tender through and through. Then you cool it.

Then -- follow me here -- you slice it paper thin.

Then you HEAT UP THAT BATH again, which is full of all the cooking juices and beefy goodness.

Then you take a bunch of that thin beef and heat it up by dunking it back in the bath for a minute.

Then you take an italian roll and stuff it full of the beef.

Then -- and I can't stress this enough -- you dunk the entire fucking thing back in the bath.

Then you top with a mixture of pickled peppers, or "giardinara".

Then you grab 182 napkins and attempt to eat it without ruining your entire wardrobe for the day.

Flack? That it, more or less? I feel like I nailed it.

[bruce]

[quote="Flack"
Sam's Club (in Chicago) sells frozen Italian Beef. The Sam's Club here (in Oklahoma) does not. I do not know what the Mason/Dixon line for frozen Italian Beef is ... St. Louis, perhaps?[/quote]

I'll find out if our Sam's does.

Bruce

[Flack]

Flack? That it, more or less? I feel like I nailed it.

Yeah, I think that's it. It's the most delicious meat ever, soaked in delicious juice, inside delicious bread which is also soaked in delicious juice, topped with peppers sitting on top a pile of meat and bread which have been soaked in delicious juice.

[pinback]

Sam's Club (in Chicago) sells frozen Italian Beef. The Sam's Club here (in Oklahoma) does not. I do not know what the Mason/Dixon line for frozen Italian Beef is ... St. Louis, perhaps?

I'll find out if our Sam's does.

Bruce

I would say that if the goal is to reproduce the real thing, there's really no excuse for not just reproducing the real thing. I mean, essentially, you're throwing a pot of meat and broth and oregano in an oven for three hours, slicing it, putting it in a roll, and then dunking it in the pot. Time consuming, perhaps, but not very labor intensive.

I suppose we could argue about the authenticity of the rolls, but given that the entire thing is going to turn into a soggy wet nightmare within seconds, no sense picking nits.

[Jizaboz]

I imported my girlfriend from Chicago, so I finally got to try food out there a few years ago.

Beef Sandwich:
Ate one from a place called Pepino's had plenty of that juicy stuff on it and some good cheese. She recommended I slather mayonaise on it. I think I ate on that thing 2 or 3 times before finishing. Very good. Pepino's closed a while back, but I hear another is opening or opened in Indiana.

Pizza:
I've been tempted to order a frozen pizza for around 30$ from Pizza Due. Pizza Due is basically Pizza Uno in a different building across the street from the original Pizza Uno in downtown Chicago. Only deep dish I had ever had before this was Pizza Hutt, so I was blown away. Very good sauce and VERY filling. Also, for non-deepdish I really liked a place called Stateline Pizza . It tasted home-made.

Hotdog:
Pano's in Calumet City near her mom's place... first Chicago style dog I ever tried and don't think I'll have another as good. The first time I went to this place, I tried a gyro for the first time per her request... I couldn't stomach it. Though it didn't give me gas as bad as trying White Castle for the first time.

[Tdarcos]

My particular favorite beef sandwich (sub) is the chunky roast beef sandwich from the WAWA gasoline station chain out of Wawa, Pennsylvania. They don't always have it at the one in Beltsville, MD but when they do it is fantastic, it's just like I remember from years back.

It's chunk roast beef in gravy, and if you get the image of dog food, you'd be correct. But it is delicious. In fact, I have a story (shut up with the groans).

I would stop at the WAWA in Stafford, VA when I'd visit my girlfriend who lived out there. I'd pick up one of their chunky roast beef subs, and I'd take it home. I would sometimes call them (they needed two hours notice) if I wanted one of the two-foot-long subs.

Well, I told my sister about it so she asked me to bring one home sometime. So I did. She later told me that I could have the sandwich, she'd tried a bite and it tasted like dog food. Well, that's great; it means if I leave one of the sandwiches in the refrigerator nobody is going to touch it, and when I go to eat it, it's still there!

So, anyway, I lovingly refer to WAWA's chunky roast beef sub as "my dog food sandwich."

One thing I have found in other sandwiches I've had from them, such as a chicken cheesesteak I had yesterday, that one thing that is very tasty are pickles that have pepper on them. While I do like pickles a lot, I'm not much of a pepper fan, but pepper on pickles is very tasty.

[AArdvark]

Don't you also purchase cheesecake from a gas station? Why do you do your food shopping at gas stations?



THE
SHOPPING CART
OIL CHANGE
AARDVARK

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http://www.hark.com/clips/kfmbqlzdtc-ea ... as-station

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