Let's clear something up about Chicago

[Cheesefood]

This is pissing me off, kidz. I'm watching TV, and I heard the phrase "Chicago has its hot dogs" one too many times.

Here's the deal: Chicago isn't about hot dogs or pizza. Well, it's more about pizza than dogs, but that's not where I'm going.

Chicago is about the Cheesey Beef. Sorry, time to let you all know.

Chicago Style Hot Dogs are commodity items. It's always either a Dave Berg, Vienna Beef, or Kosher's Best style kosher beef hot dog with pickle relish, French's mustard, onions, sport peppers, celery salt, and tomatos. They're all the same, trust me. You either like one company's meet or the other's.

Pizza: Chicago style pizza isn't popular because it's not a travelling food. It's a stationary food experience where you need to commit time and possibly laundry towards a pizza that you can only eat 1-2 slices.

Chicago is about the Cheesey Beef. It's glorious. Roas Beef, simmered in italian spices, served on a mini-french bread roll with giardinara and cheddar cheese. Everyone claims to have the original. Everyone's taste different.

If you talk about Chicago, stop talking about pizza and dogs, and get a friggin' cheesey beef. My favorite is Portillo's, but there are a million places with a million different style. Giardinara vs. chopped sport peppers. Bread vs. Garlic Bread. Different spices for the meat. Baked on cheese, vs. cheese sauce, vs shredded cheese. You can't find two similar Beefs (as we call them). If someone if going to a chicago style sandwich shop and offers to pick up for you, tell them to get you a Beef with hot peppers.

Now, before you Right Coasters start saying "Oh, a cheese steak!" Lemme tell yous someting. Dis ain't no cheese steak. A cheese steak is cooked to order, has onions and cheesewhiz.

A Beef has meat that's been simmering and marinating for days. In fct, if you make them at home, make them the day before you're going to serve them. That meat needs to be a the top of it's game. Not even sort of resistant to your teeth. No gristle. No fat. No thickness.


So when you come here, please quit yapping about Gino's Pizza and hot dogs. Get yourself down to a down and dirty Chicago style place where you can get a Gyro, a Dog, a Polish, a Pizza Puff, or a Beef, and GET THE BEEF.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Gimme a Philly steak. Skip the whiz. Make mine a "provolone with."

 

[dibby33]

...get the beef, but not the BJ. What is up with you today MrCheesefood

 

[Travis KilPatrick]

your post is making me hungry... I think I'm going to stop by the portillos at 159th and Harlem before I go to work tomorrow night and get a beef sweet with mozzarella

 

[ScubaSteve]

Dude, I totally feel you....I went to Purdue and all my buddies from Chicago (damn near everyone at Purdue is from Chicago, Indiana, or......India) were always talking about the Beef. I like to call it I-Talian Beef, and it's a goddamn staple around my house in the cool months. We like to use a french bread loaf, Italian salad dressing mix, and pepperocini peppers (added late, using the whirlpool method ) How do you do yours?

 

[Cheesefood]

Dude, I totally feel you....I went to Purdue and all my buddies from Chicago (damn near everyone at Purdue is from Chicago, Indiana, or......India) were always talking about the Beef. I like to call it I-Talian Beef, and it's a goddamn staple around my house in the cool months. We like to use a french bread loaf, Italian salad dressing mix, and pepperocini peppers (added late, using the whirlpool method ) How do you do yours?

Get a roast beef and slice it THIN. Add it to a crock pot with 1 cup water, 1 package Au Jus and 1 package Italian Seasonings. Cook overnight on low. Turn off for a few hours, then back on High before serving.

Serve in a croissant with very little thick-shredded cheddar and giardinara.

For bonus effect, serve with crinkle-cut or waffle-cut cheesefries and a coke or a shake.

 

[ScubaSteve]

Get a roast beef and slice it THIN. Add it to a crock pot with 1 cup water, 1 package Au Jus and 1 package Italian Seasonings. Cook overnight on low. Turn off for a few hours, then back on High before serving.

Serve in a croissant with very little thick-shredded cheddar and giardinara.

For bonus effect, serve with crinkle-cut or waffle-cut cheesefries and a coke or a shake.

I suddenly feel the need to train all those around me in CPR should I decide to go for the "bonus effect"

 

[david_42]

Got that right! No food reminds me more of my childhood (just south of Chitown) than Italian Beef sandwiches! Never heard of 'Chicago-style Pizza' until I moved to New Jersey. Met my first 'Chicago-style' hotdog in San Diego.

CF - No green peppers? Someone is scamming you on that recipe.

 

[Cheesefood]

Got that right! No food reminds me more of my childhood (just south of Chitown) than Italian Beef sandwiches! Never heard of 'Chicago-style Pizza' until I moved to New Jersey. Met my first 'Chicago-style' hotdog in San Diego.

CF - No green peppers? Someone is scamming you on that recipe.

Green peppers? Nope! Giardinara.

Some people like sweet peppers. I need the burn.

 

[rdwj]

Ya, you're right - the beef doesn't get the credit it deserves and it IS a Chicago staple. I think you've pretty much sealed the deal on what I'm having for dinner tonight.

Beef with mozzarella and Giardinara!

 

[Dude]

Give me a brat over any of that stuff any day of the week.

 

[Chris_K]

Any other suggestions on locations to get some real Chicago style beef? Having moved here for school, I tired immediately of the pizza, and don't know where to start for a good beef sandwich.

 

[Cheesefood]

Any other suggestions on locations to get some real Chicago style beef? Having moved here for school, I tired immediately of the pizza, and don't know where to start for a good beef sandwich.

Mr. Beef, Buona Beef, Portillos, Rosatti's....

Anywhere. Almost any place that sells burgers and dogs should also sell beefs. And Chicago burritos are some of the best in the country.

 

[Sir Humpsalot]

Al's Italian Beef. There's one on Roosevelt Road. Towards the east end of Little Italy. On the south side of the street.

 

[TxBrew]

Do you have dried beef in IL?

Being from Iowa I came to love dried beef but here in Texas they don't sell it so family brings it back to us on trips there.

It's a happy day when I get some;

 

[rdwj]

Another Chicago great...

Ricobene's breaded steaks with mozzarella and hot peppers - MMMM-MMM Good!!

No wonder why we're all ****in' fat!

 

[Cheesefood]

Do you have dried beef in IL?

Being from Iowa I came to love dried beef but here in Texas they don't sell it so family brings it back to us on trips there.

It's a happy day when I get some;

My inlaws dry some of their meat each year. If I can get my hands on some, I'll ship you some Tx.

 

[user 574]

Hungry!

321

 

[Rhoobarb]

Okay, I'm gonna catch H E double hocky sticks for this, but 95% of the Italian beef sammiches I've had are just so-so. Greasy, lots of fat and grissle - chews like a hobo's boiled shoe sole. That includes Portillo's, Buona, Al's, etc. I like Portillo's hot tags, and Buona's shakes, but for a decent beef, ya gotta avoid the suburban chains.

You want a good beef? Try Johnnie's in Elmwood Park. They got one on Arlington Heights Rd. in AH, too.

Oh yeah, Ricobene's is great. Best sandwich of any kind in the area is the Poor Boy at Merichka's in Joliet! You have to go once before you leave this world.

 

[Cheesefood]

Oh yeah, Ricobene's is great. Best sandwich of any kind in the area is the Poor Boy at Merichka's in Joliet! You have to go once before you leave this world.

NOTHING on earth is like Merichka's. My dad used to work there. My grandma knew Merichka in the old country (Yugoslavia). We had SOOO many family and school things there.

It'll stop your heart faster than a bullet, but man is it a good sandwich.

 

[ohiobrewtus]

...get the beef, but not the BJ. What is up with you today MrCheesefood

I think cheese has a stick up his -you-know-what- today

 

[ohiobrewtus]

Mr. Beef, Buona Beef, Portillos, Rosatti's....

Anywhere. Almost any place that sells burgers and dogs should also sell beefs. And Chicago burritos are some of the best in the country.

You may think so, but if you go to Texas where the Mexican-American population is more... ummmm... concentrated, you'll find that the burritos down there kick arse. I went to a Mexican place outside of Midllothian, TX for breakfast once and it was the best damn breakfast I've ever had.

 

[Cheesefood]

You may think so, but if you go to Texas where the Mexican-American population is more... ummmm... concentrated, you'll find that the burritos down there kick arse. I went to a Mexican place outside of Midllothian, TX for breakfast once and it was the best damn breakfast I've ever had.

Don't underestimate the MA population of the Chicago area. Don't you EVER underestimate their population again. I'll F***ING kill you if I EVER catch you underestimating them. Do you f***ing hear me???

 

[ohiobrewtus]

NOTHING on earth is like Merichka's. My dad used to work there. My grandma knew Merichka in the old country (Yugoslavia). We had SOOO many family and school things there.

It'll stop your heart faster than a bullet, but man is it a good sandwich.

I'll have to check that out the next time I'm in town. One place that I always manage to hit up when I'm in Chicago is the Chop House downtown. A nice prime rib, a couple of sides and a couple of crummy brews will run you upwards of $80, but man is that a good steak.

 

[ohiobrewtus]

Don't underestimate the MA population of the Chicago area. Don't you EVER underestimate their population again. I'll F***ING kill you if I EVER catch you underestimating them. Do you f***ing hear me???

LMFAO. Sorry Cheese, I guess that there just aren't enough landscaping companies in my little town to truly appreciate the MA population in Chicago

You're one potentially violent SOB, you know that? :rockin:

 

[david_42]

Scary, I've been to Merichka's as well (a long time ago). Had to look at their site, but that sign is unmistakable.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Guess I'm the only East Coast kid here.

 

[Yooper]

Ah, Roobarb brought up Ricobene's. To me, the perfect day in Chicago is to spend some time at the Twelfth Street Beach, and then drive over to Ricobene's for the Cheesy beef and fries. Ricobene's is one of my favorites, and it's been many years since I was there. I'm craving it right now.

 

[RadicalEd]

Cheese, I take my hat off to you. Truly this is the most mis-understood part of culinary Chicago. I grew up in Oak Park myself, moving to MI only a few years ago. The deep dish pizza withdrawal came and went, sure (Edwardo's possibly makes the the best known to man, but Salerno's gives it a run for the money), but what really started to nag was the craving for a good Italian beef. I'll mention it to my friends here, and they've never heard of it; I'm always shocked. The variety we enjoyed was sans cheese, but now I want to try that out too . But slow cooked meat on a slab of french bread, dunked in a bowl of jus...It's hard to beat.

In my area there were a few Bouno Beefs but even better was Russell's Restaurant, an old family favorite. Whenever we're in town we always grab a box of BBQ sauce, we only half-jokingly call it "red gold" over here .

I've been to Ino's for a burrito or two, but I was dissappointed by the quality. Ann Arbor actually has a vastly superior group of burrito joints; even the chain Qdoba made a better burrito than Ino's.

My family's gonna move back to Chicago some time next year, though; my dad used to work at the Pfizer complex here, but he was made an offer he couldn't refuse by a nice little pharm in Chicago, after the Pfizer site closed.

 

[ScubaSteve]

Get a roast beef and slice it THIN. Add it to a crock pot with 1 cup water, 1 package Au Jus and 1 package Italian Seasonings. Cook overnight on low. Turn off for a few hours, then back on High before serving.

Serve in a croissant with very little thick-shredded cheddar and giardinara.

For bonus effect, serve with crinkle-cut or waffle-cut cheesefries and a coke or a shake.

I did this yesterday. Frickin' AWESOME. It was the slicing it thin that made the difference. I carefully (and sober) sliced a roast in the mandolin and got some relatively thin slices, and when it came out of the crockpot, it was tender as hell. Next time I'm gonna leave the roast slightly frozen in order to keep from slicing a mushy piece of meat.

 

[Cheesefood]

I did this yesterday. Frickin' AWESOME. It was the slicing it thin that made the difference. I carefully (and sober) sliced a roast in the mandolin and got some relatively thin slices, and when it came out of the crockpot, it was tender as hell. Next time I'm gonna leave the roast slightly frozen in order to keep from slicing a mushy piece of meat.

Yeah boy! Next time you're in Chi-Town I'll buy you a real one.

 

[Bernie Brewer]

Give me a brat over any of that stuff any day of the week.

Or a good Friday Fish Fry. Yummy!

 

[Cauldron7]

Been to Chi-town, and i have had the cheesy beef. I loved the hell out of it! Its all about the seasoning, amazing stuff!

but its got NOTHING on a true philly steak (by True, i mean Pats - the original --- F Genos)

 

[landhoney]

Get a roast beef and slice it THIN. Add it to a crock pot with 1 cup water, 1 package Au Jus and 1 package Italian Seasonings. Cook overnight on low. Turn off for a few hours, then back on High before serving.

Serve in a croissant with very little thick-shredded cheddar and giardinara.

For bonus effect, serve with crinkle-cut or waffle-cut cheesefries and a coke or a shake.

Great thread CHEESE! Didn't know this about Chicago. olllllo and I were talking about regional specialties and how great the web has become for finding great local places. Local people visiting all the great known and unknown spots - then posting pictures and tasting notes to let you(the viewer) decide where you want to go for that great BBQ, Cheesesteak, Dog, Pizza, whatever.
We spent a little too much time at Monk's, so I didn't get to visit the place this site: http://www.bestcheesesteaks.com/ says is the best philly on the east coast. Next time for sure.

BTW, the above sounds great except for the croissant. Is that the usual bread of choice? I'll probably just use a hoagie roll - croissants don't do it for me as sandwich breead.

 

[Cheesefood]

BTW, the above sounds great except for the croissant. Is that the usual bread of choice? I'll probably just use a hoagie roll - croissants don't do it for me as sandwich breead.

Mini french bread rolls are standard - about 6" to 8" long.

 

[srm775]

Here's the deal: Chicago isn't about hot dogs or pizza. Well, it's more about pizza than dogs, but that's not where I'm going.

Chicago is about the Cheesey Beef. Sorry, time to let you all know.

Chicago Style Hot Dogs are commodity items. It's always either a Dave Berg, Vienna Beef, or Kosher's Best style kosher beef hot dog with pickle relish, French's mustard, onions, sport peppers, celery salt, and tomatos. They're all the same, trust me. You either like one company's meet or the other's.

You're wrong and here's why. While there are multiple hot dog suppliers (Best Kosher [Sara Lee - headquarted in Chicagoland], Eisenberg, Vienna Beef, etc.) it's what's put on it and how it's prepared that makes a Chicago dog a "Chicago dog". Only in Chicago are Hot Dogs prepared that way as a rule ... NY it's sauerkraut and mustard and it's usually Nathan's (which suck). And, generally in the Chicago area, you're typically getting one of three vendors: Vienna Beef, Best Kosher (Sara Lee) or Eisenberg (portillos). Also, there are some differences ... poppy seed bun or not, steamed or not, blue relish (which is what it should be) or regular green, etc.

Pizza: Chicago style pizza isn't popular because it's not a travelling food. It's a stationary food experience where you need to commit time and possibly laundry towards a pizza that you can only eat 1-2 slices.

I rarely order Chicago Style pizza and the one place in the Chicago area that has the best (Giordano's) isn't native to Chicago. I really don't think of deep-dish when I think of Chicago food, but mostly because I think thin crust that you find a most Chicago places is much better than anywhere else. And Gino's pizza is gross and I don't know a single person that like it. The corn meal crust and sausage patty are disgusting.

Chicago is about the Cheesey Beef. It's glorious. Roas Beef, simmered in italian spices, served on a mini-french bread roll with giardinara and cheddar cheese. Everyone claims to have the original. Everyone's taste different.

Cheesy beefs are good I'll give you that, but most places get the same exact beef and giardinara also.

 

[Cheesefood]

Cheesy beefs are good I'll give you that, but most places get the same exact beef and giardinara also.

Oh no you Din-tuh!

The beef might be the same, but the seasoning is WAY different and that's what makes it. And Buona Beef's giard is WAY diff then Portillos. Buona has the best giard, with olives in it.

 

[jvh261]

<<I rarely order Chicago Style pizza and the one place in the Chicago area that has the best (Giordano's) isn't native to Chicago. >>

Blasphemy. Giordono's is the Pizza Hut and Dominos of chicago style pizza.

 

[DUCCCC]

What is it with you Chicago-ans (don't even know what to call you guys...) and claiming everything as you own because you load a simply good thing with way too much crap that was never intended to be on something in the first place?

Next you're going to be claiming your BBQ is better than the original BBQ from EASTERN NC!

 

[Rhoobarb]

<<I rarely order Chicago Style pizza and the one place in the Chicago area that has the best (Giordano's) isn't native to Chicago. >>

Blasphemy. Giordono's is the Pizza Hut and Dominos of chicago style pizza.

Uh-oh... we're on to pizza wars now!

Hey, I like Giordano's stuffed! And it is native to Chicago. The first one was opened by Joe & Efren Boglio in 1974. It isn't my favorite, but it's good. I like Lou Malnati's better and Connie's (not the crap they sell at the ball parks or grocery stores, you've gotta go to an actual restaurant) is a long-time favorite as well as Leona's.

Best thin crust - my vote is for Pat's on Lincoln in the city. And I used to love C.W. Napkins, but haven't had one in years!
Best deep dish - Lou's
Best stuffed pizza - Chicago Pizza & Oven Grinder

That's in the city. The absolute best Chicago-style deep dish pizza isn't in Chicago at all. It's Papa Del's in Urbana, IL!