Chicago 2024 - The Food

This is the Food portion of my trip to Chicago back in May.

Chicago has been on my bucket list for a while many as a food destination. The difference with Chicago, compared to other cities, is that it seems that they are known for their Chicago-specific staples rather than cuisines from other cultures. Although alot of their food are based on Italian cuisine, you wouldn't go to Chicago for Sushi, Thai or Vietnamese food (although I'm sure there are some good Asian restaurants). Chicago is pretty much known for the food that originated in the city: Deep Dish Pizza, Chicago Dogs, and Italian Beef Sandwiches.

When I arrived in Chicago, I planned to try to sample as much Chicago cuisine as I could but it was challenging. There were some places like SuperDawg and Gene and Jude's that were still out of the way. And as much as I would like to do a Chicago Dog /Deep Dish Pizza, Italian Beef Sandwich crawl and sample many variations of each, there were only so many hours in a day and only one stomach.

Al's #1 Italian Beef

Al's was the first stop when I arrived in Chicago (since it was close) and one of the main two Italian Beef Sandwich shops I wanted to hit.

Al's is a chain restaurant and has been established for a while. The original is based in the Little Italy area. This particular shop is in the downtown area. Nice and clean

Picture of menu for reference. One common thing I've noticed with Chicago is that the food prices are pretty reasonable

There is a certain way of ordering Italian Beef Sandwiches and if you get it down, you'll look like a local. Since I'm a social retard, I'll stumble and forget everything when I order.. You can order with hot or sweet peppers. Hot peppers is giardiniera which are pickled vegetables (usually jalepeno or seranno peppers, with celery and carrots. Sweet peppers are sautéed bell peppers. And then theree's a matter of how juicy you want the sandwich. "Dry" is little or no gravy/au jus poured on it. "Wet" is slightly dipped on the sides. "Dipped" or "Juicy" is where the sandwich is completely submerged in th au jus, making it a sloppy but delicious mess. I mixed up the terms and order it Dipped when I meant Wet. Also ordered it "Hot and Sweet".

The sandwich was absoltely delicious. The meat was so tender. The giardiniera was not too hot. Since it was dipped, it was a sloppy mess but the bread still held everything together. I've made Italian Beef Sandwiches at home, but with nothing to compare to, and honestly was disappointed. Having the real deal makes me want to try to get it as alose as possible. It really hit ther spot. One of the main things I noticed with the authentic Chicago Italian Beef Sandwiches is that the meat is sliced razor thin, pretty much shaved/Arby's style. This is one thing I will keep in mind when trying to duplicate at home

Here is an old video from Food Wars where there was competition for best Italian Beef between Al's Itialian Beef and Mr. Beef.

Al's Beef

548 N Wells St

Chicago, IL 60654

https://www.alsbeef.com/

Portillo's

Portillo's is a fast casual restaurant based in Illinois and specializes in hot dogs, Polish Dogs, and Italian Beef. It is a staple in Chicago and seems like a good place to get the Chicago based cuisine.

It was still the first night in Chicago, and even though I had an Italian Beef earlier in the evening, I had enough room for a Chicago-style hot dog.

This particular Portillos was pretty big, with a large dining area in the ground level and a second level for dining (which was blocked at this time). The menu is pretty extensive, with the usual Chicago staples (Chicago Dogs, Italian Beef, and Maxwell Street Polish Dogs) plus burgers, chicken and fish sandwiches. They also have shakes (some with whole pieces of cake blended in) and even alcohol.

I got the Chicago Hot Dog with everything on it (I opted for a lighter meal since I had an Italian Beef earlier in the day). It was pretty good. The dog had a nice snap to it. The fries were average, most likely the packaged stuff and defintely not fresh cut. Added cheese sauce and it was just there. Ity all hit the spot.

Portillo's (several chains)

100 W Ontario St

Chicago, IL 60654

Starbuck's Reserve Roastery

Starbucks Roastaries are the larger premium roasteries. There are only 6 locations (Seattle, Chicago, New Yrk, Shanghai, Tokyo and Milano). These roastaries provide a more premium experience, with an extended selection of beans (some regional or not offered at the usual Starrbuick's coffee houses). Plus there is a bigger selection of artisan pastries, plus they offer creative cocktails and dessert options, such as afrogato (hot espresso poured over ice cream or gelato).

The Chicago Starbuck Roastary has about 5 floors, each with their out service counters for coffees and pastries. Menus are strictly QRC codes. The higher levels offer cocktails and dessert options. I did not have the chance to try out the affogato flight. Each floor has a lot of seating and the furniture is pretty high-end. Still, it can get pretty packed.

A simple breakfast of a croissant and caramel latte. Leave enough room for more eating the rest of the day :D

Starbuck's Reserve Roastery

646 N Michigan Ave

Chicago, IL 60611

Mr. Beef

I absolutely love the show The Bear on Hulu. It's not a show for you if you have anxiety because several things on that show will probably trigger you anxiety, especiaslly if you've worked in a restaurant and/or have some major family dysfunctions. Luckily, I haven't worked in many restaurants for the depiction of stress to give me PTSD. And while most families have some level of dysfunction, ours didn't have that level dysfunction (especially among us siblings as we've never had any major family-altering conflicts, knock on wood). There was still some drama with family and extended family for which the episode "Fishes" in Season 2 kinda seems familiar. It's such a well done show with effective story-telling.

The Emmy nominations have come out recently and The Bear racked up quite a few nominations and deservedly so. As much as I liked Jamie Lee Curtis in Everything, Everywhere, All At Once, I didn't think she deserved the Oscar for her role (it seemed like she was given the Oscar for lifetime achievement). She definitely deserves an Emmy for her role in The Bear, especially more so in the Season 2 episode "Fishes", vs. "Ice Chips" in Season 3. For me, Season 2 was the best season, with a lot of good character arcs, especially Cousin Richie. Season 3 was a bit of a disappointment, but still good. And the food. Oh dear God the food.

As many of you know, Mr. Beef was the inspiration for the show, for which the creator of the show was friends with the familiy who owned the restaurant. It started out as a humble establishment, and it seemingly remains that way. Given the success of the show, and you can assume an exponential rise in business for them. By the looks from the inside, it doesn't seem like the fame has gotten to the business. It still seems pretty humble. Just a few posters sand pictures referencing The Bear, but everything else seems like it's been there for the past 30 years. Nothing seems to have been updated much. Souvenir pictures of celebrities on the wall and lots of memorabilia, but the kitchen equipment and the cash registers still haven't been updated since the show. And the prices are still pretty reasonable snd are not gouging the tourists now.

The main ordering area is pretty small, and not much space for actual dinng in that area. There are shelves against the wall where you can eat while standing. There asre a few stools against the wall where you can sit.

There is a larger room next door which has the "Elegant Dining Room"

It's just a really long community-type table and lots of pictures and memorabilia.

Now for the food., When you order, this is one of those places where you should know how to order, as they are usually busy and probbaly won't have patience with people holding up the line. Like Al's, you can order with hot and/or sweet peppers, and dry, wet or dipped. I am such a dork where I practice what I want to order, but when it get time to order, I totally forget what I want! They are cash only but I believe they accept cards on the weekend. They are extremely efficient and the food comes out very fast. They have a very limited menu, mainly beef sandwiches, hot dogs and sausage, the usual Chicago food staples

I was able to stop by Mr. Beef twice since it was fairly close to the hotel, and got the Italian Beef, hot and sweet and dipped.

I must say, even without the allure of it being associated by the Bear, it was a fanstastic sandwich. Better than Al's? I can't really decide. The beef was sliced so thin but it was still pretty tender. Since I've tried to make Italian Beef Sandwiches at hojme before having the real thing, I was trying to study the sandwich, and slicing it razor thin and keeping it tender are the main things thast makes the beef sandwich so great. I tried making it again at home after going to Chicago, and while I've gotten the slices alot thinner, the meat is still dry. The flavors of the beef and gravy are on point. It wasn't that spicy (which my gravy always is way too spicy). The bread held up pretty well with all the gravy. Most places get their bread from Torino. The gardineira was different from Al's in that is was mostly celery which I don't mind. The sweet bell pepper was a nice touch. And the fries, they were great. They were fresh cut and twice fried. Most of the fries at these types of establishment in Chicago have mostly been fantastic. It is an extremely satisfying sandwich and I will keep trying to duplicate it at home.

The place has a lot of personality and charm. It had a following even before the show, which you can tell by all the signed pictures on the wall. You can tell that the success of the show hasn't gone to their heads. From the video below, most of the employees haven't seen the show. At it's heart, Mr. Beef is still a humble, family-owned restaurant, with the son carrying the torch from his father.

The owner Chris Zucchero mentioned that a few years ago, they were asked to do an episode of Food Wars against Al's Italian Beef (which he was not fond of the idea). Mr. Beef was victorious. It seemed the rivalry was manufacturedI by the show as it seems that there wasn't much rivalry in real life. If you were to ask me which is better, I can't answer. I think both are great.

Pictured: Joe Zucchero (right) and son Chris Zucchero (left)

Go watch The Bear

Mr. Beef

666 N Orleans St

Chicago, IL 60654

Jim's Original

Jim's Original was also on my list, thanks to the show Somebody Feed Phil (which I call Somebody Punch Phil). Don't get me wrong, he does have alot of good food suggestions, but he has an personality that makes me want to punch him. Kidding, obviously.

The polish sausage (otherwise known as the Maxwell Street Polish Sausage) has been another Chicago staple. The stand originated on Maxwell street since 1939 until 1994. It has been in it's current location since 2001. It was previously open 24 hours a day until the pandemic (now open from 6am - 1am).

They have a limited menu, mainloy polish dogs, burgers, regular hot dogs, and chicken or fish sandwiches. They also have a unique pork chop sandwich (which includes the bone so be careful). There is no real dining area, just a bench area for standing room only dining (and is not covered, so unusable if it rains).

It is definitely fast food and they are set up to churn out meals at a pretty fast rate as I'm sure the lunch and dinner rush can get busy. It is one of those places where you want to get the ordering procedure down (specify "with everything" or "no onions") and not hold up the line. The grill is piled on with onions, sausages and pork chops and you can smell the aroma from a few blocks away. They are efficient so the order comes out pretty fast.

I, of course, got the Polish Sausage with onions and peppers, with fries. The fries are free with all sandwiches..

This definintely hit the spot, The sausage was pretty big, and was pretty plump. Nice snap to it and seasoned pretty well. Not salty at all. The onions compliement the sausage and cooked perfectly. The pepper was also a nice touch and was not that spicy. Pretty good meal and I wish I made it back there. It's pretty close to a University so I'm sure they get pretty good business there (not to mention the late-night drinking crowd at night)

One peculiar thing I noticed, there is an identical stand next door called Express Grill, which has the same look and menu as Jim's Original.

Not sure if they are feuding brother's or cousins owning different restaurants next to each other (Like Tacos El Gordo and Tacos El G in San Diego.

Jim's Original

1250 S Union Ave

Chicago, IL 60607

Lou Malnati's

A visit to Chicago would not be complete without getting Chiacago Deep Dish pizza. The problem was, which one to get: Lou Maltani's, Pequod's (see The Bear) or Giordano's. Pizzeria Uno's (which is the inventor of the deep dish style pizza) was out of the running since I've already been to one in another state. Lou Malnati's won since it was close to the hotel and fit with the scheduling.

Deep dish is not the only style they serve, they also offer the standard thin crust. For the deep dish, they offer different topping combinations or you can build your own. They also have an option of a butter crust, which gives the crust a more flakey texture. I opted for trhe suasage and mushroom with the butter crust.

One thing to keep in mind when ordering a deep dish pizza is that it can take 30-40 minutes, so plan accordingly.

Luckily I was not full from all the eating earlier in the day. This was cooked perfectly. The sauce was seasoned very well as well as the sausage and mushroom. The crust held everything together. People who don't care for depp dish consider it a lasagne. I'm fine with that. I made deep dish pizza before ast home but this is my first authentic Chicago deep dish. Comparing both, the sauce at Lou's was a bit thinner and less chunky, and mine was a but thicker. Both are good and I'm glad I'm abke to nail the recipe at home. Italian Beef sandwich is another story....

Peqoud's was on the list but was not able to fit into the schedule. It was featured in The Bear and pretty high on alot of the local's list. From what I hear, they bake some of the cheese into the outer crust to give it a unque crunch.

Lou Malnati's

410 N Michigan Ave

Chicago, IL 60611

Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream

Jeni's Ice Cream was conveniently located next to the hotel. Lots of unique flavors and take home pints.

I decided on SuperMoon (candied violet) and Gooey Butter Cake. They added some waffle cone pieces since the waffle bowl was soft. Good stuff

Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream

871 N Wabash Ave

Chicago, IL 60611

Jojo's Shake Bar

JoJo's Shake Bar was a place I had to try but wasn't sure when I would fit it in. On the way to the River Walk, I stumbled upon it, not knowing it was on the way. I decided to visit it while I was in the area. It was early afternoon and wouldn't be crowded. It seems like it would be hopping at night but wasn't sure if I'd make it back in the area.

This place has alot of personality. Lots of 80's and 90's decorations, arcade and table games. There's a full bar and an outdoor area. This place is probably great for Birthday parties or events.

JoJo's is basically a dessert bar and their speciality are the insane, diabetic-inducing shakes. These shakes are lined with different cookies and candies. You can even spike them with alcohol. There's also designer hot chocloot with vsrious toppings and infused milk. They also have regular food (various appetizers and entrees).

I got the Gold Digger Shake (caramel toffee shake with donut hole, gold star marshmallow, toffee pretzel and Macadamia Nut Cookie). It was good but a bit much. You only live once

JoJo's Shake Bar

23 W Hubbard St

Chicago, IL 60654

The Weiner's Circle

The Weiner Circle was on my list (from what I could narrow down and schedule). One of the main reason is the video below.

The same lady from the video was working there that day. They do give a hefty serving of sass, which is part of their schtick. This place has alot of personality. It is bigger than it seems, with a fairly large dining area in the back. I hear it gets pretty colorful at night with the drinking crowd.

I get the hicago Dog with fries. What's different withthis place is that they offered grilled dogs vs. boiled ones. Nice char on the dog and a goog dog overall.

The fries were good. Fresh cut and probably twice fried. I was surprised how big the order of fries were. When the cook saw my reaction, he says "Next time I'll give you the large order!". The cook was a riot.

At the time, they were changing the display

The Weiner's Circle

2622 N Clark St

Chicago, IL 60614

Stan's Donuts

Stan's Donut was one of those places I didn't know existed but stumbled upon while walking through downton. It looked pretty good so I decied to make a stop one morning.

I must say I was impressed with this place. Large selection of donuts, both standard sn Specialty flavors with unique ingredients. They even have hand pies.

One of their speicalties is their pockets (square stuffed doughy pastry). I opted for the Biscoff Pocket. It was pretty fresh and the right amount of biscoff filling. I would have sampled more but I needed to pace myslef for the day.

Stan's Donuts

259 E Erie St

Chicago, IL 60611

Chicago was a very gastronomically pleasing city. Lots of history and culture, for which can be experienced by the food. You go there for the food that was created by Chicago, and not so much for sushi or even the high-end steakhouses. You go to the hole in the wall Mom and Pop places that have been there for years, where everyone knows everyone's name, the workers have been there for decades, making the same food with care and sometime some sass. Where they yell at you if you don't know how to order the food. Or maybe you just want a great deep dish pizza :D. A couple of things I noticed about Chicago Food: it's relatively inexpensive (most meals at the beef or hotdog places are still under $15, even with fries and a drink), and they do fries well. Apparently fries are important to me :D.

If you ever had a slight inkling to visit Chicago, definitely go for it. I had a great time and so did my stomach.