Route 66 Prologue: Preparing to leave Chicago…after a bite (or two)

Chicago…oh, Chicago. You certainly demand an entire blog entry just for yourself. After catching a Cubs game at Wrigley (and consuming the standard ballpark fare that comes along with such an outing) on Monday night we were able to cross “attractions” off of the Chi-town list and move on to the “dining.” Some may not consider Doug’s Dogs on N. California to be the place to break one’s morning fast, but knowing that the lines grow exponentially in relation to the time of day, we made it our first stop of the day. With so many unique combinations of exotic sausages (Foie gras dog! Corned beef sausage!) and designer toppings (Havarti cheese! Shrimp remoulade!), the selection process can be difficult. We decided to go with the “Game of the Week” (proudly posted beneath the head of a stuffed jackalope?), a wild rice and asiago cheese bison sausage topped with roasted yellow pepper mustard and Chimay beer cheese. A quick stop down the road at the Bleeding Heart Bakery (advertised as a “punk rock bakery”) for a Veruca Salt (salted caramel) cupcake and a couple of cake balls (think of a moist cake, then think denser, then denser again), and we were on our way to meet up with Gregg “Chi-Town Diner” Pill and his wife Patty for an afternoon/evening of Roadfood indulgence.

First stop (and certainly one of the highlights of an all-around 5-star day) was at Paradise Pup in Des Plaines. The charburger would have been delicious on its own, but when liberally topped with Merkt’s cheddar, tomato, and grilled onions…there are few words. Equally fabulous were the char dog (dressed Chicago-style), three-way fries (with Merkt’s, sour cream, and bacon), and the fresh raspberry shake. For something totally different, we made our way to Freddy’s in Cicero, a neighborhood Italian corner store that packs a tremendous amount of home-cooked food into a very small interior. Among the highlights of this stop were the stuffed gnocchi, tomatoes layered with fresh mozzarella and prosciutto, and the multiple cups of gelato and Italian ice shared around the table. After receiving an email from Gregg nearly a month back that simply read: “My 4 words for the day will be: Hoosier Mama Pie Company,” we were psyched for our next stop. The pie company has a very small (perhaps 2 tables?) storefront on Chicago Avenue from which they serve up a long list of homemade sweet and savory pies, including our choices of banana cream, chocolate chess, and apple raspberry with pecan crumble topping. Each of us seemed to come up with a different rank ordering, but everyone agreed that the pies were top-notch and worth a major travel detour when in town!

Our next stop was the iconic Margie’s Candies on Western Avenue for ice cream sundaes. Like Lagomarcino’s, they serve the hot fudge on the side—but here it’s in a silver pitcher, with ample fudge plus a delicious sugar wafer as garnish. The dish looks like a huge conch shell, and coupled with the old-timey memorabilia and fixtures, Margie’s is a must for all sweets lovers. Returning to hot dogs, we enjoyed a works dog stuffed Primanti’s-style with French fries at Redhot Ranch on Western, but the real draw here was the fabulously fried shrimp and cocktail sauce—excellent! Gregg took this opportunity to show us the Vienna Beef Factory where the Chicago hot dog magic happens, but it was all about the beef at Johnnie’s in Elmwood Park: steaming Italian beef, sopped with juiciness, redolent with hot giardiniera, cooled only by Johnnie’s Italian lemon ice with bits of rind mixed in. Does Chicago get better than this? Actually, yes it does—when we started Route 66 the next morning with breakfast at Lou Mitchell’s downtown on Jackson Street. Gregg had told us that when he was there last, The Travelin’ Man wouldn’t share his Apple and Cheese Omelette with anyone, so of course we had to try one for ourselves: Michigan sugar sweet apples topped an ultra-fluffy omelette stuffed with gooey Old English cheddar, sided with crunchy hash browns…TTM, we don’t blame you one bit! As always, a thousand thank-yous to Gregg and Patty for showing us their town. Now to actually get on the road and start Route 66!

Italian Beef Demands Recount

A recent Roadfood poll put Philly cheese steaks on top as the #1 Favorite Beef Sandwich (Non-Burger/BBQ Division). But for the 16% of us who voted for Chicagoland’s Italian Beef, we urge some reconsideration. On my way to research Iowa’s breaded pork tenderloins, I spent the night in Tinley Park, Illinois, and my hotel happened to be directly across from Pop’s Italian Beef & Sausage at 7301 West 183^rd Street. I took this as genuine RF providence and hurried into the store. Of all of the truly great American sandwiches, the Italian Beef had eluded me until this fateful night, when the staff at Pop’s greeted me as a long lost friend. “You’ve never had an Italian Beef? You haven’t truly lived, then! Let’s set this man up with his first sandwich!” exclaimed the smiling cashier. Joyfully I chose the beef and sausage combo with hot peppers, and my first bite was an utter revelation.  The tender beef, the sausage’s snap, the excellent bread softened with gravy, and the spicy tingle of the peppers all converged for a Times Square-like fireworks display for my tastebuds. This is easily one of my top sandwiches of all time, and I’ll always remember my first Italian Beef experience. “You’ll come back, won’t you?” asked the cashier on my way out. Thank you, Pop’s, for changing my RF life!

Favorite Beef Sandwich (Non-Burger/BBQ Division)

The great Philly cheesesteak was chosen as Roadfooders’ favorite beef sandwich in the Roadfood.com poll that just ended.  It’s hard to resist that combination of drippy cheese, well-cooked onions, and cheap but beefy tasting meat on a fresh, chewy roll.  The cheesesteak has become something of a national sandwich over the last few years, hasn’t it?  You can pretty much find it wherever hot subs are sold in this country but, for our money, we still only order one in the Delaware Valley.  Just never seems right to us elsewhere.  The French Dip pops up away from the Pacific coast but you rarely see an Italian beef outside of Chicagoland.  Will Italian beef be the next big breakout sandwich?

Hear It From Mr. Beef Himself

Joe Zucchero, co-owner of Chicago’s Mr. Beef, talks to FOXBusiness Network about his loan difficulties with Midwest Bank.  The bank is foreclosing on loans of over $600,000 that matured last year.  Mr. Beef wants to refinance; the bank is refusing; fans across Chicagoland are worried about the fate of a local favorite.

Mr. Beef Faces Foreclosure; Testifies Today Before Congress

Joseph Zucchero, one of the owners of Mr. Beef, said $600,000 worth of loans matured last year and Midwest Bank is not willing to refinance them.  The bank has filed a foreclosure suit against the company.  Mr. Zucchero is attempting to find financing elsewhere.  In the meantime, he claims Mr. Beef is in no danger of closing.  Mr. Zucchero is also testifying before congress today to discuss the impact of the federal bailout funds on small businesses.

Michael Stern, in his Roadfood.com review, says "Mr. Beef is one of Chicago's premier sources of the great, sloppy and delicious Italian beef sandwich."

Messy Chicago or Neat Marin

Chuck Cohen of The Christian Science Monitor compares the food of his native Chicago with that of his current home, Marin County in the San Francisco Bay area.  Chicago's foods are drippy, juicy, overflowing messes.  Marin's vegan, vegetarian, and pescatarian (vegetarian plus fish) restaurants, on the other hand, seem to be prepared by the late Phil Hartman's Anal Retentive Chef.

California's consciousness-raising cuisine can be just too, too  much for someone raised on a soaked Italian beef and sausage combo with extra giardiniera.  He tells of one vegan restaurant with the following menu items (anyone with a delicate gag reflex should stop reading right here): "I Am Bright-Eyed" (this is pecan porridge) , "I Am Fun" (this is a slice of onion sunflower bread), and "I Am Passionate" (marinara pizza).  Of a hemp ice cream he tasted at the Marin Farmer's Market, he says, "surprisingly, it tastes worse than it sounds."

The full article can be found here.

If It's Tuesday, This Must Be a Chicago Hot Dog

NBC5 in Chicago has posted a day-by-day plan for eating out cheaply in Chicago.  Monday means Italian beef, Tuesday it's Chicago hot dogs, Wednesday calls for burgers...  Other days cover pizza, fish fry, prime rib and barbecued ribs, and fried chicken.  Specific restaurant suggestions are offered for each food category/day.  Many (but by no means all) of the suggestions are listed here at Roadfood.com.  It's worth checking out if you're planning a trip to Chicago.

Pictured above is a double Chicago dog with extra sport peppers from the Vienna Beef factory store (one of the places noted in the NBC5 article).  Check out our Roadfood.com review.