Italian Beef Sandwich (Chicago: places, hot, single)

[jonnynonos]

Nice. BTW fun walk down Grand from downtown till around Western. Old Italian neighborhood. Maybe 10 percent Italian now. Still a lot of cool stuff to see/taste.

[gomexico]

Originally Posted by jonnynonos

Nice. BTW fun walk down Grand from downtown till around Western. Old Italian neighborhood. Maybe 10 percent Italian now. Still a lot of cool stuff to see/taste.

I find the walk ... boring, for the most part. Particularly from "Downtown" west to just past the Kennedy. The Italian community is miniscule there. There might be a 5 block stretch of Grand, from, about Bari Foods to the other side of Ogden Avenue ... just past DAmato Bakery. It's not a stretch (the one suggested) that I think most visitors will be interested with.

[gomexico]

Originally Posted by eating while walking

I think part of the Portillos wizardry is their high turnover. The meat isn't sitting in the gravy for hours getting overcooked because people just keep ordering it. Also, they bake their rolls before dipping which gives them a crusty exterior which no other stand seems to do.

I think you're right. Turnover ... and high-quality ingredients/products is Portillo's key to success. I eat the hot dogs there more than the beef. I wasn't aware that Portillo bakes its bread for the beef sandwiches; I thought they purchased it. Interesting. Thanks.

[jonnynonos]

It depends what you're interested in. I think places like Salerno, Oggi, the outdoor wine garden across from Salerno, D'Amatos, Bari, la Scarloa, Richard's etc. a lot of fun.

You are right that there isn't much toward Western...I think anything Italian kind of peters out around Ashland.

I still enjoy that stretch of Grand though.

[gomexico]

Originally Posted by eating while walking

Hi, Bari is on my short list.

Bari has an excellent butcher/meat operation and from that sprang the sandwich-making. Depending on the day of week and time of day, you may have to wait 20 minutes or so for your order. But the meats/cheeses are fresh, the bread excellent. One thing I'm consistently disappointed by is the house-produced giardiniera. I rank it as the worst I've tasted in Chicago. My first-choice for a sandwich there is the Prosciutto and fresh mozzarella. Heavenly. There's no place to sit/stand to eat, however. Unless, of course, you use one of the newspaper boxes on the sidewalk out front to set things on. During warm weather months, when I head there for lunch weekdays, I sit on some stairs around the corner. Enjoy your visit!

[eating while walking]

Originally Posted by gomexico

I think you're right. Turnover ... and high-quality ingredients/products is Portillo's key to success. I eat the hot dogs there more than the beef. I wasn't aware that Portillo bakes its bread for the beef sandwiches; I thought they purchased it. Interesting. Thanks.

Hi, I didn't mean they bake it from scratch. I think it's run through the conveyor toaster before dipping.

[flamadiddle]

I never understood the fascination with Portillo's. They are ok, but I've had much better at local places around town. That's the great thing about Chicago. Every few blocks you can find a hidden gem for excellent pizza/beef/sausage.

[Irishtom29]

Originally Posted by gomexico

The Italian community is miniscule there.

They're out in Villa Park now.

[jonnynonos]

Originally Posted by Irishtom29

They're out in Villa Park now.

A guy who lives over there on Grand told me the neighborhood is around 10 percent Italian, if that.

I would guess Taylor Street is the same, or possibly even lower.

But considering Italian immigration started petering out around 1920, that is just to be expected.

It's nice a few of the neighborhoods still retain a little Italian character.

I suppose Bridgeport would be the closest thing in Chicago these days to an old Italian neighborhood similar to a traditional Italian neighborhood one might expect to find in NY. Not that they are even close to a majority, but it's still a middle class neighborhood with a fair amount of Italians and a little Italian flavor.

A few of the burbs too of course.

[Drover]

More like Elmwood Park.