chicago italian beef vs. philly cheese steak (Paris, Irving: buy, live)

[edsg25]

and now for a totally biased, one sided, the playing field is unevenly tipped westward, _________ vs. __________ question, let's settle the ultimate query:

Chicago's Italian Beef vs. Philadelphia's Philly Cheese Steak: who wins? and why? (comments from W.C. Fields welcome)

[chet everett]

I've said many, many, many unkind things about Philadelphia, and I meant every one.
David Lynch

[Pantless1]

Originally Posted by chet everett

I've said many, many, many unkind things about Philadelphia, and I meant every one.
David Lynch

^ this.

Philly has three things in common with Paris. 1. It smells like p*ss. 2. The people are unbearably rude. 3. Their sports teams suck.

[eating while walking]

I voted for Italian beef, so let's get that out of the way.

But the real answer is a little more complicated. If you compared any random beef stand with a random philly steak stand, the cheesteak would probably come out on top. That's cause there are a lot of truly bad beefs being sold in Chicago, usually at places that don't specialize in them. If the menu is a mile long and beef just happens to be on it, chances are you'll get a sandwich with a stale roll, super processed giardinera and rubbery presliced meat. A philly steak, though, is pretty good even when it's bad. You've got melted cheese, chopped beef and greasy onions; how bad can it ever be?

But if you're comparing a destination beef stand to a top tier philly stand, there's no contest. The beef will reign supreme.

[chet everett]

Gimme a break. I have been to Philly and even the "premier" places use some of the most disgusting excuses for "cheeez" this side of a cardboard bin of "stadium nachos" https://www.google.com/search?q=phil...w=1389&bih=810

I mean you don't have to be into artisanal hand milked cows to know that something that comes in a mylar bag is not going to win an endorsement from the Wisconsin Dairy Board Gehls Supreme Jalapeno Cheese Sauce (4-140 oz Bags)

I agree that places that are run by some nefarious losers that has a 50 item menu board where everything is going from scary looking deep freeze to microwave is NOT where I am going to get a beef sandwich (I am pretty sure most of these are run as front businesses to launder other illegal cash trade if you know what I mean and I think you do...) but thanks to the success of many smart honest businessmen in the region I doubt that there is any spot frequented by actual locals that is not withing about a 8 minute drive of a quality beef sandwich. And make no mistake, places like Portillos do make a really nice sandwich AND quality burgers AND top notch hot dogs AND nice chicken sandwiches -- the systems they have for getting orders done correctly and quickly help the have some of the highest volume quick service resturants anywhere and some locations get replenished multiple times per day.

[Lookout Kid]

Bell peppers give me heartburn and I'm lactose intolerant. Only one way to vote here!

I do like Philadelphia though. I don't know where all of the Philly hate is coming from here.

[chet everett]

Eagles fans, Sixers fans, Flyers fans ...

[Aleking]

it's all about the spicy giardiniera

[eating while walking]

Originally Posted by chet everett

Gimme a break. I have been to Philly and even the "premier" places use some of the most disgusting excuses for "cheeez" this side of a cardboard bin of "stadium nachos" https://www.google.com/search?q=phil...w=1389&bih=810

I mean you don't have to be into artisanal hand milked cows to know that something that comes in a mylar bag is not going to win an endorsement from the Wisconsin Dairy Board Gehls Supreme Jalapeno Cheese Sauce (4-140 oz Bags)

I agree that places that are run by some nefarious losers that has a 50 item menu board where everything is going from scary looking deep freeze to microwave is NOT where I am going to get a beef sandwich (I am pretty sure most of these are run as front businesses to launder other illegal cash trade if you know what I mean and I think you do...) but thanks to the success of many smart honest businessmen in the region I doubt that there is any spot frequented by actual locals that is not withing about a 8 minute drive of a quality beef sandwich. And make no mistake, places like Portillos do make a really nice sandwich AND quality burgers AND top notch hot dogs AND nice chicken sandwiches -- the systems they have for getting orders done correctly and quickly help the have some of the highest volume quick service resturants anywhere and some locations get replenished multiple times per day.

I won't pretend I'm above stadium nacho cheese. What I mean is even a bad philly with processed ingredients has some low brow appeal. Not so with a bad beef, where using lousy ingredients just gets you a lousy sandwich.

Portillo's is my favorite beef from a chain, but it depends on the location. The River North store always delivers a fantastic sandwich, plus it's fun to watch their assembly system through their kitchen window. Some of the suburban Portillos are not up to that high standard though.

My favorite beef, not from a chain, is Bob O's on Irving Park Road.

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by Aleking

it's all about the spicy giardiniera

I like giardinera but the real difference is the fact that the good places start with a huge hunk of beef and then slow roast it. The long low temperature cooking literally melts the connective tissue and fat into a gelatenous au jus that self bastes the meat in gloriously mouth coating beefy deliciousness. The same thing happens with braised short ribs or slow cooked pork in real barbeque places. The spices are secondary.

If you ever buy Italian beef from the place that sell it refrigerated for parties / catering you can tell the places that cook it right as they literally end up packing in a rich gelatinous clear solid "gravy" that is basically like beef consomme. The crappy places that do not cook long enough / low temperature will have the beef floating in blobs of gross yellow tallow. It is like the difference between a well cooked and nearly fat free Asian Pho and some low grade can of "beef" that looks like dog food

Compared to --