Friday, May 27, 2005
Chicago Food - Italian Beef
Just as Philadelphia has its cheesesteak, Chicago has its Italian beef. Both sandwiches are essentially piles of beef on a sub roll, but there are some important differences. A cheesesteak is the subject of much controversy: how to season the meat, should any vegetables other than onions be included, and of course, cheese whiz or provolone? Let us not even speak of tomato sauce.
The Italian beef is much simpler. Roll, meat, gravy. These three elements constitute the heart of the sandwich, and in my experience they are the same everywhere. Peppers are also usually available, but I consider the peppers, sweet or hot, to be optional. Usually they are pretty badly cooked, so there's not much lost if you omit them.
The meat is thinly sliced beef, kept hot in the "gravy", which is a thin sauce of oil, garlic and Italian herbs. The beef is piled on a sub roll, and the gravy is either ladled on (this is the standard preparation) or the entire sandwich is dipped in the gravy. This is my favorite way to enjoy Italian beef, although it does make for messy eating.
In the Chicago area most places that serve lunch have some form of Italian beef, often advertised as simply "Beef". My favorite to date is Portillo's, but most places serve up a decent sandwich. For out-of-towners (or ex-patriate Chicagoans) you can order packages of beef and gravy from Portillos and other places for overnight delivery.
The Italian beef is much simpler. Roll, meat, gravy. These three elements constitute the heart of the sandwich, and in my experience they are the same everywhere. Peppers are also usually available, but I consider the peppers, sweet or hot, to be optional. Usually they are pretty badly cooked, so there's not much lost if you omit them.
The meat is thinly sliced beef, kept hot in the "gravy", which is a thin sauce of oil, garlic and Italian herbs. The beef is piled on a sub roll, and the gravy is either ladled on (this is the standard preparation) or the entire sandwich is dipped in the gravy. This is my favorite way to enjoy Italian beef, although it does make for messy eating.
In the Chicago area most places that serve lunch have some form of Italian beef, often advertised as simply "Beef". My favorite to date is Portillo's, but most places serve up a decent sandwich. For out-of-towners (or ex-patriate Chicagoans) you can order packages of beef and gravy from Portillos and other places for overnight delivery.
