Last month, in an unexplainable fit of adventure, the
Young Curmudgeon and I decided to take a daylong road trip to Chicago during
his spring break. With no agenda other
than a stop at the Chicago History Museum, we decided it would be fun to eat
our way through a sampling of the some of the quick eats Chicago is so famous
for.
Our first stop, mainly because we saw a sing for its
Shorewood location on Interstate 55, was Al’s #1 Italian Beef. Al’s has collected many accolades since it
began in 1938 as the best Italian beef sandwich in Chicago and one of the 10
best sandwiches in America, and they’re not afraid to tell you about it.
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| "Eat this sandwich, or you're terminated." |
Call me partial, but I think Central Grocery’s muffuletta set the standard pretty darn high. But, I guess it depends on what your favorite sandwich filler is.
The Als’ location in Shorewood shares a building with
Nancy’s Pizza, which upon a little research on Al’s #1 Italian Beef's website I
learned purchased the rights to franchise Al's in 1999. So, with Nancy’s and Al’s together, you kind
of have a Chicago version of what Yum! Foods does when it puts a Taco Bell and
a KFC in the same building.
This, unfortunately (and a little unfairly for first
impressions), left me feeling like this Al’s anyway was just your basic chain
fast food joint. It seemed almost too
clean and sanitized. Al’s menu featured many
of your Chicago fast food staples – hot dogs, char-grilled burgers, polishes –
but the reason we came here, of course, was for the Italian beef. Knowing we
had a lot more food to eat through before the trip was over, I ordered a
“Little Al” with provolone cheese, as did the Young Curmudgeon, and we shared
an order of fries.
After tasting what a “true” Chicago-style Italian beef
sandwich is supposed to be, I have to admit this was one of the best I can ever
recall having. I won’t go as far to say
it’s the best I ever had, but it was a memorable choice. Here’s why …
First, the Italian roll they serve it on is perfect, firm
yet chewy and able to absorb a lot of the juices that are still dripping out
after every bite you eat. That’s because
they give the whole sandwich a quick au jus dip before serving it to you. Look closely at the crappy picture I took,
and you’ll see spots on the bread where it’s still wet. The beef is thinly sliced to the point of
being shredded, but it’s generously piled in between the buns, along with green
peppers that have been simmering with it. You know a sandwich with a couple of
simple ingredients is good when you realize you don’t need to add anything else
to it.
I also want to give credit to Al’s for their French
fries, which were easily the best we had in the Chicago area that day. Al’s boasts fresh-cut fries, and they
apparently know how to do them right. The
Young Curmudgeon loves his fries, and he was very happy with these. Can’t you tell?
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| Someday, he may actually smile. |
I still like my muffuletta better, but I agree Al’s is a
worthy contender for top sandwich honors, at least in the Italian beef category. Some Chicagoans who disagree with me insist
on Mr. Beef instead, so it looks like I’ll have to make another trip to try it
out and decide for myself. In the
meantime, look for more blog entries in this series as the Young Curmudgeon and
I eat our way through the Windy City.
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1 comment:
I don't know if I've had Al's, but I do like Mr. Beef. The bad thing is I am always so full after eating there.
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