I would like to start by thanking editors Carly Boers, Penny Pollack, and Jeff Ruby of Chicago Magazine for this article and guide to sandwich life in Chicago. In the November 2012 edition of Chicago Magazine, there is an article that all sandwich lovers, foodies, and hungry hounds should take note of. It’s titled “The 50 most Savory, Saucy, Swoonworthy Sandwiches”. Yes you should find this article, read it, use it as a map for all of your sandwich needs. So, without further adieu, I bring you my take on Chicago Magazines, 50 Best Sandwiches that you should stuff in your pie hole.
Let’s start with Ricobene’s and their famous Breaded Steak Sandwich. Now, I’m no fan of chain restaurants, but Ricobene’s is not your typical chain. Ricobene’s has been in business for 66 years which should tell you that they are doing something right. They are focused on Chicago’s Southside and south Chicagoland(burbs). Ricobene’s caters to the working person, the blue collar person that’s not afraid to get their collar stained with red sauce. If you are on a strict diet, then this is not the place for you, because there is nothing about the breaded steak sandwich that says “I am trying to lose weight”. This is simple, Italian/American comfort food. They started with a generous cut of Skirt Steak, bread it, and fry that bad boy up. Then it’s placed, on a Turano French Roll where it’s topped with housemade meat sauce. Then generously sprinkled with cheese and peppers, if you wish. Of course because of the size of the steak, it’s rolled to fit into the bun. What comes next is an experience better than any Italian Beef or sausage sandwich, than you’ve ever had. The steak is tender, the sauce is tomatoey, and the cheese brings it together with a perfect balance of flavor. The steak doesn’t get lost in the flavor of the sauce and that is really important, otherwise you may as well just order a sauce sandwich, which scary enough, I’ve had this thing called a sauce bun, which is exactly that, but that’s a story for another day, or how about an experience I’d much rather forget. So, of all of the sandwiches that are listed in this article, this is probably the least intimidating for those of you that have comfort zone issues with food. And it is also easily accessible for almost all of you. So, take a look at their website and visit the closest Ricobene’s for a taste of one of the 50 Best Sandwiches in Chicago. http://www.ricobenespizza.com
Next on this short list of Sandwiches that I have conquered is the Crab Cake from Mindy’s Hot Chocolate. I would like to start by saying that this is my favorite restaurant to take people to. Mindy’s menu has a little bit of everything for everyone. And the desserts are ridiculous. This year, finally and long overdue, Mindy Segal won a James Beard award for Outstanding Pastry. So even if you don’t go for the Crab Cake or anything else, you will, no you must have dessert! I could go on and on about her food and her desserts, but I have to discuss the Crab Cake. Now, I’m a fan of crab cakes, as long as they are more crab less filler and that seems to be a problem here in the Midwest. So I had high hopes for Mindy’s crab cake sandwich, because after all, it’s on bread, so why would you have bread sandwiched between bread? This is going to be a very crabby experience I thought to myself. On one of my recent blogs, I decided that I wasn’t going to sugar coat any of my reviews, blogs, comments, etc, so here goes. It truly breaks my heart to have to say this, it really, really breaks my heart, but I was really disappointed. This is a first for all of my experiences at Mindy’s. Will it affect any chance of me going back to Mindy’s? Absolutely not! One bomb, out of many visits, well, it happens. And it could’ve been an off night, but the crab cake sandwich was exactly what I was afraid it would be, bready. I wanted the full experience of one of the best sandwiches in Chicago, so I left it on the bread, and that was bad. The presentation of the sandwich was great. The house buttered buttered bun, glistened in the light coming from the kitchen, which we were seated right next to, which added to the awesomeness of this visit. Then a nice layer of Bibb lettuce and hidden under the bun was a house made roasted giardiniera tartar sauce which added just a slight kick to the sandwich. I should’ve just pulled the crab cake from the bun and enjoyed it the way I’m used to, but then how could I rightfully blog about a sandwich. The crab cake it’s had a great flavor. It had a great balance of crab to filler, but on the bread, it was too much. But, like a good kid, I cleaned my plate and marked another sandwich off of my list. In the end, the Pumpkin Pot de creme, served with spiced cream, whiskey spiked toasted marshmallow(the marshmallows are house made), and brown butter graham crackers made up for the sandwich. Oh, I can’t forget about the Pumpkin Hot Chocolate, white chocolate with pumpkin spices and a touch of molasses, yeah it’s as awesome as it sounds. http://www.hotchocolatechicago.com
Finally, yeah, I know that’s only three sandwiches, but it’s so damn hard to just eat sandwiches with so many good restaurants in Chicago and the fact I’m trying to cook as much as I can as well. But I’m ending on a high note with a new experience for me, Puerto Rican food. At Papa’s Cache Sabroso, in Chicago’s Puerto Rican neighborhood of Humboldt Park, you will find the Jibarito. The jibarito(pronounced hee-bah-ree-toe), is a Chicago specialty. The jibarito was introduced at Borinquen Restaurant, a Puerto Rican restaurant, also in Humboldt Park. This amazing sandwich substitutes bread with fried, flattened plantains. Between the plantains you will have your choice of steak, pork, or chicken, cheese, tomato, and lettuce and do not forget the garlic mayo. I ordered the jibarito with steak and white queso. I was trying to think how these plantains would hold up to the filling without getting soggy and falling apart, but that never happened. The flavors were amazing! The steak was seasoned simply, grilled perfectly, topped with caramelized onions, lettuce, tomato, garlic mayo, and the plantains. The flavors balanced well. The mayo wasn’t too garlicky, just enough to taste it, but complimented the steak very well. The queso helped keep the toppings together, but some did fall out, which honestly is one of my favorite parts of eating a sandwich, it’s kind of like the crunchies that you used to get when you finished your meal at Long John Silvers. And I’m a big fan of plantains, so it was very impressive to see them hold up to the load they carried and still have that great friend plantain flavor despite the stuffings. All in all, it was the perfect size. As an added bonus, they included a bit of smokey puerto rican rice, and of course to stay with the them, I tried a kola champagne(I will not be traveling down the kola champagne road again. It was like a sweeter version of a creme soda). And what really added to the meal was the hospitality of our hosts. I wish I knew the owners names because they were incredibly friendly and even reminded us that the next time we visited that they are byob! http://papascachesabroso.com
I have 47 sandwiches left to try, and I will, over time, even if I hate the idea of what the sandwich is, I will still bite the bullet, because I want to. I don’t expect them all to be sure fire hits, but it could be a fun time trying these sandwiches. I’m just trying to figure out how I’m going to do this and throw in my marathon training. I’ll figure it out. Stay tuned, there will be more to come. I do hope you are enjoying the reading, and please, follow along, if you have any suggestions on places I should try, anywhere, throw a suggestion my way. I would like to make this more interactive and I’m always looking for a good road trip.
Ciao ciao!!
