I am a twenty-something Indiana transplant with the good fortune to have moved to Chicago, where food is serious business. When I'm not eating (or planning my next meal), I'm attending law school or hanging out with my wife and two year old daughter.
@Nick Kindelsperger: You're definitely onto something. Just spitballin' here: we recommend they start serving Supreme Tamales, and order one covered in cheddar sauce on the side. That makes a complete meal, right? And even though thinking about it seems wrong, I'll bet that the shrimp with fries would be pretty amazing together.
Or, you give me 24 hours' notice and swing in over here for a side of coleslaw.
I LOVE that you said "power lunches." Makes me think of David Duchovny and Patricia Heaton in Beethoven.
@RiffHard: I was really impressed with the burger. Next time I may even splurge for the bacon.
@SaquibSaab: you know, I was honestly shocked when I found out that's what they used after the fact. Maybe it was the cinnamon sugar topping, but it was surprisingly great vanilla ice cream. Maybe the restaurant version is better? ;)
Oops, I'm mistaken: I'm thinking of a Mighty Dog– "chili-and-cheese-covered hot dog cradled in a split tamale, all nestled in a poppyseed bun."
It seems like a thing done at Fat Johnnie's on the South Side, and maybe at other places. Not exactly ubiquitous, but weirdly iconic enough (the use of the very Chicagoan tamale on a hot dog) to warrant inclusion. Maybe.
Here's the thread: http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=3932
Awesome guide!!!
Two variations worth adding:
The double dog (two hot dogs in one bun, done especially at minimalist/depression era joints)
The mother-in-law and its variations (dog, tamale, with/without chili on top
I for one can't wait to go back. And next time, I'm ordering my Double Fatso topped with Vern's (similar, but Phil says is better, to Merkt's) Cheddar.
You know, I thought the same thing until I read that Toon's uses a 'high quality' frozen version– sure enough, it was really great. Since then, I've been noticing them around more and more. Unfortunately, onion rings are so easy to screw up that I'd rather have a good frozen than bad fresh one.
Oh yeah, we were pushing all sorts of culinary envelopes that night. One of my friends even ordered the fried perch (not recommended).
@nikbronder: did you make it to the one at St. Andrew? I'm intrigued. St. Ferdinand sounds really interesting… I've never had a fish fry dinner and a show!
@deglazer: I like where you're heading with the S and P fish. I limited my search to places that did a proper fish fry (or at least ones where I could approximate one). What are some Caribbean lenten specials?
@SconnieGirl: If it's bad in MN, there's no hope for Chicago! I think that the cornmeal IS a Chicago thing, because while I certainly had breaded fish back home, it was never with cornmeal. You should give it a shot if you get the chance. The crunch is unbelievable. Sounds like you were ruined on your grandma's fish… I sometimes feel the same way about what I ate when I was younger, though I wonder how large a part my memory plays in elevating the taste…
@Dennis Lee: Thanks, man!
@tartetatin: Lemme know what you think of Calumet! Don't forget the tartar sauce ;)
@akay 1: Believe me, I feel the same way. I went to college in Mid Indiana, which is close enough to the South that it's predominantly Protestant. No fish fries there to speak of. I assumed when I moved here, there'd be one on every corner…
Re: fish and chips- they were actually excluded because of their ubiquity. If you troll the forums looking for fried fish, the knee-jerk recommendations are always for fish and chips. But those big, fat, flaky tempura-battered filets are a far cry from fish fry style fried fish, which tend to be smaller, and usually lake, filets. The goal of the guide was to make the best out of a less than ideal fish fry situation by getting as close as possible to the real deal. That meant no fish and chips. That being said, BIG & little's version was too over the top and their chef too accommodating for them not to be included.
@anysuchname: Good point- I don't really know that I'd go to a fry advertising "Chicago River caught fish." Nobody wants fish THAT local…
@katz1123: I still haven't had a chance to try walleye, which seems to be the Cadillac of fish fry fish. It's on my short list...
@Nick: I'm in talks with a portrait artist as we speak...
@katz1123: Any number of ingredients can make for great tartar sauce: onions, garlic, capers, lemon juice, fresh dill, etc. But like it or not, most fried fish isn't exactly heavy on the seasoning. I messed around with a number of recipes, but in the end, the mayo, pickles, vinegar, pepper combo lent (ha!) just the right amount of rich and tangy flavor without obscuring the mild fish. Re: the walleye: where did you grow up? Alaskan pollock was the fish of choice in northeastern Indiana where I'm from. And those individually plastic wrapped desserts were the best!
@Kate: I've been meaning to give O&E a try, though from what I've seen of the portion size, their fish and chips is a little pricy for the fish fry crowd. You should leave with an extremely full belly after a fish fry, and for under 10 bucks ;)
@Blake: It seems like breading, and cornmeal specifically, are the coatings of choice at the smaller stand places around here. I love how satisfying the crunch is! I recently saw a menu for a place like Harold's back home that advertises their fried perch as "Chicago style," so go figure. But as katz1123 mentioned, there doesn't seem to be a hard and fast rule on breading over batter: the key is in using a light, unobtrusive coating for the fish to make way for more fried fish stomach space than a rich, bubbly, tempura-style batter will. You get fuller faster on the latter. This seems to be the biggest difference between fish fry-style fish and fish and chips.
@Nick: I'm envisioning some sort of Midwest-only Newman's Own-esque artisanal tartar sauce company. Kickstarter?
HILARIOUS how many comments this has already gotten...
I'm with you– that burger does look good... Maybe next time do the reverse of the Billy Goat method and bring some fresh ground meat?
When it comes to Stanley's sandwiches, it's the only way to fly.
@DaveL: Someone ordered the ropa vieja entree next to me, and it looked awesome. I'd be willing to go back and try it as a sandwich.
@koreanbbqlove: I've been to Mariano a few times and liked it, but I wasn't as blown away as a lot of people seem to be. The sandwiches need something acidic... and I don't mean the Tapatio hot sauce I had to add to give the sandwich a bit of a kick. Maybe some more time under the press as well? Interestingly enough, they weren't renewed by LTHforum as a GNR this year. I can't say that I'm too surprised, though...
@chickky311: Thanks for the tips! I'll have to check those places out!
I second clayb! It would be really great to have recipes for Michigan and Cincinnati chili. Sounds like a job suited for the Food Lab!
cpd007: Thanks for sending this my way! I'll be sure to check these places out.
Joe.
Awesome post! I've been meaning to check this place out, and the bangers and mash is one more really compelling reason to actually get down there!
Absolutely LOVE how epic this post is! Count at least one vote for an inebriated throwdown recreation...
@cpd007: This was my first time eating at Laschet's, and I was really impressed. German food has never been something I've particularly craved, but I'm really interested in coming back here. My schnitzel came with this navy bean soup that tasted like the best homemade version of Campbell's bean with bacon soup you could imagine. I don't know if that's something you grew up on, but it was a big part of my childhood. I'd come back for that soup alone. I also heard they do a great chowder on Fridays and that their goulasch with spaetzle is really amazing. I want to check out the rouladen next time as well. Any other recommendations?
@cpd007: You really seem to know your stuff!! I totally agree with your bakery pizza comparison. I've never thought of that, but now that I think to pizza I've had at D'Amato's, there's an absolute similarity between the two.
I'd love to hear what your friends ended up thinking about the two pizzas. While I'd never compare the styles, if I could only eat one from here on out, I'd pick pan pizza in a heartbeat :)
Joe.
@Garvey: You mentioned neighborhoods as well... Have you ever checked out www.lthforum.com? They're a food forum that gets a lot of press over their Great Neighborhood Restaurant Awards that they give out yearly. This has been an invaluable resource for me since I moved here. The GNR link is halfway down on the homepage. Prepare to have your mind blown.
@cpd007: I was wondering why you were pitting Pizano's against Burt's? Pizano's does a traditional deep dish, but Burt's (and Pequod's in the city) both serve up pan pizza. The differences are pretty significant. Deep dish pizza dough is basically like pie crust: butter cut into flour that results in a crust that ranges from flaky to very crispy. Burt's and Pequod's serve pan pizza with a thicker, almost focaccia-like crust. It's breadier, with a definite hole structure. Plus, Burt's and Pequod's signature touch is in the outer crust. The outer rim of the pizza dough that comes in contact with the pans are sprinkled with a generous amount of shredded sharp Italian cheese that caramelizes to a very dark brown. It's the best part of pan pizza, once you get over the fact that it looks burnt.
In short, I think that you may be comparing apples to oranges by pitting Pizano's against Burt's. I think that your showdown will demonstrate this.
There's a growing number of us that want Chicago pan pizza to be its own distinct Chicago style: right up there with deep dish and thin crust. I'd love to hear what you think of all this.
Joe Roy hasn't written a post yet.
While I didn't know Will personally, I think he'd be proud that his sandwich is being ordered by complete strangers around the city. It's a fitting tribute to a person who cared deeply for the local Chicago food scene. More
Couldn't agree more with all this! It's mildly embarrassing how often I take out of towners here, but all shame melts away one bite into the beef, dipped with hot.