Bari Italian Foods

-Chicago's Italian Grocers

Welcome back, the football season has begun and with that it means the Fall is here and so is primetime grilling and Smokin' season. You can expect alot of football related food posts on chibbqking and today's is a Chicago classic that me and many, many others just cant get enough of. Bari Food's on Grand ave. is one of the few Italian grocery stores/delis left in that area and is a spot I get too more so than often during the pigskin season. It's just a little storefront that used to be easier to spot when it had a sign, but that's been gone for a while. Bari is mentioned on some printed paper plastered on the windows along with some current sales. But the fact of the matter is Bari don't need no damn sign, it's a Chicago institution that I've been going to since I was a kid. Oh and what do I think about the 2010 Bears? No comment. I could write an entire story in itself about how weird of an organization the Bears are. All of the the people running it from the coordinators to the coach to the front office to the owners, all odd. Why do they have to be so god damn weird at Halas Hall? Oh well at least I know I got Bari this season.


a Chicago legend (pic by Bertran Projects. Circa 2006)

Bari is a family owned Italian grocer known for having one of the best sandwiches in Chicago along with a great deli/butcher and most everything you need for cooking up an Italian feast . They do it all right at Bari and take hardly any shortcuts and that includes making the sausage in house and cutting meats to customers specifications along with homemade canned and bottled goods like those seen below. The super hot giardiniera is what it says it is. it's not for those who don't like it HOT. i brought a jar of this stuff to the cooks at my hotel in Jamaica and they thought it was scorching. My buddy likes to use it in his housemade marinara sauce to take it up another level. This stuff is great for tailgates and just to have in your fridge for those that think they can handle it all.


Bari makes alot of its own items

It's by no means a big place, its actually pretty small but between the four short aisles and the deli counter/butcher in back they pack the place up with a great selection of offerings. Like I said above, its a place you can go get a bunch of stuff needed for a feast or even a tailgate. I love going to Bari and the feeling it gives me of going back in time to an old school butcher and what that was like back before I was even around. The place has a great charm and real character to it.


Fresh sliced deli meats, dried sausages, salads, antipasta, they got it all


Cured sausages are big with da superfans

Perhaps Bari's biggest money maker is its deli in the back where they pump out 100's and 100's of fresh made to order subs on a daily basis. You can almost always count on there being a line to order a sandwich off the menu on the wall in back surrounded by Chicago sports memorabilia. If you call ahead they'll have your order ready within 15 minutes or so. There's never a bad time to get a sandwich from here but I love to get the three footers early Sunday morning and eat them for the first slate of NFL games.


The line extends to the aisles for sandwiches


The sandwich menu

Bari is my gold standard for an Italian sub and where I will usually end up when I'm craving one mightily. Its the use of quality meat cuts with fresh ingredients, both of full of flavor that really sets them apart from the rest. Everyone loves the Italian and it is my go to "with hot". The bread is delivered fresh several times a day from D'amato's bakery next door. It's also the sandwiches strongest quality. The crunchy French bread is the best of its kind in the city and they got it right next door whenever they need it. Always super fresh. Any best sandwich in Chicago list of mine includes an Italian from Bari. Others swear by the prosciutto and fresh mozzarella. They're all good.

Italian sub with hot from Bari

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--Tailgatin' and how to make mofos start playa hatin' (Recipes)

Located to the right of where you wait for your sandwich to be made is the butcher. This is where you go to get all of your gameday and at home grilling needs. If your planning a big Sunday night Italian dinner than Bari is a spot to shop at if your in the vicinity. Along with all sorts of specialty products you'll find some great meats and sausage. Like I said up above this place is an old school butcher and will take care of you with beef, pork, chicken and some of the best housemade sausage in Chicago. Its a S'C'&C Hall of Fame legend.

Bari's butcher case


Sausage is made fresh in house with mild, hot and Barese being available

I got a little tailgate recipe that's sure to be a go getter and instant touchdown at any grilling event. The best part of it all is you can get everything you need for this simple yet so succulent recipe at the great Bari foods. I never order Italian sausage sandwiches from restaurants or beef shacks with the exception of Combos from Johnnies. This is because this sandwich here is what I want when I am in dire need of some Italian tube steak. The Barese sausage is some of my favorite sausage of any kind. Its a little smaller and is ground with garlic and herbs and made with sheep casing as opposed to pig casing which is what they use for the Italian sausage. Both are amazing so you might as well have the two of them. Read on.

The Bari Gameday Sausage Sandwich @ Home

Bari Sausage Sandwich

Ingredients

-1 lb each of hot Italian sausage and Barese sausage from Bari's
-1 loaf of french bread from D'Amato's next door (at the moment across the street)
-2 cups/cans beef stock
-3 green peppers, sliced for sweet peppers
-2 smashed garlic cloves and some crushed red pepper

Directions

1) Start out by grilling the sausage (over charcoal for best results in taste and flavor) and sauteing the sliced peppers in a pan on the stove with oil or butter. When peppers get that nice color add in the smashed garlic and let it cook for couple minutes more. Then dump in the beef stock and red pepper flakes and let it come to an almost boil and then put the heat on low.

2) Slice bread and place a piece of hot Italian in the middle and a couple pieces of barese sausage next to it. Add sweet peppers on top and then dip the sandwich at each end into the stock and then take a spoon and pour some gravy over the sausage and peppers.

Grilled Sausage and the sweet peppers in beef stock

Always a satisfying sandwich
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-Chicago's Italian Grocers

Another Grand ave. classic

I mentioned in the post that Bari gets it's bread delivered fresh from a bakery next door named D'amato's. I also said that this is where you need to go to get a loaf of French bread for the recipe up above and any other recipe that calls for it. D'amato's is another one of my favorite spots and since it's linked to Bari and a place I visit often when going to Bari I'm featuring it on here with them. Stop here for all your baked bread needs and some amazing cookies for after the grilling fests and while your at it get some of their pizza bread, its the best snack to munch on while getting the grill and everything else ready for the festivities. As of summer of 2010 they are remodeling their location next door to Bari but are open across the street.

D'amato's pizza bread (Veggie on L and sausage on R)

Bari Italian Foods

1120 W Grand Ave # 1

Chicago, IL 60642-6048
(312) 666-0730

D'amato's Bakery

1124 West Grand Avenue

Chicago, IL 60642-5801
(312) 733-5455

Al & Joe's "Home of the Submarine"

-The Sammy's of Chi

If Italian Subs are your thing then my bad for not getting to them earlier but I'm a one man team here folks. I have 50+ places Im waiting to post about as well as the ones I hit up as time goes on making that list grow bigger by the day. I am a huge fan of Bari and have been eating those sandwiches for my whole life and its time is coming but first is a spot that is relatively under the radar. Al & Joe's is literally at the end of Addison st. right before Manheim Rd in Franklin Park and has been there since 1960. I randomly drove by this place when I was waiting out a flight delay at O'Hare and upon seeing it, knew I had to try it. Its looks as though much hasn't changed and you get the feeling from the outside that its right up my alley. A&J's is a deli that doubles as a mini grocery selling convenience goods and booze opening at the crack of dawn at 5am. It also has a restaurant connected next door that serves pizza, pasta and beer where you can eat the fresh hand made sandwiches on site.


Addison & Manheim in Franklin Park, IL

Right in the middle of the store is the deli counter where they have a nice offering of sandwich's ranging from an Italian, mile high corned beef, meatball/sausage, chix-parm, pepper & egg and the usual deli cuts. They use fresh gonnella bread and the turnover rate is fast and the fresh sliced meats paired with the homemade giardinara is one of the best sandwich's in Chicagoland. They also have homemade dessert's like canoli in the display cabinet at the register. I have only tried the Italian and a "Mile high" corned beef which is the special on Wednesday's for $6 and they have a daily special everyday that includes a sausage and pepper, meatball and some other promising offerings. I haven't been disappointed yet, the pastas looked to be huge portions and the chicken parm also looked and smelled really good but I just found this place a couple months ago so I have only been a few times when traveling around O'Hare airport to pick up or drop off people.


Update (3/28) A&J Pepper and Egg sandwich is one of the cities best

On the way home one day I stopped and picked up a lg. Alpine sub (a favorite amongst locals) to compare with a large A&Js sub and there was no comparison. The alpine sub was half the size with half the ingredients that were less quality and the bread was much better on the sub from Al & Joe's as were the hot peppers. Great place to stop before or after a flight out of O'Hare. If your coming from the lake just drive down Addison til you get to the end where it meets with Manheim Rd (It gets cut off by a forest but you can go around either way and turn back onto Addison) As far as Italian subs go its right up there behind Bari but better than the rest I have had, the oil mixture is great with the homemade hot peppers and the meats/cheese are sliced fresh upon ordering and they don't skimp on ingredients here. For the adventurous eater I would recommend you try a "Herbie" which is an Italian sub with double the meat. They already pile the meat high so I cant imagine how big this behemoth must be. I'll tackle that next time I get to eat lunch there.


Italian Sub from Al & Joe's

Anyone that wants to bring some of their "secret sandwich sauce" which is just their homemade giardinara to a friend upon leaving O'Hare or back home with you to your pantry, they sell two sizes at a really cheap price with the smaller jar being only $2.29 and the lg jar $3.49. Its really good stuff some of the best in the city and the sammy is better than anything you'll find in the airport. I really like this place so start showing them some love when your traveling around the airport.

AL & Joe's Delicatessen
(847) 678-6788
10348 Addison Ave
Franklin Park IL 60131

AL's #1 Italian Beef

--Got Beef? Italian Beef

AL's is a Chicago original, anyone born and raised in Chicago has to have been to AL's at least once in their lifetime...if not you should have your Chicago birth-rights taken away. AL's has a cult following and is loved 'til death by its fans. AL's #1 sits on Taylor St, one of Chicago's best streets to take a stroll down. In the taylor st. area there are a number of beef stands but AL's is by far the most attended and well known, both in the city and around the world.


AL's #1 IB has quite a diverse loyal following

AL's is the most unique in a good way of all the beef stands in the city. First off the beef is basically shredded as opposed to sliced paper thin and is very tender with little scraps of pieces. Whether or not you prefer it this way or sliced thin its hard to argue either is bad. The gravy has a flavor all its own and is a red color loaded with spices with a heavy fennel kick, it cant be duplicated, its a very unique flavor. The giardinara is also homemade and cut into very small pieces and is heavily coated in oil and has decent kick. Extra kudos to AL's for allowing the choice of a big beef which is 50% bigger than a normal sandwich. As far as the bread goes, with the rate of traffic of every type of person imaginable, the bread is always fresh.

Wanna make it a complete meal? get a beef with some their twice fried fries and a Italian Ice from Mario's across the street, thats about as Chicago as you can eat. Sure its a love/hate thing with AL's, with it being loved much more than hated. This is by far the most recognizable IB in the city, once you had a beef with hot from AL's you could easily identify it in a blind taste test for the better in this case. The Taylor St. area is Chicago's Little Italy and I would recommend AL's as the best place for a beef closest to downtown. I DO NOT recommend any other of the AL's other than the location on Taylor st, it is franchised and the beef can differ greatly at locations, so stick with the original. Anybody coming in from out of town can get over to the neighborhood in a quick cab ride and they will be greatly rewarded for not slouching on their taste buds.

Its nice to know that AL's will be here for the next 100 years and never fail me once during that time. Boy I could use a beef with hot from AL and a peach ice from Mario and for it to be mid August all over again with Soriano and Ramirez swinging hot bats. Its a cold-cold day in Chicago. More on this later in the week with a promise of something to help warm the chill and sting of this years team that is sure to last deep into the winter. Sox fans your day is coming...remember to wear black to your funeral later today.


beef wit hot from Al's...Im a fan

Rating Scale 5/5

beef: 4
bread: 5
gravy: 5
hot peppers: 4

Score: 18/20

AL's #1 Italian Beef
1079 W Taylor St
Chicago, IL 60607
Phone: (312) 226-4017

Beef from Pop's

--Got Beef? Italian Beef

Maybe the reason I have such a picky palate when it comes to Italian beef is because I have been exploring the different beef joint's of the city since my youth. While y'all were eating at Mr. Beef and Portillo's thinking you were heaven, I was in beef heaven. I have two favorite beef sandwiches that I was introduced to in my youth, Pop's and Jay's. Pop's is out on the south side and I would consider it the best IB out south and still in my starting five for the all Chicago beef team. I have been eating at Pop's for 15+ years. Back in the day when me and family would be at our grandma's for Sunday dinner, me, my brother and my cousins would always ride bikes over to Pop's to eat beef and gravy bread before dinner. Yes, I was taking food journeys before I even had a license.


Pop's in Beverly is one of the King's all time favorites

Pop's does everything above average and it makes one of the better beef's in the city no matter where you are. They slice their beef ultra thin and dont skim on it by any means. Im a huge fan of the hot peppers at pop's, some of the best around. This was my favorite restaurant as a kid and still one of my favorite beef joints in the Chi. It really hasnt changed aside from a few more locations throughout the area. Unlike other places that expand they seem to do the same good beef at each location. I would still recommend the original on Kedzie though. Folks on the south side are lucky to have such a good beef that hasnt changed. Its always got a constant flow of traffic and they aint dumb, they do a beef dinner to go for all the family's busy with school and sports activities. You get the beef, roll of bread, gravy and giardinara and do it all up at home. This way the wife doesnt have to cook and dad and the kids are happy, everyone loves Pop's. Ill be goin here til the day I die. Go Cub's.


beef wit hot from Pop's

Rating Scale 5/5

beef: 5
bread: 4
gravy: 4
hot peppers: 5

Score: 18/20

Pop's Italian Beef and Sausage
10337 S Kedzie Ave
Chicago, IL 60655
(773) 239-1243
www.popsbeef.com

Carm's Beef

--Got Beef? Italian Beef

Carm's beef is one of the many beef stands in the Little Italy- Taylor St. area. It sits on the 1000 block of west Polk street and has been with us since 1929. If you wanna slang a fiendish beef then it needs to be homemade, which of course it is at Carm's. They slice the beef fresh daily and put into the gravy little by little to guarantee it doesn't get rubbery and stays nice and tender. Beef shouldn't be sitting in the gravy all day unless you have a really fast turnover. Carm's is a neighborhood favorite with locals, UIC students, St. Ignatius kids and the local grammar school it sits in front of. Its roots are traced back to the 1930’s when it started as a little grocery store that made and sold Italian ice. Once UIC came around in the '60's it turned itself into a beef/hot dog stand.



Carm's was inducted into the Vienna beef hall of fame in 2006. Popular menu items include the natural casing hot dog's, subs, Italian Ice and of course...DA BEEF. I have been eating beefs from Carm since my days of basketball camp at UIC as a youth so its easy to say that I enjoy a beef from there from time to time. Anyplace thats been around since 1929 in the heart of Chicago's Little Italy deserves mine and your business. Any of you that are eating at places like Pepe's and Potbelly in that neighborhood need to hit yourself upside the head. The beef at Carm's as previously mentioned is homemade and sliced very thin, the peppers have only a medium kick even though sliced jalapeños are present along with celery but the bread is good and the gravy is very subtle in flavor so you can really taste the roast beef without much seasonings in it, not my personal preference but still a damn fine sandwich worthy of your eats. This location of Carm's is in no way affiliated with the Carm's in Hillside, IL.


beef wit hot from Carm's in Little Italy

Rating Scale 5/5

beef: 4
bread: 4
gravy: 2
hot peppers: 4

Score: 14/20

Carm's Beef
1057 W Polk St
Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 738-1046
www.carms.com

Frannie's Beef

--Got Beef? Italian Beef


Frannie's beef in Schiller Park, IL

Frannie's beef is located in Schiller park near O'Hare. Frannie's was one of the few beef joints that looked worth trying that I hadnt been to...until now. Check! another one off the list. They use Scala's preferred at Frannie's and serve the beef in a gravy that is heavily seasoned with oregano and other dried green herbs. The peppers to my knowledge seemed to be homemade and were probably the best part to the beef. There is nothing wrong with ordering a beef from Frannie's with some of their fresh cut fries when in the area. Its not destination: Beef, driving but its still a tasty sandwich that is better than alot of other places around the city. Dont be scared off by a score given by me in the 12-14 's from the beef joints, that is a respectable score and doesnt mean its not worth trying, just not on my "All-Chi" beef team, which is hard to reach. They are still damn good players who have had careers like that of Robert Horry.

FYI scores in the 17-20 range are excellent . Dont even try anything that scores under a 10 and just be happy I did so you dont have too.


Beef with hot from Frannie's

Rating Scale 5/5

beef: 3
bread: 3
gravy: 3
hot peppers: 4

Score: 13/20

Frannie's Beef
4304 River Rd
Schiller Park, IL 60176
(847) 678-7771

Little Joe's Homemade Beef and Sausage (Countryside, IL)

--Got Beef? Italian Beef


Lil' Joe's (Countryside, IL)

Its not often that I find a beef spot that I previously had no knowledge of but it happened this past year in Countryside, IL.

I found Lil' Joe's tucked into a strip of other business's hidden behind...you guessed it, one of those Al's beef/Nancy's pizza franchise's. The sign said "homemade beef since 1969" and the place looked like it hadnt changed much inside and that was all I needed to give it a try, that and the fact there were about 10 people eating in and taking out of Joe's while there was one person in the drive thru at Al's and no one inside. When I got a 2nd chance to go back to Joe's I was glad to taste it was no fluke. The first thing I thought when enjoying a Joe's IB was "this is what the beef's at Mr. Beef used to taste like". Its really a melt in your mouth type beef, very thin and very tender. The giardinara is not hot at all, so thats a small minus but it is loaded with celery, a small plus.

The meatball sandwich was also above average and worth getting again even though there were just two meatballs they were large. If LJ's was a little closer to me, they would see me in there often. Another big plus is this has to be the best place to get a beef and a beer, which they have on tap.


Beef with hot

Rating Scale 5/5

beef: 5
bread: 4
gravy: 5
hot peppers: 3

Score: 17/20

Little Joe's
20 E. Plainfield Road
Countryside, IL 60525
(708) 352-9696

Novi's Beef

--Got Beef? Italian Beef


Novi's Beef (Berwyn, IL)

There are a few scattered mentions of Novi's beef throughout the 'net but nothing specifically about it so im going to document it here on the "official Italian beef board of Chicago" for those curious.

Novi's has been at their location in Berwyn since the 1960's and is a favorite stop for many eaters in the area. I first tried Novi's when I randomly spotted it taking the old route 66 route down Ogden and immediately gave it a try since I had not heard of it which is rare for me.

Nov's does a decent homemade beef, not bad, just not special. In my opinion it's similar to the beef served at Tore's but still not better. The gravy has a nice little spice kick to it. The problem I had with Novi's was their homemade hot peppers, which are bad, sorry but they are. You only get a little tiny cup (which they charge for) when you order a beef with hot. Why cant they just put the peppers on the beef like everyone else? but the fries are some of the best I have tasted and by the looks of the burgers and dog's of others, they may be the way to go here. Novi's also seems to do a popular catering business and they did have some nice deals on catered buckets of beef with bread and everything else you need.


Novi's beef has some of the best fries in Chicagoland


Rating Scale 5/5

beef: 3
bread: 4
gravy: 4
hot peppers: 1

Score: 12/20

Novi's Beef
6746 Ogden Ave.
Berwyn, IL 60402
708-749-0895
http://www.novis-catering.com/

Johnnie's Beef

Got Beef? Italian Beef


Johnnies beef in Elmwood Park

Ask 100 Chicagoans what there favorite place for a beef is and more than half will say Johnnie's. Located in Elmwood Park its a straight shot down North ave where it sits at 7500 w. North ave. Rain, snow, sleet or shine, there's always a line of people at Johnnies for a beef. Johnnies is the most consistent of all beef slangers and so it is probably #1 on my list for that reason. When it comes to regional sandwiches, the IB is King, it Bruce lee's the competition. Johnnies is the holy grail. Sure there are bigger IB sandwiches out there but they dont melt on your tongue like these do.

I dont care if Jay Leno loves Mr. Beef, he lives in NY, he knows as much about a good beef as I know where to get one of those dirty hot dogs from the carts in NYC, but thats for another day. Yo Jay! next time your in town go here and thank me later, if the only burger I ever ate was a double cheese from McDonald's than I would think those are good too. Get it? good.



Rating Scale 5/5

beef: 5
bread: 5
gravy: 5
hot peppers: 4

Score: 19/20

Johnnie's Beef
7500 W North Ave
Elmwood Park, IL 60707
(708) 452-6000

Italian Beef

Got Beef? Italian Beef



You know that old saying "I love you like a fat kid loves cake"? Next time, tell them you love 'em like T loves beef. I dont care how old you are or how much you too enjoy eating Italian beef or how many you have had in your lifetime...you havent had as many as me, from as many different places as I have. Got it? good. Everybody loves beef, from 50 cent to Jared from subway...its enjoyed by all.


Got beef? They do.

Rating Scale 5/5

beef
bread
gravy
hot peppers aka giardinara

best score: 20