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

Gimme a hot-dog salad (Tasty Dog)

-The other-other Chicago-style hot dog: dragged tru da garden

Chicago is the land of hot-dog's. You wont find more hot dog stands anywhere in the world...YES including you NY. When you have this many places offering hot dogs, you are going to have some variety. We have the most well known, the Chicago-Style, the depression era dog, Hot Doug's takes it to a whole 'nother level and then there is the lesser known style the "salad with a hot dog on bottom served in a bun bowl."


Tasty dog is a retro style fast food joint

This hot dog salad style can best be described as "a hot dog loaded with everything from the garden including onions, tomatoes, pickle spear, relish, green pepper strips, sports peppers, cucumber, lettuce, celery salt and who knows what else some places use. Anybody that has been to one of the Byron's hot dog stands around Chicago from then and now would know this style. This year I discovered a place that dishes out the garden dog. Tasty dog is a popular stand/drive thru located in Oak Park that serves the other-other style of dogs here in Chicago.

Tasty dog has a decent dog that somewhat makes you feel like your eating healthy. Its not my personal preference of hot dogs but its still necessary to document all the different species of hot dogs in and around Chicagoland.


a dog dragged tru da garden (yes there is a wiener somewhere in there)

Tasty Dog
708 Lake St
Oak Park, IL 60301
(708) 383-2645
www.oprf.com

Frita Cubanas and MLB Playoffs

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

Baseball is going to be quite a handful here in Chicago the next couple weeks (we can only hope) Its almost impossible to get thru the day without thinking about the boys in blue and them fools that rock black over there on the south side and what the cards hold for both the north and south sides this fall. Its not easy to think happy thoughts during this time that we have been waiting for since July in Cubdom.



Sometimes when I cant think of anything to BBQ and my head isnt working I just make regional food from whatever location are opponents hail from. So in honor of my former home Tampa Bay I present you white sox fans with a feast fit for a Cuban. BTW, while Tropicana field is the worst stadium I have ever been to, it also has the best food item I have ever eaten in a major league ballpark, the Cuban sandwichs are legit inside the ballpark. Any white sox fan headed down to Tampa should get familiar with the amazing Cuban cuisine the city has to offer...great clubs too. One thing is for sure White-Sox rookie superstar the Cuban-missile, Alexei Ramirez, is eating well this week.

Frita Cubana's with Cuban grilled chicken & beans and rice

Cuban Burgers (click here) --I used a recipe I found online from a legit site



Cuban beans & Rice (click here)



Cuban Grilled Chicken



6-8 pieces of chicken
2 cans of pineapple orange juice
2 tablespoons of minced ginger
4 minced garlic cloves
salt and pepper

1) Marinate everything in a bag for up to four hours or overnight.

2) drain the bag and place the chicken pieces on the grill and cook for 45 minutes to an hour turning constantly. When meat is falling of bone, remove from the grill.

3) serve alongside a frita cubana and some beans and rice.


Cuban Living

2008 MLB playoff's

While your at it White Sox fans, please remember the name David Price. The 21 y/o was the 1st overall pick in the 2007 MLB draft by the Ray's and is the best pro pitching prospect since Doc Gooden and is going to introduce himself this postseason, which should be the first of many for him and his Ray's teammates. Here is how I see it playing out.

2008 ALDS
Ray's (3) White-Sox (2)
Red Sox (3) Angel's (2)

2008 NLDS
Cub's (3) Dodgers (2)
Phillies (3) Brewers (1)

2008 ALCS
Ray's (4) Red Sox (3)

2008 NLCS
Cub's (4) Phillies (2)

2008 World Series
Cub's (4) Ray's (3)

Beer, Brats and Pie...Oh My!!!

Eating Like a Local: Regional Food Specialties

--beer and brats in Wisconsin

When it comes to regional food specialties, Wisconsin has as many as anybody. You can be sure to expect all sorts of the cheese state's eats to be covered on my site. However since there are so many, we have to have a few different articles. So in honor of October-first up is beer, brats and pie.

Today we are going to focus on Southeast Wisconsin and their lust for beer, brats, beer-brats and pie. The brat is the official food of tailgating in WI and to wash it down you better have some good beer to pair with it, when it comes to food and beverage pairing is there anything better than a brat and beer? how about a California roll with some sake? MUHAHAHA.

Our first stop on the journey is an old classic that can be reached en route to Milwaukee, where it sits along I-94 in Kenosha, WI. The brat stop (pictured above) has been around since the early '60s and has turned into a behemoth of a bar that has grown in size times ten. If your going to call yourself the brat stop you know you got a good brat, the all pork regular brats are made to the original recipe in Silver Creek Wisconsin, the rest are supplied by Usinger's, the states main supplier. The key to ordering a brat when at the stop is to make sure that you order your brat at the bar when it is not too busy. The difference is at the bar they cook the brats on a grill under real charcoal, where as to when you order a brat combo/plate for sit down, they are cooked under a broiler.


a brat from the bar at brat stop (Kenosha, WI)

Further up the map is Sheboygan, a small town that rests on Lake Michigan and happens to be the"Bratwurst capitol of America." There are so many many places to get brats in Sheboygan but I have two places you need to try. If your looking to buy fresh made brats to tailgate with or bring home than you need to go to Meisfelds, this is the ultimate tailgate market, it will get its own feature one day. It is Meisfields who supplies the Charcoal Inn with their brats. Whats Charcoal Inn? one of my favorite roadfood stands in the land.


Charcoal Inn-South (Sheboygan, WI)

Charcoal Inn butterfly's their brat's and cooks them on a charcoal grill, when done they are placed on a brat roll (another local specialty) from the bakery down the street and loaded up with mustard, onions, pickles and a insane amount of butter.

The first time I ever went here I ordered my brat with just mustard and onions. When they brought it out I looked at the amazing sandwich and thought they put a huge glop of mayonnaise on it. After a quick lick I realized it was just about a half cup of butter...mmmmmmm. Its my belief that I dont need to try any other places brats, these things just melt in your mouth and it doesnt get any better than Charcoal inn, maybe in brat heaven but not anywhere else.


One of America's "must eat" sandwiches- a brat from Charcoal Inn

All these brats need to be washed down with some brewski's and if you are using Johnsonville brats your probably drinking miller lite with them. Im here to not only tell you where to get real brats but what real beer should taste like. For as many sausage purveyors as Wisconsin has, it has more brewers. The state is rich in beer tradition and good local brew is abundant throughout the state. I lived there and have spent plenty of time drinking through the offering's and the king of Beer is not Budweiser, its not even Miller and its not Leinenkugel's. The best beer that I have consumed comes from New Glarus brewery located in "Americas little Switzerland" New Glarus, Wisconsin. In 1995 and 1999, the New Glarus Brewing Company was named one of the World's Ten Best Breweries at the World Brewery Championship. The competition involved more than three hundred breweries from 28 countries who submitted over 700 beers. Recently they were named mid-size Brewery of the Year in '05 and '06 at the Great American Beer Fest.

Unfortunately they have trouble meeting demand for the state of Wisconsin and it is not shipped outside the state. Spotted cow is their most popular brew and one of the many variety's I really enjoy. You can get all sorts of their offerings at the Woodman's in Kenosha or the brat stop in the gift section and all over bars/liquor stores in Wisconsin.


Spotted cow might be the most refreshing beer in the world



Capitol Brewery's Autumnal Fire is another WI classic.
Available for a limited time at maproom in bucktown

Im not big on dessert but the southern part of Wisconsin and the Door County area are famous for their fruit pies. Its hard to take a trip up to Door County over the summer and not indulge in some pie, its a Wisconsin birthright that we FIB's like to adopt. There are so many places in the area to get fresh baked pie that you need to just stumble upon a place while in the area and you wont be disappointed. So now that you know about the beer, brats and pie and the fact you can expect my future reports on custard, cheese, sausage, more beer, butter burgers, kringle, fish Fry's and fish boils, its easy to see why the men are large and all the hot blonde's are nice and thick in a good way up there in Wisconsin. I got love for that state, they eat great. Your favorite FIB, T.


a slice of mixed berries from Door County pie Co.

Brat Stop
12304 75th St
Kenosha, WI 53142
(262) 857-2011
www.bratstop.com

Charcoal Inn South
1313 S 8th St
Sheboygan, WI 53081
(920) 458-6988

New Glarus Brewing Co.
119 State Road 69
New Glarus, WI 53574
(608) 527-5850
www.newglarusbrewing.com

Capitol Brewery
7734 Terrace Ave
Middleton, WI 53562
(608) 836-7100
www.capital-brewery.com

Sweetie Pies
PO Box 196 -
Fish Creek, WI 54212
http://www.doorcountypies.com/

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

Yo Adrian!!! bring me another one of dem sliders!

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

Some of us BBQ and grill 24/7-365--rain, sleet, snow, wind, shine, heatwave, thunderstorms, whatever. For others spring is the start of the BBQ season and summer is when it becomes a staple and once summer is over grilling season is over. I BBQ all the time and I am here to tell you that Fall is the primetime of Grilling season, its like March Madness or Monday night football, there isnt a better stage to be on. The weather is perfect, jeans and a hoodie, you dont sweat like Patrick Ewing while standing over the grill like you do in summer. Instead the grill area is a prime piece of real estate, its warm and the smells of meats grilling paired with a nice Octoberfest brew and a crisp feel in the air is all I need. What makes it even better is the fact that its football season and MLB playoffs are in full swing, there isn't a better time to BBQ, eat and watch sports while hanging outside before winter hits us in the head.

As the days go on, I'm going to give you all sorts of super Sunday type recipes that I have concocted thru the years and continue to make to this day. You wont find any recipe for grilled chicken breast, sushi rolls or tofu burgers on here (I got some stuff for you veg heads though, stay tuned) I am a member of the...

People who love to Eat Tasty Animals club, I love animals, they're delicious.

When it comes to football season and grilling, I like to make ton's of different finger foods. Chicken wings are king. Stay tuned for all sorts of different wing recipes from the easy to the labor intensive, sweet to super hot with all sorts of different takes on the worlds variation of the almighty wing.


wings on da grill (click pic to enhance, can be done with all pic's on the site)

Philly cheese steak sliders
--In honor of Donovan McNabb coming home this wkd.

1 leftover medium rare sirloin steak from previous day
asst. of peppers and onions (2-3 of each)
slices of American cheese (or provolone if your feeling less authentic)
8-10 soft bakery rolls, cut in half and slathered with butter and garlic to make them garlic bread

You may have read my article "another feast fit for a king" and in it I told you to stay tuned for what I do with the other hunk of sirloin. The next day I take the meat and slice it thin, as seen below. Its important to leave the meat in the fridge overnight so you can slice it nice and thin the next day. Preheat oven to 450.


thinly sliced char grilled sirloin steak

I then cut up and slice a red onion, white onion, green pepper, red pepper and put in a pan and sautee everything in butter. Once it gets cooked down a little I add a few squirts of Worcestershire sauce and continue cooking it until it is nicely browned. When done set aside.


pepper/onion mixture as it goes into the pan

Place your soft bakery rolls in the oven and cook until they are perfect, crispy outside, soft in the middle...maybe 15-20 minutes. While the rolls are baking cook your sliced steak in a pan and heat thru but make sure not to over cook, so it stays pink in the middle (that's why I grilled it a tad under medium rare)


steak warming up in butter

When rolls are done take them out and layer some steak on the bottom and top it with the pepper/onion mixture and a slice of cheese on top, put it back in the oven until the cheese just melts. Place your top bun on top and eat. Look out below!


Philly cheese steak sliders ala KingT

When I put these together I also made some of my signature spiced wings and jerked wings along with chorizo stuffed mushrooms. Coming soon.


Chorizo stuffed 'shrooms

Stay tuned for these and more super Sunday recipes. DA BEARS!

Sorry but its not the year in NFL football--Eagle's 24- Bears 13. In other news...

Playoff's are coming...

Taqueria el asadero

-Got Beef? taco's de carne asada

These new ad's from the taco hell about their volcano taco's have me in disgust. Its time for another taco joint shout out.

ATTN: Taco Hell--Some of us like real food and not tacos with shells the color of sorority girls puke after too many cranberry vodka's. Give up your ad's in any city with real taqueria's, its a waste of time, stick to Middle America.


Why pay more? Because we spend more on food we eat than we do are dog's

La Pasadita will always be good in my heart b/c its where I discovered the true beauty of what a steak taco should be...Char grilled skirt steak that tastes like clean meat, chopped nicely and topped with fresh onions and cilantro on a warm corn tortilla with salsa verde with an actual kick on the side. Ones things for sure, any and every Mexican restaurant in the city is better than the Chihuahua's even La Bamba, which I recommend you avoid at all costs.

I had a friend in HS who lived right by taqueria el asadero in Lincoln Square and we would always eat there when we were running around wreaking havoc on the neighborhood. Back then they had what I thought were the best tamales ever, and I really love tamals, they were large and very soft. Last month I decided to give an old favorite of mine a try. I hadnt been in 10 years so I went in and saw the article where Chicago Magazine names them the best steak tacos in the city but I didnt see my beloved tamales on the menu.


Chicago mag claims asadero has the best steak tacos in the city

I am very skeptical of anything Chicago mag claims best in the wide world of food but I had heard before about the tacos here and ate them back in the day, so I ordered 2 steak tacos and asked about the tamales. To my delight they had them, they just arent on the menu.


Tamales are the same as they ever were. Not the best in the city, but tasty.

Unlike other spots, they cook your steak to order, they take two thin strips of skirt steak and throw it on the grill and chop it to order so it takes about 10 minutes...well well worth it. These might be the best I have had, the meat was so tender, the toppings fresh and the salsa verde was amazing. Now in my top two along with another spot I got for you , pushing pasadita even further down in the standings, they are slipping like the Brewers.


steak taco from asadero

Rating Scale 5/5

steak: 5
cilantro/onions: 4
tortilla: 5
salsa: 5

Score: 19/20

Taqueria el asadero
2213 W Montrose Ave
Chicago, IL 60618
(773) 583-5563

2.1 miles to Cuba

-New on the scene
Yes! The hype is real.

Here is an article in honor of Jon Gruden and the Buc's coming in this weekend. Bears win 20-17.

Im not wasting anytime on getting the word out on "90 Miles" a new Cuban cafe that opened near Belmont and Clybourn located at 3101 N. Clybourn. I had no idea of this places arrival or I would of been there the first day. I love Cuban food, I fiend for it so often after moving home from Tampa. Between my time in Tampa and plenty of WKDs in Miami, I developed a love for all of the amazing little Cuban joints from the upscale cocktail lounges to the coffeehouses where they didn't speak English...the women too. What a culture and it all starts with the cuisine.


90 Miles to Cuba...nope were not in Key West. Just 2 miles from Lincoln Park.

Finally got to try it today and was so damn impressed to the point where ill be back tomorrow. I wasnt going in and just getting a sandwich, I needed to try a few things so I got a Cuban, ropa viejo sandwich, papa rellanos, and a yucca frita. Cuban was awesome, the ropa was good and the rellanos, well when is ground beef stuffed in a ball of potato and fried not good? exactly.


One of my favorite types of sandwiches, the "Cuban"

The owners seemed to have done there work and are dedicated to doing it right. Its got the feel of a little Cuban eating shack and they had all the regional pop. Check out their menu, everything needs to be tried in my book. The Cuban omelette sounds really good. More to come.


Bottom to top: yucca frita (yucca fried with ground beef inside) Cuban sandwich, Ropa Vieja sandwich.

90 Miles (Cuban Cafe)
3101 N. Clybourne
Chicago, IL 60618
773-248-CUBA
Closed on Sunday's
http://90milescubancafe.com/

Another feast fit for a King...

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

This not just in! Joseph's finest meats has some damn fine meats, Ive told you that before. The other day I got two 2-inch think prime sirloins to order over at Joe's. Usually im about anything bone-in, but these baby's are the real deal and make for great meat on the grill.

When I pick up my meat from Joe's I like not doing much with it so the flavor of the prime meat stays intact. I just add some fresh ground pepper, sea salt and some garlic infused olive oil. Make sure your grill is well lubed and extra hot and throw the hunks of meat on that bad boy and cook for 10 minutes a side or to desired doneness. Figure 10 mins. a side for med. rare to medium depending how hot your grill is.

Char grilled prime sirloin

one 2-inch thick good sirloin steak (I get from Joseph's finest meats)
Salt and pepper
Olive oil


Char grilled 2-inch thick prime sirloin (Directions above)


Ready for slicing

Cant have meat without potato's so I decided to do up my own version of an old favorite of mine...Potatoes O'Brian. But I like to take everything a level above the rest so I have my own...potato's O' T. They are a variation of PO'B. Like everything else I make, I add bacon. Directions below.


Click the pic to get a clear view of what I do

Potato's O' T (above)

6 slice's of bacon
1 chopped green bell pepper
1 chopped onion
4-5 garlic cloves, chopped
8-10 small golden potato's

1) Preheat the oven to 450

2) peel the sides of each potato and leave the skin on the top and bottom. Chop your peeled potato in half lengthwise and then chop each half again. Proceed to chop your quartered potatoes into 2-3 inch dice. Place your diced potato on a very well lubed baking tray with olive oil and make sure each potato is well lubed so they don't stick.

3) place baking tray w/ tato's in the oven and cook until well browned.

4) Cook chopped up bacon in frying pan until crispy and remove the bacon and set aside and drain half of the fat. Cook your peppers/onions in the pan with fat and sautee until nicely browned. For the last 5 minutes, cook your garlic in the mixture. When done set aside.

5) Take potato's out when done (45-50 minutes) and use a spatula to release them from sticking to the bottom of the pan, if they are sticking trying to keep them intact, if its well lubed not that many will stick.

6) Place all your tato's in a bowl and dump the green pepper/onions and the bacon and sprinkle some salt and pepper on top and toss it up and place them in a bowl. Prepare your plates.



Also served on that plate is a concoction that I threw together really quick. A sauteed portobello mushroom topped with some sauteed spinach with two shrimp placed on top and a slice of tomato with some Parmesan sprinkled on top and baked for 15 minutes.

FYI- You'll notice I grilled two steaks, check back next week to see what regional tailgate recipe I did with the other steak. Stay tuned.

King's Gyros #2

--Got Beef? (and lamb)
KingT's gyro-tron

Chicago is famous for for its street food-hot dog's, Polish's, pizza, Italian beef and gyros are a few. Its yee-roos not gy-ro or guy-ro or girro that were going to focus on today. Find me another place in the country with more gyro vendors than Chicago...impossible. From the restaurants in Greektown to the the hot dog stands in the western suburbs, you'll find gyros everywhere, making them hugely popular in Chicago. Hell so many places need gyro's meat that we have at least four different gyro cone suppliers in Chicago. Kronos, Grecian Delight, Olympic, Devanco and im pretty sure there is a fifth one all supply restaurants with their demand for beef and lamb.

Most places use a preformed cone from one of the suppliers mentioned above so alot of what goes into making a good gyro is the love put into it by the place serving them. Gyros need to be sliced thin and allowed to crisp on the outside so edges are crispy and the plate needs to be piled high with meat. The toppings of onions and tomatoes need to be fresh and the pita soft and warm. The tzatziki sauce better not be watered down yogurt. A personal favorite of mine is wrapping a fry with a slice of gyro so the fries also play a roll. Some places go the extra mile and still make theirs homemade but not that many of them are left. The suppliers do a nice job of getting the right blends of meat and spices, so its on the vendors to do the rest.


The familiar sign at Milwaukee and Foster

First stop on my Chicago gyro-tron is King's gyros #2 (no affiliation with me) on Milwaukee and Foster. Kings has been slanging their gyro plates and homemade fries and onion rings in the Chi since 1972. Like most of Chicago's roadfood joints its clientèle is very broad and due to its late night hours its very popular after dark. If your going to eat gyros there is no sense in ordering just the sandwich, always order a gyro plate, its the best bang for your buck. Kings does a above average gyro and makes the fries and onion rings fresh so its in my rotation if I am in the area. As the years go on expect to see many different gyros spots reviewed with a few secrets spilled of where to get the absolute best.


kings gyro plate with their homemade fries

Rating Scale 5/5

Gyro meat: 3
tzatziki: 4
fries: 4
freshness of pita and toppings: 4

Score:15/20

King's Gyros #2
5233 N Milwaukee Ave
Chicago, IL 60630
(773) 736-5406