Holy Cow! Forget pork belly – Italian beef is the Windy City’s ultimate meat
The Daily - Arts and Life - Saturday, August 6, 2011
In the parking lot of one of the Windy City’s better-known Italian beef sandwich stands, while waiting for my Uncle Joe to arrive for lunch, Uncle Charlie added the terms “juice loan†and “bag drop†to my vocabulary, as if Mafia-style extortion and illicit payoffs are part and parcel of a Chicago beef tour.
Inside the kitchen of one of these restaurants, someone politely told me, “You won’t be taking a picture of him,†and I stuck my camera right back into its bag, no questions asked.
As ubiquitous and popular a Chicago institution as pizza and Vienna hot dogs, Italian beef needs a guide. I’ve got family.
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