Like to eat? Chicago has you covered

I love living in Chicago for the beaches, the art/music/theater, the sports, the different neighborhoods, the architecture, the skyline, the bicycle trails, the *cough* interesting local politics, but what really makes Chicago special is its food. Chicago has every type of restaurant in the known world, from Ethiopian to sushi to Mexican… from “molecular gastronomy” and $100 steaks, to elotes, hamburgers and other foods offered by street vendors. 

A lot of the foods that are uniquely Chicagoan are simple and rich, so I’d like to introduce you to some of them here.

Jibarito:

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Literally “Little Hillbilly” in Spanish, this dish was invented in Puerto Rico, and you can allegedly find them in New York, but I’ve yet to meet anyone without Chicago ties who knows what one is. 

Two plantains, cut in half lengthwise and fried, then smashed into slices and fried again. The plantain slices are stacked with shredded chicken or thin-sliced beef, mayonnaise, American cheese, lettuce and tomato, and then covered with lightly sautéed garlic and the resulting oil. It’s served either a la carte, or with the Puerto Rican staple Rice with Pigeon Peas. Best. Sandwich. Ever. 

I moved out of Humboldt Park (Little Puerto Rico) about a year ago and now live seven miles north, but I still find my way back to eat these at least once a month. Nothing makes a better weekend mid-morning meal, in my opinion. Get the steak, not the chicken or lechon. El Borinquen on California Ave. makes the best in town.

Italian Beef (and the Italian Combo):

Though it’s not really “Italian”, it consists of thinly sliced beef inside an “Italian” roll with the ends cut flat. You can order one “dry”, or dipped/double-dipped/wet/juicy (the whole sandwich is dunked into the broth the beef is cooked in, depending on the level of gravy saturation desired). The preferred condiment is Giardiniera (yes, that’s spelled correctly, pronounced: “Jar-Din-Air-Uh”), a spicy salad of Serano peppers, olives, celery, pimentos, carrots and cauliflower in oil. 

The sandwich is said to have originated among Italian-American workers at the Chicago stockyards, who needed a way to prepare the less-desirable, tougher cuts of beef they brought home… apparently a long, slow simmer in broth was the solution. The Italian Combo is an Italian Beef with a grilled Italian Sausage link inserted in the middle, preferably topped with slices of mozzarella cheese. If you’re brave enough to try the Italian Combo, make sure there’s a defibrillator somewhere nearby. Al’s Beef (several locations in the city and surrounding suburbs) is the most famous restaurant serving up Beefs and Combos.

Chicago-Style Hot Dog:

Chicago has the best hot dogs on the planet. There. I said it. I’ve even gotten New Yorkers to agree with me on this. The Chicago style is a boiled kosher all-beef hot dog (a kind of small sausage of vaguely German origin, sometimes called a red-hot, wiener, or frankfurter), served on a steamed poppy-seed bun with raw onion, pickle, neon green “nuclear” relish, yellow or brown mustard, tomato slices, celery salt, and sport peppers… but never ketchup. You can spot a tourist a mile away putting ketchup on their hot dogs: Sacrilege! This style is sometimes called “dragged through the garden” as it involves so many vegetables. I can’t pick out any particular favorite locations to get one… because they’re everywhere!

Deep-Dish Pizza:

Ok, ok, I’ll admit it, it’s not really pizza, and in the summertime there’s nothing I would rather not eat, but when the weather gets chilly, a slice or two of this local treat will warm you (and fill you) right up. Like typical American-style pizza, but with a more bready crust, and usually baked in a deep cast iron pan so that layer after layer of cheese, toppings and sauce can be stacked up. It’s kind of like a cross between lasagna and thin-crust pizza. 

My personal favorite, Gino’s East, weights in at around 800 calories and 25 grams of fat. That’s right. In one slice. While it’s different enough from New York-style thin-crust pizza to not really be the same food, Chicagoans still like to tell New Yorkers that theirs is better, though many Chicagoans still prefer thin-crust.

Maxwell St. Polish:

The Maxwell St. neighborhood, located on the near South-West Side was a major port of entry for immigrants in the mid to late 1800’s. It’s been the home of an open-air market for more than 100 years, and of course has featured a lot of street food vendors, who gave birth to this sandwich. A “Polish” as it’s usually referred to, is served on a bun or a roll, with yellow or brown mustard, grilled onions, and optional sport peppers. The best place to get one? Either Maxwell St., or at US Cellular Field, home to the Chicago White Sox Baseball Club. Sausages and baseball games go together like Chicago’s Alderman and federal prison.

Chicago seems to be the last place in America where most of the local hamburger/hot dog/fast-food joints are still locally-owned, and they usually serve Italian Beef, Hot Dogs, Italian Sausage, pork chop sandwiches, gyros, french fries (chips, to most of you), soft drinks (or “pop” as it’s called in the Midwest), hamburgers, sometimes thin-crust pizza, and always Polish Sausage. If you are what you eat, then Chicago is meaty, robust, simple, and yet over-the-top. 

Our love of food is demonstrated by our 18,000+ restaurants and bars, serving 3 million people! To indulge your sweet tooth, check out Garrett Popcorn (downtown and other locations), and Margie’s Candies on Western Ave., home of the half-gallon “World’s Largest Sundae.” Whether you like your food ultra-fancy, or bought on the street in a paper wrapper, Chicago has you covered. We like to eat. A lot.

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