Chicago has plenty of upscale restaurants, but let’s face it, the Windy City is best known for its greasy comfort foods: Italian beefs, hot dogs, burgers, gyros, etc. Grease Freak is a website full of photographs of Chicago-style food—“edible and not”—rated on their taste, presentation, and restaurant ambience.
Start stocking up on napkins now.
Photo credit: GreaseFreak.com
http://www.greasefreak.com/
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Can you name the seven key ingredients for a Chicago-style hot dog? Here are ten great places to conduct your research (courtesy of Citysearch and Yelp).
10. The Wiener’s Circle. Love it or hate it, this greasy spoon has got a “charm” all its own.
9. Gold Coast Dogs. All ten locations follow the Chicago-style recipe to the ‘T’.
8. Superdawg Drive-In. The winking hot dogs on the roof will be a sight you won’t soon forget.
7. Huey’s Hot Dogs. While serving up great dogs and burgers, this eatery is also well-known for its vegetarian-friendly dishes.
6. Portillo’s Hot Dogs. Both the nostalgia and …read more
Do I sound like a broken record yet? From one of my earlier articles:
The Chicago-style hot dog has seven essential toppings: a boiled or steamed all-beef dog on a poppy-seed bun with (1) mustard, (2) relish, (3) chopped onions, (4) tomato wedges, (5) a pickle spear, (6) sport peppers, and (7) celery salt. I’ve seen a few varieties on this (including lettuce, sliced pickles, cucumbers, and/or green peppers) but the “lucky seven” mentioned above are the components of a classic Chicago-style dog. And yes, the exclusion of ketchup is just as important as the ingredients that are included. Why? …read more
Anyone who enjoys a good hot dog in Chicago has heard of Hot Doug’s. But Doug is not the only friendly guy in the Chicago area that serves up great and unusual fast food.
Meet Fred, owner of fRedhots and Fries in Glenview. He’s not too hard to identify. When you step inside the restaurant, you’ll notice his face is just about everywhere: the sign, the menus, the t-shirts. Most likely, you’ll find Fred either behind the counter taking your order or talking with diners looking for feedback.
Fred’s menu offers items you’d expect to see in any Chicago hot-dog joint: jumbo …read more
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It’s that time of year again. The Taste of Chicago is an annual food festival, where dozens of restaurants from across the city gather along Columbus Drive. Millions of locals and tourists sample hundreds of dishes from every cuisine imaginable, from hot dogs to ravioli to veggie gyros to pad thai to empanadas to omelets… Everything and anything edible can be found at the Taste, along with cooking demonstrations, live music, a wine garden, and kids’ activities. New additions this year include a sports pavilion and an international entertainment pavilion.
Admission is free, but the food and drinks aren’t. Tickets come …read more
The Italian Beef is a simple sandwich that is unique to Chicago, and there are several places in the city to find this great dish. Of course, just as is the case with pizza and hot dogs, Chicagoans can debate for hours on who has the best. I’ve tried to be as fair as possible with this ranking order, but I’m sure there will still be contention. Be sure to leave a comment or shoot me an e-mail, and let me know what you think!
8. Roma’s Italian Beef & Sausage. For decades, generations of loyal customers have been enjoying this …read more
Jay Leno, host of The Tonight Show, often hits up Mr. Beef on Orleans Street whenever he’s in town. And the folks at Mr. Beef won’t let you forget it either, as there are over a dozen pictures of him on the wall. If you’re not one to take stock in celebrity endorsements, Leno isn’t the only one who comes back to this establishment time and time again. Locals and tourists alike sing the praises of the Italian beef here, declaring it among the best served anywhere.
If you didn’t gather from the name, this place is not veggie-friendly. The menu …read more
Chicagoans are just as opinionated about their Italian beef as they are about their pizza and hot dogs. So when a restaurant claims to have the best beef in town, they’d better prepare themselves for plenty of heat. And that’s exactly what Al’s #1 Italian Beef has got.
Since 1938, Al’s has been offering some of the best Italian beef in town… depending on who you ask. There are just as many people who drive away from this place as there are people who flock to this place. But among the many customers salivating over Al’s dishes are several celebrities, as …read more
As I’ve said before, I’m not usually one to write up chain restaurants or businesses. They seem to do well enough of their own advertising. But some places, like Buona Beef, are located only in the Chicago area and draw in plenty of locals and visitors.
Buona Beef is a hit with many Chicago suburbanites. Each of the chain’s 11 locations offer an almost-daunting long list of dishes to choose from, including paninis, sandwiches, salads, soups, and pizza. However, one of my rules when it comes to dining is this: If there’s a food in the name above the door, order …read more
Search the Internet for keywords like “Italian beef” and “Chicago,” and you will find dozens of ongoing debates about where to find the best jus and peppers in town. About a block or two east of La Peña, one contender whose name comes up often is Roma’s Italian Beef & Sausage.
Roma’s definitely has a nostalgia factor attached to it. Talk to the regulars, and most will tell you tales of how their parents were regulars, too. For decades, customers have enjoyed the Chicago flavors that are cooked up here, including great Chicago-style hot dogs and Italian beefs with sweet peppers. …read more
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