mark922
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Posts posted by mark922
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Chris,
Why wouldn't the clam roll be a proper sandwich? Of course, it fits the bill!
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It's a parochial list (what list isn't?) but, assuming clam rolls aren't a sandwich proper, here goes:
Katz's fatty pastrami -- give the guy a buck, man -- with just rye and mustard sits happily at the top. Anyone who claims otherwise is just wrong, criminally wrong.
Al Italia with extra hot peppers at Sandwich Hut in Providence RI a distant second.
Banh mi at Lu's in Boston's Chinatown third.
Grilled cheese (Cabot cheddar) on Olga's pullman with tomatoes and ham, well done, at Red Fez, also in Providence fourth.
Memory lane: the Sport Fisher (turkey, bacon, muenster, Thousand Island, a few other things) at the long gone and lamented Leo's, under the bridge down from the old Met Cafe, in Providence.
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Okay, I'm a few years late to the party, but if you like the Doner, I would recommend you try the shawarma at Phoenician Deli on Westheimer jet past Wilcrest.
OH, and the best barbecue beef is at Luling City Market on Richmond.
Of course, vote for the world's best sandwich has to be the Italian beef, dipped, with hot and sweet peppers at Mr. Beefon Orleans in Chicago.
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All these questions and more will be answered in a forthcoming guidelines document. Soon.
As a side note, there's talk of this on the New York Times "Diner's Journal" blog and on Eater.com. I hope as many of you as possible will participate.
Steve,
You have lousy timing (or I have lousy timing). My son and my wife have both been sick for the last ten days, and I have been working extra hours. It's been 10 days since we last went shopping, and the shelves are pretty bare. ButI'll follow aong on the klatsch and share some ideas for what to do with ingredients as questions and comments come up.
Mark
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So many sandwich places these days forget the importance of a really good pickle. Indeed, many don't even give you a pickle any more unless you ask.
So, I have it in my head to open a sandwich shop in the future. Time frame currently is about 2 1/2 to 3 years--and a lot of things have to fall into place for that to happen, but it should give me plenty of time to find a space, set up financing (I hope), etc.I don't want to say exactly where I plan on opening, but its a small town (approx. 9-10,000 people) with a healthy tourist business (year round, peaks in fall and winter, however), many commuters for work every day, and a couple of small colleges. This town already has a few deli's and sandwich shops, ranging from a Subway to other more, "mom and pop" type places.
I don't think any of the places are really any good, so I see a gap in the town for a really good sandwich shop.
And what do I mean by really good? My idea is to just basically do as much as I can by hand--corn my own beef, roast my own beef/turkey/ham, dressings, relishes, sauces, etc. I have the expertise to do so (which I don't think my competitors do) and can still keep the prices down and competitive since buying that stuff is actually cheaper than buying pre-made roast beef/turkey, etc. Making my own salami, etc, as well as cheeses and such, as well as baking my own bread are about the only things I don't intend to do myself.
I understand that this is not a new concept in the sandwich business, but it would be in the city and area I would be doing this, so I feel it has potential to take off.
I'm posting this on eGullet to have you guys help me flesh out my ideas, help me think through the setup of the kitchen, etc, and to give me advice on what you guys think a great sandwich shop has going for it. What do you look for? Sandwich ideas, marketing, pitfalls, etc. are all welcome.
I don't think the market would allow me to go TOO crazy with sandwiches (no corned beef TONGUE, for example), but I think things like pork belly braised and crisped "BLT's" would work, for example, or having the best meatloaf sandwich in the area, things like that.
What is important to you guys when you go get a sandwich?
Any advice is appreciated, I would however, like to avoid anything along the "don't do it" or "do you know what you are getting yourself into" type of replies, only because I do know and it's not something I take lightly. I understand the risks but I feel with my experience and proper planning/financing it could be a hit.
Thanks in advance for the help.
EDIT: Forgot to mention that I intend to make fresh soups as well
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If you want to try some great tacos go to Paco's Tacos on Archer and Sacramento or Tio Luis on Archer and Western. Tio Luis got voted the best tacos in Chicago by the Tribune and in my opinion are pretty darn good. Paco's Tacos definitely is far superior though. All they sell are tacos with either carnitas, asada, lengua, pollo, or sesos. They put onions and cilantro on em' and that's it. They are pretty close to perfection with a bit of salsa verde and a hunk of avacado added (50 cents extra for a whole avacado!). As far as Nuevo Leon, DON"T WASTE YOUR MONEY! Taco Bell is better than the slop that kitchen turns out.
I've been to Paco's Tacos (43rd and Archer) many times over the years and while I definitely like it, it doesn't hold a candle to Nuevo Leon. It's not bad, but not really in the same league. And they're pretty different types of places. Paco's is a taqueria. NL is a restaurant.
For the onions-and-cilantro-only taqueria treatment, I definitely prefer La Pasadita, which has 2 locations, across the street from each other, on Ashland Avenue.
Paco's Tacos
4311 S. Archer Ave.
Chicago, IL 60608
(773) 247-1613
La Pasadita
1142 N Ashland Ave
Chicago, IL 60622
(773) 227-2203
La Pasadita
1141 N Ashland Ave
Chicago, IL 60622
(773) 278-0384
Tio Luis
3856 S Archer Ave
Chicago, IL 60632
(773) 843-0098
various locations throughout Chicagoland
=R=
There are numerous El Famous Burrito locations both throughout the city and in the suburbs, and it's my favorite little Mexican dive chain. They offer two sizes of burrito, incase you don't feel the need to eat something bigger than your head, and the tacos are great. You can get you choice of onion and cilantro or lettuce, cheese, and tomato for most varieties of taco.
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HI,
I remember the bakery. It was on Main St. just east of Vogue Drapery. I can't remember the name.
Tim
That's it. I'd forgotten about Vogue Drapery.
No, not Bennisons. I think it was a German bakery, but I can't remember the name. Meiers? Maybe that was the name. The location's definitely the right one. Has it gone out of business altogether?
I remember Blind Faith, and although I'm sure there are plenty of good bakeries amongst those mentioned here, I can't think any of them do a bread pudding like the one I used to get at the place on Main street. I've never been able to find or replicate anything close to it.
[edited to clarify stuff....]
I remember a Davidson's bakery in Evanston, but it's been forever since I've been up that way.
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1. Wild Tuna in Naperville. The best sushi in the Chicago area.
2. Heaven on Seven. The original one on Wabash.
3. Manny's. 1/2 pastrami 1/2 corned beef, matzo ball soup, extra pickle.
4. Volare on St. Clair at Grand. Try the gnocchi or the osso buco.
5. Carlos' in Highwood.
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I was there Thursday night, and all I can say is "wow." I have been to what I thought were fairly authentic Chinese places before that claimed to be Szechuan, but what I had here was a whole new level.
The dumplings with roasted chili soy were incredible. The depth of flavor in the roasted chili made me seriously contemplate a second order.
I also tried the Dan Dan noodles. I will shudder henceforth at the mention of P.F. Chang, the only other place I had ever ordered this dish. I feel like what I imagine someone who had been fed fish sticks all his life might experience after his first taste of braised black cod.
My last dish was the prawns stir-fried with asparagus, diced pork, and chili. It was sublime. The shrimp were huge, plentiful, and not even slightly overcooked. The asparagus was not something I had encountered in Chinese cuisine before, but it stood up better that I would have guessed against the fiery onslaught of the chili-garlic sauce.
I can't wait for my next trip to New York.
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to add on to the comment about sage. I had not had the experience of dining there on my first entry and since have become a regular. It is the best dining experence in Des monies with impecable service and outstanding food.
The partners are the chef and front of the house manager. Their both have worked at one sixtyblue in chicago which is amazing. and have an outstanding knowlege of the industry.
elizabeth
Is Sage still open? Also, are there any other updates?
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For me, the sould of the pie is found at Lou Malnati's. The crust is thicker than New York style, the cheese sits atop it to keep the juice from the tomatoes (for God's sake, not sauce, just tomatoes) soaking in, and you choice of topping, sprinkled lovingly with oregano, parmesan, and maybe just a touch of sugar to soften the tang of the tomato.
True, true - the Malnati's used to attend the church that I used to attend. We would, needless to say, have their pies a LOT after church. It is a "fresher" (home-made?) approach to pizza than most of their competitors'. A good pie, surely, but not my favorite in Chicago.
I had a Malnati's half sausage/half pepperoni last night. When I go to Valhalla, I want my war canoe filled with Malnati's pies to see me on my voyage.
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Is there anything to eat in Grand Rapids that doesn't come from a chain? I am not being snarky. I am going to be in town for several days starting next week and I have never been.
Yes, there's lots of good stuff. This is not your father's Grand Rapids.
Restaurant Bloom (Chowhound thread)
Marie Catrib's (local GR web site)
Tuscan Express (restaurant.com info)
Zeytin (Turkish food -- Chowhound thread)
The Heritage at GRCC is closed next week, otherwise I'd highly recommend it.
There also are various Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese, etc., restaurants.
Where will you be staying? Will you have a car?
I'll be glad to provide more specific info and/or personal opinions and recommendations. Just ask...
Thanks, Alex. You've given me a lot to choose from. I'm going to be at either the Amway Grand or the JW Marriott. I will have a car. I would be very interested in a good Vietnamese restaurant.
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The people working the counter at the Wieners Circle were perfectly nice to me, it's just that they were fighting with one another the whole time!
I wonder, is there a bun supplier that dominates the market the way Vienna Beef does? Presumably nobody is baking buns on premises, so they have to come from somewhere.
The last time I was in Chicago (the visit between the Wieners Circle visit and the Budacki's visit -- yes, I name my visits by hot dog places), I also had a really full schedule, with meals at Alinea and Moto plus a bunch of corporate events I had to attend. There was no time even to get more than a few blocks away from my hotel. However, about three blocks behind the Ritz-Carlton, on N. Rush, there was a place called Downtown Dogs. It felt wrong to get a hot dog there, because how could a hot dog near the Ritz-Carlton be legitimate, but the choice was between Downtown Dogs and not having a hot dog at all on that visit. And you know what? It was good. Really good. Even a good bun.
The place I've found a lot of variation is in the non-hot-dog items, especially fries. Not that I've had really good fries at any Chicago hot dog place, but there has nonetheless been a huge range of quality or lack thereof.
Rosen Bakeries, a local bakery, supplies most Chicago area dog joints with their buns, as well as selling a mighty fine rye to the delis in town. They offer a wide range of products to the consumer market as well.
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The Gambero Rosso guide to pizza ("Pizzerie d'Italia del Gambero Rosso") includes sfincione and refers to it as a regional style of pizza. The introduction, explaining the scope of the book, states:Oltre duecento segnalazioni, dal Piemonte alla Sicilia in un tour goloso fra i luoghi storici della pizza e le realta emergenti. Curiosando fra le produzioni tipiche regionali [dalla focaccia di Recco allo sfincione palermitano, dalla pizza al taglio romana alla piadina romagnola] e con uno sguardo anche al di fuori dei confini nazionali [Parigi, Londra e New York].
Now my Italian sucks, but even I can read that it says sfincione is Siclian pizza.
I also think you've misconstrued a few things I said, but the original post is there for people to read so I won't rehash it. In any event, how would you define pizza? It seems to me that the only definition that would say that deep-fried double-crust pizza is "not very far removed at all" from pizza, but that one should be mystified by labeling a thick-crust pie with a lot of tomato sauce and cheese as pizza -- that this could only make sense to an American -- is a closed-loop definition that runs "pizza is whatever is made in Italy and called pizza, and nothing else." Then again, even that definition doesn't really work, given that sources like Gambero Rosso are taking a much more ecumenical view of pizza:
Qualunque sia l'approccio, quello che conta e la competenza del pizzaiolo e la sua volonta di offrire un prodotto di alto profilo. Che sia, cioe, il risultato di una lavornazione completamente incentrata sulla qualita, dalla selezione attenta delle materie prime ai giusti tempi di lievitazione e di cottura. Pizza alta o bassa, condita con mozzarella di bufala o con fiordilatte, cotta nel forno a legna [la speranza e che possa resistere agli assalti di chi lo vuole mettere al bando] o in quello elettrico. Argomenti che dividono, ma che in fin dei conti hanno poca importanza. Purche - in ogni caso - siano garantiti sapore, digeribilta, leggerezza.Well, I probably wouldn't say Chicago-style pizza is light (I'm not calling it deep dish, because it's not always baked in a pan). But I still maintain that it's an affectation to say "why do you call this pizza" -- that those who take a harder line than Gambero Ross doth protest to much -- and that Italians are not actually mystified by Italian-American pizza variants. Some may not like them, some may want to protect the term pizza in various nationalistic ways, but their brains are advanced human reasoning organs and they can easily see why Americans call these products pizza.
With all due respect, you and Kinsey have managed to find a pizza debate that is even more tiresome than "sausage or pepperoni?"
In Chicago, the only real question is "deep-dish, stuffed, or thin crust?" All have their adherents and, to be universalist about it, there is no one right answer. Each one is pizza, just as surely as a sub, hoagie, hero, wedge, bomber, and po-boy are all sammiches.
For me, the sould of the pie is found at Lou Malnati's. The crust is thicker than New York style, the cheese sits atop it to keep the juice from the tomatoes (for God's sake, not sauce, just tomatoes) soaking in, and you choice of topping, sprinkled lovingly with oregano, parmesan, and maybe just a touch of sugar to soften the tang of the tomato.
Just shut up and eat the pie.
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Is there anything to eat in Grand Rapids that doesn't come from a chain? I am not being snarky. I am going to be in town for several days starting next week and I have never been.
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Is there anything to eat in Grand Rapids that doesn't come from a chain? I am not being snarky. I am going to be in town for several days starting next week and I have never been.
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Is there anything to eat in Grand Rapids that doesn't come from a chain? I am not being snarky. I am going to be in town for several days starting next week and I have never been.
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Sorry. I kept getting a Server errror message.
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I am pleased to say I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to Vancouver. In particular, the dim sum at Imperial was a delight. The seafood tower at Blue Water in Yaletown was incredibly fresh and offered an impressivee variety. My clients and I had a genuine feast. I also had a great meal at Azia. The variety of different cuisines offered a chance to take a culinary trip through Asian cuisine, with each region's flavors offered up authentically and exquisitely prepared.
The one place I found to be a bit uninspired was So.cial. The oysters were a bit milky, and our main courses were prepared competently, but seemed to lack inspiration. I do give them credit for propducing a very good charcuterie plate, though.
Thank you, Vancouver. I hope to return soon.
Chicago steakhouses
in The Heartland: Dining
Posted · Edited by mark922 (log)
I have loved Gene & Georgetti's since I was a little pisher and my grandfather took me there. You really can't go wrong there. I am also a fan of Chicago Chop House, but I think G&G has better atmosphere (read: martinis). On the other hand, I'm going to dinner tonight with a group from out of town and they picked the Chop House. I'll report back in the morning.
Yeah, yeah, I know...Tim's come and gone. I just like talking about meat.