More Interesting Illinois Eats

The Disaster

If you're a culinary explorer like me, then you already know that you can enjoy amazing and plentiful regional specialities in practically every city and town across this great nation. There are TV shows dedicated to premise and many online resources, too. One in particular is Roadfood, the brainchild of Jane and Michael Stern. (I actually met them years ago while living in CT, when Jane was an EMT-in-training with my best friend. In fact, their book pointed me in the direction of Harry Caray's for Chicken Vesuvio.)

So, to wrap up my feasts from the road before I head back to the kitchen, here are a few of the other delicasies we sampled and where you can find them.

Italian Beef: This garlicky, shaved-meat sandwich also is unique to Chicago, so of course there are many places where you can get one. (Roadfood offers several options; Michael is a Chicago native.) Ours came from Dear Franks in Deerfield. They didn't dip the entire sandwich in the jus, which makes it less authentic but much easier to eat, but the flavor of the meat was outstanding nonetheless.

Biscuits and Gravy: You can get this dish almost anywhere in the country, but it's probably most delicious in the midwest. (Maybe they got their recipe from the South...?) The gravy isn't gummy or floury, and the sausage is divine. And, the biscuits? Fluffy and light and so so tasty. We got ours at Courier Cafe, an Urbana institution for more than 30 years.

The Disaster: Trust me, there's nothing tragic about this breakfast! We stopped at Sarkis Cafe in Evanston the morning we left Chicagoland. They offer this incredible, homemade Armenian sausage that's sublime. Top it with cheese and fresh peppers, tomatoes and onions and pile it into a crusty sub roll and you've got yourself a Disaster.

Now that we're a bit more settled, I can cook again! So, stay tuned tomorrow for our next destination.

Cheers, everyone!

Deep-dish Pizza

Nearly 70 years ago in 1943, Pizzeria Uno invented deep-dish pizza and elevated Chicago to new heights in pizza making -- literally! The buttery cracker-style crust can sit as high as 3" on the sides, essentially serving as a bowl to hold all the delectable sauce, cheese and toppings.

Ever since I met my wife, she's raved about Papa Del's, a pizzeria near the Urbana-Champaign campus of University of Illinois. Although she's gotten accustomed to folding her New York-style thinner-crust pizza, she frequently yearns for the gooey, knife-and-fork pies from Papa Del's. So, when we visited our friends there this past week, we just had to go!

Folks, this is hands down THE BEST pizza I've ever tasted -- no exaggeration. There's something about Papa Del's sauce that could be highly addictive... The crust is insanely good, the cheese is plentiful but not too greasy or heavy on the palate (or the belly -- a nice surprise for someone like me, who's got an uncomfortable relationship with lactose) and the spices are just right. Certainly, there's oregano and garlic in there, but I think there's something... else...?

But, perhaps the best thing about Papa Del's pizza is that you don't have to travel to Illinois to taste it. THEY SHIP! You can savor the Chicago-style taste sensation that is deep-dish pizza in the comfort of your own home. Got a party coming up? Maybe you should have a pizza challenge, and see if your favorite thin-crust pizza can conquer a Chicago-style deep-dish. Regardless of which pie wins, you'll have a fantastic time finding the winner.

Chicken Vesuvio

This classic Italian-American dish is unique to Chicago's kitchens and restaurants.

No one is too sure where this recipe came from, but it was possibly created and made famous by Vesuvio Restaurant, a downtown venue that operated in the 1930s.

It's traditionally made with skin-on, bone-in chicken, garlic, oregano, olive oil and white wine,which is oven roasted till the skin is crispy and the meat is fall-off-the-bone tender and served with potato wedges and peas.

At the suggestion of my "Roadfood" book by Jane and Michael Stern, and because I LOVED him, we stopped by Harry Caray's Italian Steakhouse for lunch so that I could enjoy and share their version of this dish, which Michael (a native Chicagoan) claims "sets a gold standard."

Even though it's the only version I've tried, he must be right, because this was one of the best restaurant meals I've had in ages. Caray's offers both bone-in and boneless options (I chose the latter), and you can even order just the potatoes as a side dish if you prefer.

Thankfully, there are LOTS of recipes available online, so I'll certainly make this dish at home. But, if you're heading to Chicago sometime soon, definitely seek it out at one of the city's many fabulous restaurants.

Red-Hots

Wrigley's Chicago Dog- Vienna Beef, of course

This is no ordinary hot dog. Eating a Chicago-style red-hot is an experience folks like us from the Northeast just don't get every day.

First off, the dog itself. You want to make sure you've got one of Chicago's own Vienna Beef hot dogs, with its snappy casing and garlicky flavor.

Then, you've gotta get the works. That means onions, bright green sweet pickle relish, slices of fresh Roma tomatoes, garlic dill pickle spears, sport peppers, yellow mustard and a dusting of celery salt. Ketchup? No way. Leave that for your fries, if you must.

Finally, the bun. It must be a freshly steamed poppy-seed bun, preferably one from S. Rosen's, the local bakery that has set the standard.

Where did I get mine? Wrigley Field, of course! It was my first-ever visit, but I knew the Friendly Confines wouldn't let me down. Although they didn't offer pickle spears, they had everything else. And, it tasted amazing! Sweet, hot, garlicky, salty, it had practically every taste sensation packed into each incredible bite.

Know what made it taste even better? Our beloved Cubs got a walk-off win. Go, Cubs, go!

Week #14: Illinois, USA

View of the Chicago skyline taken yesterday on I90/I94

Since we're road trippin' it, it'll be too hard to cook, so we've decided to focus on Illinois, our home state for the coming week!

The only official state foods I can find for Illinois are popcorn and Gold Rush apples. That's not terribly interesting, nor easy to convert into dinners, so we'll take our inspiration from our first destination. This week will be all about meals that Chicago's made famous.

Red hots with the works, deep dish pizza...boy, tough assignment, right?! We'll seek out these icons and more, so stay tuned for lots of mouth-watering deliciousness from the Windy City!