Beef sandwiches dipped in gravy, flaming cheese blocks, and a hot dog…with no ketchup?? Don't
you dare shuffle off this mortal coil without chowing down on these Windy City classics.
Jibaro is a Puerto Rican term for someone
from the countryside. But in Chicago, a jibarito is actually a unique and delicious sandwich.
The jibarito's creator, Juan C. Figueroa, told the Chicago Tribune that he was inspired after reading
a newspaper article about using fried plantains in place of bread to make a sandwich. Figueroa
subsequently made his own version of the sandwich and had his father try it out. His dad was a
big fan and told his son that he should start offering the sandwich in his restaurant. To call
the new addition to the menu a success would be an understatement. Figueroa told the Chicago Tribune:
"Our reputation spread by word of mouth and just kept selling them and selling
them until I started getting lines out the door."
This quickly led to other restaurants copying the sandwich and selling their own versions,
which didn't bother Figueroa. If he had patented the sandwich, it wouldn't be as widely enjoyed
throughout the Midwest as it is today. A basic jibarito is a steak sandwich with lettuce,
tomato, and mayo, but variations abound. Some jibaritos are topped with sliced cheese or
grilled onions. For Figueroa's original recipe, you must head to his Borinquen Restaurant.
Saganaki is a fried
semi-hard cheese named for the heavy, two-handled pan in which it is made. It is a popular Greek
snack enjoyed with a glass of beer or ouzo. However, if you are in the United States,
you might know saganaki for more than its flavor — here, saganaki is often set on fire.
Although you might find flaming saganaki in some of the more touristy parts of Greece,
it was really an American invention. Flaming saganaki was first served at the Parthenon
restaurant after it was opened in Chicago's Greektown in 1968. What makes the flame is
a splash of ouzo or brandy added to the pan with the fried cheese. The liquor is
then set on fire by the server, much to the delight of customers who traditionally yell:
"Opa!"
"Opa!" is a Greek exclamation of surprise and excitement. Sadly, the Parthenon permanently
closed its doors in 2016. But the tradition of flaming saganaki that it gave birth to
has spread to Greek restaurants all across the United States and Canada.
As with many dishes that are about a century old or more, the origins of chicken Vesuvio
are murky. According to The Eagle-Tribune, the general consensus is that it was first served
in the 1930s at Chicago restaurant Vesuvio's. The New York Times points out that it bears
some resemblance to southern Italian roast chicken dishes. Regardless of its origins,
the traditional chicken Vesuvio recipe calls for chicken, hence the name. The
recipe is also simple and requires only one pan, which leads to easier cleanup.
"That's looking sexy."
"Thank you very much."
"Right." "You talking about the chicken vesuvio or me?"
It's a simple, comforting, savory dish that starts with browned chicken. Any
part of the chicken is appropriate, bones and skin optional. Potatoes,
peas, garlic, various herbs, lemon, butter, and a splash of white wine complete the dish.
Chicken Vesuvio is also the perfect meal to pair with a glass of wine.
In the early 20th century,
Chicago-native Anthony Ferreri made sandwiches and other baked goods in his basement. He then drove
around Chicago selling them to make ends meet. One day, while attending a wedding reception
where roast beef was being served, Ferrari got an idea. Why not slice the beef thinly on his
deli slicer and sell it in a sandwich? Thus the Italian beef sandwich was born.
Eventually, Ferrari's son Albert, daughter Frances, and son-in-law Chris opened up a
food stand to sell the beef sandwiches. They named the business Al's Bar B-Q,
but the name was changed to Al's #1 Italian Beef in 1980. The original
location remains open today, still serving their famous sandwich.
Al's was featured on the Food Network's "Top 5 Restaurants," where the secret to
Al's nearly century-long success was revealed. The beef is roasted in a bath of garlic cloves
and a special secret seasoning mix. It is then very thinly sliced and put in
a second soak of gravy to marinate further. The meat is removed with a special fork and
put onto a long slice of bread, like a sub. It is topped with giardiniera,
a kind of spicy relish. The Italian beef sandwich can be served either wet,
with a little gravy on top, or dipped, with the entire sandwich submerged in the gravy bath.
"This is the dipping kind."
"So that's just the dip?"
"Right."
The Italian beef sandwich is
popular with Americans of Italian descent in Chicago. But what does this largely Catholic
community do during Lent, when meat is forbidden on Fridays? Enter the pepper and egg sandwich.
The history of this uniquely Chicago sandwich has roots all the way back in the 19th century.
It is said that Italian immigrants came up with the idea. Restaurant owner Tony
Dominici told the Chicago Sun-Times that his recipe calls for three to four eggs
in each sandwich plus a blend of six spices. Dominici went on to add that
the spices used in his recipe are a family secret he inherited from his grandparents.
Deli owner Michael Fiore, who uses spiced and roasted peppers in his sandwiches, told Block
Club Chicago that he started off selling pepper and egg sandwiches only during lent. However,
due to their popularity, the sandwiches are now a regular part of the year round menu.
Who doesn't love popcorn? It can be served plain
with butter or salt, or dressed up with flavors to make a tasty snack. Or you can have it as both a
sweet and savory snack with Chicago-style popcorn, also known as the Garrett Mix.
The Garrett family behind Garrett Popcorn are actually from Milwaukee, Wisconsin,
but they moved to Chicago in 1949. One of the gourmet popcorn shop's recipes
was caramel corn known as CaramelCrisp. Garrett's also made a cheese popcorn called
CheeseCorn. Mix these two together, and you have what has become known as Chicago-style
popcorn. Garrett Popcorn's senior vice president of marketing, Adrienne Kardosh,
credits Garrett's customers for this unique creation. She told InsideHook:
"Customers would buy a bag of CaramelCrisp and a bag of CheeseCorn, then ask for a third,
empty bag. They would shake the two recipes together. We had the
good sense to put it on the menu in 1977, and the rest is history."
"Every time I come into the city I have to have my Garrett's."
Popcorn is great and all,
but what about if you want a real dessert? An ice cream cone, perhaps? Chicago supplies that too,
in the form of the Original Rainbow Cone. This treat features five flavors in one cone:
chocolate, strawberry, pistachio, orange sherbet, and Palmer House,
which is essentially New York vanilla with cherries and walnuts mixed in.
This incredibly unique cone with its multiple distinct flavors was the brainchild of Joseph
Sapp, who opened his first ice cream stand in Chicago with his wife Katherine in 1926. When
the Sapps became too popular for their little stand, they relocated to a larger location
across the street. The shop is still open and serving up Original Rainbow Cones today.
There are numerous regional
varieties of barbecue in the United States. Some are focused on a state, like Texas, Kentucky, or
North Carolina. Others are city focused, such as Kansas City, Memphis, or, you guessed it, Chicago.
As told by the Columbia Daily Tribune, African Americans brought a love for barbecue with them
during the second Great Migration of the 20th century. Because the traditional open pit style
of barbecuing was not allowed in the crowded Windy City, the aquarium pit was born. An aquarium pit
is a large metal contraption with glass sides and a sliding door. Wood or charcoal is put
on the bottom of the glass part, and the meat is placed on a tray that hangs from the top.
Rib tips are Chicago's contribution to the world of barbecue. They are juicy nuggets
of meat and cartilage from the bottom of pork spare ribs. Rip tips are served atop a mound
of French fries with slices of white bread on top to sop up the last of the bits of barbecue.
Sometimes a dish comes along that is
too good not to spread like wildfire — like Chorizo -Stuffed Bacon-Wrapped Dates. These
decadent dates were created for a fancy Chicago restaurant called Avec. Chef Koren Grieveson,
who once worked at Avec, told Grub Street that the dates were invented by chef Paul
Kahan. To make the dates, the chorizo is stuffed into pitted medjool dates,
which are then wrapped in bacon and braised with a special piquillo and tomato sauce.
While speaking to Grub Street,
Chef Chris Cosentino called the dates "decadence on decadence."
Butter chicken is a popular
style of curry found in many Indian restaurants. Meanwhile,
a calzone is a stuffed pizza made popular by Italian restaurants. Chicago chefs Zeeshan
Shah and Yoshi Yamada came up with a brilliant marriage of the two for their fusion restaurant,
Superkhana International. They call it the butter chicken calzone.
The crust is made from traditional Indian naan bread rather than pizza dough,
which perfectly suits the rich curry, melted mozzarella and Amul cheeses inside. The pair of
innovative chefs told Food & Wine that the entire process to make the perfect curry and naan takes
three days. It also took them several tries to get the recipe for the naan dough just right.
To many of us,
a hot dog is a hot dog. You take a cooked sausage, nestle it into a long, slit bun,
and put whatever condiments suit your fancy on top. Right? Not in Chicago. The Chicago-style
hot dog, also known as a Chicago Dog, is not just any hot dog. There are rules to follow.
First, there is the bun. The steamed poppy seed bun to be exact. Next comes the steamed,
typically all-beef sausage. Lastly, there are the seven toppings. To ensure you get
the perfect bite every time, all the toppings should be added in a precise
order. The specific order of assembly is: yellow mustard, "neon green" relish, chopped onions,
two wedges of sliced tomato, two sport peppers, a pickle spear, and a dash or two of celery salt.
And shame on anyone who wavers from this method. When The New York Times shared
its recipe for a Chicago Dog, fans were quick to correct them in the comments.
The bun must be steamed, not toasted or grilled. And, as one person explained,
"Ketchup must not be allowed within 30 feet of the [Chicago-style] hot dog."
"Hot dog."
"Let's go eat."
New York versus Chicago-style pizza is a well established rivalry in the United
States. Which is better? New York's traditional thin crust or Chicago's
innovative deep dish? We aren't here to settle that perpetual debate. But
we are here to tell you about this renowned icon of the Windy City.
Chicago-style pizza was first created in 1943 by Ike Sewell and Ric Riccardo for their Near
North Side neighborhood restaurant Pizzeria Uno. Their Chicago-style pizza is essentially
an inversion of the traditional Neapolitan pizza. Instead of a flat surface, a pan with
deep sides is used to make the pizza. From there, the mozzarella cheese is put onto the dough first,
followed by meat and vegetables. Lastly, pizza sauce is ladled on as the final ingredient.
While Pizzeria Uno is largely credited for the invention of Chicago-style pizza,
there is some debate about who exactly came up with the original recipe. According to
a story in the BBC's Travel website, Rudy Malnati, a former employee of Pizzeria Uno,
claimed that he was the genius behind the classic Chicago pizza. But recipe debates
aside, this is one iconic Windy City food that simply must be tried! It's seriously that good.