Re: Italian Beef & Chicago Dogs...
 

The individual Chicago Italian Beef is $4.29.

Individual Chicago Italian Sausage is $3.54.

The various hot dogs are: Chicago Hot Dog $2.97; Chili Dog (Coney Style $3.22); and New Yorker $3.14.

What we got Friday night (December 7, 2007) was a Big City Pounder-- One Pound of Chicago Italian Beef. That's $12.95 and is supposed to feed 2 to 4.

Re: Italian Beef & Chicago Dogs...
 

Also: All Hot Dogs come with Fries.

Jim

Re: Italian Beef & Chicago Dogs...
 

Right. Personally a would rather go next door the Big City Grill to McDonald's and get their fries. Like them so much more than Big City's.

Re: Italian Beef & Chicago Dogs...
 

Tal, thanks for clarifying, thats not too bad. guess I will give them a try.

Re: Italian Beef & Chicago Dogs...
 

I do want to try one of their Sheboygan Johnsonville Brats. They are $3.94 each.

On another note, anyone know if and when the Johnsonville Big Taste Grill is coming back to TV? Missed it last year as I got there too late. From the Villages Daily Sun article sometime last year, I thought that the Johnsonville rep said that they would try to come for 2 days in 2007 or 2008? Do not remember the exact dates. Maybe, I missed it again?? :dontknow: I was traveling for about 10 days in October so might have missed it. Also do not read the Villages Daily Sun every day.

Re: Italian Beef & Chicago Dogs...
 

Ahhh to be here in northwest indiana pigging out on a chicago dog,vienna beef celery salt,onions peppers,and of course you chicagoins forgot to mention da sesame seed bun...think ill wash it all down with a Maxwell st. polish ,,tasty,,,,BURRRRRP

Re: Italian Beef & Chicago Dogs...
 

You've been away too long... it's da poppy seed bun!

Jim

Re: Italian Beef & Chicago Dogs...
 

Kregski's,

Believe it or not I have never had a maxwell St. hot dog :dontknow: Are they better then the regular Chicago vienna red hot? Next time Im in Chi town I will have to get one but am I taking my life in my hands going down to Maxwell Street? Heard its a pretty tough neighborhood these days

Re: Italian Beef & Chicago Dogs...
 

All I want is a decent Italian Beef Sandwich (with sweet peppers that are cooked right)


Over the 35 years being in California, my taste buds have adjusted to other Hot dogs and Pizzas but Italian Beef was only available in Chicago and suburbs.

Re: Italian Beef & Chicago Dogs...
 

bump

Re: Italian Beef & Chicago Dogs...
 

You're making me hungry... ;)

Re: Italian Beef & Chicago Dogs...
 

Re: Big City, Till 5 years ago I lived in and around Chicago all my life. At Big City, while not the very best Italian Beef I have ever had it is pretty close and as close as you're going to get here in Florida as Italian Beef is a Chicago thing. They are reasonably priced with lots of beef. Big City is one of the better deals around. Their fries have always been good hot and crispy for us and the oil they use is the only one around that does not give me heartburn! I applaud the owner for bringing a little of home here, he has been making the beef himself and has most items expressed shipped in.
Re Dees hot dogs good luck, someone at work said it is fancy and very high priced a Chicago Dog without fries is $6.95 , most everything is expensive. I won't be walking through their doors anytime soon!

Maxwell Street Is No More, Nonie
 

The old Maxwell Street doesn't exist anymore, Nonie. That area was taken by an expansion of the University of Illinois at Chicago campus. The old vendors have been given the opportunity to place their booths in a new multi-level parking structure built by UIC. Most have opted not to endure the heavy-handed, risk averse and litigation avoiding rules laid down for using that antiseptically clean and heavily policed space.

My experience was that the old Maxwell Street wasn't any more threatening than many of the flea markets that pop up on weekends here in Florida. Our southern flea markets have many of the same colorful personalities that used to occupy Chicago's Maxwell Street. It's too bad they don't serve Chicago hot dogs, polish and Italian beef sandwiches.

Re: Italian Beef & Chicago Dogs...
 

VK,

Thanks for bringing me up to date on my old home town. I actually have never been to Maxwell St. even tho I had uncles who owned clothing shops there in the 50's. Hubby tells me he was there in 60's and he was propositioned by a very savory character and he fled the area rather quickly.

My, My what a hot dog topic can lead to hu? ::)

Re: Italian Beef & Chicago Dogs...
 

Big City has just opened their new place next to Katie Belles. There is an article in todays Daily Sun on the back page of the local section on it. I will have to try it sometime this week.

Re: Italian Beef & Chicago Dogs...
 

This Italian/New Yorker would love to know what Italian Beef is.........


Thanks.

Shirleevee

Re: Italian Beef & Chicago Dogs...
 

Here's a link to a Villages Daily Sun article on the Big City Grill. http://www.thevillagesdailysun.com/a...villages02.txt

This has a good description of Italian beef-- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_Beef

Re: Italian Beef & Chicago Dogs...
 

Sorry......this sounded too good to wait.

Found a recipe and info on Wikipedia.............Yummmmmmmm!

Re: Italian Beef & Chicago Dogs...
 

That looks like what about Big City Grill serves. I thought it was just OK. Like their pizza more but it cannot compare to Pauly's Pizza.

Re: Italian Beef & Chicago Dogs...
 

Tal,

Thanks............I must wait until 8/17/08 for a tasting.

Shirleevee

I've been to Big City several times. It's as close as you're going to get to a Chicago-style Italian Beef sandwich, but I've found that the quality seems to vary. My first experience was great; the second time they were apparently out of the bread/buns that they normally put the beef on and substituted something that was not very good. Another trip there resulted in the beef not tasting quite right.

My Son recently send me a "care package" for my birthday that has Lou Malnoti's pizzas and genuine Portillo's Italian beef sandwiches (complete with the bread, gravy, green peppers and hot giardiniera) ... there's no comparison between the original and Big City - Portillo's is far superior.

For those not familiar with Portillo's or Lou Malnoti's, my deepest condolances ...

Jim - As the soon to retire Bob Feder might say in the "Devotion to Accuracy Department", it's Malnati's not Malnoti's. If you can't spell it correctly you could end up eating thin crust at Home Run Inn.

PS - Dick Portillo did try a location in SW Florida that was not successful. Order da beef dipped or juicy and it will be fine.

here in southern Calif, we have a Chicago chain which started opening in the last yr called Portillos"FROM CHICAGO" I am hoping they make it to the villages in the future.
because they r great:a040:

Surprised you Chicago peeps haven't commented on them!

Big City Grill
 

Yes, Big City Grill is family owned... by Mike Valenta, who opened Johnny Rockets and operated it for a couple of years. I've had a couple of long talks with him. He's a career restaurant man and yes he's from the Chicago area. He had a restaurant in Villa Park. Hard-working guy and he likes to mingle with the customers, so tell him what you like or don't like. I imagine he'll try to fix it. I've also had mixed results, but would agree the Italian Beef is a decent sandwich.

Well, I'm a Chicago boy born and raised on Italian Beef, Combos, hot dogs, etc.
I've been to Big City twice now and it's about the best I've had in the south, however it's not nearly as good as Chicago. I don't know why, but it's not.

It's good, it SMELLS right, but it's not Chicago.

The hot peppers will burn your tonsils out, go easy on 'em.
The sweet peppers weren't right (as noted above), they were way too big and not cooked enough. Just little stuff, but it makes a difference.

I'll visit again for my Italian Beef fix.

Big City Grill
 

Surprised you Chicago peeps haven't commented on them![/QUOTE]

Italian Beef
 

Just my opinion.... Being a born and raised Chicagoan and spending much of my time in the Little Italy area, Portillos is good but by far not the best. Bueno Beef is better and the best is a little Italian Deli on 22nd street In Bridgeview, called Vesuvios' Genuine and authentic the biggest and the best for less than the chains like Portillos. Lukes was a chain also that had really good Italian Beef. I never knew till I moved here that Italian Beef is a Chicago thing, the Italian places here looked at me like I had 2 heads when I asked for it LOL. I will give Big City another try hopefully I just went on an off day. Also I tried the "Maxwell Street Polish at Big City and it was horrible. No where near a true Maxwell Street Polish :) Oh Ricobenes on 26th St in Chicago is another great place. If you have never had a breaded steak sandwich from there you are missing something special!

Italian Beef
 

Three posters have asked and have not received a reply.

What the heck is Italian beef? Is it a special steer raised on oregano and pasta or what??

Please enlighten us non-Chicagoans. :shrug:

Thanks.

rdhdleo,
let me know when you're makin' 'em at home and I'll bring the drinks!!

From Google:

Italian beef / uh TALE yun beef / n. 1. Thinly sliced beef seasoned with garlic, oregano and other spices and served on Italian bread. A Chicago creation, it is slowly spreading nationwide thanks to transplants who can't do without it. The slow-cooked, top-butt meat can be eaten "dipped" (in beef broth), "sweet" (with sweet peppers), "hot" (with giardiniera), "cheesey" (with cheese) or as a combo (with an Italian sausage tucked beneath the beef). In Chicago, it's a source of pride, competition and dirty shirts. 2. A sandwich not known to be served anywhere in Italy.

Big City Grill in SS
 

We decided to give the Big City Grill a try today. We went to the one in SS. It was okay. The wife had the Philadelphia Cheese Steak. There were no green peppers and the wife likes A-1 sauce on the sandwich. I had the Chicago Italian beef with hot peppers. It came out wrapped in tin foil so the bun was soggy. But the meat was very tender and the hot peppers with a double dose of catsup made it pretty good.

I was expecting a more upscale eatery than we got. At least McDonald's puts salt and pepper shakers on the tables. I hate those little tear apart salt and pepper packets.

We might return to try some of the other sandwiches but then maybe not.

Zcaveman:

I have given Big City a try about four times and, sorry to say, it just doesn't produce the good Chicago Italian Beef Sandwich and the fries are terrible.

I have been in Norcal for 35 years and whenever I get back to Chicago I head for the closest Italian Beef I can find and usually can get a pretty good sandwich at just about any small neighborhood lunch spot or pizza place.

When we were kids, probably the biggest treat was when my dad brought home a bucket of Italian Beef and buns for dinner.
.

Ital sausage
 

Muncle:

I hate the soggy bun and tried getting the juice on the side a couple times but they don't give you enough to make it right.
There's just something missing and the servers don't know how to make an Italian Beef Sandwich (probably are from the East Side).
One of the biggest disappointments in my life!

.

bye bye dee dee
 

Muncle,

I read somewhere that DeeDee's Dog House over near Spanish Springs did indeed go out of business. Another one bites the dust.

On a related note, we bought a couple of bratwursts at the new Fresh Market butcher counter the other day and grilled them up....mighty tasty.

Chicago Stance
 

Friend sent me this youtube site:

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Qoa1R1Svnk&feature=channel[/ame]

Now that looks good!!

ummmmmm!!!! I could just taste those Chicago Italian beef sandwiches. Im sorry to say "big City" comes close to the ones we used to get in Chicago but something is sadly lacking.

However, I dont recall the Italian Stance!!! LOL Guess I was more interested in my sandwich then the way the guys were standing!!

LMAO Nonie!!
 

LOL LOL Nonie you are too funny!!! Gees, I just sat down with a grilled cheese....now you all have me craving a Chicago Italian Beef Sandwich!!
Well...I guess I will just have to pretend lol! :beer3: