Big Guy's Sausage Stand - Berwyn

Other than a mention in the "Openings, Closings" thread, I haven't seen anything about this, so
I thought I would send out a quick shout-out about the new sausage stand on Roosevelt, in
Berwyn. You may have heard that a new place was opening in the spot where Parky's (and a
few other ill-fated places) used to be, and you might have heard rumors that Bobby Flay was
involved with a place on Roosevelt. Well, apparently both rumors were true and about the same
location - Big Guy's Sausage Stand. Apparently, the opening of Big Guy's will feature in an
upcoming (Aug 10) episode of Flay's show "Three Days to Open".

My wife stopped by on a whim today and got the whole story from the owner Brendan O'Connor.
She just came home with a Maxwell Street polish and a chorizo sausage with pickled red onions,
sour cream & roasted chiles. Both were home-made, and both were fantastic. They came with
fresh-cut fries that were also very good. According to the menu (link below), they will feature
- among other things - about 10 sausage varieties, including a Crawfish sausage, bacon beer
cheese soup, tamales, and a pork chop sandwich.

If you are in the area, I suggest you check it out. I probably will be going back for dinner.

7021 W Roosevelt
Berwyn, IL 60402
Phone 708-317-5213

http://www.bigguyssausage.com/
https://www.facebook.com/BigGuysSausageStand
http://www.foodnetwork.com/3-days-to-op ... index.html

Went over to Big Guys tonight and had several sausages, our favorite of which was the Italian Chicken. This is one of two sausages made in-house (the other is Buffalo Chicken).



All sausages come with fries, and I suggest you request them “BG” – which means they flip the fries in butter and garlic before serving. You should probably not eat too many of these, but you will enjoy the ones you do eat.

I asked the guy at the counter about his experiences with Flay, and he said it was okay, but "about 95% of the menu stayed the same."

The Food Network piece was shot in May; several months (rather than three days) later, it opened.

David Hammond wrote:Went over to Big Guys tonight and had several sausages, our favorite of which was the Italian Chicken. This is one of two sausages made in-house (the other is Buffalo Chicken).

So what does it mean that the website says "homemade sausages" on the front page? I'm kind of curious how they're defining "homemade".
Don't get me wrong, I'm excited to try this place and hope they succeed but it seems a bit confused.

zoid wrote:

David Hammond wrote:Went over to Big Guys tonight and had several sausages, our favorite of which was the Italian Chicken. This is one of two sausages made in-house (the other is Buffalo Chicken).

So what does it mean that the website says "homemade sausages" on the front page? I'm kind of curious how they're defining "homemade".
Don't get me wrong, I'm excited to try this place and hope they succeed but it seems a bit confused.

The homepage statement is misleading (whether intentionally or not, I can't say, though I believe the "homemade" claim is made only on the homepage). When I asked O'Connor about it, he quite readily clarified that only the two chicken sausages are made in-house. The other sausages are sourced from several different vendors.

We popped in Saturday night for our first trial as well. Counter guys were a mild hoot. Lotsa energy, very friendly.



Tiny little spot. Used to be a Parky's if you know the Parky's setup.



All snausages are served with fries, a few interesting options on the menu. Some of the snausages are "made in house." The counter guy pointed out that the Italian chicken, and the chicken sausage for the Buffalo Chicken sausage were made in house. Tamales are real, homemade ones. The counter guys were very proud of them.

Italian Chicken:

Easily our favorite of what we tried. Not sure if each portion size is a little different, but I gotta tell you, this sausage was massive. The sandwich itself was big with the mound of sauteed peppers, and onions, but the sausage itself had to be at least a quarter pounder. Lotsa fennel, not too salty, I think the sauteed veggies they use have a peppery kick. Standard, chewy, Turano bread (which I like.) If I'm not mistaken, the bread was buttered and grilled. I missed the bun prep as we waited outside.

Brat:

Served with a mound of sauteed onion,and hearty brown mustard on an eggy bun. The bun held up nicely. The brat, imo, was a brat. Tad salty for me, but it was a brat. It was just fine.

Veggie Sandwich:

Twas a beast if I've ever seen one. A MASSIVE mound of sauteed peppers and onions slathered with chimichurri on a Turano roll. This thing was the size of a well portioned Italian Beef sandwich. Massive. The veggies had a peppery kick. This thing was a tad on the spicy side - just a tad. No complaints from me on the heat at all, but it had a kick. Chimichurri didn't add much, far as I can tell.

I'm not a big sausage fan, so I'm not gushing over the place. If you are a sausage fan, I'm guessing you'll like it. My one major quibble - the fries. Eat in here. They have a counter set up for eating inside, and a few tables outside out back. If you travel for a few, ten minutes with these, your probaby once awesome fries will turn into total garbage. They have these totally convenient, cardboard containers for your sausage selection and side of fries, that will basically steam your fries and turn them into complete #$%^. I'm not quite sure why the owner would want this as a carry out solution, but it's pretty unfortunate. Our sandwiches were piping hot when we got home - which only added more steaming of the fries. The fries were essentially just fused together potato globs which is a shame, because out of the fryer, they were obviously good. If you look at the picture of the Veggie sandwich, you can see the beads of sweat on the carton top. Like I said, sandwiches were absolutely PIPING hot when we got home, no complaints there, but the obvious casualty was the fries. Totally ruined. I know the fries were probably excellent before they were put in the packaging.

Decent little place.

seebee, totally with you on the Italian Chicken.

We ate on the picnic tables in back, fearing the very problem you mentioned: this is food you want to eat as soon as it's in your hands.

I think that the owner opted for the large cardboard containers because, as you say, these are some massive sandwiches and if you get your fries BG'd, which I'd encourage people to do, I'm not sure an average Parky's-style brown paper sack could hold them before the grease blew out the bottom of the bag.

Before I forget, thanks to Mrs. Deglazer for stopping in and Deglazer for bringing this place to our attention. According to O'Connor, “Food Network was supposed to be sending out press releases, but so far we’ve seen nothing. And part of the deal is we’re not allowed to contact local media, newspapers and so on.”

Mr. Hammond -
Not sure when you were there, however, if you were there around an 8 o'clockish time, and rooted from the picnic tables for a small child to beat his dad in a foot race to the minivan in the parking lot, that was me. (I lost the race.) I didn't scan the tables to see who was there, but it seemed they all had Olympic Fever, and cheered the boy on to victory.

seebee wrote:Mr. Hammond -
Not sure when you were there, however, if you were there around an 8 o'clockish time, and rooted from the picnic tables for a small child to beat his dad in a foot race to the minivan in the parking lot, that was me. (I lost the race.) I didn't scan the tables to see who was there, but it seemed they all had Olympic Fever, and cheered the boy on to victory.

We got there more like 8:15, so we missed you.

Next week at the grand opening, for the showing of the Food Network segment featuring Big Guys, they're putting up a screen in that parking lot.

As you may have noticed, there's a kind of symbiotic relationship between Big Guys and 12th Street Rag. While we were there, several drunks stumbled in, retrieved sausages, and went back to the bar. Joe Rodriguez (working the counter) told me that they do a big business after midnight, especially around 2:30AM, after the bars close.

An in-law of Rodriguez makes the tamales -- I had one for breakfast and thought it was pretty good.

Tried and enjoyed a majority of their sausages during the taping of "3 days to open." I'm doing a little cameo on that episode, which was my pleasure since I'm whole-heartedly pulling for these guys to succeed. Really great story, nice fellas and more importantly, they are churning out a great product. Within 20 minutes, I manage to take multiple bites out of a Polish, Brat, Pork Chop Sandwich, Regular Dog, Fries and their house made sausage. Good thing I've convinced myself that eating on camera is carb/calorie-free.

FWIW, Bobby F really did care about this project, so much that he swore he'll never do another season. Just too damn emotional he said.

Jeff

David Hammond wrote:All sausages come with fries, and I suggest you request them “BG” – which means they flip the fries in butter and garlic before serving. You should probably not eat too many of these, but you will enjoy the ones you do eat.

Mr. Hammond:
AMEN!
I didn't pay attention to the price for subbing the BG fries for the regular ones, but whatever it was, it was worth it. I tried the chicken italian again, and I liked the bg fries more than the sausage:


Get these if you go.

My Bride and I have stopped a couple of times and have been pleased.

First visit I wanted to try something basic so I ordered the Bratwurst. Very good brat flavor, the mustard had a bit of bite and the grilled onions were a nice touch. Regular fries.

Next visit, the Chorizo, a regular Hot Dog and the BG fries.

The Chorizo was as expected, Chorizo, greasy with the expected flavor. The topping were what set it apart, grilled chile's (mild), pickled onions (!) and sour cream. It was tough to grab a bite of this messy sandwich but all together it was good.

The Hot Dog seemed to be a little larger Vienna with the standard (fresh) toppings. Boiled, with a nice shake of celery salt on top. Well done but undistinguished.

The Fries - Good flavor but limp. They could go to the Edzo's School of Double Frying. The BG addition really ramped up the flavor.

Good thing they use sausage buns for their sandwiches as the big sausage and the correct amount of toppings needs a sturdier bun to keep it all together.

Sourcing - As mentioned the Chicken Sausages are made in house and I heard Bobak's mentioned as one of their suppliers. It seems they are trying to bring us the best they can and sourcing who can deliver the goods.

Atmosphere - It is a guy shop, run by a bunch of guys. A little gruff, a little Chicago. I can see these guys out tailgating.

They are doing a good job! Make sure you want a sausage before stopping in.

Panther in the Den wrote:Sourcing - As mentioned the Chicken Sausages are made in house and I heard Bobak's mentioned as one of their suppliers. It seems they are trying to bring us the best they can and sourcing who can deliver the goods.

Bobak's might very well be one of their suppliers.



Counterman Joe Rodriquez told me they had Polish and maybe another sausage made by a supplier "near Midway," and I asked if it was Bobak's, and he seemed to pause before he said, "No, uh, it's down the street from there."

Could be Bobak's.

If not Bobak's, perhaps Gilmart or 7-9-11?

Had the buffalo chicken sausage today and was moderately impressed; a well-seasoned and large tube o'chicken, and very fresh carrot and celery slivers to cut the richness. I had blue cheese dressing on the side, and my fries (ordered well done) were crisp and flavorful.

Is anyone sure the buffalo chicken sausage is distinct from the Italian chicken sausage? Mine had fennel and red pepper, and was made buffalo seemingly only by the sauce. Perhaps a mixup, tasty either way. A Nicole's or better bun would push some of these offerings more in the Hot Doug direction. Love the tent seating around the corner, and hope they'll improve the main sitting room (some additional venting and stools would help quite a bit), as far as I know they've gotten already, a remarkable advance for that former eyesore of a property.

Santander wrote: Love the tent seating around the corner, and hope they'll improve the main sitting room (some additional venting and stools would help quite a bit).

Remember, too, that you can bring your sausage to eat at 12th Street Rag, the Siamese-twin place next door.

I stopped in to say hello to Mr. Dee, one of the nicest guys in the world, who owns 12th Street Rag. Six people at the bar were eating food from Big Guys next door. We had plans so decided to eat (and drink!) lightly and get some fries. I went to order and remembered the BG fries everyone here reccomends. Huge order and I opened the box to let the steam out right away. Didn't help. In a matter of two minutes they were limp and the insides tasted and had the consistency of being semi raw. Plus, all of the garlic butter had ended up at the bottom of the box. If I was going to eat them, I would have needed salt and possibly, ketchup. That's not a good sign. They need to double fry their fries.
I took them home and fried them up with a little olive oil and added some proscioutto, topped with romano. Now those were some fries!!

I'll bet any amt of money that if ppl start telling them about their fry woes, this issue would be resolved pretty quickly. Next time I go in, I will certainly mention that on several web forums, a pretty constant complaint has been the fries being limp, and underdone. My guess is that they are trying to focus more on speed than quality in these early stages of operation. Understandable, but just because you wanna pump an order out and the fries have started to get golden doesn't mean they are "ready." The extra time in the fryer makes a world of difference in quality for the product. Shitty fries and faster service is not my ideal - especially since it would only take a minute or so longer to have those fries be EXCELLENT. I'm guessing the guys behind the counter are more anxious to get the orders out than the customers are willing to wait to get EXCELLENT fries.

They do know about this thread and hopefully they will follow it.

... and improve the fries.

Bobby Flay's program featuring Big Guy's is on the Food Network right now.

Thanks for the tip!

Just posted on their Facebook Page...

Big Guys Sausage Stand wrote:Just one week until BURGER DAY starts! What is burger day? It is every Sunday at Big Guys where will grind our own chuck, hand pack giant patties and serve up a burger to your liking. These burgers will be big, juicy, messy and delicious.

Could be good. They have some good toppings.

Stopped by again last week...

Maxwell Day! Tried The Maxwell Polish and the Pork Chop.

The The Maxwell Polish - Good Sausage! Not exactly the 'sitting on the grill' crispiness and the spicy onions were a little different but juicy and the sandwich worked well. Hey! Where were the sport peppers!

The Pork Chop - Nice chop that was way too firm. After failing eating I took it home and even had a tough time with a knife. Not dry, just firm? Great bun and toppings and the horseradish mustard, while not traditional, was savory and made eating just the bun a treat.

Looking at these guys you wonder where the inspiration for the savory toppings and spreads comes fun and after watching the Bobby Flay episode I might see where the chef influence comes from. ... unless they have some hidden talents.

Panther in the Den wrote:Looking at these guys you wonder where the inspiration for the savory toppings and spreads comes fun and after watching the Bobby Flay episode I might see where the chef influence comes from. ... unless they have some hidden talents.

One of the guys I spoke with did mention Flay as the motivator for sauces, which makes a lot of sense. If you're going to be basically warming up another person's product, a sauce is a great way to add some value.

Surprised about the pork chop, which I was told was their #1 big seller.

On the program Flay was also seen giving some advice on the toppings too which are also very good. A nice char on some of the peppers.

I wish I had seen the Steak Sandwich Special before I ordered as that sounded awesome! Mmmm... Chimichurri!

Stopped in yesterday and enjoyed some sausages. The Lamb, which was the special, tasted gyroishy, which was a good thing. Hey! I invented a new word. Liked the mint pickles. The Crawfish sausage was really good also. Spicy but not hot. The lamb was messy b/w the feta smear and the sauce. Also, not a bad thing.

Fries. Asked for them extra crispy and they weren't. This would really help with the BG fries. Damn, they were good with the butter and garlic. It was like a garlic clove in every bite. Crispness though, would make them awesome.

Was back today, and we split a fine hot dog along with the chorizo, and buffalo again, which I confirmed is the same base sausage as the Italian chicken. Fries are again packed for instant steaming-out of any crispness, which is too bad since I think the potatoes are well selected and cut. I do believe in their ingredients and pricepoints, and service has been great so far; I'm glad to have them in the neighborhood.

The Lunch Gods were on my side today as I had planned to be in the area. The sun was out and I planned to dine a la hood of my car. Two minutes before my arrival, it started to rain. Plan B - dine inside.

I ordered the Italian Chicken and regular fries. I'm sort of a fries purist. Not a real fan of the doctored up version.

They politely informed me that my sandwich would take a little longer than usual. No worries. About five minutes later it was ready. The sandwich was quite tasty. It had enough zing to it without it being too overpowering.

The fries - that's another issue. I literally started to eat them within 30 seconds of them being packed in the box. They were hot - and very soggy/droopy. In addition, someone behind the counter had a heavy hand with the salt shaker.

I really wanted to bring the issue to their attention. But the line for ordering was about six deep by the time I finished my sandwich and half eaten fries and I needed to head out to see a client.

Will I give them another try? Sure. Hopefully after some more time under their belt, the fries will see some improvement.

I ate there openning day and again a week later. As many others have noted the fries were bad. I did ask about their procedure - was told they were blanched in the morning and fried to order. But I failed to get clarification on the blanching. Brief bath in boiling water or quick fry in cooler oil?

Whichever it is, it isn't working.

Neither here nor there on the crispiness of the fries, but I do know the flavor of the BG fries that came with the awesome lamb sausage special (with feta and mint pickles!) was great.

Burger Sunday (every Sunday)



Big, beautiful, fresh... Served with traditional toppings but available any way you want it. A dash of salt and pepper.



1/2 pounders on the griddle. Meat ground fresh yesterday at Blue Ribbon Meat Market.

No place in the area that can compare that I can think of. Good job Guy's!

No update to the fries.