Pauls beef-Wolf and 31st

There is a place next to Dominicks in Westchester called Pauls Pizza & Dogs that I feel should be considered in the next beefathon. Ironically, while their pizza and dogs are just average, they are known to locals for their 12 inch beefs, which can be ordered on Garlic bread. Rarely do size and quality go hand and hand, but Pauls delivers a quality sandwich rich in flavor and substance. They supposedly make a nice pepper and egg, as well.

3044 S. Wolf Rd.
Just east of Dominicks

Derek

I have to agree with you,

Pauls is one of my regular lunch spots(the others being Lao Szechuwan, Katy's, Uncle Bubs, & Westmont Brat House), and I love their Italian Beef, good sized sandwich, great flavor, good giardinara, and a decent price. Most times I eat an Italian Beef and a hot dog and leave happy.

Ironically, this Paul's was almost an impromptu stop on beefathon II. I absent-mindedly thought it was on Cermak instead of 31st. I haven't been in a while, but thanks for reminding me.

Flip

I think the beef at Paul's Pizza is a good value. There are better beefs in the area at Carm's in Hillside or Little Joe's in Countryside but both places are more expensive for much less beef. As an aside, a friend of mine once ordered a double italian sausage with red sauce and a slice of pizza for a kicker. I couldn't stop laughing when a footlong piece of italian bread came out with 4 sausages all doused in red sauce. Needless to say it was more than he bargained for.

I tried Carms once, since it is within range of my work, and did not like it at all(stale bread, dry, almost flavorless beef). With Johnnies being to far of a haul, Paul's satisfies my almost daily Italian Beef craving.

Ill have to try Little Joe's.

jimswside wrote:I tried Carms once, since it is within range of my work, and did not like it at all(stale bread, dry, almost flavorless beef). With Johnnies being to far of a haul, Paul's satisfies my almost daily Italian Beef craving.

Ill have to try Little Joe's.

I'd recommend visiting again. It can be a little hit or miss, but generally of a high quality.

Flip

Flip,

I will, all these places are all in short range of where I work in Burr Ridge.

I agree with Flip that Carm's is worth another try. I've been several times (even though it's an hour's drive from home) and have been pleased.

There are no plans for another beefathon in the near future. However, that shouldn't stop anyone from organizing one.

You could easily do a Westchester-Hillside Beefathon. There is a Buona Beef south of Carm's if you want to include it for comparison. As I recall on a previous Beefathon the consensus was that Oak Park Buona was not great, but OK, esp for a chain.

Or you could expand it to to include other western suburbs. Then you could include the inimitable Johnnie's in Elmwood Park. Another name I have in my database is The Original Mr. Beef in Berwyn. It was recommended some time ago by posters, but I don't know anything about it including whether it has any relationship with the Mr. Beef on Orleans Street in Chicago.

I helped organize previous Beefathons and anyone wanting to take this on is welcome to PM me for details. Note: hours below may not be current. Anyone organizing a new Beefathon should call to confirm hours.

Original Mr. Beef
6915 Ogden
Berwyn
708-484-7933

Johnnie's Beef
7500 North AVe
Elmwood Park
708-452-6000
M-Sa: 11a-midnight; Su: noon-midnight

Buona Beef
2135 S Wolf Rd
Hillside
708-236-0575
M-Th: 10:30-10:30, F-Sa:'til 11; Su: 'til 10

Carm's Beef
1801 S Wolf Road
Hillside
708-449-0125
Mon-Su: 10-9

Paul's Pizza & Hot Dogs
3044 Wolf Road
Westchester
708-531-9080
M-Sa: 10-10

Hi. Guess I am in the minority. I have tried Carms 3 times and Paul’s twice. I think Carms is way over rated and over priced. I don’t plan on going back.

On my first visit to Paul’s I had the Beef on Garlic bread. My second time I split one on Garlic and one regular with a friend. We both agreed that the one on Garlic is superior to the regular. We both thought the regular was OK with a lot of beef, but it was bland. I think Paul’s gives you a good beef and a lot of beef for the cost. But IMO it is still significantly below others and not worth a special trip.

D.

Original Mr. Beef
6915 Ogden
Berwyn
708-484-7933

This above joint is gone, but there is no shortage of beef joints in the very near vicinity.

Salerno's on Grove and 33rd - not really a joint per se

Pete's on Roosevelt and Ridgeland

Novi's Beef on Oak Park and Ogden - (this one uses original stuff - beef and hot peppers are both original)

Anyone been to Michael's Beef House on North ave. lately?? (down the street from Johnnie's. KILLER fries.)

There are also slews of others that I haven't been to, and just north, you get into the North ave. / Harlem corridor. Where I'd bet the choices are staggering. I know there's a Luke / Tore up there (my favorite of the small chicago chains a la chickie's, al's - although I have not been to that specific Luke's Tore up there.)

There's also Freddies in Cicero - was that in one of the a-thons already?

Oh man, I gotta get a beef soon now!!!

Seebee, Thanks for the info on the Original Mr. Beef. I've deleted them from my database.

Thanks also for the many other suggestions.

I haven't been to Michael's Beef House in many years, as when I'm in the area I opt for Johnnie's. But I did enjoy Michael's when I was there and am glad to hear they're still doing a good job.

Freddie's in Cicero was visited on a Beefathon in 2005. The IB was disappointing, but everyone enjoyed the visit because of other treats at Freddie's.

Clearly the western suburbs are prime IB territory. All we need now is for someone to organize it.

dodger wrote:Hi. Guess I am in the minority. I have tried Carms 3 times and Paul’s twice. I think Carms is way over rated and over priced. I don’t plan on going back.

I completely agree with you. I thought Carms was sub-standard during my one visit on Beefathon II, although others liked it. I have not been back.

I grew up near Roosevelt road in Oak Park where the old Carms used to be. I used to love their flavorfull gravy(It almost had a buttery flavor) I thought their beefs really hit the spot. Years later I tried one from the Hillside location and was disappointed. It was still a decent sandwich, but the juicy beef seemed more bland than I remembered and the bread seemed a bit old.

Theres another spot in Westchester on Mannheim called Young Prince. I am partial to their Gyro, and although their tzatziki has a sweeter taste than the traditional sauce I feel it gives the sandwich a unique quality. Their Greek chicken breast dinner is also pretty good- Marinated grecian breasts, pita bread, fries and a greek salad. I have never had their beefs, but thats another possible beefathon stop.

Paul's and Luke's (suburban locations) are far and away my favorite beef joints. Never had less than a great beef at either.

Son of Souvlaki wrote:

I grew up near Roosevelt road in Oak Park where the old Carms used to be.

I recall an early Carms location on Cicero south of the Eisenhower (it was the Congress Expressway in those days)

Re Young Prince: Perhaps someone could check out their IB and let us know how it is.

This Carms was on roosevelt and either Wenonah or Home Ave on the Berwyn side. It was near Nicky's(Then Kings and Queens).

I get to Michael's on North Ave. a lot as it is nearby. Beef sandwich is flavorful and large, with a generous helping of their homemade hot giardinera, I get it dipped. This brings up the sandwiches one fault-bad bread. It is way too soft to carry a dipped sammy. Mess aside, it is a good sandwich. And the fries are very good indeed. Fresh cut and finished to order. I ask for them to be well done. A fine lunch.

Son of Souvlaki wrote:This Carms was on roosevelt and either Wenonah or Home Ave on the Berwyn side. It was near Nicky's(Then Kings and Queens).

I grew up in OP, and remember Kings and Queens (it will always be kings and queens to me) but for the life of me, I don't remember this Carms. Must have been quite a while ago, because my father used to rave about a Carms beef sammich from his childhood days on Polk (maybe?) Yet when we lived in OP, he would ALWAYS choose Michael's for IB sammiches. Never Carms on Roosevelt, so it must have been before our time.

And, re Young Prince - I MIGHT take one for the team and give it a try, but I have fairly low expectations. Seems to be one of those jack of all trades grease joints (kinda like King's and Queens,) and the report above about sweet tzatziki makes me think twice about trying anything there.

I was a kid in the late eighties and remember going there. I was talking to my dad about it and he wasnt sure if it was the same owner as the Carms in Hillside, but the name was definitely carms. I do remember that they changed locations a couple times within like a block radius, and that seemed kind of strange.

As for Young prince, parallels can definitely be drawn to Kings and Queens, its that kind of place, but thats a fairly common setting for Gyros and Beefs joints. I still stand by the gyro, though, if i want authentic gyro i'll go to greek town. If I want a meaty sandwich with some non-traditional but tasty "Juice" I am going to Prince. I dont know maybe its Because my wife and I used to eat these Gyros when we were dating, that they have a special place in my culinary heart. I have to admit the best Gyro in the western burbs IMO is Nicky's Village Gyro(Better than former Kings and Queens I think) , or Bills place in Brookfield. Both use a more typical cucumber sauce.

Sorry If I went off on a tangent about the beloved Gyro, but i am the Son of Souvlaki! As for their beef You are probably right I dont expect much as I never heard anyone brag about them.

George R wrote:I recall an early Carms location on Cicero south of the Eisenhower (it was the Congress Expressway in those days)

It was on Cicero & Arthington. First beef stand I ever went to. My parents took me and my sister there. 35 cents for a beef sandwich,30 cents for a sausage. Been a fan of IB ever since.

Son of Souvlaki wrote:This Carms was on roosevelt and either Wenonah or Home Ave on the Berwyn side. It was near Nicky's(Then Kings and Queens).

I remember that too! It was a block west of Nicki's on Wisconsin.

An old rickety wooden shack that had been expanded several times. The interior dark with uneven floors. As soon as you walked in the smell of the beef filled your senses as it had penetrated the walls and floors.

At some point they built the building across the street that is now Ino's and it wasn't the same as the ceramic tile walls and floors didn't hold the odor nearly as well. The prices were increased too.

Then I started going to the location on Cicero but after a couple of years they closed too.

The location on Wolf is good but it is not the same.

Thank you Panther in the Den. At least you guys know i wasnt imagining the place, although much about that carms was a bit dreamlike and surreal. I can also recall the inviting aroma of heated beef fat mixed with spices that one could smell from a block away. Their juicy "soakers"(gravy bread) were another fond memory.

A few more comments.

http://www.chicagobeefblog.com/

Artie wrote:

It [Carms] was on Cicero & Arthington. First beef stand I ever went to. My parents took me and my sister there. 35 cents for a beef sandwich,30 cents for a sausage. Been a fan of IB ever since.

Thanks Artie for confirming my memory. Of course, that was along time ago (I'm thinking late 50s - early 60s) as seen by the prices you mentioned.

I recall going there on warm summer evenings and seeing guys with hopped-up black Chevys and Fords pull in to get their beef fix.

As someone who works in Oak Brook and frequents both Carm's and Paul's, I like both for different reasons:

Carm's has great bread seasoned with garlic and their own brand of hot gard. Hungry Hound picked it as one of his favorite beef joints earlier this year. No link on the ABC 7 site.

Paul's is a bigger sandwich with a thicker sliced beef.

Both hit the spot, but the edge goes to Paul's at lunchtime due to the limited parking available at Carm's.

Has anyone had a beef from Joes place in Westchester? Their Genes n Judes style dogs IMO are among the best in the area-probably why I never was tempted to try anything else. Great fries too.

The other Carm's, on Polk just north of the original Al's, was a stop on the first Beefathon. The beef was acceptable, if uninspiring. The gravy was a greasy disaster.

Does anyone know if there is or was any relation between these different Carm's?

Thanks for the link to the Beef blog, Phil, though we must agree to disagree on some of those places. I consider Portillos and Mr Beef both to be serviceable (so long as they don't try to give me a prewraped mess at Mr Beef) but ultimately their strength and weakness is a certain blandness. They have no flaws, but also no character, no depth.

I have been in a happy Al's/Chickies/Johnnys rut for some time, tho I was distressed to hear recently that Chickies really has been sold (have not verified that personally, but the source was a reliable LTH'er). Keep meaning to try some of the other west suburban joints, but since I believe they most likely will be a major disappointment I cannot quite get up the enthusiasm - I fear I have been spoiled.

But I would be more than happy to assist anyone who wanted to set up a Beefathon by providing the scoresheets, lending moral support and counsel and probably even showing up to try the beef. Beyond that, I am in Beefathon retirement. George really did all the important work anyway.

dicksond wrote:

The other Carm's, on Polk just north of the original Al's, was a stop on the first Beefathon. The beef was acceptable, if uninspiring. The gravy was a greasy disaster.

Does anyone know if there is or was any relation between these different Carm's?

The people at the Hillside Carms told me that it was their family which had the Carms on Chicago's west side (Cicero Avenue and other locations). Makes sense because their IB flavor is reminiscent of what I ate long ago.

They also said there is no relation with the Carm's on Polk Street near Al's.

Panther in the Den wrote:

Son of Souvlaki wrote:This Carms was on roosevelt and either Wenonah or Home Ave on the Berwyn side. It was near Nicky's(Then Kings and Queens).

I remember that too! It was a block west of Nicki's on Wisconsin.

An old rickety wooden shack that had been expanded several times. The interior dark with uneven floors. As soon as you walked in the smell of the beef filled your senses as it had penetrated the walls and floors.

At some point they built the building across the street that is now Ino's and it wasn't the same as the ceramic tile walls and floors didn't hold the odor nearly as well. The prices were increased too.

Then I started going to the location on Cicero but after a couple of years they closed too.

The location on Wolf is good but it is not the same.

Yeah, I remember the earlier incarnations of Carm's on Roosevelt. The old shack had the best beefs. But I thought that the current Nicky's is the same location as the original Carm's?

dicksond wrote:I have been in a happy Al's/Chickies/Johnnys rut for some time, tho I was distressed to hear recently that Chickies really has been sold (have not verified that personally, but the source was a reliable LTH'er)

I hope Chickies new owner keeps up to the old standards.