Lucky's Sandwich Company [Pics]

Lucky's signature sandwich: roast beef and cheese.


The standard lace-up: sliced tomato, fries and cole slaw.*



No Comprende.



Lucky's Sandwich Company
3472 N. Clark St.
773.549.0665

Erik M.

* Some jaw disassemly required.

So,. . . Did you like it?

zim wrote:So,. . . Did you like it?

Which is it, zim? Is it my limited command of the Spanish language, or yours?

Regards,
Erik M.

Erik - I share Zim's confusion - You didn't understand the sandwich? Or did the sandwich not understand you?

Seth Zurer wrote:Erik - I share Zim's confusion - You didn't understand the sandwich? Or did the sandwich not understand you?

For me, Seth, it hardly makes a difference which it is. That is why I wrote it up as such.

That was my first and last visit to Lucky's Sandwich Company. I should hope that you are willing to make up your own mind on the matter.

Regards,
Erik M.

FWIW, that does look like a clumsy aping of the Primanti sandwich, something that requires some faith, some luck, the local gravity and several beers to enjoy in the first place. I could probably say something about every layer, but I'll stick to my sandwich aphorism: the bread's all wrong/bread is essentially local.

Is it the slaw that baffles you? The only place I've ever been asked if I want slaw on my sammy is in Tennessee and Georgia BBQ places. And there it makes sense: crunchy cabbage and mayo* goes on sandwiches, right? And the creaminess of the slaw balances the hot sauce on the pork.

At that point, I had an epiphany, and those itsy-bitsy dixie cups of slaw you get at places such as Hackney's have lost their heritage: They're there to be put on the sandwich, not eaten as a side dish (for which they're vastly insufficient).

* Yes, I've repeatedly said I don't like mayo on my burgers, and I don't use it on any deli sandwiches. I can't quite reconcile this exception to my rules, but I'm a collection of contradictions much bigger than that.

JoelF wrote:Is it the slaw that baffles you? The only place I've ever been asked if I want slaw on my sammy is in Tennessee and Georgia BBQ places. And there it makes sense: crunchy cabbage and mayo* goes on sandwiches, right? And the creaminess of the slaw balances the hot sauce on the pork.

Not at all, JoelF. Having lived in North Carolina for a couple of years, I am accustomed to slaw on sandwiches and hotdogs.

I am afraid that I might simply be "faint at heart."

Erik M.

Erik M. wrote:Which is it, zim? Is it my limited command of the Spanish language, or yours?

Regards,
Erik M.

well, I guess that answers the question. I think what confuses me, is the fairly appetizing sandwich picture with the negative review. drool factor overwhelming normal brain workings. in hindi there's kind of a phrase for it ankhon ki bukh hunger of the eyes.

zim wrote:

Erik M. wrote:Which is it, zim? Is it my limited command of the Spanish language, or yours?

Regards,
Erik M.

well, I guess that answers the question. I think what confuses me, is the fairly appetizing sandwich picture with the negative review. drool factor overwhelming normal brain workings. in hindi there's kind of a phrase for it ankhon ki bukh hunger of the eyes.

I was the same way. Looked good to me--then again I though Machine Shed looked great, and everyone tells me it sucks...

As to cole slaw on sammy's, that's not such an odd thing generally, and surely not un-heard of in these parts. Many a corned beef sandwich has been topped by corned beef, and more than a few places have served the Georgia Reuben, i.e., turkey and cole slaw. I cannot verify this until I do the burgers of my youth tour, but Booby's in Niles used to put cole slaw on their house special "Big Booby" burger. Then again, I am a BIG fan of cole slaw generally and on sammy's particularly.

Rob

zim wrote:well, I guess that answers the question. I think what confuses me, is the fairly appetizing sandwich picture with the negative review. drool factor overwhelming normal brain workings. in hindi there's kind of a phrase for it ankhon ki bukh hunger of the eyes.

I had hoped to be finished with this whole matter, but I will say that one of the most disappointing aspects of my sandwich was the meat. As it was implied above, the meat for my sandwich was listed on the menu board as "roast beef." So given, you can probably understand why I was taken aback when I saw the grillman throw some raw steakum-like meat on the flattop.

I would think that from the above photos, one might gather that the meat was of relatively low quality. And, while it is certainly not evident from the above photos, I can say that the meat tasted like it was of low quality.

With these remarks behind me, I don't suppose that I should further concern myself with the paucity of meat on my sandwich, but I did feel that it skewed the balance of the ensemble. To my mind, the small serving of meat* essentially rendered it a french fry sandwich. Now, if you are simply in the market for booze blotter, these seemingly inordinate proportions of potatoes and bread clearly serve a purpose.

Regards,
Erik M.


* Doubling the serving of meat on any sandwich offered is a menu option, but the cost to do so is nearly half that of the original sandwich.

Well, Lucky's sounds like maybe a worse copy than the one at Costello's. It is interesting, I think, that we now have two sandwich makers offering this oddity.

Here's a link to a National Geographic piece on the Strip and the sandwich. (Look at the sidebar photos of the local hand made cheese and slaume) I think the skin-on fries are great at Pimantis, very similar to Al's here, but I take about half off. Not sure what the best meat is, though I always get the fried pastrami or corned beef. The "steak" (more like a hamburger) is popular but looks bad.

The hamburgers I've eaten abroad pretty much prove Erik's hidden point that the right look often don't count for much when it comes to sandwiches.

http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm ... index.html

I can verify that Booby's does put coleslaw on their burgers. I had business at Oakton and Milwaukee recently and stopped in for a cheeseburger and fries at Booby's. I liked the coleslaw on the burger. Always makes me feel like I'm getting some of my vegetables in...

I've always seen the corned beef and coleslaw combo referred to as what I presume is Reuben's female counterpart, the Rachel. In my opinion, she is a worthy significant other.

JoelF,

I've been putting the cole slaw on my burger at Hackney's for a while, but never made THAT connection. I'll bet you're right.

And when I went to school in Ann Arbor, Zingerman's Deli had a Reuben with cole slaw instead of sauerkraut. Only it wasn't called a "Reuben with cole slaw instead of sauerkraut". Or a Rachel. Though that does seem like a good name for it.

In any case, it was a fabulous sandwich.

chrislrob wrote:And when I went to school in Ann Arbor, Zingerman's Deli had a Reuben with cole slaw instead of sauerkraut. Only it wasn't called a "Reuben with cole slaw instead of sauerkraut". Or a Rachel. Though that does seem like a good name for it.

Zingerman's website indicates it is now, at least, called "Sherman's Sure Choice"

Any recent feedback on this place?

I saw the Man vs Food episode where he visited, and I am intrigued by the slaw, and fries on the sandwich, I also see on their website you can add a fried egg to the sandwiches for more fun.

I went into Lucky's, in January, with the intention to try one of their sandwiches, since watching Man vs. Food, but it was a Stealers game night, to which I'm guessing it's a Stealer's bar and their were ZERO seats. Pretty small inside, more like a bar atmostphere, but still want to try.

Are you saying a FoodTV goof visited Lucky's in Chicago to try their poor imitation of a Primanti Brothers' sandwich? Did they at least explain the provenance of the sandwich? (See the Pittsburgh index.)

JeffB wrote:Are you saying a FoodTV goof visited Lucky's in Chicago to try their poor imitation of a Primanti Brothers' sandwich? Did they at least explain the provenance of the sandwich? (See the Pittsburgh index.)

not sure if he is a goof or not, he is on the Travel Channel, but he did mention the comparison to Primantis, and had visited Primanti's in a previous show.

Shaggywillis wrote:. . .but it was a Stealers game night, to which I'm guessing it's a Stealer's bar. . .

Seahawks fan?

Seahawks fan?

No, just a girl who was hungry and can't be bothered by that nonsense.

I am getting the impression this place isnt worth a visit.

I have only been there once since they switched over to more of a bar motif while keeping the original menu, but would recommend it when there isn't a Cubs game at Wrigley. I don't understand the harshness from a few, as they put out a nice product that blends the components well.

I was in Cleveland last summer and there is a place like this, Paninnis in the downtown area. My friend claimed they invented the sandwich, I don't know. It was the kind of thing that tasted good after quite a few cocktails, and not the sort of sandwich i would order on a regular basis. Now that i know I can get one here, I doubt Ill go there.

2146 north wrote:I was in Cleveland last summer and there is a place like this, Paninnis in the downtown area. My friend claimed they invented the sandwich, I don't know. It was the kind of thing that tasted good after quite a few cocktails, and not the sort of sandwich i would order on a regular basis. Now that i know I can get one here, I doubt Ill go there.

Your friend is wrong, and I know quite a few 'Burghers who would be more than happy to set him straight. They don't much care for Clevelanders anyway.

jimswside wrote:Any recent feedback on this place?

In the original Lucky's thread I wrote:I'd especially like to hear from anyone who has also been to Primanti Bros.

If you'd like to try an attempt at an imitation of the great sandwiches at Primanti Bros I suppose you could do worse than Lucky's. Having tried the genuine article at long last, I feel somewhat qualified to make that comment. I suppose it's a bit harsh but I thought Primanti's rendition was spectacular and Lucky's was a well-intentioned but inferior copy. Things might have improved; keep in mind I haven't been back to Lucky's in nearly five years. I suppose that says something right there but I'm prepared to give Lucky's another shot.

2146 north wrote:I was in Cleveland last summer and there is a place like this, Paninnis in the downtown area. My friend claimed they invented the sandwich, I don't know. It was the kind of thing that tasted good after quite a few cocktails, and not the sort of sandwich i would order on a regular basis. Now that i know I can get one here, I doubt Ill go there.

Your friend must have meant that Panini's introduced the Primanti-style sandwich to Cleveland. Panini's opened in 1986. Primanti Bros has been serving their signature sandwiches for a long time before that (they opened in 1933). I wouldn't visit Cleveland (or Chicago) for a Primanti's sandwich. I'd highly recommend going to Primanti Bros in Pittsburgh.