Best Steak Sandwich in Chicago?

I can't believe it hasn't been discussed yet. . or at least doesn't have its own thread.

While downing the absolutely glorious Ribeye steak sammich at Gibson's (on River Road in Rosemont) I marvelled at how flavorful and tender that sandwich is. I love steak, but I have not ordered many steak sandwiches, ironically.

Still, I would be surprised if there are many that are more flavorful and rewarding than the one at Gibson's. It's a slab of ribeye nesteled in between two slabs of chewy, but unobtrusiven ciabatta bread. I may top it with some red onion and sliced pickle on occasion, or dip it into creamy horsey sauce, but usually, the meat is so immaculately flavored, that I eat it with just the bread. It's more than juicy and tender enough to be eaten that way.

I've been eating these steak sandwiches for two years now and have never failed to have an excellent experience.

If you have a great steak sandwich recommendation, please share.

Gibson's Bar and Steakhouse
5464 N. River Rd.
Rosemont, IL‎
(847) 928-9900‎

I'll offer up the skirt steak sandwich at:
L. Woods
7110 N. Lincoln Ave.,
Lincolnwood IL, 60712
(847) 677-3350

I used to go to Norton's in Highland Park for an excellent strip steak sandwich on garlic french bread. Haven't been there in ages, but the last time I had one there it wasn't as good. Maybe it was just that night. I think I need to revisit soon. Does Gibson's do garlic bread for their sandwich or just ciabatta bread (which is still sounding great)?

Norton's
1905 Sheridan Rd
Highland Park IL 60035
http://www.nortons-restaurant.com/

By the way, was the Gibson's sandwich a strip steak, rib-eye, skirt steak, tenderloin, etc?

I almost never order a steak sandwich because I'm never quite sure in what form it will appear. I enjoy the type that's got steak that's been thinly sliced before being put on the bread, but sometimes you'll get one where it's just a slab o' meat on bread and it's really hard to eat.

Could those of you who post in this topic please detail in what form your steak sandwiches appear? and, if possible, what cut of steak it is and how it's cooked/prepared?

thanks!

elakin wrote:but sometimes you'll get one where it's just a slab o' meat on bread and it's really hard to eat.

I rarely order steak sandwiches in restaurants for the exact same reason. Not that I am opposed to going to knife and fork for a tasty well priced slab o meat on bread, but most are cumbersome to eat out of hand.

An example of the type of steak sandwich I like, both flavor and balance, is the thin cut charcoal grilled* rib eye steak sandwich offered at the Brat Stop.

Brat Stop Rib Eye Sandwich



Enjoy,
Gary

*Sandwiches ordered at the bar are grilled over lump charcoal, tables and combinations are cooked in the kitchen with gas grills.

Brat Stop
12304 75th St
Kenosha, WI 53142
262-857-2011

Ram4 wrote:By the way, was the Gibson's sandwich a strip steak, rib-eye, skirt steak, tenderloin, etc?

Oops. I edited the original post to clarify.

It's ribeye, and extremely flavorful with enough fat to get your salivating, but much less fatty than what you'd normally expect in a steak sandwich.

If we're defining the terms of steak sandwich loosely, my vote goes to El Cubanito. It's a masterpiece.


El Cubanito
2555 N PUlaski
Chicago, IL 60639
773-235-2555

Ghazi wrote:

Ram4 wrote:By the way, was the Gibson's sandwich a strip steak, rib-eye, skirt steak, tenderloin, etc?

Oops. I edited the original post to clarify.

It's ribeye, and extremely flavorful with enough fat to get your salivating, but much less fatty than what you'd normally expect in a steak sandwich.

Sounds like a winner!

G Wiv wrote:Brat Stop Rib Eye Sandwich

Are you sure that's not a raccoon tail hanging off that sandwich?

I actually had a pretty decent skirt steak sandwich for lunch at Art's Drive In (elston+north ave) today for lunch. $6.79 gets you about 6-8oz of well seasoned, medium rare (if you like it that way) skirt steak. Lettuce/tomato/mayo by default, but I went with just grilled onions and was perfectly happy.

It's not mindblowing, but it's pretty good for beef-burger-gyro-dog stand fare. Makes me want to try Mr. D's.

gleam wrote:I actually had a pretty decent skirt steak sandwich for lunch at Art's Drive In (elston+north ave) today for lunch. $6.79 gets you about 6-8oz of well seasoned, medium rare (if you like it that way) skirt steak. Lettuce/tomato/mayo by default, but I went with just grilled onions and was perfectly happy.

It's not mindblowing, but it's pretty good for beef-burger-gyro-dog stand fare. Makes me want to try Mr. D's.

Poochie's has a similar offering that is always very good.

Ralph Wiggum wrote:If we're defining the terms of steak sandwich loosely, my vote goes to El Cubanito. It's a masterpiece.


El Cubanito
2555 N PUlaski
Chicago, IL 60639
773-235-2555

I clicked on this thread intending to say the same thing nearly word for word.

Drover wrote:

Ralph Wiggum wrote:If we're defining the terms of steak sandwich loosely, my vote goes to El Cubanito. It's a masterpiece.


El Cubanito
2555 N PUlaski
Chicago, IL 60639
773-235-2555

I clicked on this thread intending to say the same thing nearly word for word.

Description please? I may be around that way tonight.

Ghazi wrote:

Drover wrote:

Ralph Wiggum wrote:If we're defining the terms of steak sandwich loosely, my vote goes to El Cubanito. It's a masterpiece.


El Cubanito
2555 N PUlaski
Chicago, IL 60639
773-235-2555

I clicked on this thread intending to say the same thing nearly word for word.

Description please? I may be around that way tonight.

They'll be closed.

I'm a steak sandwich type of guy myself but also like elakin and GWiv mention up above I don't like it when you have to wrestle with the sandwich. My all time great as far as steak sandwiches goes is from The Tornado Room in Madison, WI. I'm also a big fan of Mr. D's steak sandwich but always get the shish kebab sandwich instead of it. Also mentioned in here is the steak sandwich from el cubanito which is amazing and one of favorite sandwiches period. Well this past week I have tried a couple places where the steak sammy's came highly rec'd.

The first one comes from Bridgeport icon, Morrie O'Malley's, the seasonal hot dog stand located at 35th and Union and a favorite of the residents and White Sox fans from all over. It came highly rec'd by my buddy who's a narc in that area and knows good cheap food. They grill up (to your liking) a strip steak sandwich on toasted French garlic bread and its available with any of their toppings you want, but you gotta go with just the grilled onions. I had a tussle or two with the meat but it wasn't anything serious but the sandwich, now it was serious.


Morrie O'Malley's strip steak sandwich

The second sandwich I tried was from the legend that is The Brat Stop up in Kenosha. It came highly rec'd by GWiv as you can see above, so you kind of just know its good. Except it wasn't good, it was great. I am never able to order up anything else from Brat Stop except for my beloved Brats while sitting at the bar (gotta get them at the bar) but now I have to have a brat and a ribeye steak sandwich each visit. It was everything described by Gary up above and perfect with a dash of A1 and a couple spoonfuls of fresh onions and the bun is key. When paired with a schooner of Spotted Cow it was one hell of a combo.


The Brats Stops Ribeye steak sandwich

Morrie O'Malley's Hot Dogs
3501 South Union Avenue
Chicago, IL 60609-1629
(773) 247-2700

The Brat Stop
12304 75th St
Kenosha, WI 53142
262-857-2011

stevez
They'll be closed.

El Cubanito2555 N Pulaski
Chicago, IL 60639
773-235-2555


Closed Wed?
Do they have a location in Cicero or is that a same name different joint deal?

Cbot wrote:

stevez
They'll be closed.

El Cubanito2555 N Pulaski
Chicago, IL 60639
773-235-2555


Closed Wed?
Do they have a location in Cicero or is that a same name different joint deal?

A the time I meant that they are closed at night (the poster said they were going to be in the area that night).

I really like the Prime Rib Sandwich on the lunch menu at The Saloon. A tender and delicious slab of meat with arugula, roasted garlic mayonnaise and caramelized onions (I'm refreshing my memory from the online menu) on some kind of toasted bread that I don't remember the type of. Re the "like to eat it as a sandwich" preference expressed by Ed and Gary: With this "sandwich" there's really no way to do it that I can see, but that's OK, because it's clearly not meant to be eaten that way. I mean, I think you'd have to be a lunatic to try. So it's not a demerit that you can't. The thing is meant to be eaten with a knife and fork. The bread is there to sop up the delicious juices, and to spear a bit of in the same bite as your steak, and it performs this function admirably; while the meat is certainly good enough to stand on its own, the dish is even better for having the bread and the condiments as part of the package. Very reasonably priced for the quality and portion size at $11.95.

The Saloon
200 E. Chestnut
Chicago
312 280 5454

riddlemay wrote:Very reasonably priced for the quality and portion size at $11.95.

Sounds like a delicious lunch portion of prime rib, not a sandwich. Not to say I wouldn't eat it, I most certainly would, but its not a sandwich.

G Wiv wrote:

riddlemay wrote:Very reasonably priced for the quality and portion size at $11.95.

Sounds like a delicious lunch portion of prime rib, not a sandwich. Not to say I wouldn't eat it, I most certainly would, but its not a sandwich.

I totally see your point if the definition of sandwich is something you pick up and eat. But like I said, the bread in this "sandwich" is serving a purpose--it's not superfluous by any means. So maybe there needs to be a new word invented for "meat and bread complementing each other perfectly, and meant to be eaten simultaneously, despite requiring utensils." Forkwich?

Da Beef wrote:
The first one comes from Bridgeport icon, Morrie O'Malley's, the seasonal hot dog stand located at 35th and Union and a favorite of the residents and White Sox fans from all over. It came highly rec'd by my buddy who's a narc in that area and knows good cheap food. They grill up (to your liking) a strip steak sandwich on toasted French garlic bread and its available with any of their toppings you want, but you gotta go with just the grilled onions. I had a tussle or two with the meat but it wasn't anything serious but the sandwich, now it was serious.


Morrie O'Malley's strip steak sandwich



Morrie O'Malley's Hot Dogs
3501 South Union Avenue
Chicago, IL 60609-1629
(773) 247-2700

Morrie O'Malleys is a must stop for all Sox fans before a game on the S.Side. Never tried the steak sandwich, but based on the rec. from Da Beef i will(typically I go for some of their fine char dogs).

A surprisingly good steak sandwich can be had at Northshore favorite Michael's in Highland Park and formerly Lincoln Park. Skirt steak comes with choice of regular, bbq or teriyaki served on a toasted French bun with whatever you choose from their many offerings of toppings for hot dogs and such.


Skirt Steak Sandwich

Michael's Chicago Style Red Hots
1879 2nd St
Highland Park, IL 60035
(847) 432-3338

Map

Panther in the Den wrote:Map

Of what?

Drover wrote:

Panther in the Den wrote:Map

Of what?

Of the best steak sandwiches in Chicago. Thanks PID!

jvalentino wrote:

Drover wrote:

Panther in the Den wrote:Map

Of what?

Of the best steak sandwiches in Chicago. Thanks PID!

Yes, thanks PID. Excellent map!

It's not in Chicago (though closer to the Loop than Michael's in Highland Park, mentioned above) but my vote for a diner steak sandwich goes to Nick & George's in Hammond.



The steak sandwich ($7.25 with fresh-cut fries) is a real beauty but pair it with a plate of Pete's peppers and you have some extraordinary diner food. Put a roasted pepper or two on the sandwich and drizzle on some oil and vinegar.



It's a shame this hundred-year-old Greek diner isn't better known outside of Northwest Indiana. I think it's one of the very best diners anywhere in the Chicago area.

Nick & George's
5850 Hohman Av
Hammond IN
219-931-6760

Also not in Chicago, but near and dear to the hearts of many, I'll add The Brat Stop to the list. I've switched over to their rib eye sandwich as my default order when I visit. The rib eyes are cooked on the same charcoal grill as the brats when ordered at the bar. They are the thin style as depicted in Rene G's Nick & George picture and can be served with grilled and/or raw onions and sauerkraut if desired.

The Brat Stop
12304 75th Street
(Hwy 50)
Kenosha, WI 53142
(262) 857-2011

Rene G wrote:It's not in Chicago (though closer to the Loop than Michael's in Highland Park, mentioned above) but my vote for a diner steak sandwich goes to Nick & George's in Hammond.

Damn! I wish I'd known about this last week. Oh well, next time I'm down that way . . .

=R=