For clarification when I think of beef with hot peppers, it's ONLY hot giardiniera, and never just sport peppers. In fact, I admit that I usually prefer just pouring the hot oil on the beef as I'm not the biggest fan of the vegetable mixture - but sometimes I'm in the mood for it. I must have the hot oil though. Otherwise there's trouble.

I almost never say "hot peppers." My typical order is "Beef, Dipped, Hot on the side" - just like that. And I also say Chicago properly. Shi-caw-go.

Cogito wrote: I still cannot figure out how "peppers" somehow become a mixture of chopped peppers, celery, carrots, and oil in this city. If I wanted giardiniera, I'd ask for it. It's not the same thing as a hot pepper. Is that so hard to understand?

At Chicago area IB stands Hot or Hot peppers stand for hot giardinera. Simple enough I'd have to say. Most every city has it's odd food terms.

mrefjl wrote:

Cogito wrote: I still cannot figure out how "peppers" somehow become a mixture of chopped peppers, celery, carrots, and oil in this city. If I wanted giardiniera, I'd ask for it. It's not the same thing as a hot pepper. Is that so hard to understand?

At Chicago area IB stands Hot or Hot peppers stand for hot giardinera. Simple enough I'd have to say. Most every city has it's odd food terms.

I know, if you understand English and read my first post about this issue, you would not need to repeat the same info. My point is that giardiniera is not the same thing as hot peppers and should be referred to as such.

Cogito wrote:I know, if you understand English and read my first post about this issue, you would not need to repeat the same info. My point is that giardiniera is not the same thing as hot peppers and should be referred to as such.

Occasionally the hot peppers on my Italian beef are so spicy I have to race to the bubbler for a cooling sip of water or take a big slug of soda to beat the heat.

My standard order is IB hot, and have never gotten or been offered sport peppers as the hot component. Always giardinara, of which I enjoy that oil as much as the cut up peppers and other adders.

My favorite IB is Johnnies - Elmwood Park, and my favorite one close to my work is Paul's in Westchester.

Once I received an IB with nacho jalapeno rings when I asked for hot peppers. I won't be going back there.

My point is that giardiniera is not the same thing as hot peppers and should be referred to as such.

If you understood Chicagoese, you would've never asked for "hot peppers" on a beef sandwich in the first place, and the entire semantic discussion wouldn't have had to have taken place.

In my lifetime of speaking a fairly pure form of Chicagoese, I have generally had no need to append anything to the words "hot" or "mild" when ordering. Hot implies giardiniera, sweet implies boring green peppers.

I hypothesize that the word "giardiniera" is just too complicated for the many non-Italian peoples of Chicago to say or spell. As evidence, I offer this: I once saw it spelled on a menu as "Hot Gardenia's," including the egregious apostrophe. I'd rather someone call them peppers, or just "hot," than Gardenia's.

Back to the subject: I had a beef at Mr. Beef back in March and found the hot giardiniera lacking in both flavor and heat. Am I alone in feeling that way?

I personally enjoy Pop's, but there are those in this 'hood who argue against it.

Pop's Chicago (The original location, I believe...been there my whole life...)
10337 South Kedzie Ave.
(773) 239-1243

maybe people call giardiniera "hot peppers" because that's what it's made of.

mtgl wrote:I personally enjoy Pop's, but there are those in this 'hood who argue against it.

Pop's Chicago (The original location, I believe...been there my whole life...)
10337 South Kedzie Ave.
(773) 239-1243

I enjoy Pop's quite a bit. They've got the whole package; perfectly cooked beef, good gravy and an excellent version of giardinara. The other location in Homewood(?) was good as well. They scored pretty high in the Beefathon as I recall.

G Wiv wrote:Occasionally the hot peppers on my Italian beef are so spicy I have to race to the bubbler for a cooling sip of water or take a big slug of soda to beat the heat.

I like this bit of Wisconsinese.

elakin wrote:

My point is that giardiniera is not the same thing as hot peppers and should be referred to as such.

If you understood Chicagoese, you would've never asked for "hot peppers" on a beef sandwich in the first place, and the entire semantic discussion wouldn't have had to have taken place.

teatpuller wrote:maybe people call giardiniera "hot peppers" because that's what it's made of.

Sport peppers are a component of giardiniera, but don’t, by themselves, constitute giardiniera as a whole. There are other ingredients as well. If you’re patronizing places that give just cut-up “hot peppers” as giardiniera, you might want to find someplace else to eat at in the future.

mtgl wrote:Back to the subject: I had a beef at Mr. Beef back in March and found the hot giardiniera lacking in both flavor and heat. Am I alone in feeling that way?

I have the sweet peppers added to my beef and combo sandwiches at Mr. Beef (I think I enjoy the sausage more than the beef) and not giardiniera – and I don’t recall why I’m not asking for giardiniera when it’s something I almost always order on a beef sandwich. The reason may be because I didn’t like it (or I'm getting it and don't remember - which would constitute an early senior moment!). So, sorry for not being able to shed some light on that topic.

I'd meant to post a report on a relatively recent visit to Max's at Hollywood and Western Ave., but couldn't find what I thought was the appropriate place to do that (no specific thread for Max's), but what I would have said had I posted was that I didn't like the reddish-tinted and oily giardiniera that's abundantly available there and I thought it ruined my beef sandwich. And since we're discussing giardiniera - I can't stand the product made/sold/used by Bari Foods.

mtgl wrote:Back to the subject: I had a beef at Mr. Beef back in March and found the hot giardiniera lacking in both flavor and heat. Am I alone in feeling that way?

No, you are not alone. I had a beef from Mr. Beef yesterday and the giardiniera was both flavorless and very weak in terms of heat. Meat and gravy were just okay. Overall, pretty mediocre sandwich. I eat about 3 or 4 Italian beefs per year and was sorry I wasted one on Mr. Beef; will have to make it down to Al's some time soon to get a good experience back on top of the "most recent beef" pile. For what it's worth, my wife really liked the Italian sausage she ordered.

Matt wrote:

mtgl wrote:Back to the subject: I had a beef at Mr. Beef back in March and found the hot giardiniera lacking in both flavor and heat. Am I alone in feeling that way?

No, you are not alone. I had a beef from Mr. Beef yesterday and the giardiniera was both flavorless and very weak in terms of heat. Meat and gravy were just okay. Overall, pretty mediocre sandwich. I eat about 3 or 4 Italian beefs per year and was sorry I wasted one on Mr. Beef; will have to make it down to Al's some time soon to get a good experience back on top of the "most recent beef" pile. For what it's worth, my wife really liked the Italian sausage she ordered.

As I mentioned in my short beef tour report on the previous page, Mr. Beef on Orleans was the only one that we would not go back to. The whole thing was just fair, and the giardiniera was not very hot.

I go to the Al's in River North a couple times a month for lunch to scratch the IB itch and it definitely does the trick. However, the last couple of times I've gone, I feel like they've cut down the portion of beef in the sandwich. I noticed this mainly because eating the sandwich had, all of a sudden, become manageable. I didn't have to contort my head to attack it at the correct angle. It wasn't bursting at the seam either, whereas I would normally have to prepare for the inevitable disintegration of the sandwich...even when it it not dipped.

The kicker though was when I decided to get a meatball sub. I get this once in a while and it's pretty good. However, the last time I got it, all of the meatballs were cut in half.

viaChgo wrote:I go to the Al's in River North a couple times a month for lunch to scratch the IB itch and it definitely does the trick.

I patronized the River North franchise of Al's a couple or several times when my office moved into the neighborhood. Never again, though - and if I were to cite the reasons I suspect a moderator would delete the comments and point-out one of the conditions of participation here on LTH:

- Some types of posts have legal implications for you and the site. Please refrain from accusations of criminal activity, health code violations, or other wrongdoing. If your complaint is serious and provable, please take it to the proper authorities. Further, we find reports of restaurant and purveyor violations or closures, regardless of the circumstances, to be an area ripe for competitor abuse. We will remove these posts unless substantiated with a published source, e.g. a link to a quality published account.

In place of those stops at Al's River North, I now head to Portillo's which is nearby - and to Mr. Beef - and those two places satisfy my urge to have something in the neighborhood without traveling afar.

elakin wrote:

My point is that giardiniera is not the same thing as hot peppers and should be referred to as such.

If you understood Chicagoese, you would've never asked for "hot peppers" on a beef sandwich in the first place, and the entire semantic discussion wouldn't have had to have taken place.

I don't know whether you did not read my posts, or simply cannot comprehend them. I do understand Chicagoese. I don't ask for "hot peppers" on a beef, unless I want giardiniera. Now maybe the semantic discussion can go away.

Khaopaat wrote:

elakin wrote:

My point is that giardiniera is not the same thing as hot peppers and should be referred to as such.

If you understood Chicagoese, you would've never asked for "hot peppers" on a beef sandwich in the first place, and the entire semantic discussion wouldn't have had to have taken place.

LMFAO! This made my day. Too damn funny.

Ghazi wrote:LMFAO! This made my day. Too damn funny.

Remember the Steve Martin line "He said sprocket, not socket?" Funny, but you had to be there.

stevez wrote:

mtgl wrote:I personally enjoy Pop's, but there are those in this 'hood who argue against it.

Pop's Chicago (The original location, I believe...been there my whole life...)
10337 South Kedzie Ave.
(773) 239-1243

I enjoy Pop's quite a bit. They've got the whole package; perfectly cooked beef, good gravy and an excellent version of giardinara. The other location in Homewood(?) was good as well. They scored pretty high in the Beefathon as I recall.

I've eaten at the Homewood location and the one in Dyer,In and have found them both to be consistent, and as you described.

Pops Beef
1151 Joliet, Highway, (Rte. 30)
Dyer, Indiana
(219) 865-0202

I need to get a bunch of Italian Beef for an event I'm catering in a couple of weeks. If you had this list of choices - which would you choose? I need a place that charges less than $10/pound for the beef. Which of these should I absolutely avoid? Is there another choice I should call?

BUONA Beef

Duke's Drive-In
8115 S. Harlem Ave.
Bridgeview, Illinois
708-599-0576

Pops Italian Beef & Sausage

Tony's Italian Beef
9664 W 131st St,
Palos Park - (708) 671-1710

Tony's Italian Beef
7007 S Pulaski Rd,
Chicago - (773) 284-6787

Jay's Beef
2255 W North Ave
Chicago, IL, 60686
Beef - $8.50/#
Bread $2.75/loaf
http://www.jaysbeef.com/index.php

Dengeos - Skokie
3301 W. Main St.
Skokie, IL
(847) 677-7911

Dengeos - Buffalo Grove
195 W. Dundee Rd.
Buffalo Grove, IL
(847) 520-0004

Jim & Pete's.

Thank you all for the help!

NancyEsq wrote:I need to get a bunch of Italian Beef for an event I'm catering in a couple of weeks. If you had this list of choices - which would you choose? I need a place that charges less than $10/pound for the beef. Which of these should I absolutely avoid? Is there another choice I should call?

BUONA Beef

Duke's Drive-In
8115 S. Harlem Ave.
Bridgeview, Illinois
708-599-0576

Pops Italian Beef & Sausage

Tony's Italian Beef
9664 W 131st St,
Palos Park - (708) 671-1710

Tony's Italian Beef
7007 S Pulaski Rd,
Chicago - (773) 284-6787

Jay's Beef
2255 W North Ave
Chicago, IL, 60686
Beef - $8.50/#
Bread $2.75/loaf
http://www.jaysbeef.com/index.php

Dengeos - Skokie
3301 W. Main St.
Skokie, IL
(847) 677-7911

Dengeos - Buffalo Grove
195 W. Dundee Rd.
Buffalo Grove, IL
(847) 520-0004

Jim & Pete's.

Thank you all for the help!

Pops does alot of business with their trays of beef and is also one of the best beefs in the city, great beef, gravy and peppers. They do a really nice job with the catering trays and make sure everything is good to go. That's where I would get get them from.

Pop's is #1 for Italian beef. The location in the Palos Heights area has some of the best Italian beef I have every had. They also have great sasuage and awsome grilled chicken sandwich's get the chicken on the Vienna bread not the hamburger bun.

http://www.popsbeef.com/

Hello all Italian Beef fans. My name is Josh Diaz and I am a producer on a new food/travel TV series. We will be filming at Al's Italian Beef and Mr' Beef this weekend 12/11-12/13 and we want all of the super-fans of these restaurants to be there to show their support for their favorite Italian Beef spot. The crew will be filming at Al's No 1 Italian Beef. 1079 W Taylor St Chicago on Friday starting at 11:15am and Mr. Beef at 666 N. Orleans, Chicago on Saturday starting at 11:00 am. On Sunday, we will be filming a blind taste test of both sandwiches with 5 special guest judges at a yet to be decided location. If you are interested in coming to the filming on any of these days please contact me and I will give you more information.
Thanks
Josh

tvproducer wrote:Hello all Italian Beef fans. My name is Josh Diaz and I am a producer on a new food/travel TV series. We will be filming at Al's Italian Beef and Mr' Beef this weekend 12/11-12/13 and we want all of the super-fans of these restaurants to be there to show their support for their favorite Italian Beef spot. The crew will be filming at Al's No 1 Italian Beef. 1079 W Taylor St Chicago on Friday starting at 11:15am and Mr. Beef at 666 N. Orleans, Chicago on Saturday starting at 11:00 am. On Sunday, we will be filming a blind taste test of both sandwiches with 5 special guest judges at a yet to be decided location. If you are interested in coming to the filming on any of these days please contact me and I will give you more information.
Thanks
Josh

Tell Mr. Beef on Orleans that if they would just add 1-2 inches to the bun, and the size of their sandwich, they'd be the best in the city, and have more customers.

Cbot wrote:Pop's is #1 for Italian beef. The location in the Palos Heights area has some of the best Italian beef I have every had. They also have great sasuage and awsome grilled chicken sandwich's get the chicken on the Vienna bread not the hamburger bun.

http://www.popsbeef.com/

Just thought I'd let you all know how it turned out. We ordered 25# of beef 'n stuff from Pops for our event this weekend, and it was very good. Not quite as good as Al's or Johnnie's - but very good. And at a very fair price, with very nice folks.

Jay's Beef has only okay beef.

Phil wrote:

Tell Mr. Beef on Orleans that if they would just add 1-2 inches to the bun, and the size of their sandwich, they'd be the best in the city, and have more customers.

If Mr. Beef made 3' long sandwiches with 10 lbs.of beef that still wouldn't make them the best in the city. They where one of the better beefs, years ago.

Johnnie's has one of the smaller(est) around and they're the best.

Johnnie's on North Avenue in Elmwood Park? That's over-rated, and the combo is the way to go there. Mr. Beef on Orleans has great giardinera, not to hot. The best size sandwich is at Tore's on Elston/Diversey.