Are you judging Mr.Beef solely on their portions and not the quality of the product? They where one of the better beefs, years ago. Even before the Jay Leno era.

Tore's has a huge sandwich, but it's not particularly good lately. Gone seriously downhill in the last year or so. They still have great fries, though.

I'm loyal to Al's on Taylor and Johnnie's.

Phil wrote:Are you judging Mr.Beef solely on their portions and not the quality of the product? They where one of the better beefs, years ago. Even before the Jay Leno era.

Mr Beef is still very good if you want a nice and beefy gravy. If you want a spicier gravy head over to Al's or Johnnies.

Don't even mention portion size in the same post as our beloved Johnnies...

The best thing about Tore's is their delivery. To trash Johnnies in an early post is a bold introduction to the boards.

But I'm glad this came up. I happened to be on Taylor the other day and had my first Al's in a long while. Based on my beef, I must question the taste of anyone who doesn't place the original Al's in the upper reaches of beefdom. Uncompromising, in no way dumbed down. I've said it before, it's the one beef that tatstes Italian, Calabrian, Sicilian even. And the fries are remarkable. In my book, Al's was way out in front of the Publican and Hop Leaf, making Old-World quality fries before it was cool. While pricey, my recent Al's meal has me thinking they are better than ever. I love Johnnies, Chickie's, Boston's and others, but Al's is unique. (Which is a reason a blind taste test doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Anyone could pick Al's beef out of a lineup.)

Does Al's on Taylor put cumin in their broth? Something weird going on there, some Middle Eastern flavor or something.....sort of a turn-off.

The secret of Al's unique flavor has been much discussed. No definitive answer that I've seen, but I don't taste cumin. Paprika, fennel, and clove are among the usual suspects that come up.

JeffB wrote:The secret of Al's unique flavor has been much discussed. No definitive answer that I've seen, but I don't taste cumin. Paprika, fennel, and clove are among the usual suspects that come up.

It's been a while for me but that sounds right... definitely, clove, which is very apparent...

JeffB wrote:But I'm glad this came up. I happened to be on Taylor the other day and had my first Al's in a long while. Based on my beef, I must question the taste of anyone who doesn't place the original Al's in the upper reaches of beefdom. Uncompromising, in no way dumbed down. I've said it before, it's the one beef that tatstes Italian, Calabrian, Sicilian even. And the fries are remarkable. In my book, Al's was way out in front of the Publican and Hop Leaf, making Old-World quality fries before it was cool. While pricey, my recent Al's meal has me thinking they are better than ever. I love Johnnies, Chickie's, Boston's and others, but Al's is unique. (Which is a reason a blind taste test doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Anyone could pick Al's beef out of a lineup.)

Definitely. Great fries and, as you say, not because they learned about doing them the right way on the FudNetwerk... And whether one is a particular fan of their style of spicing the beef or not, there is no question but that they are heavy-weights in the wonderful world of beef...

Antonius

Antonius wrote:

JeffB wrote:The secret of Al's unique flavor has been much discussed. No definitive answer that I've seen, but I don't taste cumin. Paprika, fennel, and clove are among the usual suspects that come up.

It's been a while for me but that sounds right... definitely, clove, which is very apparent...

I'm guessing nutmeg or mace, too but again, who knows for sure?

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:

Antonius wrote:

JeffB wrote:The secret of Al's unique flavor has been much discussed. No definitive answer that I've seen, but I don't taste cumin. Paprika, fennel, and clove are among the usual suspects that come up.

It's been a while for me but that sounds right... definitely, clove, which is very apparent...

I'm guessing nutmeg or mace, too but again, who knows for sure?

=R=

With Al's beef there are a lot of flavors going on that is sure.

I would put a guess in that there is a hint if Cinnamon too.

In the far NW suburbs, in Elgin (at Randall Rd. and I-90) there is a place called Cafe Roma, which makes homemade Italian Beef that is excellent. I talked with the chef/owner and he roasts Inside Round, and serves it up according to an old Italian-American family recipe. Hand cut fries, and salad or soup too, all for $7!!!

2175 Point Boulevard
Elgin, IL 60123
(847) 836-7662
http://www.tastecaferoma.com

I consider Johnnie's the White Castle of IB. While good, their increasingly smaller sammy is now almost a two biter-just like a slider.

thick wrote:I consider Johnnie's the White Castle of IB. While good, their increasingly smaller sammy is now almost a two biter-just like a slider.

Yeah, they are small, but they are also cheap.

Of course, White Castle is crap on a bun while Johnnie's is the best IB in Chicago, but hey...

Cogito wrote:

thick wrote:I consider Johnnie's the White Castle of IB. While good, their increasingly smaller sammy is now almost a two biter-just like a slider.

Yeah, they are small, but they are also cheap.

Now served up with a snarl and nary a thank you/gracias.

Johnsoncon wrote:

Cogito wrote:

thick wrote:I consider Johnnie's the White Castle of IB. While good, their increasingly smaller sammy is now almost a two biter-just like a slider.

Yeah, they are small, but they are also cheap.

Now served up with a snarl and nary a thank you/gracias.

But boy are they good!

I have always been a fan of Gravy Bread so to deal with the size issue it is no problem for me to just order 2 sammies (wet).

Just open 2 1/2 weeks and doing a great job! It is time to add this great little place to this thread.

Brando's Beef
6838 Windsor Ave, Berwyn
(708) 788-2333

I visited yesterday and had a very good beef. Pics and comments can be found on the Brando's Thread.

Between birria and a Mexican hotdog some Italian beef seemed in order. Picked up one from Chickie's based on the recommendation of another poster. Overall the sandwich was good, not great. The giardinera, however, was very tasty. Spicy, big hits of celery, very fresh and crunchy. Definitely the highlight of the sandwich. Fries there were pretty weak. Very soggy and greasy. Place is cheap, though.

Panther in the Den wrote:But boy are they good!

I agree,

and I have never been snarled @ on my visits.

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

Funny my friend just invited me to this, he is one of the special guest judges.....I'll be there.

Has anyone else eaten at Fabulous Freddie's? My colleague Steve Dolinsky wrote about it today and I wonder if it's as good as he says it is: Wednesday Warm-Up: Bridgeport's Fabulous Freddie's

andrewgill wrote:Has anyone else eaten at Fabulous Freddie's? My colleague Steve Dolinsky wrote about it today and I wonder if it's as good as he says it is: Wednesday Warm-Up: Bridgeport's Fabulous Freddie's

Actually, there are people who use the forum to write about places they've eaten, instead of just linking to their own websites. You can find their posts using the Search feature at the top right.

Johnsoncon wrote:Now served up with a snarl and nary a thank you/gracias.

It's a tiny, grimy beef place - what service do you expect? I've been treated "rude" at Jimmys, Gene and Judes, Al's, and Johnnies and i don't think i could possibly care less - 30 second interaction at most?

But it is cheap. and it's REALLY good.

andrewgill wrote:Has anyone else eaten at Fabulous Freddie's? My colleague Steve Dolinsky wrote about it today and I wonder if it's as good as he says it is: Wednesday Warm-Up: Bridgeport's Fabulous Freddie's

I didn't click your link, but I'm pretty sure this thread is about the same place:

Fabulous Freddie's on Harlem Ave [Pictures]

Also a handful of mentions in this thread:

Breaded Steak sandwich

andrewgill wrote:Has anyone else eaten at Fabulous Freddie's? My colleague Steve Dolinsky wrote about it today and I wonder if it's as good as he says it is: Wednesday Warm-Up: Bridgeport's Fabulous Freddie's

Of course I've been, well lets just say that your colleague must not of had too many beefs in his travels around Chicagoland. The gargantuan beef was more like a (entire) meatloaf sandwich due to the enormous amount of sliced beef being wrapped together it formed into one huge roll of beef. Not my favorite. However the meatball and chicken parm are the items that I would get if eating there, not bad at all. I haven't had a breaded steak but it's a southside joint so its not just about taste and flavor, portions play a role too. You wont be hungry again after eating a sandwich from here, that's for sure.


beef with hot from Freddie's

Da Beef wrote:

beef with hot from Freddie's

Man. That's ridiculous! I'd have to order that sandwich with a side of bread just to try to balance the ingredients.

@Da Beef- thanks for the info and photo! It looks like the deep-dish version of Italian beef!

The secret of Al's unique flavor has been much discussed. No definitive answer that I've seen, but I don't taste cumin. Paprika, fennel, and clove are among the usual suspects that come up.

I rarely go for the Italian beef, but I could've sworn Al's uses coriander seeds in there ...

stevez wrote: Man. That's ridiculous! I'd have to order that sandwich with a side of bread just to try to balance the ingredients.

It was pretty funny and I remember saying to my buddy when eating them that if we were on the job streets and sans guys we would be very happy right now. That thing could feed a family of four, or one streets and sans man. I thought it would be a half loaf of bread filled with beef but instead I ended up with an Italian beefloaf. But I must tell you since your one of the few others who know the horrors of Beefie's and the nightmares they can cause you. I slept just fine after eating at Freddie's, no waking up in a cold sweat from nightmares of screaming horses.

Da Beef wrote:-Ive mentioned it elsewhere on this board but let me tell you about the absolute worst IB, found at of all places Beefee "Worlds best beef" on North ave. If Hardee's or Burger King was goin to give the beef market a test and release a version of their own, I have a hard time believing they could do anything this bad. Imagine a horse rump cooked til grey and rubbery in some sort of beef bouillon cube in Mexican tap water based broth with spices from Julius Caesar's pantry...the thing this place served was worse.

stevez wrote:That's like saying the quality is a good as Beefie's or Johnnies...

andrewgill wrote:@Da Beef- thanks for the info and photo! It looks like the deep-dish version of Italian beef!

No prob...thats a pretty good description of it. Maybe thats why I didnt like it so much, I'm not big on deep dish.

Cogito wrote:

thick wrote:I consider Johnnie's the White Castle of IB. While good, their increasingly smaller sammy is now almost a two biter-just like a slider.

Yeah, they are small, but they are also cheap.

Ok I am wondering if anyone else chuckled when reading about the size of Johnnies beef and in comparison to Freddies?
Maybe I have perverted mind but hey being a man.... is it the size or what you do with it?
(I could not help myself)

Da Beef wrote:-Ive mentioned it elsewhere on this board but let me tell you about the absolute worst IB, found at of all places Beefee "Worlds best beef" on North ave. If Hardee's or Burger King was goin to give the beef market a test and release a version of their own, I have a hard time believing they could do anything this bad. Imagine a horse rump cooked til grey and rubbery in some sort of beef bouillon cube in Mexican tap water based broth with spices from Julius Caesar's pantry...the thing this place served was worse.

Thanks for the tip. I've driven by those joints a million times and almost broke down a couple of times when I was starving, but ultimately was always driven away by their sleaziness. They never seem busy either.