ISO fantastic chicken fried steak w/ perfect gravy...

Nothing beats a platter of chicken fried steak topped with sausage gravy, 2 eggs, and hash browns, to cure a mean hang-over. Where to find in Chicago area?

Will drive for food.

Hi,

I'm sure someone will come up with something closer. However, you expressed a willingness to travel, so this may wet your appetite.

I was going to answer with the archetypical "my place" (tenderized round steak dredged in egg, buttermilk, and seasoned flour, pan-fried, with gravy made from milk, salt, pepper and the drippings). But then a colleague of mine had this suggestion:

Hollywood Grill, at Elston and North Ave. He swears by the CFS and eggs there, especially after a night of whiskeying. He says it's open 24/7.

I'm going to stop by on the way home from work tomorrow, and will post a follow-up.

Wade

The Heaven on Seven at 111 N. Wabash, lunch only.

marydon2 wrote:The Heaven on Seven at 111 N. Wabash, lunch only.

Ditto! The one on Clark is good as well...the CFS there at least

I don't know about "fantastic" but White Palace Grill serves up CFS 24x7.

White Palace Grill
1159 S. Canal St.
(312) 939-7167
http://whitepalacegrill.com/

...I'll check them out and post follow-ups.

An old stand-by is Cracker Barrel when I'm on a roadtrip. Not fantastic, but can't beat it for the price and selection of sides. Of course, cleanliness and friendliness are pluses as well.

cracker barrel is a lousy franchise... avoid like the plague?

There was an article on last month's UR (March 17 - April 13 issue) that talked about chicken-fried steaks and it listed:

Flying Saucer
1123 N. California
Humboldt Park
773-342-9076

Hot Spot
2823 W. Armitage
Logan Square
773-770-3838

Dixie Kitchen
Harper Square
Hyde Park

Horseshoe
4115 N. Lincoln
North Center
773-549-9292

Article's writer was Jennifer Wehunt (editor in chief of UR Chicago: editorial@urchicago.com)

g'luck!

L.T.'s Grill had an awesome chicken-fried steak when I was last there, very thick and meaty. However, I don't know if they still have it now that they're only open for breakfast and lunch.

L.T.'s Grill
1800 W. Grand Ave.
312/997-2400

The last time I went to Chuck's with my family, my husband ordered the chicken fried steak. It was so good, I tried to trade my own dinner with him, but he wouldn't go for it.

Suzy

Chuck's Southern Comforts Cafe
5557 W 79th St.
Burbank, IL 60459
(708) 229-8700

sdritz wrote:The last time I went to Chuck's with my family, my husband ordered the chicken fried steak. It was so good, I tried to trade my own dinner with him, but he wouldn't go for it.

Suzy,

Maybe we should get an order or three for the table next Friday at Chucks.

It's seems odd, but I don't think I've ever had CFS in Chicago that I have not made myself. Lucky I have a really good recipe, and a spicy one at that, for Chicken Fried Steak marinated in pickled jalapeno juice. I came across the recipe back in '98 on a BBQ listserv and have been making it, with slight adaptations, ever since.

I posted the CFS recipe Here

Looking forward to the LTHForum Chuck's Dinner on the 13th.

Enjoy,
Gary

I used to look forward to Cracker Barrel when I was on a road trip. Then it finally dawned on me that it's really not all that good. It's like a better packaging of the Old Country Buffet stuff-em-and-they'll-be-happy concept.

I'll have to check out LT Grill, have been meaning to check out their ribs and such, especially since they're down the road.

Chuck's Southern Comfort Cafe sounds like a road trip worthy taking.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions!!!!

P.S. Yeh..I'm not a fan of chain restaurants either, but in moments of desperation, and in deference to non-foodies in the group...gotta to relent at times unfortunately.

sdritz wrote:The last time I went to Chuck's with my family, my husband ordered the chicken fried steak. It was so good, I tried to trade my own dinner with him, but he wouldn't go for it.

Suzy

Chuck's Southern Comforts Cafe
5557 W 79th St.
Burbank, IL 60459
(708) 229-8700

Of course slightly off topic, but I actually like Chuck's chicken fried chicken even better. A great dish, a combination of crisp and moist. My favorite thing at Chuck's.

Rob

Kman wrote:I don't know about "fantastic" but White Palace Grill serves up CFS 24x7.

White Palace Grill
1159 S. Canal St.
(312) 939-7167
http://whitepalacegrill.com/

I found myself in the area of White Palace this afternoon. It was late, and Manny's was already closed, so I took the opportunity to sample the CFS at White Palace. You can get it two ways; as a dinner (with soup or salad, choice of potatoes, vegatables and "garlic bread") or as a breakfast (with two eggs, toast and hash browns). Both versions are $6.95. I opted for the middle groud; ordering the dinner, but selecting hash browns to go with my chicken & shells soup and carrots.

The White Palace Chicken Fried Steak is not the stuff of legands. I'm not sure if it was a portion controlled frozen CFS, or if it was actually breaded in house and then frozen for a month or three. The breading was somewhat soggy and not at all crispy as I like it. Not a ton of flavor, either. The gravy, on the other hand, was quite good with visible chunks of sausage and lots of pepper. I imagine their biscuits and gravy is worth a taste. All in all, I'd give White Palace a good solid "middle of the road" for their CFS. If you are in the mood and in the area, it's not bad at all.

White Palace Grill Chicken Fried Steak

I'm no expert on CFS, but I wanted to say that after having one at Lulu's Cafe in San Antonio last year, I was wondering why some places serve it with sausage gravy and some with a milk/black pepper gravy. The one in San Antonio was a milk gravy (no sausage) and I prefer it that way. If CFS is the state dish of Texas (as I've heard), would this be the proper way to serve it?

I know this will be a blasphemous statement, but the closest I came around here to Lulu's was at Chili's. They give you a HUGE CFS with milk gravy, mashed potatoes with skin, corn on the cob and garlic Texas Toast. It can be a little salty, but I love it.

Ram4 wrote:I'm no expert on CFS, but I wanted to say that after having one at Lulu's Cafe in San Antonio last year, I was wondering why some places serve it with sausage gravy and some with a milk/black pepper gravy. The one in San Antonio was a milk gravy (no sausage) and I prefer it that way. If CFS is the state dish of Texas (as I've heard), would this be the proper way to serve it?

Yes. The milk gravy is absolutely the correct way to serve it. Sausage gravy is generally best over biscuits at breakfast time.

CFS Dinner - Babe's Chicken Dinner House - Dallas, TX

Thanks Steve. Besides Chili's, who serves it with milk gravy around here?

Ram4 wrote:Thanks Steve. Besides Chili's, who serves it with milk gravy around here?

My favorite version around here is served at Wishbone (I can only speak for the West Loop location) as a special on Friday. Their gravy is a little darker than the white milk gravy served in Texas (think 1/3 of the way to brown gravy color. I think there's a hint of tomato product added), but it's tasty...especially when spiked with a little Louisiana Hot Sauce. The steak is breaded with a "flatter" batter than what I've seen elsewhere, but I really like it. My office used to be directly across the street and it was a frequent Friday meal. As far as the authentic real deal, GNR Winner Chuck's is pretty good as mentioned up thread, as is Stanley's.

Wishbone
1001 W Washington Blvd
Chicago, IL 60607-2102
(312) 850-2663

Chuck's Southern Comfort Café
5557 W 79th St.
Burbank, IL 60459
(708) 229-8700

Stanley's Kitchen and Tap
1970 N. Lincoln Ave.
Chicago, IL 60614
(312) 642-0007

Stanley's on Racine
324 S. Racine
Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 433-0007

I decided to dig up this thread because I am probably going to be near Stanley's on Lincoln Saturday afternoon and I want to try their CFS. But I've been doing a little more reading on this dish. It seems that there is a difference between Chicken Fried Steak and Country Fried Steak. According to more than one Texan,
- Chicken Fried Steak has a thick, heavy crust, usually deep fried, and has a white milk gravy (no sausage)
- Country Fried Steak is the original: a light coating crust, pan fried, with a brown milk gravy made from the pan drippings and again, no sausage.

Stanley's menu has a Chicken Fried Steak, so I know what I will be expecting. As I mentioned before, Chili's has a very good Chicken Fried Steak, but naturally being a chain they get it wrong and call it Country Fried Steak. So technically, I've never had a real Country Fried Steak!

Ram4 wrote:I decided to dig up this thread because I am probably going to be near Stanley's on Lincoln Saturday afternoon and I want to try their CFS. But I've been doing a little more reading on this dish. It seems that there is a difference between Chicken Fried Steak and Country Fried Steak. According to more than one Texan,
- Chicken Fried Steak has a thick, heavy crust, usually deep fried, and has a white milk gravy (no sausage)
- Country Fried Steak is the original: a light coating crust, pan fried, with a brown milk gravy made from the pan drippings and again, no sausage.

Stanley's menu has a Chicken Fried Steak, so I know what I will be expecting. As I mentioned before, Chili's has a very good Chicken Fried Steak, but naturally being a chain they get it wrong and call it Country Fried Steak. So technically, I've never had a real Country Fried Steak!

According to your definitions, the CFS served at Wishbone is a Country Fried Steak.

Well I finally made it to Stanley's Kitchen and Tap for a little CFS. It was a modest size (but more than enough today), with mashed potatoes. What was interesting was I asked for gravy on the side and I was given two different ones. The white milk gravy that I was expecting and an almost orange pork gravy for the potatoes. Both were great. The CFS was not a heavy breaded, deep fried version as I thought it would be. It was lightly breaded, not crisp as all, the coating was kind of moist, but it was pretty tender and very good. I would definitely get this again. So, going by the definitions listed above (by Texans), this was a Country Fried Steak. One thing about a Country Fried version is you really taste the steak verses a mouthful of breading that gives a fried chicken taste to the other (hence the name "Chicken Fried" I guess). But, to keep people guessing, Stanley's calls theirs a Chicken Fried Steak. Thanks for the heads up on this one stevez.

Looking for THE BEST in the greater Chicago, area. City, burbs or Wisconsin, up to Milwaukee.
Appreciate suggestions.
Thanks, Wally Wade

I spent ten years in Houston, TX, so I know a good CFS when I've had one. I haven't found an authentic one in the Chicago are yet, though the Illinois Machine Shed in Rockford comes sort of close. Cracker Barrel's is OK, but is not good. Haven't tried Wishbone's (I'd try the Berwyn location), so I may need to try it. I'll try Chuck's Southern Comfort sometime in the next few weeks and will let you know. Down south, a "dinner" CFS is a much more authentic way to have it than a breakfast one, but I'll gladly have a B&G with a CFS for breakfast!!!

Hi,

I would add Feed to your list of Chicken Fried Steaks to sample. I saw it on their weekend brunch menu, though I have not personally tried it. Feed features Southern style food, so it is likely to be a solid contender.

Feed
2803 W. Chicago
773/489-4600
M – F 8 AM – 10 PM
Sat 9 AM – 10 PM
Sun 9 AM – 9PM
Feedrestaurantchicago.com

Regards,

I've had the CFS at Feed for breakfast more than a handful of times, by definition it is Chicken Fried Steak, and I thoroughly enjoy it. It comes with a black pepper and milk gravy (no sausage). I usually sub a biscuit for the toast it comes with, which is my one gripe about the dish - it comes with toast and not a delicious housemade biscuit! (plus 2 eggs and breakfast potatoes - the cubed kind.)

The biscuits and gravy have a different gravy with sausage, fyi.

Not to get this thread off topic, but the smothered fried chicken special on Sunday night at Feed is out of this world, so if you're looking for perfectly seasoned fried chicken (not steak) covered in gravy, I highly recommend this dish.

Feed sounds good. Thanks for mentioning that the CFS has no sausage in the gravy as well.

Sunrise Cafe - my favorite CFS in the city

2012 W Chicago Ave

ab wrote:Sunrise Cafe - my favorite CFS in the city

2012 W Chicago Ave

How about a little more info about it than telling us you love it? How is it prepared? Milk/pepper gravy? Sausage gravy? What comes with it? Thanks!

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