Swiss steak!

My first post on LTH, so if T'm in the wrong area for this question, pls be patient - Thanks!

Does anyone know where they serve swiss steak in Chicago?

Today @ West Chicago Middle School

You might want to check the Ohio House Restaurant or White Palace Grill. I just got back from a trip to Miesfeld's in Sheboygan where I picked up some of their excellent Spencer Steaks which will be turned into Swiss Steaks at home.

Ohio House Restaurant
600 North La Salle Street
Chicago, IL
312-751-2038

White Palace Grill
1159 S. Canal St.
Chicago, IL
312-939-7167
http://whitepalacegrill.com/

Miesfeld's Meat Market
4811 Venture Drive
Sheboygan, Wisconsin 53083
920-565-6328

HI,

Are you thinking of Swiss steak as a plated meal with mashed potatoes and gravy or as a sandwich?

Periodically, there is a Swiss steak community dinner in Kingston, IL:



Kingston United Methodist Church
115 W First St.
Kingston, IL. 60145
815 784-2010

If nobody identifies anything better, it could a DIY project:

Subject: Is there such a thing as a good breaded steak sandwich?

Panther in the Den wrote:

dicksond wrote:Alton Brown did a great show on swiss steak a while back, ...

That was a great episode! Cubing Around.

We have tried all three recipes and while it was hard to keep it simple (extra spices, grilled onions) they all tasted great and were very tender.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:

That looks more like Salisbury steak than Swiss steak to me. Isn't Swiss steak a braised tough cut (sometimes sliced) covered in tomato and paprika gravy?

Ohio House is probably a good place to start. Or Budget Gourmet.

Just wait until Next or Butcher & Larder start carving up Swiss steaks; then it will make all of your top 10 lists and jmallg will have the last laugh (and bite).

Santander wrote:Just wait until Next or Butcher & Larder start carving up Swiss steaks; then it will make all of your top 10 lists and jmallg will have the last laugh (and bite).

I kid about Budget Gourmet, but Ohio House is no joke to me. I bet she puts together a classic Swiss steak, served with classic vegetables au metal container.

stevez wrote:You might want to check the Ohio House Restaurant or White Palace Grill.

Ohio House doesn't serve swiss steak. Neither does White Palace. Valois offers it on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Valois Cafeteria
"See Your Food"
1518 E 53rd St
Chicago
773-667-0647

Rene G wrote:

stevez wrote:You might want to check the Ohio House Restaurant or White Palace Grill.

Ohio House doesn't serve swiss steak. Neither does White Palace. Valois offers it on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Valois Cafeteria
"See Your Food"
1518 E 53rd St
Chicago
773-667-0647

HI,

Did you try their Swiss steak? Did you like it?

Regards,

I'd never heard of either of these places, but a "find a food" search on chicago.menupages.com yielded this:

Cellars Market
141 W Jackson Blvd
At S La Salle St
(312) 427-3444
[b]Thursday Special
[/b]
Joe & Franks Market
7147 W Archer Ave
Btwn S Harlem & Neva Ave
(773) 586-0026
[b]Catering Only[/b]

While I've never had their swiss steak, I'll be sure to try it next time I hit up Valois. For general throw-back food, it's a fine institution. To add a bit more information to Rene G's post, it seems they have a website. The list of Specials under the Menu link correlates to my experiences there. I love the hamburger steak when I'm there for lunch, but it's usually a breakfast stop for me.

aschie30 wrote:That looks more like Salisbury steak than Swiss steak to me. Isn't Swiss steak a braised tough cut (sometimes sliced) covered in tomato and paprika gravy?

Ohio House is probably a good place to start. Or Budget Gourmet.

In general, Swiss steak is made by braising cube steaks for a minimum of an hour.

Cube steak is generally a LESS tender cut like bottom round or chuck steak and the like that has been tenderized mechanically. If you are buying them commercially, you will want to make sure that you are getting solid meat. When I worked in institutions, it was NOT uncommon to find nice looking cuts on the top of the box and then to find a few steaks with tendon running right through the middle of the steak.

I don't cook a lot, but the basic Betty Crocker recipe is on my regular rotation. Cube steak, onion, green pepper and a can of tomatoes. Mashers on the side. Easy and delish! And yes, to my reccolection Ohio House does occasionally serve it as a special.

Swiss steak not easy to find - googled some of the menus and none, except Valois as a special on Tues, and Cellars Market special on Thurs, offer it on the regular menu. Live in Lakeview, so Cellars Mkt sounds like a good bet. No car - but I see public trans goes near Valois. What's the 'hood like? Might go. Thanks much to all for your efforts!! - Joe

Yes I love swiss steak and I make it the best. Don't use cube steak because I hate it but use thin round steak. Cellars in the Board of Trade building is a good option though. They also have good mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables that are real, not steam table limp.

As a child I was fond of my mother's Swiss steak but I've hardly eaten any since I was a wee lad. I'm happy to see this thread.

aschie30 wrote:

Cathy2 wrote:

That looks more like Salisbury steak than Swiss steak to me. Isn't Swiss steak a braised tough cut (sometimes sliced) covered in tomato and paprika gravy?

Salisbury steak is formed from minced beef whereas Swiss steak is an intact piece of beef (often round steak) that has been run through a tenderizer machine or beaten with a mallet or the edge of a plate. I think I recall the meat at the Kingston church supper having the characteristic Swiss steak texture.

I remember being surprised by the gravy in Kingston ("Hey, that's not the way my mother made it!"). Looking over some very early Swiss steak recipes, it seems this sort of brown gravy was the norm in the early 20th century. Round steak prepared with onions and tomatoes (and sometimes green peppers) was usually referred to as Spanish steak. Only later did the tomato version come to be called Swiss steak. I'll try to write more later about the evolution of Swiss steak recipes.

Cathy2 wrote:Did you try their Swiss steak?

Not yet. It's on my list. Sounds like something Valois might do a good job with.

mtgl wrote:While I've never had their swiss steak, I'll be sure to try it next time I hit up Valois. For general throw-back food, it's a fine institution. To add a bit more information to Rene G's post, it seems they have a website.

Will wonders never cease? It never occurred to me that Valois might have a website. I actually picked up the telephone and called to ask them on which days they serve Swiss steak.

Rene G wrote:

stevez wrote:You might want to check the Ohio House Restaurant or White Palace Grill.

Ohio House doesn't serve Swiss steak. Neither does White Palace. Valois offers it on Tuesdays and Fridays.

TYV wrote:And yes, to my reccolection Ohio House does occasionally serve it as a special.

No, really, Ohio House doesn't serve Swiss steak. Before I posted, I phoned the owner to ask. She told me she never made it. However, she sounded intrigued by the possibility and said she might look at some recipes so, who knows?, maybe one of these days Swiss steak will finally make an appearance at the World's Largest Little Restaurant.

jmallg wrote:Swiss steak not easy to find - googled some of the menus and none, except Valois as a special on Tues, and Cellars Market special on Thurs, offer it on the regular menu. Live in Lakeview, so Cellars Mkt sounds like a good bet. No car - but I see public trans goes near Valois. What's the 'hood like?

Don't forget Friday at Valois. Looking at the menu, I see on Friday it's served with rice. For some reason that seems wrong to me (my mother never did that). Swiss steak must be served with mashed potatoes.

Valois is easily reached by CTA #6 express bus (to 53rd then walk 2 blocks west) or Metra Electric (to 53rd then half a block west). I'd say you stand an excellent chance of making it back to Lakeview alive.

Rene G wrote:I actually picked up the telephone and called to ask them on which days they serve Swiss steak.

Rene G wrote:Before I posted, I phoned the owner to ask.

Sheesh, don't you know that it is just plain rude to use the phone?

My sister made a recipe for the family once that was just like swiss steak, only she used pieces of beef liver. It was one of the most god-awful meals of my entire life.

Rene G wrote:As a child I was fond of my mother's Swiss steak but I've hardly eaten any since I was a wee lad.

I made up for lost time recently. Three lunches of Swiss steak, each very different, in as many days.

Cellars Market is a large cafeteria in the basement of the Chicago Board of Trade. They offer Swiss steak as a special on Thursdays ($7.69 with mashed potatoes).





I was asked if I wanted gravy and before I knew what was happening, both potatoes and steak were smothered in gloppy brown stuff. It wasn't good gravy to begin with and had no connection with the dish. A big part of Swiss steak's appeal is the way the long-cooked meat and gravy integrate with each other. This gravy ruined the plate for me but even without it I don't think I would have enjoyed the Swiss steak very much. The meat itself wasn't bad, mechanically tenderized but still with a bit of chew (and a little sinew and gristle) but the sautéed onions and green peppers (no tomato) seemed like they'd been cooked separately. I don't see myself ordering this again but in case anyone is tempted, I strongly recommend getting gravy on the side if at all.

Valois is Hyde Park's beloved old cafeteria, actually one of Chicago's oldest restaurants. You can get Swiss steak on Tuesdays and Fridays ($5.95 including potato, vegetable and rolls).





On Fridays, Swiss steak is advertised as coming with rice but they had no problem subbing mashed potatoes. This was a better meal than the previous one in every way (and an excellent value). The abundant vegetable gravy enhanced both the tender meat and potatoes, the last bits getting sopped up with the nice, fresh roll (curiously light on salt). Not quite the tomato-and-green-pepper-heavy version I'm used to but still appealing. I would order this again without hesitation.

The next day I decided to try something a little different. Andrzej Grill serves a Polish version every day ($8.50 including bread, salads or vegetable, and choice of potato).







Bitki wołowe w sosie własnym (beef cutlet with natural gravy) is freely translated as Swiss steak. The meat's texture is fairly close but the beefy gravy with carrots isn't. Even if it's not the traditional American recipe, it's very good, maybe my favorite of the three. The three salads (sauerkraut, shredded beet and cucumber with sour cream) and potato pancakes are excellent as well. I'm on record as saying mashed potatoes are a necessary accompaniment to Swiss steak but I'm currently reevaluating my position.

I'm still looking for a restaurant that serves Swiss steak with a tomato and green pepper gravy. My homemade version turned out pretty well if I say so myself.

Cellars Market
141 W Jackson Blvd (basement)
Chicago
312-427-3444

Valois Cafeteria
1518 E 53rd St
Chicago
773-667-0647

Andrzej Grill
1022 N Western Av
Chicago
773-489-3566

Heh, who needs donuts and Paris 1906, when you have Swiss steak.

Me, I have awful memories of Swiss steak cook for us by a friend's mom, growing up. It's a dish that gives me the willies. I do, however, love Valois, and it seems like quite the place to give it another try.

Just for background, my family and I last ate at Valois about a year ago. It was one of those meals where the whole thing barely cracked a Jackson, yet all hit the spot. They just seem to know how to coax something from their cheap food.

Swiss steak is one of my favorite childhood food memories. My mom usually served it over mashed potatoes, but sometimes she subbed wide egg noodles, and I think I prefer the egg noodles.

I was reminiscing about it recently and a friend of mine had never heard of it. So, someday soon I will be making my mom's version, which I suspect is better than all those pictured above.

But, it's good to know there are options out there if I don't have the 3+ hours needed to make it at home.

I always used round steak to make mine. You know the meat tenderizers used by the old-timey Mexican butchers, with all the hundreds of little knives, the machine they use for carne asada meat (after slicing it in half lengthwise)? I'll bet some roundsteak fed through one of those contraptions would be perfect. If only my Spanish meatcutter's vocab was better. I bet it cooks pretty well in a pressure cooker.

I believe Swiss steak should have some amount of onions and garlic as well as green peppers. I also like mushrooms in it from time to time and a splash or red wine. The onions and garlic have to be diced fine. The gravy should be a combination of brown and tomato gravy....meaning it should not come off as a Spanish or Italian type sauce but something like a brown gravy infused with some tomato sauce. I prefer to cook the meat longer rather than using some kind of tenderizing treatment. Anyway this is how I make it and I don't use a recipe.