I know there's a post on this comparison but it's 5 a.m. on a Saturday and I'm too tired to look for it right now.

Hit Express and Jim's this morning at around 4:45 am. - interesting scene to say the least. From the time I pulled up until I ate and left there were about 20 people or so that ordered from Express and ZERO that even approached Jim's counter.

I went over to Express and ordered a Polish (comes with fries of course) and an RC. The Polish was absoultely, positively the best I've ever had and I've had them all over Chicago. Fresh, perfectly grilled polish with a mild, understated yet present spice. Crunchy on the outside but softer in the middle with a hearty taste. The grilled onions were outstanding. Perfect mix of greasiness and pure taste. What a pleasure for $3.75. The fries were passable.

During my entire 20 minute or so tenure down there I was the only person that ordered from Jim's. If you love Jim's you better sit down before reading on. Hands down, Jim's is the single worst Polish I've ever had. Absolutely disgusting in all respects. I literally gagged on my second and final bite of this inedible crap. Appeared that the polish, bun and onions were just drenched in grease and then served. Onions tasted moldly and also like they were dropped on the floor before they were served. No crunch whatsoever. The Polish was extremely chewy and rubbery - at the risk of losing my life I walked out of my car over to the garbage can in front of Jim's and spat a big bite of that piece-of-shit Polish into the bin to relieve myself of this torture, thereafter slinging the rest of Jim's debacle into the trash - what a nightmare. The fries were horrible as well - undercooked and, like the Polish, drenched in grease. The best aspect of Jim's was the RC cola I got with the polish - and that was even lukewarm. STAY AWAY!!!

It's clear to me why there's never anyone at Jim's - it's a wonder that they can survive with the lack of quality food and a huge customer preference toward their competitor 15 yards away.

I was stunned by my experience.

Bster

Well, I'm almost ashamed to admit this, but I've lived in Chicago pretty much all my life, and have never been to the original Jim's or Maxwell Express. So tonight, after finishing up work, I decided to stop by and grab a Polish from each and jump to my own conclusions.

The verdict is that Maxwell Express was clearly better than Jim's. Reading this thread really shows me how subjective taste is, because Jim's--while not abysmal--was completely lacking in flavor. Maxwell's was tangier, smokier, juicier. It had just the right amount of char to it, while Jim's had almost none. Maxwell just jumped out in flavor. Great texture, nice "snap." Everything. Jim's was--meh. I didn't find it the insult to Polish sausages Bster did, but it simply didn't taste like much.

So, I am a bit surprised. I expected to prefer Jim's (especially since I like to support the popularity underdog in these sorts of polls), but I have to go with the general public's opinion and say Maxwell Express is clearly the better product. It does have longer lines for a reason: it has the better Polish.

I was excited to see this post because yesterday I, a few friends, and about 15 high school students we teach made a stop at Express Grill. At first I felt slightly bad for Jim's since many of the students went back for seconds but after reading the posts on here I'm happy we chose Express Grill. Most of the students had never had a polish, and they seemed mightily impressed with Express. Jim's certainly missed out on a nice payday.

I was certainly impressed: great flavor, nice snap, their onions were outstanding, and nothing in the sandwich was too overpowering. Everything seemed to work together to make it a great sandwich. The fries were decent, but that doesn't really make a difference since the sandwich itself is so satisfying.

I do find it odd that the poll shows that 80% prefers Jim's while most posts talk about how good Express Grill is.

KatyK wrote:I do find it odd that the poll shows that 80% prefers Jim's while most posts talk about how good Express Grill is.

I think a lot of people voted with their hearts rather than their stomachs. I, for one, don't find either of those places all that great. I'm a fan of Wolfy's, but after a late night out on the town, a good polish from Jim's or Express Grill is just what the Dr. ordered.

I have to say that I was very surprised to see that 80% of the members on here like Jim's over Express. I can't help but think, as eluded to by a previous poster, that the underdog in us wants "the little guy" or "the original place" to win out and that this trumps one's objective judgment. I just cannot imagine anyone picking the Polish I had at Jim's the other night over the Polish I ate from Express in a blind taste test.

I always say "to each his or her own", but sometimes a quality distinction is so obvious that it pervades any subjective taste preference - I found that to be the case early yesterday morning at the dog stands.

Maybe I just had a bad Polish over at Jim's - I don't know what happened. In fact, although I always try and be as completely objective as I can, and often achieve this ideal, I imagine that if Jim's and Express provided the same or near same Polish experience that the underdog in me, or the yearning for the original to be the best, would have provoked me to give Jim's the nod. Express overcame what I'll call "the natural bias" that I might have had going into the comparison.

But you have to be fair at the end of the day and Express was outstanding and Jim's was horrible.

My opinion, as well as others here, was gauged opn a side by side tasting done a couple of years ago during the now infamous all night-a-thon. Jim's was clearly the winner that night, with the results being just the opposite of current reports.

I guess things change with time. In my next visit to the area, I'll have to check out express.

YourPalWill wrote:I guess things change with time. In my next visit to the area, I'll have to check out express.

Sure looks like it. When I did my side-by-side back in April, Jim's was definitely better. Prior to a Sox game in the summer, my friends and I stopped at Jim's, and again had quality Polishes. My last visit to Jim's was around August, and that Polish was a disappointment. It tasted nothing like the sausages from my previous visits.

Next time I'm out there, I'll do another side-by-side...

I see that someone mentions a place called "Wolfy's" as having a good Polish? Can anyone direct me to a post or provide an address or run down of this place for me? Thanks!

gleam wrote:Has anyone verified that the most popular items at both locations are the Polish?

Is it possible that Maxwell St. Express makes a better, say, Pork Chop Sandwich, and that the long lines are to purchase those?

Just a possibility...

Thank you Brother, Thank you...

All:

I'm on a Polish rampage this weekend!

After overcoming my 2nd grade research skills, I saw that Wolfy's was about a mile-and-a-half from my place. So, I scurried over there to grab a Polish before the 8 o'clock bell rung.

Here's my take on a comparison amongst Express; Jim's; and Wolfy's Polish Sausages. Please note that my ranking takes into account only the Polish and condiments on the Polish - no fries or drinks counted for, or against, the rankings. Please see my earlier postings on this string for a full review of Express and Jim's. The rankings are based upon the top spot ranking 100% and then the other two places will get a percentage based upon how good their Polishes were in relation to the top spot. Please note that all three Polishes were ordered "with everything sans hot peppers".

Here it goes:

1. Maxwell Street Express 100%

Outstanding, best Polish I ever had.

See posting above for full review.

2. Wolfy's 84%

Very good Polish. Warrants return trips. Good char, crispiness and crunch. Nice, solid flavor and decent mix of spices. Wolfy's was simply a good, solid Polish - nothing more, nothing less. It lacked the "blown away" flavor of the Express Polish. No real deep flavor over the char effect - which was very good. The grilled onions; mustard; tomatoes and pickle were all fresh but just didn't gel awfully well with the Polish itself. The onions were not very flavorful and lacked the sweetness and saltyness and good-but-not-too-much grease flavor of the Express variety. Nonetheless, I would return.

The fries were simple but very good with the right amount of salt.

The fountain Coca-cola was excellent. I don't know if too many out there really appreciate when a fast food or fast sit down joint has a good fountain cola stream working, but I do, and Wolfy's is excellent. Too many places screw up the mixture of carbonation to syrup to create a really disgusting beverage. Wolfy's provides a very tasty fountain Cola - just excellent.

3. Jim's Original 5%

Horrible - see prior post. Not worth another word.

The fries and cola at Wolfy's, if scored, would probably have produced a percentage ranking in the high 80's - they are that good.

Anywhere else I should try?

7 days and three hours exactly to the minute...I was back at Express and Jim's this morning for a second try. Same result. Express 2 Jim's 0. I will not eat at Jim's again. Service was horrible with total disinterest at Jim's. You'd think if you were "the Original" you might have some pride and try to put out a quality product...very sad.

Bster

Bster wrote:I don't know if too many out there really appreciate when a fast food or fast sit down joint has a good fountain cola stream working, but I do... Too many places screw up the mixture of carbonation to syrup to create a really disgusting beverage.

Couldn't agree more about tweaking the fountain drinks. It's one of my few praises for McDonald's: their soft drinks are usually good.

-ramon

Hi everyone, just moved here from California and found this site and it looks like an awesome local food haven. Just wanted to give my 2cents on the debate. I did a blind taste test between the two, and I found that Express Grill was better by far. It was much more flavorful, juicier, and crisp on the outside. Jim's polish was, as others have mentioned, just kinda bland. Nothing to it. And like others have noticed, there were way more people outside of Express Grill than Jim's. When I bought my polish from Jim's, they even offered me a free "pop" (as they say here in Chicago). Kinda sad, I'd say, for an "original".
As far as the fries goes, though, Jim's was way better. Golden, hot and crispy, like fries should be. Express' fries seemed like they were boiled or something. Soggy, limp, and uninteresting. If only we could get the best of both worlds...

aaydemi wrote:As far as the fries goes, though, Jim's was way better. Golden, hot and crispy, like fries should be. Express' fries seemed like they were boiled or something. Soggy, limp, and uninteresting. If only we could get the best of both worlds...

I totally agree with you. I also found Express's Polish to be far, far better than Jim's (as noted above), but their fries...ugh. Express had some of the worst fries I've ever had in Chicago. I mean, seriously. How do you screw up fries?

Wow,
I can't wait to do this side by side taste test.

This thread, plus all the other ones I've read on these two places, tell me one thing (I have no loyalty to one or the other. I had Jim's in 1985 and neither since)

Crap shoot.

Some days, Jim's has a better polish, and the fries died 3 days ago.

Others, Express has fries and onions to die for, but the polish is tough.

Then its Jim's great fries, and crap service.

Followed by the worlds best Express polish, with disappointing stale bun.

So maybe this would be a good test.

Throw an LTH side by side comparison. Pick a date.

Call Jim's and Express (I know they should be good all the time, but these places have a more random work force than Alinea or any full service restaurant) and tell them that "Dec 1st will be comparison day on LTH, all day, and we have 1,800 reader/eaters (or whatever the user # is)

So in theory, each place will have their "game face" on (if we explain what this forum is, and how far reaching your opin's are)

Growing up working at places like these, I know that sometimes your $6.15 (in IL) an hour just means you slap it on.

I would love to do a side by side when the owner/family is there watching over things, and not just the 4am, I'm outta here in 30 minutes, take these 3 hour old fries and get outta my face, wait staff you get stuck with. (this comes to me from Honey 1, when both Sr and Jr ensure you get what you came for. Much harder in 24 hr operations)

(This is a food judgment issue only. If you are grading on friendliness of staff, etc. then you need to pay them enough.)

Willkat98 wrote:I would love to do a side by side when the owner/family is there watching over things, and not just the 4am, I'm outta here in 30 minutes, take these 3 hour old fries and get outta my face, wait staff you get stuck with. (this comes to me from Honey 1, when both Sr and Jr ensure you get what you came for. Much harder in 24 hr operations)

(This is a food judgment issue only. If you are grading on friendliness of staff, etc. then you need to pay them enough.)

This is not a realistic test. It may be for that one time ony, but what about the next time you come. It's got to be done in real world conditions.

stevez wrote:

Willkat98 wrote:I would love to do a side by side when the owner/family is there watching over things, and not just the 4am, I'm outta here in 30 minutes, take these 3 hour old fries and get outta my face, wait staff you get stuck with. (this comes to me from Honey 1, when both Sr and Jr ensure you get what you came for. Much harder in 24 hr operations)

(This is a food judgment issue only. If you are grading on friendliness of staff, etc. then you need to pay them enough.)

This is not a realistic test. It may be for that one time ony, but what about the next time you come. It's got to be done in real world conditions.

Agreed, I just came back here, reread what I posted, and said "Um, that's stupid" Of course you could turn out something good if you knew you were watched.

Dumb suggestion.

It is the "on the cuff" 5am comparison that is a truer mark of quality.

So where are they now? I know they are no longer on Union. Are they both still 24 hours? Are they still side by side? Are they both (or either) still open to the sidewalk?

I know the move was recent. I don't know exactly when, but I'm surprised people who claim to have been there within the last week didn't mention if they went to the new or old locations.

cowdery wrote:So where are they now? I know they are no longer on Union. Are they both still 24 hours? Are they still side by side? Are they both (or either) still open to the sidewalk?

I know the move was recent. I don't know exactly when, but I'm surprised people who claim to have been there within the last week didn't mention if they went to the new or old locations.

They're about 50 feet south of where they used to be. They're both still open 24 hours, are still side by side, and are still open to the sidewalk. Jim's is now north of Express Grill, and the buildings are a little bigger, otherwise not much has changed.

Coverage of the move by a neighborhood paper with quotes from the operators

Update: The neighborhood paper changed their website and removed some older articles. I have a printed copy of original article if anyone is interested in seeing it.

I don't know all the details, but this was a big concession on the part of the university and, in my opinion, a great thing in the sense of preserving a real part of Maxwell Street's historic character and integrating it into the new development. At the request of the stands, there is no interior "restaurant" and nowhere to sit and eat outside either, so it's going to stay the way it always was.

HI,

I passed Jim's 95th Street location, they are making the same offer as last year:

For Black History Month: all sandwiches are $1 Monday-Friday from 3 - 5 PM

I'm sure the offer is the same at the Maxwell St. location and probably matched by their neighbors, Maxwell St. Express.

A low cost opportunity to do the side-by-side comparison.

Regards,

Jims is definitely making the same offer....I was there yesterday!!!

Stopped at Jim's Original this morning a little after midnight. There's now more physical distance between Jim's and Maxwell Street Express, Jim's now has the northerly position, and the crowds at both (at least when I was there) were equalized.

I found the Polish just fine, and was impressed by the fries, which were quite perfectly done. If there's one thing we've learned, though, it's that quality can apparently be a kind of a crap shoot at both places.

It's nice that Jim's offers a metal, chest-high built-in table so you can stand while you munch.

Amusing to me were the two worlds in collision in the Maxwell Street area: the Polish stands attracting cabbies, cops and random street folk, staggering solo; the nearby outdoor cafes bursting with young lusties, university types, and couples.

Hammond

David Hammond wrote:Amusing to me were the two worlds in collision in the Maxwell Street area: the Polish stands attracting cabbies, cops and random street folk, staggering solo; the nearby outdoor cafes bursting with young lusties, university types, and couples.

In which category do you place yourself? Random street folk, or staggering solo? (Please don't say, "young lusty," for all our sakes.)

And how did Jim's fries compare with the ones we enjoyed earlier at Mac's -- which I think would have been a hard act to follow; those were some mighty tasty fries!

JimInLoganSquare wrote:

David Hammond wrote:Amusing to me were the two worlds in collision in the Maxwell Street area: the Polish stands attracting cabbies, cops and random street folk, staggering solo; the nearby outdoor cafes bursting with young lusties, university types, and couples.

In which category do you place yourself? Random street folk, or staggering solo? (Please don't say, "young lusty," for all our sakes.)

And how did Jim's fries compare with the ones we enjoyed earlier at Mac's -- which I think would have been a hard act to follow; those were some mighty tasty fries!

The fries were different at Mac's and Jim's, and I liked them both. Mac's were cooked much darker and crisper, but Jim's were more potato-y and crisp enough on the outside -- I was surprised how fresh the Jim's spuds were, but it's perhaps because, even at the hour of day I was there, this little stand was still doing a relatively brisk business.

You do know I'm a member of local law enforcement, right?

David "Your worst nightmare...with a badge" Hammond

Binko wrote:Well, I'm almost ashamed to admit this, but I've lived in Chicago pretty much all my life, and have never been to the original Jim's or Maxwell Express. So tonight, after finishing up work, I decided to stop by and grab a Polish from each and jump to my own conclusions.

Intrigued by this old debate concerning side-by-side sausages, I decided to do my Windy City duty and finally scarf down at Jim's and Express Grill (aka Maxwell Express), much to my personal betterment. The results were tantalizingly close. Eating at Jim's and Express was like a study of contrasts and similarities: for every likeness, there was a striking difference.

I ate first at Express Grill from roughly 10:45 to 11:00 this morning. I would have started at Jim's had I not found a parking spot so close to Express's front counter, which might help produce the larger foot traffic at the more southern location. Drivers who have never been down that section of South Union before (like me) would probably miss Jim's initially and not bother to back up the street to park closer to the Original after seeing Express. (Just a theory of mine.) At any rate, my sequence of ordering had been changed: I wanted to start at Jim's because I figured I'd have a hard time eating a worse Polish after trying Express's -- thanks to the large portion of pro-Express comments posted in this thread. Being in a rush (I had the 11:10 Illini game to catch at a friend's place), I simply stepped up to the Express counter and placed my order for a Polish with the works, preconceived notions of better or worse be darned.

$2.60 for a sausage and fries (including tax) is an incredible deal... even for this cheapskate. Having finally sampled the Polish at Wolfy's just the other day, I got a taste of good and was now ready for the best. What emerged was a delicious sausage with even hotter onions (temperature-wise) ladled on top. Lying next to the bun in my Polish wrapper were two large sport peppers, hot enough so I wouldn't need more than a couple bites to speed through my breakfast "sandwich." (The Express menu outside said that all sandwiches come with free fries, which were packaged below the Polish in my bag.) I consumed my sweet sandwich so quickly, in fact, that I forgot to take a sip from the can of Coca-Cola Classic which sat by my side in the car as I ate. This was surprising as I brought that drink from home explicitly to help the buns and meat go down easier; in the end, its presence wasn't needed.

Unsurprisingly, Express's weak fries -- though freshly cooked -- provided an anticlimax to the establishment's excellent entree, especially because I refused salt and ketchup when asked at the counter about them. (I didn't realize there were fries bundled free at the time.) To put it simply, the potatoes were bland; even with a bit of salt and ketchup at my friend's place, there was little to make me consider it more than an obligation to finish the package (which I did to complete the experience). Unfortunately, my time ran short as the game drew near, so I made the decision to return to Jim's later on in the afternoon or evening to at least keep the comparison somewhat close as far as the general timeframe was concerned.

Another factor in having only one Polish-and-fry combo that morning was the fact that I was planning to have Al's Italian beef with friends watching the game either at halftime or its conclusion; I needed space to finish a big beef within the next two to three hours. The beef at the half turned out great, as expected, but ordering the big beef versus the regular-sized Italian beef -- I didn't want to regret ordering the smaller size -- caused me to remain exceedingly full for well over the next four hours. This pushed my schedule back and, for a number of reasons, resulted in me returning to South Union almost ten hours after I had left. With that much time between tastings, how would the comparison be affected?

Fighting the urge to go back to Express for one more sausage, I parked right in front of Jim's before 9 P.M. and was loudly urged by the counter guys to step right up and order, in contrast to the busy folks at Express who didn't have to yell when barely anyone stopped by their competitor this morning. I didn't examine foot traffic the other way this time, instead taking a side glance at the grill inside Jim's after asking for another two-sixty Polish with the works. Remembering Bster's excoriating review of Jim's onions, I half-jokingly asked how the onions were today. Not really receiving an answer, I took that look over to the right (of the left counter window), and it appeared that a pile of grilled onions had accumulated on the cooking surface, leading me to guess that the onions would not be as hot as the ones I had at Express. Recalling the events of this morning, the onions at Express were fairly evenly spread on the grill and were sitting around less as the turnover was higher at their end of the street. Rene G's side-by-side photos and Gary's two picture sets are revealing when it comes to comparing onions to onions: Express's were hot and full, while Jim's were warm and wilted.

But what about the sausage? The Polish from Jim's was incredibly hot as I tore into it in my car, even burning the tip of my tongue in the process, so we've got some temperature variances between the two competitors. Surely not eating both Polishes within the same 15-30 minute block -- as well as the possibility of having differing cooks and grilling cycles at each establishment -- could have affected this reading, but I pressed on with the second Polish, nonetheless. Jim's sausage might have been spicier, but both versions were incredibly tasty (at least, in my mind). Express's wasn't charred much, while Jim's lost a little juiciness in comparison by charring for a bit longer. On the other hand, one Polish was crispier than the other, which could work in Jim's favor here. Different, but equally valid.

The mustard was buried a bit deeper in Jim's specimen, and it had a more sour taste, matching the slightly sour disposition of the equally large sport pepper that accompanied the sausage. (Jim's only offered one pepper, placed within the wrapper, but separated by a layer from the actual "sandwich.") This could give a barely noticeable impression that spoilage might have seeped into the Original, but I simply attributed it to a different goal in terms of flavor highlights and sausage sourness. Jim's offered somewhat fewer onions as well, with the veggies easily tangling together when I bit in. Express's looser packing and fresher preparation caused its Polish to be a bit messier but not as clumpy with the toppings. The bun at Jim's might have absorbed the grease more quickly than Express's, possibly leading it to cling to the sausage sooner (via not an altogether unappealing degree of mushiness).

These differences were not deal breakers, however, as I really enjoyed the Polishes from both places. (I even prefaced the later trip to Jim's with a few well-spaced sips from a can of Coca-Cola Classic -- sorry, no Pepsi or RC -- and drank nothing with the sausage there as well.) When the two friends who accompanied me out to Roosevelt stopped by my passenger side window after picking up their order from Express (I convinced them to try the Polish they hadn't had before), I honestly had a hard time articulating which place offered the better flavor combination. If you factor in the complimentary fries that come with each sausage, Jim's wins hands down. (Jim's fries required no extra salt or ketchup -- they tasted that good.) Without the gaping gulf between sides, the horse race becomes a lot closer.

So who did I choose in the end? I think I'll have to vote for Express Grill in this comparison, as the relatively early Polish from them just opened my eyes to what's possible with a saucy sausage. The Polish from Jim's Original nearly matched Express's in overall effect, but its competition just hit every area of importance on all four cylinders, leaving very little margin for error with regards to taste. Had the hourly tables been turned, would I have voted the other way? I really don't know. I considered for a moment ordering another Express Polish immediately after finishing the one from Jim's to compare, but my capacity for minding meat was nearly gone by this time of the day.

Perhaps on another morning (or night) not plagued by other intruding business, I could try both options in quick succession and not have to rely so strongly on the fickle nature of first impressions and the unreliable gauge of potent memories. The final result, for me, must remain for now a virtual tie (allowing for statistical variances) until I can better ascertain which establishment can more consistently produce the desired results. Express gets the nod, however, for first-sampling completeness. Tough break for JO, but, all in all, a great food day for me.

--Dan

Is there any relation between Maxwell Street Express (about which you wrote above) and Maxwell Street Depot (at 31st and Canal)?

Depot just served me a Polish with everything and it was good. They saw that I had taxi waiting and the whole deal was done in under 30 seconds. How considerate of them! Depot: Thank you. Big fast food entities: Rot in hell.

peterc wrote:Is there any relation between Maxwell Street Express (about which you wrote above) and Maxwell Street Depot (at 31st and Canal)?

Dunno if there's any history between the two, so the LTH Polish experts will have to chime in here to provide a proper response. What I remember was grabbing some grub from the Depot some two to three years ago and not being overly enamored with the results. I figure that could be due to several different factors: my lack of appreciation of Polishes and/or porkchop sandwiches in the past, the cooling that occurred between picking up the food and eating it at a friend's Bridgeport apartment (I wouldn't stand for that today), or possibly that the product served that evening wasn't of the very highest quality. I'll have to revisit 31st Street for a reevaluation sometime, but I'm sure that South Side regulars would have a lot more to say about Maxwell Street comparisons.

--Dan

I have to say that I really enjoy Maxwell Street Depot's pork chop sandwich, though I have only ever eaten it at the counter seconds after ordering. Not sure how it travels but I can say when they hand it to you it is hot; think surface of the sun HOT.

Also, I have to say that until last weekend I had only ever eaten at Jim's. As we were having an open house and I needed to escape for 2 hours with my faithful hound, I decided it would be a prime time to do a Jim's vs. Express head-to-head.

I believe I was eating at about noon. Found a spot next to the stainless eating trough on the wall of Express, so I started there with an order of a Polish. It was excellent. Tasty, perfect amount of juice, snap and spice. The onions were soft though stilled maintained a nice onion character. The fries were hot and quite good, though I am a fan of the pillowy variety. Eaten plain these were quite adequate (adequate in a GOOD way). Also thought the peppers were tasty, nice amount of spice and a good briny taste to them. Seeing as I was damn near full and knowing I had another round ahead, the dog (who was faithfully guarding the Jeep) got a handful of fries. She liked them

Next I asked the folks next to me to keep an eye on the dog while I walked down to Jim's (the windows of the Jeep were all open as it was a beautiful day).

I returned a minute later with a brown sack of Jim's, must to the pleasure of Disco the Dog. The fries looked promising, though they had that feel of "battered" fries which I despise. The polish was rather bland. It had a nice dryer/crisp texture from being on a griddle a bit longer, but that couldn't make up for the fact that it was quite pedestrian. I did notice a bit more of a smoke flavor than Express but that didn't make it stand out much. The onions were stringier, and weren't a nice steam/fried texture. They were less tender than Express and I even encountered several pieces that were the tougher skin of onion, that I could not chew (not the brown skin, but the green second layer that I discard). The peppers had a "funk" about them. They were not spicy at all, and tasted of earth too much. The dog was quite happy to get half a Jim's polish. She is a fat, lazy dog so of course she loved it.

In a nutshell, I will be a loyal Express customer when given the choice.

Jamie