After a week of Holiday fun and a house full of visitors, my younger son and I decided to go exploring...and for us, that means Roadfood and Museums! We departed just after the lunch hour and were greeted with very light traffic as we made the trek to downtown Chicago. After exiting the Kennedy Expressway at Ohio, we found ourselves northbound on Orleans and within a few blocks, we were greeted by our first stop...the venerable
Mr. Beef on Orleans!
Parking was a snap as we scored a metered spot right around the corner. Located in an older north side neighborhood of Chicago, the area features an eclectic mix of locals, tradesmen and tourists, most in search of the quintessential Chicago dining experience.
Looking just like the photos in Michael Stern's review....
...I was glad to see Pepsi products featured. Upon entering, there were three distinct food groups arranged by menu boards with the first being...
...Mr. Beef's Deli.
Even with the close-up, our short visit did not reveal any takers for this menu selection. Perhaps it is more requested on week days during the lunch hour. Next up...
...the Chicago Style Hot Dog menu. Adjacent to the CSD menu is the restaurant namesake, Italian Beefs, Sausages and Burgers.
Here's the Beef section...
As we were keeping our options open for additional stops and we wanted to remain light-of-foot for the Museum stop, we chose the traditional Chicago lunch of a Chicago Style Hot Dog with Fries and an Italian Beef. We asked for each to be cut in two for easier sharing.
As a veteran Chicago Style Hot Dog consumer, this one was just fair. It had the minimalistic toppings of mustard, relish and onion - similar to Gene & Jude's - and had a steamed non-poppy seed bun, but it just lacked the necessary flavor.
Here's the cut away view and while it took a nice picture, it just didn't measure up to many of Chicago's finest.
Accompanied by thin cut fries, these had potential but a little to long in the fryer left about half the order extremely hard and crunchy! They were salted just right and were a nice size portion. Personally, I'm not into crunchy fries. Next up...
...the namesake. It was served on...
...Gonnella bread, the Italian Beef bread of choice. This was really fresh bread - perhaps as it was Monday, although it seems to be delivered daily to most store fronts and is generally left outside up against the door hours before opening. The Gonnella product really holds up well to the au jus and forms a perfect marriage.
We ordered ours - Beef Sweet - which translated means an Italian Beef with a standard amount of au jus - as opposed to dry or wet- with sweet peppers - as opposed to hot, sweet or none. The beef was really good and paired with the outstanding bread and sweet peppers that weren't to soggy, this was the highlight of the stop.
As it was after lunch, the crowd was thin. The rectangular room is ringed with a small dining counter...
...which is topped with various photos and awards.
For more crowded lunch time operations, there is a small adjacent room with the tongue in cheek name of the Elegant Dining Room. It features an industrial motif but serves its purpose. Visits are short and purpose driven.
Mr. Beef 666 North Orleans Street Chicago, IL 60610 Tel: 312-337-8500 Next up, we visit our Museum de Jour....
<message edited by ChiTownDiner on Sat, 01/3/09 1:46 PM>
