Italian Steak Sandwiches

I grew up in Kansas City with a drive-in menu item called an Italian steak Sandwich. It was(is?) a
thin beefsteak highly seasoned, with the standard Italian stuff, red sauce at some places, onions, peppers and the like + tomatoes and lettuce.
Now that I'm in Oregon, I've been longing for such a sandwich, but I 'm having trouble finding anyone who even knows what I'm
describing. Is this another midwestern/east coast specialty that didn't make it west of the rockies?

I am still in kansas city, and unable to locate a good Italian Steak sandwich (Like I used to get at Wimpey's on troost back in the 60's, 70's and 80's.
I would appreciate any info on where I might find one
I have even considered making them, but am unable to find the breaded italian steak patties

hello uzrmdt, welcome to the boards, Kansas City is much loved by roadfooders;
...I thought after I wrote that post and no one responded, maybe I'd just imagined having them when younger. It seems that the range of Italian Steak Sandwiches must be about the KC metro area, forget east of the rockies. Our preferred drive-in was Norm's Zesto Burger at Roanoke and Westport rd, but I loved Wimpy's when cruising that way.
I believe Eaton's at 10th and Kansas Ave. (don't know whether they still exist), and the Dagwood east of Mission Rd. on SW Blvd. both served good ones also. The key is spicy and breaded, always on a long
bun. Does Texas Tom's still exist in KC?

Hi Bill...I used to get over to Norm's when I was in that area.
Thanks for the names of the other places, I'll check them out.
There are a few Texas Toms, mostly up in the Independence and Raytown areas. I stopped in at one off of 291 hwy for the Italian Steak (YUKKK).
thanks again

quote:

Originally posted by uzrmdt

I am still in kansas city, and unable to locate a good Italian Steak sandwich (Like I used to get at Wimpey's on troost back in the 60's, 70's and 80's.
I would appreciate any info on where I might find one
I have even considered making them, but am unable to find the breaded italian steak patties

You can get a great Italian steak sandwich at:

Dominic's Pizza & Pasta
6300 N Oak Trfy
Kansas City, MO 64118-4704

I haven't had an Italian steak sandwich in years. Humdinger's Drive-In, just east of downtown K.C., used to have a decent one, but it's long gone. Can't find them around Columbia, Mo., in any form.

There used to be a little neighborhood grocery a few blocks east of the River Quay area in K.C. On the north side of...Fifth Street? Maybe. Anyway, the store also served Italian lunches. Huge hoagie sandwiches made from an entire loaf of Roma bread; lasagna; meat balls; you name it. But I don't remember if they served Italian steak sandwiches. Does that ring a bell with you, Bill Voss, or anybody?

LaSala's! Yes! I love that place. Lunches about $2.00 or so.. it's stupendous. Meatball grinders,pastrami, corned beef. The 5 of us on here from KC remember Italian Steak Sandwiches, so I'm not nuts, but it must have been the Italian's homage to KC, the ultimate beef town. 30 miles out of the city at any point on the compass and they have no idea what you're talkin' about.
Norm's was my favorite, but Eaton's in KCK at 10th and Kansas Avenue was great too....... in way too healthy Southern Oregon - Bill .......

You guys are killing me!!! That is food from my childhood that I seriously miss. Wimpey's was a personal favorite for Italian steak sandwiches and since I lived down the street from where Norm's Zesto Burger was (and still live there!) I used to wheel my little baby in her stroller and pick up the best italian steaks and wheel them home. We really miss those places. Stack's Drive-Ins, north of the river were great, too. Now we can go to Anthony's downtown and Italian Delight in the suburbs, but none compare to Wimpey's and Norm's. Dominic's is close, though.
I haven't come across anything similar in another city, I can't imagine anything on the west coast that's close. Shall we just ship you some?

You'll have to. I've been gone 14 years, and when I get back there, I can scarcely find my way around.

Even the old Hi-Boy drive-ins in Independence have gone far downhill.

But wait--now that I think of it, there's a great drive-in on 23rd Street in Independence, right next to Hill Park. It is famous for its curb service, tenderloins and brain sandwiches. But I can't remember if it offers Italian steak.

I thought I should revive this thread if only for Billyb's reference to Brain Sandwiches.... Between brains and eggs, liver and onions, and gatelifters, (snout sandwiches),
well, you just don't see that stuff out here in the foo foo far west.
I just don't think it's a sandwich/gravyboat culture.

TextTextTextTextLast time I was in KC there was a little restaurant/drive-in on the cprner of Truman Rd and Bennington (zip 64126) that had excellent Italian Steak sandwiches. Geeeeeeeez I miss those things.

Originally posted by uzrmdt

I am still in kansas city, and unable to locate a good Italian Steak sandwich (Like I used to get at Wimpey's on troost back in the 60's, 70's and 80's.
I would appreciate any info on where I might find one
I have even considered making them, but am unable to find the breaded italian steak patties

[/qiuote] i have been craving exactly what you are talking about..i used to live in k.c.13 years ago and i loved those sandwich..if you ever come across the recipe..let me know and i will do the same..thanks

quote:

Originally posted by bill voss

I thought I should revive this thread if only for Billyb's reference to Brain Sandwiches.... Between brains and eggs, liver and onions, and gatelifters, (snout sandwiches),
well, you just don't see that stuff out here in the foo foo far west.
I just don't think it's a sandwich/gravyboat culture.

I have been away from Kansas City for about 20 years and live on the western slope in Colorado. We used to get great Italian Steak sandwichs at V's restaurant on 40 Hiway just east of Blue Ridge Blvd.
on the south side of the hiway. I don't think they have ever heard of these out here in Colorado as well as good pork tenderloin sandwiches like we use to get at Hiboy's on 40 hiway and at a cafe at 63rd and troost.

I live in dallas now, grew up in KC, but used to eat the Italian steak sandwiches at Texas Tom's and Teresa's (on Truman Road in the 60's) I was in KC last November and had a pretty good Italian steak at a little drive-in on Chateau Trafficway just north of the casinos...wasn't as good as the old days but was close!

i live in KC humdinger is still open and there is few Texas Toms around and treasa's still open and you can find the breaded italian steak patties at area HY-Vee Store made by Scamaca's

Hey, thanks Kid! Welcome to Roadfood. If you search KC, you'll find a ton of threads.

OK KC Folks, describe how the sandwich you are talking about differs from the famous EYE-TALIAN BEEF long noted as a Chicago Landmark?

It's a Breaded beef tenderloin/pounded steak either fried or deep fried, covered with a Spicy Marinara sauce.
In Chicago, they are called breaded steak sandwiches; to my knowledge, they somehow skipped right over St. Louis.
A Steak Milanesa, if you can find a Mexi place that serves one, is the same thing with out the Marinara sauce.

Chicago Version

http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=13037&highlight=ricobenes

The place on Chouteau used to be Stack's No.1. Is it still? Their Italian Steak sandwiches were really good in their day. Teresa's was good the last time I ate there, several years ago.

The best Italian Steaks were those pounded very thinly then breaded in fine, dry Italian seasoned bread crumbs. They were deep fried, then sort of folded in a soft Italian roll with red sauce and sometimes cheese, plus onion, peppers, lettuce and tomatoes. The last time I ordered one out, it was nothing more than a chopped beef patty, breaded then fried and plopped on a bun with crummy sauce. And this was at an Italian restaurant!

Welcome kckid

Growing up in KC, Eaton's Drive-In on the corner of 10th St. and Kansas Av. had the very best Italian steak Sandwich in the world! They have the best Pork Tenderloin Sandwich too. I live in Phoenix now and still long for their sandwiches. I think their name may be different now but, their menu remains unchanged. One time, my wife and I bought some frozen steaks from there. We took them home with us and tried to duplicate the sauce but, had no luck. The closest we came to was Zarda's BBQ sauce which is another KC favorite of ours. It is a breaded tenderloin with spices, served with a special tomato-base sauce, onions, pickles, and tomatoes on a hoagie bun. I have searched the Internet for such a recipe but, it seems to not exist. If anyone comes across one that comes close, I'd be most interested. Thanks.

http://www.roadfood.com/Reviews/Writeup.aspx?ReviewID=4848&RefID=98
I notice in this latest installment on Ricobene's that Michael and others have started to merge the KC term Italian Steak Sandwich and the Chicago term Breaded Steak Sandwich. Interesting that they claim to have invented it in 1976, though I remember it long before that in KC

Now is this the same a pizza steak sandwich. In Baltimore, you'll see that. Either it is a cheesesteak sub with peppers, onions and tomato sauce, or it is breaded and comes off more like a chicken parm sub.

Pauls Drive-In was at 7th & Kansas Avenue near the
Paul Bunyan Burger(long gone)
He moved 35+ years ago to 10th & Osage just off Kansas Avenue.
I know they still do Pork Tenders and Beef Tenders
I would assume they still do an Italian Steak.

lots of threads that started in 2003 popping up these days

quote:

Originally posted by mhill95

Pauls Drive-In was at 7th & Kansas Avenue near the
Paul Bunyan Burger(long gone)
He moved 35+ years ago to 10th & Osage just off Kansas Avenue.
I know they still do Pork Tenders and Beef Tenders
I would assume they still do an Italian Steak.

Yep! Glad to know they are still there.

What a coincidence. I left Kansas City in 1990 and currently live in Vancouver WA. Probably just across the river from Bill Voss who started this thread. I was at an Olive Garden restaurant last Sunday wishing they had a good Italian steak sandwich so I thought I'd check online and see if I could find one or at least a recipe for one. I used to get mine at Pasta Villa or Villa Capri both in Overland Park. In fact I worked at PV when I was 16 and the owner taught me how to make authentic spaghetti sauce. Too bad I didn't stick around for the sandwich lesson. This is the first time I've missed Kansas City in 18 years. If someone should get this message please send me an Italian steak sandwich.

quote:

Originally posted by The Black Pearl

What a coincidence. I left Kansas City in 1990 and currently live in Vancouver WA. Probably just across the river from Bill Voss who started this thread. I was at an Olive Garden restaurant last Sunday wishing they had a good Italian steak sandwich so I thought I'd check online and see if I could find one or at least a recipe for one. I used to get mine at Pasta Villa or Villa Capri both in Overland Park. In fact I worked at PV when I was 16 and the owner taught me how to make authentic spaghetti sauce. Too bad I didn't stick around for the sandwich lesson. This is the first time I've missed Kansas City in 18 years. If someone should get this message please send me an Italian steak sandwich.

Hi BP, I'm in Southern Oregon 20 miles from California. Mr. Chips, Lab, and some others-extraMSG- http://www.portlandfood.org/

are up by you.
Here's a thread that's fun:
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/121944

Alright KC fans, this is it! My wife has reversed engineered the famous KC Italian Steak Sandwich from the Chicago version above (http://www.quickandsimple.com/recipe.php?id=758 thank you Bernie for URL) and has given me permission to share the recipe with you. It may not be exact but, it is very close:

• Flour for dredging
• 2-8 to 10-oz. flank steaks, cut in half
• 2 large eggs
• 2 Tbsp water
• 1 cup of dried bread crumbs
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
• 2 Tbsp. Italian seasoning
• 4-10" sub-buns
• BBQ sauce - (perferably Zarda's, Gates or KC Masterpiece)
• Tomato slices
• Onion slices
• Hamburger dill chips

1. Sprinkle a bit of flour on a smooth clean surface.

2. Flip each steak on the flour a couple of times, then use meat mallet to pound each piece to a 1/4" thin.

3. Mix eggs and water in a wide dish.

4. In a separate dish, combine bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.

5. Dip steaks into egg mixture, then dredge them in the bread crumb mixture, turning to coat.

6. Put the steaks onto a cookie sheet and put them into the freezer for 1/2 hour to setup.

7. Spray griddle/skillet w/ non-stick spray and heat on stove to medium heat.

8. Grill steaks 2-3 minutes per side until lightly brown.

9. Turn heat down to medium low and brush top of steak w/ BBQ sauce then turn over, continue to cook for 1 minute.

10. Repeat on other side and then remove from heat.

11. Split and lightly grill sub-buns.

12. Put more sauce on bun and add steak.

13. Garnish w/ tomato, onions and pickles.

14. Enjoy!

rmiile41...thanx for your receipe...will try it this week.