Italian Steak Sandwiches

Hi there SouthKC, my name is Adam. My Uncle Sammy was the owner of Wimpy's. My family still has the recipe for the Italian steaks and we make them frequently for family gatherings. I am always flattered when I hear people remember Wimpy's as I grew up going there a lot as a child and have fond memories of it. It was a wonderful place to eat. Great food and fun. I miss it and him a lot. He passed away from cancer years ago. He was a good man. If you want to know more info feel free to hit me back.

Adley


Hi there SouthKC, my name is Adam. My Uncle Sammy was the owner of Wimpy's. My family still has the recipe for the Italian steaks and we make them frequently for family gatherings. I am always flattered when I hear people remember Wimpy's as I grew up going there a lot as a child and have fond memories of it. It was a wonderful place to eat. Great food and fun. I miss it and him a lot. He passed away from cancer years ago. He was a good man. If you want to know more info feel free to hit me back.

thanks!

wow, glad to see this thread alive and well. forgot how good the steaks were until i had one at Jims a couple months ago. and tamales ofcourse. might have to try and make some steaks to swerve out of the trailer this year. i also remember eating at dilkeldorfs, sp? back in the day. i saw alot of old kc places listed here. no one mentioned smacks.  

JCHGH2,
You had said that you worked at Whimpys.  I am trying to figure out what family owned it.  Do you remember?  Also, did they deep fry the Italian steak or use a griddle?  I have done both and can't figure it out.
 
Thanks!!

Adley,
My family is Italian and in fact Sammy knew my papa, Bennie Cerra, real well.  Everyone talks about going to Whimpy's for the Italian steaks.  I remember as a kid eating them and once I turned 16 my dad sending me there to get him one.  I would love to know as much as possible on how they are made and the recipe.

Hello to all from the KC northland!

Some places up here that carry Italian Steak Sandwiches:

LC's Hamburgers (NW Prairie View Rd) - $3.35
Italian Gardens To Go (NW Barry Rd) - $6.29
Leo's Pizza (NW Englewood Rd) - $4.50
Giovanni's Deli (NE Antioch Rd) - price unknown

Of those, I've only tried the ones from LC's and IGTG.  IGTG is like Fazoli's, a fast-food Italian drive-thru.  Their sandwich contained breaded steak, cheese, marinara, and lettuce.  Decent, not top-tier, but certainly better than what you'd expect from a tiny drive-thru with most of their stuff prepared and stored offsite.  If you want to try them out, hurry - they're closing on October 31 (supposedly moving to Overland Park in the future, but that doesn't seem definite).  

LC's is an old-time greaseburger joint, with a damned good core product, so it took some willpower to leap over to their non-burger menu.  Their version of an Italian Steak has breaded steak, cheese, lettuce - and barbecue sauce, like rmille41's recipe.  I honestly think that using barbecue sauce changes the taste of the sandwich so much that it can't really be evaluated alongside the more traditional formula.  They also use the same bun and patty shape as they do for their burgers, making this an atypical Italian Steak indeed. 

I haven't had Leo's Italian Steak, but I have had their pizza.  It's St. Louis-style, and the first good pizza I've had up in the northland.  (The best pizza I've had in all of KC is The Art of Pizza, on Baltimore Ave.)  They're actually a bit like LC's, in that their establishment feels like an awesome time-capsule.  If their Italian Steak is as good as their pizza, then I can't wait to try it.

Giovanni's Deli I didn't even know existed until I found it when Googling for a Popeye's.  No website that I could find, but reviewers indicate they have Italian Steaks.  Reason enough for me to go there!

Just went to KC last week to visit family and friends.  Had some Zardra's BBQ and found that Paul's Drive In on 1008 Osage Av., Kansas City, KS still has Italian Steak sandwiches.  Found out that Eaton's on Kansas Av. closed a few years ago.  They use to serve them on a hoagie bun but, Paul's puts them on a hambuger bun.  They still taste the same... fantastic!

Adley
When I was old enough to drive, I would get a Wimpy's Italian steak sandwich several times a week and wash it down with an Icee from the Dairy King at 75th. My wife and I have tried several times to duplicate the sandwich but to no avail. As I recall, it was a breaded piece of elongated meat that was pretty spicy in itself, topped with lettuce, tomato, onion and that great sauce. Can you email me the meat and sauce recipes?

Adley hasn't logged on of the past 11 months.   I don't think he will get you request anytime soon.

Rod.....This is all about Italian Steak Sandwiches.
Way different than Philly.
 
Mike

I love this thread because:
A) I authored it 9 years ago, when we were all innocents.
B) It's the #2 entry on Google when you type it in.
This thread might be the champion of  one hit posters.
We're all still searching for our lost Italian Steak Sandwich.
 

We are talking about Kansas City Italian Steak Sandwich.  The best in the world!  Philly or Chicago facsimiles cannot compare.

1bbqboy


I love this thread because:
A) I authored it 9 years ago, when we were all innocents.
B) It's the #2 entry on Google when you type it in.
This thread might be the champion of  one hit posters.
We're all still searching for our lost Italian Steak Sandwich.

 
Roadfood.com posted a review of Snead's BBQ in Belton today. Loved their brisket growing up. We still get several bottles of their hot bbq sauce whenever in town, great straight or mixed with a little ketchup. I once asked for the recipe, but the daughter told me I'd need their smoker oven in order to make.
 
While we're at it, how about the chopped onions and BBQ sauce on Smacks' 'burgers? The hot fudge sundaes and milkshakes at Country Club Dairy? The Dagwood sandwich on pumpernickle that Paul and his wife made at Main Street Deli? Triple-decker, roast beef on the bottom, ham, swiss and pickle chips on top, BBQ sauce then lightly steamed. Great baked beans, too, all washed down with a cold Schlitz draft in a frosted mug!

I haven't been on in awhile and since then we have been on the roads of KC in our Italian food truck that premiered last November. I decided to go off of memory and put an Italian steak sandwich on it. It is our top seller. You can follow us at www.Facebook.com/littleitalykc I'm sure it isn't exact but it's sure close!!

Hey There, Mick!
 
How do you prepare your version of the sandwich?
Breaded chopped steak, with cheese & sauce on bun?
 
mike

Ours is an oblong breaded meat (pork) served with lettuce, tomato and our sauce. You can add provolone if you wish. We don't deep fry them instead we put them on a griddle. Whimpys didn't have cheese and the sauce is similar.

Mickey5


Ours is an oblong breaded meat (pork) served with lettuce, tomato and our sauce. You can add provolone if you wish. We don't deep fry them instead we put them on a griddle. Whimpys didn't have cheese and the sauce is similar.

How did you arrive at Pork? I only remember Eaton's having a choice of beef or pork.
Makes it sort of an Italian Tenderloin Milanesa?
i almost always remember them being griddled.  

Beef is to hard to handle so we went went pork. It also is more reasonable in a price point for my customers. Something you have to try.

thanks, mick. when I'm back there I will. 

i just found this thread and am excited to find the recipe posted by rmille41!     i loved the italian steak sandwiches from texas tom's and this recipe sounds like it might actually be close enough that it would be satisfying to eat.       the barbeque sauce makes sense, i was always a little puzzled by the red sauce but not puzzled enough to stop eating and try to figure it out but now when i think back to eating the sandwiches i can almost taste that barbeque sauce on them.      i don't remember the dill pickles, but thought i did remember shredded lettuce on them.
if rmille41 reads this, would you ask your wife what she uses for the italian seasoning?     is it the stuff in a spice bottle that is a mixture of herbs?     or is there some blend in a different type of packaging that i don't know about?      maybe the barbeque sauce provided all the spicyness?

Thanks.  Years ago when Eaton's (Ks. Ave & 10th) was around, my wife and I had moved out of state and we would go there whenever we would visit since we loved to eat their Italian Steak and Pork Tenderloin sandwiches.  A couple times we bought their patties and sauce then reverse engineered the ingredients since we could not find them outside of KC and they would not give us the recipe.  We are not sure of the exact ingredients but, I think we came close.  Enjoy!

Adley, I remember your uncle Sammy very well from going to Wimpy's to get Italian Steak Sandwiches. I still remember exactly what he looked like, very black hair, very Italian looking.  I never spoke with him, but I saw him working at his grill every time I visited there. 
Hey, I found your post here because I am looking for your Uncle's recipe. 
Did anyone ever hear from Adley? 
I need this, the best Italian Steak Recipe in the world!  - thanks.

Cool!

Looks great...

there is a new place in louisburg, KS that has outstanding italian steak sandwich. it's called lucille's. great pork tenderloins as well and tuesday is buy one tenderloin get one free. 

Thanks, Kenny.
I'll tell Zaatar.

My wife and I visited KC over the holidays.  We went to Pauls Drive In (1008 Osage Ave, KC, KS in Armourdale) for an  italian steak sandwich.  While I was waiting for our order, I talked to one of the cooks (the owner I persumed).  He told me what makes the sandwich is the BBQ sauce and that they make their own.  He said that they use real steak where most places use knuckle meat because it is cheaper.  He also said when he tells people about the BBQ sauce, some don't believe it and then he tells them that is why they serve over a 100 of them a day.
 
So there you go, it is BBQ sauce on an  italian steak sandwich.  Believe it or not!

rmille41


He said that they use real steak where most places use knuckle meat because it is cheaper.

Of course, actually billing it as a knuckle sandwich might not be good for business...

I can't tell you how much I loved Italian Steak Sandwiches growing up.  I would say a rude word in front of my grandmother for a really authentic recipe.  There was some kind of spicy seed in the breading that gave a unique flavor.  Anyone have the real deal on this?

EvieFairchild


I can't tell you how much I loved Italian Steak Sandwiches growing up.  I would say a rude word in front of my grandmother for a really authentic recipe.  There was some kind of spicy seed in the breading that gave a unique flavor.  Anyone have the real deal on this?

Might have been fennel or anise, both of which have a licorice flavor used in Italian sausage.