I am embarrassed to admit that I had never had an Italian Beef sandwich in the 14 years I’ve been eating my way through the city of Chicago. Woopsie. So, I decided to correct this ridiculous mistake by heading to Al’s Beef to finally try out this mammoth Chicago staple.

I ordered what Dave recommended, which was the sandwich topped with hot giardiniera and melt-y provolone with a side of cheese fries of course. It was AWESOME. As soon as I took my first bite I knew I had met a new sandwich buddy for life. I suddenly believed the Cubs could win, wanted Dave to have a sweet Ditka ‘stache’ and had my “all you need is meat and potatoes” mantra confirmed.

The beef was super tender and juicy with just a hint of sweet spice. The bread had just a remainder of crunch at the edges and was super soaked with the delicious au jus. The creamy provolone cheese was perfectly melted and the spicy snap of the giardiniera topped off this excellent new favorite. Can’t wait until next time!