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| - From my other reviews, you'll see that Chicago food has a special place in my heart. It is the food that I grew up on. Instead of Gerber's I had Harold's Chicken. Nuff' said.
So here's a joint that puts 'Chicago' in their name, and they expect me to come to them with wide eyes and an anxious stomach. Well, I'll admit that I did get wide eyed when I saw them pop up on Mapquest as I searched for nearby restaurants. And my stomach did indeed get vocal after reading about them here on Yelp.
So I went for lunch.
I pull into a spot and step into the joint. Its exactly that - a joint. Nondescript decor with a flat screen in the corner. Everyone has a flat screen except me.
Is the place dirty? Let me ask you this...do you plan on eating off of the floor? No? Well don't worry about it.
Sure the bottom of your shoes will have some new dirt on them, but so what.
The kitchen is wide open and you can see everything that goes on, which is nice. There's a few tables sitting around for those of you who don't like eating at the office. And yes, you can eat here without being worried about bugs sharing your table.
I couldn't care less about what the place looks like. It could be a little rectangle with a grill in one corner, a cash register in another, myself in the third, and a fold up chair in the last one. All that matters to me are two things when I'm stepping into a genuine joint: the food and the price.
The Food: Ok, I tried the Italian Beef. Now, I know you don't go to a place called Chicago Red Hots to order Italian Beef your first time in. But I recently saw an episode of Man Vs. Food where Adam was eating Italian Beef...I've been craving it since. Plus I haven't had one in about 15 years.
I noticed that the price was about $5 for it. I was broke, but I was in lust. So I got it. The service was noteworthy. I was greeted with smiles and hellos. That gets an automatic star from me. I suppose these are the owners everyone speaks of. Their daughter was there with a friend, and it was kinda touching at how her mother was making a big fuss over them having enough to eat.
Anyway, I get the sandwich in a nice amount of time. Back at my desk, I sat down and opened up the bag. While doing so, images floated around my mind of that roll bread all soaked in gravy and me with juice running down my fingers as I munched. However when I reached in and pulled the sandwich out, something very wrong happened. I pulled out the tiniest Italian Beef I've ever seen in my life. I though maybe I got the wrong order, but there was no one else there but me ordering so that couldn't be it.
I unwrapped it and sure enough, it was a mini-Italian Beef. At least it was cute.
No gravy. It wasn't dipped. Just meat, peppers, onions, and bread. No juice. Strike one.
I picked the little thing up, bit into it. Again, no juice. But the taste? I am sad to say that it was only passable.
It wasn't like "Oh my God, an Italian Beef!" It was more like, "This ain't right."
Don't get me wrong, it wasn't nasty. Just not really good. Disappointing.
Plus it was way too little for the price.
Now before I judge this place and condemn it to greasy spoon hell, I'll go back and try some dogs. If those pass, then I will revise this review and give them a passing grade. After all, it is all about the dogs anyway.
I just figured that if they can do the 'other' stuff right, then they've probably got the dogs down. Now I am afraid of what I'll find when I order a Chicago Style. If I see ketchup, all is lost.
Bottom line? Its a joint. The service is great. The menu is non-complicated and has dogs, fries and sandwiches (what else do you need?) Its pricier than it should be, but the convenience to the area is a plus. My meal was not that good. But I am picky. Waaaay too picky when it comes to a 'Chicago Style' place. This is not my final verdict, as I have not tried their bread and butter - the dogs.
Until further notice, I can only give Johnnie 2 stars...
Ok...tried this place again today (3/6/09)
I got a red hot this time. Decent. Not the best outside of Chicago, but a valiant effort. There was nothing on there that shouldn't have been, and there was nothing missing either.
Taste? On point. No gripes, but remember I said that it wasn't the best I've had outside of Chi-Town. Maybe this is as good as it gets in Phoenix???
Again, the service was great. A hello, a smile, and he reminded me to get napkins. What more do you want?
The price still isn't my idea of great...but on par with the rest of the stuff around here.
So now, I must try the Polish Sausage. That will be Johnnie's ultimate test. If its grilled right, if the onions are carmelizededdy right...then Johnnie might get another star.
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