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| - Transplanted Chicago area native here. In my 60+ years, I've had beef sandwiches all over Chicagoland, where it was the original take-out fast food long before McD's. I never even heard of Al's until it was on that Travel Channel show with the slob who goes around the USA gorging on local dishes until he pukes.
I learned about their Scottsdale AZ place so I went 20 miles out of my way for a beef sandwich there last time in Phoenix. The reddish juice was the first red flag; it isn't the norm for IB. First bite...the flavor was very weak...Strike 1. It was very greasy; highly undesireable in a beef sandwich...Strike 2. Then there was the tough, almost stale, bread Strike 3. Sorry, Al's...you're "out". In a blind test of Chicago IB fans, Al's probably wouldn't even be ID'd as Italian beef. Of all the beef I've ever had, I rate Al's as mediocre to poor. So its no surprise the place has wall-to-wall, in-your face "World's Best Italian Beef" decor and life-sized "The Italian Stance" posters. If it lived up to the hype, that would be unnecessary.
I'll guess stick with Portillo's; a decent IB for factory-made, also in Scottsdale, and pine for the day that Buona's Beef; the best chain store IB I've had, someday expands outside the Chicago area. Or sample some of the other places in Phoenix that claim to serve Chicago-style Italian beef.
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