Some Troubling Belly News

[Flynne]

I salute your service to our stomachs, Charlie! I was worried when I started reading this thread.

[cjefferys]

a bunch of us early birds hit Lou Malnati's on Thursday night.

If you guys go there again this year, remember: don't ask for separate checks!

[samurainoir]

So we've got the hot dogs covered... but remember our adventures in Deep Dish Pizza last year?

a bunch of us early birds hit Lou Malnati's on Thursday night.
louman.jpg

loum.jpg

then there was the Saturday night deep dish take-out extravaganza from Giordano's.
giord1.jpg

giord2.jpg

giordan3.jpg

[David Lee]

it's good... it's goooooooood!

[Jorge Galvan]

I would also like to recommend BUONA BEEF as they have good beef, dawgs and Burgers!!

[samurainoir]

for folks that are wondering what we are talking about, since it's right across the street, it became the de facto place to grab a lunch most people could agree on. We tended to wander over there in small groups when tummies started rumbling.

check out the menu here:

http://www.portillos.com/assets/1/31/PHD_Singles_Menu_online_11.1520.pdf

Yelp here:

http://www.yelp.com/biz/portillos-hot-dogs-skokie-14?osq=portillos+skokie+chicago

[Donkey Hoatie]

as long as they haven't messed with the Ribs! They passed the Random Axe taste test, and I vowed to try them this year.

In all my years of eating there, I've never tried the ribs. I think it might be the one thing I've never had. Might have to go there soon and remedy that. It seems like a crime against everything that is sacred.

[samurainoir]

as long as they haven't messed with the Ribs! They passed the Random Axe taste test, and I vowed to try them this year.

[palitoy]

Mind (my stomach) at ease. Thank you.

[Donkey Hoatie]

Went there last night, had an Italian Beef sandwich with mozzarella and sweet peppers. Also, had a Chicago-style dog. I can say that the beef is definitely less flavorful than it used to be. It's incremental. One of my friends was griping like it was the worst thing in the world. It's not. It's still good, just not other-world good the way it used to be. To be honest, most people might not even notice.

Hot dog tasted the same as always. I think this is much ado about nothing. Well, maybe not nothing, but nothing to really get your undies in a bundle over. Have at it, Megoheads. Have at it.

[Donkey Hoatie]

I'm planning on going Monday night for dinner to the one right across the street from the hotel. Wish me luck. If I haven't posted anything by end of day Tuesday, something has gone horribly, horribly wrong.

[palitoy]

[Donkey Hoatie]

Mego Folks,

I cannot verify that this is true, but one of my friends noted recently that Portillo's, glorious Portillo's, has messed with the recipes for a number of their standout items. Their most noxious offense? They changed the flavor of the Italian Beef sandwich. What was once one of the jewels of Chicago Italian beef sandwiches has apparently become a tasteless mess. I have not verified this for sure, but I'll be heading over there in the next few days to see if there's any truth to the rumor. I pray that this is untrue, but I've heard it from a couple of different sources now.

Apparently, the chicken sandwiches have been hit hard, too. We can all thank the PE firm that Portillo sold to back in late 2014. It took some time, but the bean counters have caught up and have begun sacrificing quality taste for saving a few cents on a spreadsheet somewhere.

I haven't been there for a couple of months, since I've been trying to work off the winter weight, but I feel sick to my stomach at the thought that one of my favorite places might be cratering from a culinary standpoint. In the meanwhile, I'm hoping for the best, but expecting the worst. I'll report back once I have some first-hand experience.