Portillo’s
http://www.portillos.com

At times, I can admit that I am wrong about food.   It is few and far between that I will actually admit it, but it is on the record now.  A lot of my friends love Portillo’s and I have always thought of it as average at best.  Portillo’s is the food equivalent of being IndianapolisEater’s best friend.  He loves it (from IndianapolisEater:  not anymore; I am tired of it).  I think that he loves it as much as he does because I am not a big fan.  Then again, I might be flattering myself (from IndianapolisEater:  you are).

Portillo’s is the fast food version of Chicago Style Italian Beef.  Italian Beef from Chicago is a staple and it should be.  It is so ridiculously simple to make that even my mom can make an edible version.  However, most restaurants outside of Chicago do a horrible job at it.

What I Ate:  Big Beef with Hot Giadano Peppers and fries; $6.49 + $0.39.

To tell you the truth, the normal size is big enough for lunch.  I was just being a fat ass here.  I usually like the au jus on the side, but I got it dipped this time.  Thinly sliced roast beef in a beef broth and peppers on the bun.  Like I said, really simple and not a lot to talk about.  The baguette was excellent with a little corn dusting on the bottom.  Bread, salt (broth), beef and spicy peppers.  It covers most food groups for me.

The fries are crinkle cut and very tasty.  If you like fries from Culvers, you should like these.

Would I Buy It Again?  Um, sure.  It is still not the best beef that I have ever had.  There are other chains in Chicago like Al’s Beef that are good as well. You can get this sandwich anywhere in Chicago and I am sure that are better versions.  Portillo’s is a good, consistent version of it though.

I can’t say that I will be raving about it like my friends, but a return visit made me realize that no matters if it is from Portillo’s or somewhere else, Chicago Style Italian Beef is an amazing simple and beautiful sandwich.

-wibia

What I Got: Portillo’s Italian Beef Sandwich (part of the Portillo’s Party Pack for $23.70)

I’ve shared my love of Italian beef sandwiches and of Portillo’s on this blog before.  Needless to say, I love them both and have been looking endlessly for an acceptable substitute in Indianapolis (see my prior C.R. Heroes review; I may have found one).  But sometimes the planets align and I end up at a party where someone has gone and gotten Portillo’s at their Northwest Indiana location in Merrillville and brought back a party pack for the party that they are hosting and then life is good.  At a Super Bowl party this past year, a friend of mine did just that.

I know that there might be better Italian beef sandwiches in Chicago, but since I live in Indianapolis, I don’t have the time or convenience of trying them all out, so Portillo’s serves as my harbinger for everything that is good about this sandwich and I love it.  It’s VERY thinly sliced roast beef cooked and served dripping in au jus juices on Italian style roll and everything about it is delicious.  It has tender meat and the au jus juice is flavorful and peppery without tilting toward being too hot.  If you really want to get frisky, you can get it with either hot (Giardiniera) peppers or with sweet peppers and turn up the heat and/or sweetness of your sandwich just a little bit more.  Also, you can have them serve it dry (no extra au jus), wet (extra au jus dumped on the bread to make it soggy) or even dipped (they take the completed sandwich and dip the entire thing in the au jus; you need a fork to eat this one).

I usually choose wet so that I can somewhat hold the sandwich and allow the flavorful au jus to just run down my arms as I eat it.  I also had both hot and sweet peppers so that I can add even more kick, but if you don’t get any peppers, it’s not a big deal because it is still delicious.  You just have to make sure that you get it either wet or dipped though.  Having this sandwich dry is just not the same and whenever my order gets screwed up and I get it dry, it really makes me sad.

Would I Buy It Again?  Yes, absolutely, definitiely, no question, etc. I would list out every single word for yes in the English language, but that would take me hours.  This is truly my favorite sandwich in the world (and maybe even my favorite food in the world) and Portillo’s does it the best (remember, that is out of all the options that I have had).  I try to get it every time I go to Chicago or pass by the Merrillville location on Interstate 65 and I would HIGHLY recommend that you do the same.  You will not regret it.

-IndianapolisEater