We decided to travel to Chicago and Wisconsin to use airline credit and explore the steaks, pizza and sausages which appeared to our liking.
Midwest beef is worth the trip
Once settled in our hotel near Chicago’s Miracle Mile, high on the list was Midwestern beef. Gibson Bar and Steakhouse came highly recommended and it was bustling with activity on a Friday night. The grill runs up to 1800 degrees and we savored every bite of our juicy steaks while trying to limit the accompanying salad and bread. Our table allowed us to watch a hub of activity by the swinging kitchen doors as employees balanced big trays of food on their shoulders. They all stealthily avoided collisions like trained ballet dancers. Even our server Bruna did a quick dance around the waiter carrying a tray full of meals with not a crumb dropped. It was certainly amazing to watch servers carry cocktails in both hands and not spill a drop.
Gibson serves prime meat and steaks are the big seller here. The ambiance of this Chicago Steakhouse is one of busyness, white short jacket and black pant uniforms and quality food.
From steak to legendary hot dogs
Next on the food list was Chicago style hot dogs. Were they really that much better than west coast hot dogs? I set out to find two popular dog or rather dawg establishments. Our favorite was at Devil Dawgs made the traditional way with dashes of celery salt and sport peppers. Next was Mister J’s using Vienna hot dogs and the required glistening neon green pickle relish.
Both supplied buns slathered with mustard and loaded with dill pickles. Now I’m on the hunt for a Chicago style dog in San Diego but most likely it just won’t taste the same.
Deep Dish Pizza is memorable
And then there was deep dish pizza at well known Lou Malnati’s. Die hard Chicagoans love Malnati’s pizza and it was thick and loaded with cheese. One piece is filling and there was no skimping on the sauce or fillings. Friends said they remember Malnati’s from their youth and one even has them shipped frozen to California.
In a mere three days, our taste of Chicago was definitely delicious enough to make us want to return for more eating adventures.
Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse 1028 N Rush St Chicago, IL www. gibsonssteakhouse.com
Devil Dawgs 767 S State ST (and other locations) www.devildawgs.com
Mister J’s Dawgs and Burgers 822 N State St Chicago, IL (on Facebook)
Lou Malnati’s 805 S State St Chicago, IL www.loumalnatis.com
In case you’re wondering about my sweet tooth, I ran into Cocoa + Co on our way out of town. I loaded up for the drive to Wisconsin. See you over brats soon!
Cocoa + Co 1651 N Wells St, Chicago, IL www.cocoaandco.com
