Chicago Travel Guide, Part IV

If we're doing a travel guide, we have to talk about food, right?

That really is the truth. Food is so much of our experience in a place. Food helps us get closer to the culture of a place. It shows us what is important to a locale, what locals like, perhaps what locals don't like.

And Chicago is no different. I went into my trip to Chicago excited about their famous foods: deep dish pizza, Italian beef sausages, Chicago dogs. And for the most part, I was not disappointed.

I had always heard about the hot dogs at Wrigley Field. And I'm not sure why. They were not that tasty. The Old Style beer was, though, even though temperatures hovered in the 30s on the day I went. If I were really in the mood for a good dog, though, I'd go to Chavez Ravine. The Dodgers Dogs are out of this world.

But back to what Chicago does well . . .

Yes, that's a pizza. And yes, it's good.

This is Lou Malnati's. And it was the best pizza we had in the Windy City. We also tried Gino's East. Many tourists opt for Pizzeria Uno. The word on the street is that is where tourists go . . . but it's not that good. What I do know is that deep dish pizza is truly a pie . . . or more like a casserole.

We didn't eat there. But that is a really big McDonald's.

Just down the road from the Mickey D's is a place called Portillo's. Everything we had there was good. Supposedly, they have really good Italian beef. I cannot say from personal experience how good that is . . . but I can say their dogs are dynamite, as well as their cake shakes:

What's a cake shake? A milkshake with a piece of chocolate shake. Hands down, one of the most unique . . . and best things I have ever put in my mouth. So good, we had to try it twice. I had always wondered how good a pickle on a hot dog could be. Now I know; it's tasty. Don't believe me? Just ask The Fridge:

And last, but most certainly not least, the Italian beef sandwiches (I would recommend getting them wet everywhere you go):

Mr. Beef is good. And as you can tell from the building's facade, it's a very authentic experience. But my vote for best in the city is Al's #1 Italian Beef:

I recommend ordering it hot, which means it comes with peppers on it. But then remove the peppers before eating. That will give the beef a nice flavor. But the beef is so good and is so overpowering that the peppers really get in the way when trying to eat the sandwich. Al's has a number of locations around town. I enjoyed the downtown one, as you are able to stand at the counter and watch everyone go by and, if memory serves me right, catch a good view of The El (the downtown subway line).