Perry's Deli

Location: 174 N. Franklin St., Chicago, IL 60606

A Quick Word:
I absolutely love sandwiches so when I remembered Perry's Deli had the infamous Triple Decker sandwiches, I knew I had to go back.  Unfortunately, the UIC location closed several years back, so I needed to visit their Loop location to get my fix.  Perry's isn't your typical neighborhood deli.  Instead, they feature even larger sandwiches than you see on TV and cater to the quick paced lifestyle of Chicago loop employees. When you see the sandwich, you realize that they are big enough to split and some are even big enough to split and have left overs.  They have everything from fresh carved turkey to traditional corned beef and brisket.  They pile on the sweet slaw and that addicting Russian dressing.  When it comes to sandwiches in the city, these are not the most premium of ingredients, but what they lack in premium items, they make up in portion.  I easily give Perry's Deli a 5-mile rating on quantity, but I decided on a 4-mile rating when you consider everything.

What I Ate:

#5. The Caveat Emptor

With a description including "Buyer Beware," I knew this was the sandwich for me.  They claim it is big enough to share... and trust me, it is!  The Caveat Emptor is a sandwich where you can get whatever you want, and eat it too.  This masterpiece is a triple decker sandwich filled layered with roast beef, thick carved turkey, and corned beef.  I chose rye bread and asked for extra Russian dressing.  Topping it all off is lettuce, tomatoes, and both muenster and swiss cheese.  I honestly couldn't believe how big the sandwich was.  They wrap each half individually to help hold it all together.  The meat is all thick cut and delicious.  The corned beef has a nice spice to it, while the turkey and roast beef reminded me of restaurant carving station meat.  The Russian dressing is hard to describe... I like to think thousand island dressing with a lot of smoked paprika.  Whatever it is, that orange sauce is out of this world.  I highly suggest getting it on rye bread because it actually supports the sandwich a little better than the other choices.  It comes with a side of either slaw or potato salad.  Highly recommended and at $11.50... it can easily feed you for 3 meals.

Chili Mac

One of my friends recommended the chili mac at Perry's.  I was a little skeptical because their sandwiches are so delicious, but she said it was amazing, so I gave it a try...  And, I am glad I did.  The chili mac is simple... their homemade mac and cheese topped with their homemade chili.  The kicker is the sweetness that shines from I believe the chili.  My friend and I ordered a large to split, which was plenty when also ordering a sandwich.  I really enjoyed the dish because the mac and cheese wasn't overly cheesy.  They do have a lunch special for half a sandwich and a small chili mac... it sounds like a  good deal, but I would just stick to whole sandwich, large chili mac, and then have left overs. Yum!

The DOs/DON'Ts:
DO:
- SHARE!  And, get the Caveat Emptor.  Without question twice the size of other sandwiches and at $1.00 more, it is a steal.
- Get the Russian dressing and ask for it on the side.  Amazing compliment to the deli meats.

DON'T:
- I probably wouldn't go at peak lunch times or if you are in a rush.  The place takes a little time to make each sandwich and we were fighting the loop employees to get in line.

How far would I walk for this food?

Bob Chinn's Crab House

Location: 393 S. Milwaukee Ave., Wheeling, IL 60090

A Quick Word:
When it comes to seafood, people are torn between Chinatown, huge seafood establishments, and crab houses.  One of the most famous ones is Bob Chinn's Crab House.  This restaurant, located in the suburb of Wheeling, has been featured as one of the most popular seafood restaurants in the Nation.  When you arrive, it seems like any ordinary restaurant from the outside, but you find an amusement park feel on the inside.  There are huge signs that say parties of 2, 3, or more and different lines for each group.  The walls are filled with pictures of celebrities or other restaurant propaganda, including various T-shirts for sale.  After getting over the strange ambiance, the hawaiian-shirt wearing waiter arrives at your table with amazing garlic rolls.  When the food arrives, you see a trend of delicious seafood recipes cooked to perfection.  Unfortunately, the side dishes appear to not be held to the same standards.  Most are subpar.  All in all, I thought the seafood was incredibly fresh and tasty.  The prices are pretty expensive, easily around $50 per person.  The location is not the greatest for Chicagoans, but if you make the trek out to the burbs, you won't be disappointed with the flavor.  I decided on a 4-mile rating because I loved the food, but thought a similar meal could be eaten in Chicago's Chinatown.

What We Ate:

Garlic Rolls

To start off,  all tables get homemade garlic rolls.  These traditional rolls are swimming in a garlic- parsley butter and come to your table piping hot.  The garlic is raw, so be aware... it has that nice sharp garlic flavor that is sure to make your breath unpleasant, but these rolls are totally worth it.  Ask for however many you want, but I will say, we were pretty full after eating just a couple so save room for the amazing seafood meals you ordered.

Oysters

The oysters at Bob Chinn's were the typical larger-style oysters that many oyster houses feature.  Unfortunately, you cannot choose the location or type of oyster you want.  These are served by the dozen and come with cocktail sauce, horseradish, saltine crackers, and lemons.  The oysters were as fresh as they come.  Nothing special, but still great tasting.

Alaskan Dungeness Crab (Large; Ginger Onion)

For our meal, my girlfriend and I decided to split a couple entrees.  Our first was the large Alaskan dungeness crab cooked with ginger and onions.  The crab was served hot and smothered in that sweeter Asian style sauce.  A side of red potatoes also accompanied the meal.  The crab itself was about 2 pounds in weight.  They break off the top shell for you but leave all the legs and clusters intact.  The shell is tough to break, but nothing teeth can't handle.  Huge chunks of crab can be gained from the legs and clusters.  Dip them into that ginger sauce and enjoy.  The sweet crab works well with the ginger and onion sauce.  The red potatoes were just an OK side and I honestly wouldn't order those again... but that crab was amazing and I recommend it to everyone.

Lobster Roll

Rather than ordering lobster and having even more shell to pick through, we decided on the lobster roll as our second entree.  The lobster salad is made with huge chunks of lobster and a little mayo.  It is served in the traditional New England style  buttered roll and with a side of green beans.  The sandwich itself is huge.  There is plenty of claw meat to go around, but unfortunately, it is served on the room temperature-to-cold side rather than being a warm lobster roll.  The mayo makes it a little on the richer side which is amplified by the buttered roll.  I thought the roll was a little too dense and too much for me.  We ended up eating the lobster salad separately rather than as a sandwich.  It was a great sandwich at a reasonable price.

New England Clam Chowder

The final menu item we decided to share was a cup of their clam chowder.  Being the New England version, we expected a more creamy, white soup with plenty of clams and potatoes.  And, we weren't disappointed.  First of all, the cup of soup was a huge bowl, plenty for two people to share.  The soup was very creamy... sometimes a couple bites seemed too creamy.  There was plenty of clams and potatoes.  The soup is served hot and with oyster crackers.  Another great option at Bob Chinn's.

Mai Thai Cocktail

Prior to eating at Bob Chinn's, I had heard great reviews about their Mai Thai cocktails.  They were served in these plastic, vacation-resort-like cups and had a skewer of assorted tropical fruit in it.  The drink was great and I would definitely come back to get another cup or two.

The DOs/DON'Ts:
DO:
- Come on the weekdays.  This place gets extremely packed during the weekends and the wait can be on the upwards of two hours at some point.
- Share everything!  The dishes are huge.
- Plenty of parking surrounding the restaurant on both sides.

DON'T:
- Don't expect a 5-star ambiance.  Instead, picture great food in a vacation-like, amusement park feel.

How far would I walk for this food?

Joe's Lo Mai Gai

Dim sum meals have been on my schedule for the past several weeks.  Every time we go, one of my first choices is the Lo Mai Gai, which some know as lotus leaf wraps or sticky rice chicken.  Whatever you call them, these dim sum specialities arrive fresh from a bamboo steamer.

This was my first time trying to make this amazing dish.  I found several recipes online, but one complaint I always have is the flavorless chicken some restaurants use.  Rather than trusting recipes online, I decided to tweak just about everything on several different recipes and add a little Filipino touch by using an adobo chicken recipe.  Enjoy!

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Joe's Lo Mai Gai (aka Lotus Leaf Wraps)

This Recipe is for ~10-12 Lo Mai Gai

Ingredients:

4 cups sweet rice (thai sweet rice or glutinous rice)

4 chicken breasts - diced and marinated

1.5 to 2 cups dried shitake mushrooms - rehydrated and diced

4 links of Chinese sausage - cut into 1/2 inch thick diagonals 

4 boiled eggs - each sliced into 4 pieces

Dried Lotus leafs - stems removed, unfolded to show full circular leaf, and cut into 1/4 pieces

~5 tbsp of oyster sauce

salt and pepper to taste

Chicken Marinade:

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup water

1 tbsp rice wine

1 tbsp grated ginger

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp minced garlic

Instructions:

Prep work:

Start by washing the sticky rice until water runs clear.  Then place into bowl and immerse entirely in water for minimum of 2 hours.  Longer is definitely better since no additional water will be added to the rice when cooking.

For the chicken, after being diced, pour the chicken marinade and allow to rest for minimum 1 hour or until you begin cooking the sticky rice.

The mushrooms should be submerged in water and allowed to rehydrated for a minimum of 30 minutes or until soft.  After rehydrated, they are easier to slice.

The lotus leaves now need to be rehydrated.  To prepare, first remove the hard stem portion using scissors.  Unfold the leaf to reveal the entire circular leaf and then cut into 4 pieces.  Submerge the quartered leaves and ties in water until pliable.  (usually takes 1-2 hours)

Cooking:

Start by lining some kind of steamer (bamboo, elevated rice cooker, etc.) with cabbage.  Place the rice into steamer and add above the boiling water for about 20 minutes.  After 20 minutes, stir the rice and recover for another 10 minutes or until soft.  The rice will get sticker as it sits.

The chicken can be cooked at the same time.  In a large pan, stir fry the chicken until almost fully cooked.  Add the diced mushrooms, sliced Chinese sausage, and oyster sauce.  Add additional oyster sauce if you want additional flavor.  Salt and pepper to your liking.

Once chicken, sausage, and mushroom mixture is cooked, add the sticky rice and stir.  Remove from heat and allow to cool just enough to be handled.

Wrapping:

When it is time to wrap the mixture in the lotus leaf, start by getting the steamer ready.  Have it pouring off steam with a new cabbage leaf bed.  

Prepare each wrap by placing the rehydrated lotus leaf ribbed side down (smooth side up).  Place a layer of the rice mixture, add a couple slices of egg, a couple pieces of Chinese sausage, and then top with another layer of the rice.  I tend to make each lo mai gai about the size of my palm.  Fold the lotus leaf around the rice mixture you just created and finish by tying the lotus leaf closed.

Steam for approximately 30 minutes until the lotus leaf turns from a lighter green to a dark, wet-looking green color.  It took me closer to 40 minutes, but that may depend on your steamer.  Allow to cool a little and serve.  The longer it has to cool, the stickier the rice is inside the lotus wrap.  

Tips:

- These are good for Freezing!  Just steam first and then allow to cool.  Place into zip lock bag and freeze.  I wouldn't use eggs though if you are planning on freezing the lo mai gai.

- The dried lotus leafs are easily found in Chinatown.  They are pretty cheap, costing $1.79 in Chicago's Chinatown.

- Addition of a little sriracha or chili oil would give it a nice spice.

Joe's Slow-Smoked Rib Tips

If I had to choose my newest "specialty" or a dish my friends are craving more and more, I would without hesitation choose my rib tips.  While in college and medical school, I discovered the rib tip at several of Chicago's well-established BBQ restaurants.  I instantly fell in love with them and have ordered them all over the city.

For those who don't know, rib tips are literally the ends of ribs that are cut off in order to make the classic racks of ribs look more uniform.  So basically, you are getting amazing, high quality rib meat at "scraps" price.  As a student, it is real easy to see why I ordered them every time.  Cheap, tons of food, and high quality meat.  If you have never had a rib tip, I highly suggest them.  Just be aware, you may never order a rack of ribs again.

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Joe's Slow-Smoked Rib Tips

Ingredients:

5-6 strips of Rib Tips (7-10 lbs.)

Dry Rub - My "now secret" blend (salt, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, paprika, etc.)

Brown Sugar

Honey

Mixture of Apple and Hickory Wood Chips

Apple Juice (2- 12 oz bottles)

Lots of aluminum foil

Instructions:

First, always get that smoker up to temperature.  I like to have mine run around 225-235 degreesF throughout the entire smoking process.  While warming up, soak the wood chips in water for a minimum of 30 minutes.  I usually soak the wood chips overnight.  Prepare your own signature rub or you can purchase one at a store.  About an hour before smoking, I would go ahead and dry rub the meat and allow it to get warmer than the fridge.  Don't season too early or the salt will start drawing liquid out of the meat.

Once temperature hits the desired range, go ahead and place the rib tips in the smoker and cover.  I like to use apple wood chips first to give the rib tips a little extra sweetness, which is complemented by the apple juice spray you will be using.  Allow a heavy smoke to form.  Spray with apple juice every time you add additional wood chips to the smoker.  

I use a 4-2 rule... a minor variation of the traditional 4-2-1 rib rule.  The 4-2 refers to amount of time exposed to smoke and amount of time wrapped.  What I do is I smoke the ribs with apple for about 2 hours and then switch to hickory for the last 2 hours... meaning 4 hours total of smoking.  Then, I wrap the rib tips in aluminum foil with a mixture of brown sugar, honey, and apple juice and allow them to tenderize for 2 hours.  

After the 2 hours of tenderizing, the rib tips are cooked (no need to read internal temperature).  If you want a charred look, go ahead and place the rib tips back in the smoker for a quick 10 minutes.  Allow to rest for 15 minutes before cutting into small slices.  Enjoy!

Tips:

- If you can't keep your smoker up to temperature (excessive winter weather, running out of wood chips, etc.), you can do the tenderizing in an oven.  Just set the oven temperature to 225-240 degreesF and allow to cook for the 2 hours.  

- I found trying to tenderize the rib tips for even 2 hours and 30 minutes was too much.  They lost any remaining chew and actually fell off the cartilage/bone, which is over cooked for rib tips.

- Pray for an amazing Smoke Ring to result!

- Quickly make your own BBQ sauce.  I prefer mustard base sauces, but any type is pretty easy to do.

Joe's Louisana-inspired Crawfish Boil

Having the opportunity to spend more than a month in New Orleans, I became hooked on southern inspired cuisine.  One of my favorite is their boiled seafood.  From shrimp to crawfish to crabs, boiled seafood has amazing seasoning and all the fixings!  And, the best part of all... EVERYTHING IS COOKED IN ONE POT! (if your pot is big enough)

Being back in Chicago, I have craved more southern meals.  One day, we were walking through Chinatown and I saw fresh crawfish for the first time.  I knew I had to take advantage of this opportunity and host my own crawfish boil.  Armed with several smaller pasta pots, I attempted to recreate a southern style crawfish boil in my apartment.  Here is a recipe I tweaked to my liking and the result.

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Joe's Louisiana-inspired Crawfish Boil

Recipe for 7 lbs. of Crawfish (~1.5 lbs. per person)

Ingredients:

7 lbs. of fresh LIVE crawfish

1 large can Old Bay Seasoning

8 ears of corn - cut into 1/3 pieces

3 lbs. red potatoes - cut into 1/2 pieces

2 packages andouille sausage - cut into 1 inch thick pieces

2 whole garlic cloves - cut into 1/2 pieces

2 sweet onions - cut into 1/2 pieces

2 lemons - cut into 1/2 pieces
4-5 tablespoons sea salt
4-5 tablespoons fresh ground pepper
     (Adjust salt and pepper to taste)

Instructions:

Boil water so that each pot you are using is about 1/2 full.  Add the old bay seasoning, salt, and pepper to the liquid and taste.  It should be overly salted and overly spicy.

Once boiling, add the potatoes, onions, and garlic.  Boil for 10-15 minutes until potatoes start becoming a little softer.  Then add the corn and boil for another 10 minutes.  Finally, add the lemons and sausage.

Before adding the crawfish, be sure to check that each one is alive.  Cooking dead crawfish can spoil the entire pot.  Once checked, bring the pot up to boil and add all of the crawfish.  Stir and boil for 5-10 minutes (I tended to cook a little longer).  

Turn off the burner after the ~10 minutes and allow the crawfish and all the other ingredients to steep in the liquid for a MINIMUM of 30 minutes.

After the minimum 30 minutes, strain the food from the cooking liquid and dump on top of newspaper on a picnic style table.  This way everyone can enjoy and makes the cleanup much easier.  Serve with toasted garlic baguette and a great IPA or amber ale beer!

Tips:

- Make sure the liquid is boiling prior to dropping in the crawfish.  It allows the crawfish to be killed in a more humane way and makes the meat much better.

- Average 1.5 to 2 lbs of crawfish per person

- For a little extra flavor, add a little Old Bay Seasoning and pepper prior to eating.

Optional:
French Baguette
Freshly minced garlic

Olive oil

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