Tasty Chicago

More appropriately, I should say Calling all Restauranteurs. It’s those folks who’ll probably need to help me get an In-N-Out Burger in Chicago.

Before I get into this, let me ask you this: Do you know anyone that plans a trip to one of the most fertile, agricultural regions on earth and fantasizes equally about experiencing wine from that region and fast-food burgers from that region? Well, if you don’t, now you do. Me! We made a trip to Santa Barbara wine country and as soon as we got on the road for the two plus hour ride north from LAX, my head was on a swivel trying to spot my first In-N-Out Burger.

It was actually about 36 hours into the trip before I got to experience the cheeseburger and fries pictured above. Man, they were good. Even my wife, the lover of cooking and French cuisine, was impressed with the burger. If you look in the background, you’ll see my wife’s ring-clad hands wrapped around her cheeseburger. ‘Twas a special way to share a quiet evening with the person you love on the central coast of California.

In-N-Out has four food items on the menu; hamburger, cheeseburger, double cheeseburger, and fries. Then for drinks they have the standard sodas and water, and a chocolate malt. That’s it. Talk about focus!

I got the cheeseburger and it comes with burger, lettuce, tomato, cheese, onions, and special sauce. The burger is made on the griddle and the bun is toasted nice and crispy-like. You can feel the crunch of the toasted underside of the bun. You know me, I’m a straight American cheese and grilled onion guy. But this combo from In-N-Out really tugged on my taste buds. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The fries are hand cut from fresh potatoes all day long. It’s pretty cool. They have this silver machine that you can see from the dining area for cutting the fries. They pop a potato in it, pull the lever, and out drops a stack of fresh cut fries.

This place kills. It’s quite a formula. If you drop a few in Chicago you would become a millionaire overnight. I’m working on it, so don’t steal my thunder.

Where do you get a good chili dog in this town? That whole “Chicago Style” dog thing kind of gets me down at times. Gotta tell ya, I’m not a big fan. My preference is the chili dog, like the kind above from Tony Packo’s, with some spicy pickles.

Raise your hand if you’ve heard of the famous Tony Packo’s in Toledo, Ohio. I guess you have to be at least 40 and remember the TV show M.A.S.H. There was a character named Klinger (cross dresser actually) and he was from Toledo. He would bring up Tony Packo’s occasionally in-show.

Well, the actor that played Klinger was real-life Toledoan Jamie Farr.

Toledo is near my hometown, which luckily has a Tony Packo’s outpost. I went when I was home last and started longing for the ability to get a damn chili dog whenever I please. What better topping for an encased meat than the spicy ground beef creation known as chili? I don’t want a bunch of veggies on my dog, I want meat on top of meat. Is that so wrong?

Actually, the ingredients for the Tony Packo’s chili dog are a dog, mustard, onions, and chili sauce. The next time you are driving through Toledo on the Ohio Turnpike, stop and grab one, you will not regret it. And if you know where I can get one around here, let me know.

Attention! Attention! All restauranteurs in the Chicago area, I WANT THIS SANDWICH! NOW!!!

Are you ready for a new semi-regular feature on Tasty Chicago? In this feature, I will highlight a regional food item from another part of the country that I want to get in Chicago, but can’t.

This is a grilled blackened grouper sandwich from Mulligan’s Beach House Bar and Grill in Jensen Beach, FL. It was $11.95, which included a two dollar grouper premium (grouper is a local fish probably pulled from the ocean that day). By golly was it good. Grouper is a hearty, meaty, yet mild fish that holds up well to grilling. It takes sauces and rubs very well and most Florida restaurants give you a choice of how you want it finished. Mulligan’s can just grill it, or they can do blackened, Jamaican jerked, or teriyaki. I like the blackened and I usually add some Tobasco, then wash it down with Guinness.

So why can’t I get this in Chicago? Can’t they flash-freeze some grouper and fly it up? Or better yet, can’t you just pull something out of Lake Michigan and slap it delicately on the grill. There has to be some marine life in that lake worthy of a sandwich, otherwise, what’s point of living near a lake. I beg you people, my loyal readers (all 10 of you), help me. Tell me if there is anything comparable in Chicago and where I can get it. Please. Please.