Trying to decide where to eat in River North is never the easiest decision of my week. Whether you're sitting down at a restaurant or getting something quick, there is always a plethora of choices. If you're trying to decide after finishing up a wine tasting event at a River North art gallery or just got your pump on at one of the numerous techno clubs, one eatery that is always a solid choice is the timeless Al's Beef.
Al's is fitting for all levels of Italian Beef consumers, but an aficionado might find some options limiting. Their tender Vienna Beef is soft to the tongue and ripe with flavor. Their combination of quality beef, a seventy year old recipe of herbs and spices, and the perfect amount of cooking time makes Al's among the best places for the actual beef in the sandwich. They also provide the option of dipped, wet, or dry bread, as well as different sized beefs for different sized appetites.
Our Beef Bloggers found very little wrong with the actual beef. It was other flaws in the sandwich and the experience as a whole that caused Al's to get less than extraordinary ratings. For example, Al's Beef on Ontario did not offer mozzarella cheese on our sandwich and claimed that cheddar would be an ample substitute. Personally, I have no qualms with cheddar cheese. In fact, I insist on consuming it at least once a week on some sort of enormous chili bowl or delicious hamburger. However on my Italian Beef, mozzarella is the cheese of choice. To add to the discontent of a lack of mozzarella, the sweet peppers were soft and fell short of the crispy feel of a fresh vegetable, and the giardenera did not pack much heat, but was filled with flavor.
The French Fries at Al's Beef were more like burnt slices of potato rather than the golden garden variety that we have seen at countless other beef venders. This gave them a very bland flavor, however a rather large portion of them was served. Basically, they offered a large portion of something I did not enjoy–not exactly a plus. One of the Bloggers preferred the taste of plain potatoes, however even he admitted they were queer to the industry standard. To wash it all down, Al's provides a wide assortment of Pepsi products, which didn't appeal too much to our Bloggers but may be the preference of the reader. Also, be weary–there is not much parking for Al's Beef and their lack of a public bathroom might cause select customers some discomfort.
Personally, I've been to Al's Beef at different times of the day, different levels of sobriety, and different levels of hunger, and have never walked away from there unsatisfied. If you could only make one trip to a Beef Stand in River North, Al's probably would not be the perfect choice. But if you have more time in the neighborhood, Al's is a must-try.
Beef – 7.4
Fries – 6.1
Location/Ambiance - 7
169 W. Ontario St.
Chicago, IL
312-943-3222
The Beef King
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2 comments:
The Al's on Taylor in little italy (UIC campus) has never dissappointed
Ok lets start out with the beef. I know for a fact they don't use Vienna Beef italian beef there if that is what was said above. I used to work there and the Beef was made daily using big hunks of sirlion butt. Second, I go to Als everytime im in the city and they don't have mozz chz but they do have provolone which they use as a great sub for mozz. Their fries are fresh cut real potatoes, not the frozen stuff you get at 99.9% of places. Als is the best beef in the world barr none. Check it out for yourself.
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