The Chicago Italian Beef is a unique hyper-local regional favorite. It's definitely one of those "If You Know, You Know" kind of foods. You'd be hard pressed to find anyone from northern Illinois or southern Wisconsin that has never had one and just as hard pressed to find a decent Italian beef outside of that area. If you ever see an Italian beef on the menu and you don't see anything related to the Bears or Packers on the wall, it's probably a good idea to pass.
It's obviously a delicious sandwich but where did it come from? Who's idea was it to slow roast a cheap cut of beef, slice it thin, and pile it on some bread with spicy vegetables? It's complicated.
