You can’t taste what may become the most talked-about chef-made Italian beef this summer.
“The Bear” stars Jeremy Allen White, playing a fine-dining chef who happens to end up slinging beefs at a Mr. Beef-esque sandwich shop in Chicago.
The new FX series just released all eight episodes on Hulu.
“My character grew up cooking in Chicago. Then he left and worked in some of the best restaurants in the world,” White said during a red carpet interview at the James Beard Foundation Awards earlier this month. “His brother passes away, and that’s when the show starts. He comes back home, and he’s kind of trying to resurrect his family restaurant.”
To research the role, he went to culinary school for two weeks and worked at the critically acclaimed restaurant Oriole, and its award-winning sister bar Kumiko, in the West Loop.
“I also worked in a restaurant called Pasjoli in Santa Monica,” White said. Chef Dave Beran opened the modern French bistro, after leaving Chicago’s Next.
“I spent a lot of time with a lot of great chefs,” White said. “It was nice.”
He’s visited Chicago a lot over the past 12 years. So what’s his most memorable Italian beef experience?
“I like Portillo’s,” White said. “I know that’s like a chain. I think it was my first, but I like them all.”
The last time he was in town he also went to Smyth and The Loyalist, and revisited Oriole and Kumiko.
When told that Kumiko bar director and creative partner Julia Momosé won a James Beard award for her book “The Way of the Cocktail” with co-author Emma Janzen, White was genuinely surprised and excited.
“Did she really?” he said. “I have that book! She gave it to me.”
In the first episode of “The Bear,” you’ll see his character’s copy of the Noma cookbook, hiding his own Beard award. As the show progresses, he tries out new and exciting ways to whip up Chicago’s favorite sandwich.
While you can’t eat the fictional Italian beef, you can sample my fellow food critic Nick Kindelsperger’s picks for the 20 best Italian beefs around Chicago.
And here are my recommendations for an Italian beef progression, from oldest to newest, to binge through all eight episodes. Do note the locations I’ve listed are absolutely essential to the experience.
They include vegetarian and vegan options (the cheesy Italian Not Beef at Can’t Believe It’s Not Meat, and plant-based Beefless at Buona), plus the ultimate chef-made Filipino-inspired combo at Kasama, with a fatty longganisa sausage smothered with tender slices of pork adobo and crisp giardiniera.
1. Al’s Beef (1938): Consistently one of the top-ranked takes in the city, Al’s Beef is a great spot to start — but only if you follow other Chicagoans in the know and head to the chain’s original shop in Little Italy. 1079 W. Taylor St., 312-226-4017, alsbeef.com/chicago-little-italy-taylor-street
2. Riviera Foods (1958): A family-owned deli for over six decades lauded for its first-rate subs and lesser-known but wonderful Italian beefs. 3220 N. Harlem Ave., 773-637-4252, facebook.com/RivieraFoodsChicago
3. Johnnie’s Beef (1961): For a textbook Italian beef with careful attention to detail, this northwest suburban shop checks all the boxes. 7500 W. North Ave., Elmwood Park; 708-452-6000; facebook.com/Johnnies-Beef-169537026394157
4. Portillo’s (1963): White isn’t wrong in citing Portillo’s as a standard-bearer for Chicago food staples, and this ’60s-themed location stands where the storied chain began. 6351/2 North Ave., Villa Park; 630-530-8440; portillos.com/locations/villa-park
5. Mr. Beef On Orleans (1979): “The Bear” based its fictional sandwich shop on Mr. Beef, where the famed sandwich is stripped down to fundamentals. 666 N. Orleans St., 312-337-8500, facebook.com/mrbeefonorleans
Buona (1981): The Buonavolanto family founded the Buona restaurant company with their Chicago-style Italian beef sandwich 40 years ago, and the chain gets extra points for introducing the Italian Beefless vegan sandwich last year. 6745 Roosevelt Road, Berwyn; 708-749-2555; buona.com
Can’t Believe It’s Not Meat (2019): A beefy vegan jus and cheese (dairy- or plant-based) lend big flavor to this vegetarian restaurant’s meat-free take on the Italian beef — and its other takes on Chicago foods are just as iconic. 13681/2 E. 53rd St., 773-675-8208, cantbelieveitsnotmeat.com
Kasama (2020): Celebrated as one of the best restaurants in the country, Kasama also has a lot of fun with its more casual breakfast and lunch items. The dressed-up Filipino-inspired version of a beef sandwich is a must-try. 1001 N. Winchester Ave., 773-697-3790, kasamachicago.com
Big screen or home stream, takeout or dine-in, Tribune writers are here to steer you toward your next great experience. Sign up for your free weekly Eat. Watch. Do. newsletter here.
