From Pittsburgh to Chicago with fries

I've had a string of eating at establishments featured on the Food Network or Travel Channel going lately, not that I'm particularly proud of it, but hey, things happen. This weekend featured a trip to Lucky's in Chicago (specifically Wrigleyville), which has played host to Adam Richmond and his Man vs Food show on The Food Network. Interestingly enough, the place isn't even really a Chicago-style establishment, but rather sells sandwiches inspired by the famous Primanti Brothers shops in Pittsburgh. I hadn't even realized this until I saw the them coming out from the kitchen and realized I recognized them from my trip to the steel city. Stacked tall with a layer of prime deli meat, french fries, and topped with slaw and a tomato, they make for an impressive sight. The sandwiches were first invented as a way to sell a meal to truckers on the go in Pittsburgh, but they have found a place in the hearts (and bloated bellies) of Americans because well....that's exactly the sort of thing that Americans would love.

But it wasn't just the way the sandwiches were made that helped bring them to prominence. Being an establishment that catered to truck drivers, they opened at 3am and found a secondary market in the remaining public that was up at 3am for various reasons (all of them noble I'm sure) and was in need of a late night snack. Looking back, the transition from working man's sandwich to drunk munchies seems so obvious, but at the time I think they just caught a case of being in the right place at the right time.

I've eaten at Primanti Bros in Pittsburgh, and though its hard to compare given that it was several years in between eating there and at Lucky's in Chicago, my memory tells me I liked the original better. The fact that I was fighting a nice little hangover and struggled to finish my sandwich at Lucky's might have influenced my decision as well (and then I remembered why I try to avoid hard liquor at bars). Either way though it was a pretty faithful recreation, so I imagine the rust belt would be proud of their Chicago imitators.

Full disclosure: I'm not a huge fan of the sandwiches. I can write plenty about their history and cultural significance, and how they are a Pittsburgh area staple, which is usually something I really get into when I visit places, but something about them just doesn't work for me. And sandwiches are even my favorite food. . Perhaps its the cole slaw, which seems a sad compliment to such good deli meats. And while I like fries, I also enjoy them with ketchup, something I don't like on my sandwiches. So I was a little lost as to how to complete the sandwich and keep it from tasting so dry. On the table was a bottle of ketchup and some hot sauce, but neither seemed like a good option. I really wanted some deli mustard or something of that sort. What's the proper procedure with these things? Either I am missing something or I just don't have the right tastes to enjoy these sandwiches as they are supposed to be eaten.

Anyways, if you're in Pittsburgh (or Cleveland for that matter I'm told) its a required stop, despite what I might have said in the previous paragraph. And get yourself some Yuengling while you're at it, one of the best non craft brewery beers in America. In fact, writing this post makes me want to make a trip back to Pittsburgh right now, a closer visit to see if it should indeed make the list or not. It seems odd but I honestly believe Pittsburgh enjoys a fairly good reputation right now. People speak kindly of it as a place to live, and the news media loves to play the "town re-invented" card when chronicling the rise of the Bio-Tech industry there. I have a hard time putting it on the same plane as the other cities I wrote about, but am struggling for an east coast entrant. Perhaps its a case of lowered expectations: the fact that Pittsburgh somewhat avoided the path that Cleveland and Detroit have taken is reason why its often celebrated as a success story despite having lost about half its population in the last 50 years. The list doesn't matter in the end though, just the experience. Pittsburgh was good to me, and I thank it for that.

And what was Mr. Richmond's challenge while at Luckys? He had to down 3 of those bad boys in under an hour. A truly amazing feat. As I struggled through my lone offering, I could suddenly see why it looks like he's put on quite a few pounds through the course of hosting such a gluttonous show. But hey, at least he can go on one of those celebrity weight loss shows now.

COA Milwaukee

One of my favorite cuisines, both to eat and to cook, is Mexican. It's a cuisine based on flavorful, inexpensive ingredients that were accessible to the masses. It's full of dishes that take lots of time, care, and expertise to make, yet are still made best by little old grandmas (abuelitas) rather than by professional chefs. In terms of bang for your buck, I don't think you can do any better than some good Mexican. I love Mexican. You love Mexican. Everyone loves Mexican.

Now, when you think Mexican you usually envision some hole in the wall taqueria complete with nostalgic pictures of ole Mexico and red, white and green themed everything. You definitely don't think of some trendy, modern sit down restaurant with servers dressed in all black, situated in a new "mixed development" mall in suburban Wisconsin. But this is exactly what COA in Glendale is. The decor speaks almost nothing of traditional Mexican, and the location screams fauxburban. Yet on the front, right above the entrance is a sign that says "The Heart ofMexican Street Food". What? I don't want to generalize too much, but this place had all the signs of the places I love to hate. In short, I was ready to walk into the place, order their crappy food and then rip them apart for being expensive, inauthentic, and generally just trying too hard.


But that all fell apart once I took a bite of my carne asada taco, which to my disappointment, was pretty solid. The meat was well cooked and flavorful, and the toppings, while a little more extravagant than you would normally find at a taqueria(the roasted jalapeno was a nice touch though), were still fairly authentic. Aside from being served with a minuscule slice of lime that no self respecting Mexican would find acceptable they actually did a pretty good job. Damn, and I was so ready to hate this place too. On the flip side, my dining companion ordered a lamb torta that did not meet the same standards. I was intrigued to see the lamb offering on the menu, as it's not something you see very often in Mexican cooking, especially in Mexican street food. Perhaps there's a reason as the overcooked lamb was rubbery and very off putting. I think we both decided to stick with the tacos next time around.

I guess this post turned into a sort of restaurant review, in that I think COA does a pretty good job for what they are. They take some inspiration from Mexican street food, glamour it up a bit, tack on a couple bucks on the price and some shiny decor and call it a restaurant. It's not a bad concept, and if it gets more people to accept eating corn tortillas and tacos with no cheddar cheese then perfect. My real point is just that I'm struggling with the lack of hispanic culture on the north side of Milwaukee. In Chicago you almost expect there to be a taqueria on every other street corner, even in the nicer parts of town. And if you live in the right neighborhoods, you can find a Mexican grocery store stuffed with fresh produce a prices a fraction of what your local conglomerate super market offers. Unfortunately I cannot say the same for Milwaukee.

It's not that there is not a sizable Hispanic population here, it's just that its more concentrated into one area of town, and that area unfortunately is neither where I live nor work. I would kill for a good neighborhood taqueria somewhere around me, and if I've picked up any Hispanic readers in Milwaukee then please make this happen. And if you live next to a taqueria in Chicago, or where ever, please savor and appreciate what you have, even if it's not the best one ever. The thing about them in the states is that while they're not always fantastic, they are rarely bad, and usually a great source for cheap, convenient meals.