I would never say that Jibaritos are "widely enjoyed throughout the Midwest." Definitely not as ubiquitous even in the Chicago suburbs, whereas saganaki or Italian beef, deep dish pizza, Chicago hot dog, etc. are in literally every town. Jibaritos are mostly found in the city, maybe in Latino areas in the suburbs, but definitely not something you could find at a Kwiktrip in the middle of Iowa or something. You guys also left out Chicago tavern style pizza, which is far more likely to be eaten on a weekend, whereas deep dish is an occasional thing. But I've never even heard of the Indian chicken calzone thing, or fancy bacon chorizo stuffed dates, and I've lived in Chicago and its suburbs all my life. Maybe those are not so much "classic Chicago foods" but rather an isolated fusion dish from a single restaurant?
There's another unique Chicago dish, though it's much more well-known on the South side of the city: Atomic Cake, a 3-layer cake of different flavors/fillings. The bottom layer is banana cake topped with a ring of whipped cream and Bavarian custard and sliced bananas in the middle. Next is a layer of yellow cake; again topped with a ring of whipped cream and strawberry filling in the middle. Finally, a layer of chocolate cake topped with a fudge icing. The whole thing is then covered in a whipped cream frosting. Decadent!!
Best Sandwich in Chicago might be either the King Size breaded steak or Chicken Vesuvio both at Ricobenes on 26th street. Shout out to Pastrami and Corned Beef at Manny's and Nottoli Italian Pot Roast on West Belmont.
I absolutely love and enjoy the mashed channel. All the information is second to none, not to mention it's not sad or bad news like everything else. I would say sort of a happy channel with great content. I even watch the marathons. As long as mashed is here, then I'm here showing my support. Keep up the good work and great reporting. You have a subscriber for life. Thank you.
Mashed tends to promote certain dishes that are New World-developed and are only catching on. One example is the Jibirito, still unheard of in many parts of the Midwest, not to mention the South and West. On the other hand, of course the pizza, hot dogs and the beef sandwiches are recognized nationally as real "Chicago" food. Ketchup on a hot dog? That is so...WRONG!
I heard all the gyro meat in the USA comes from Chicago. Not a surprise with the amount of greeks in Chicago. Greek Isles is my favorite greek food. Kostas palatine is my favorite gyro.
Deep dish is fine, but if you want REAL Chicago pizza, you want "tavern" pizza. Tavern pizza has a crispy crust, is oily from sausage, is cheesy, and is cut in squares, known as a party cut.
Beef on a banana? Meat and cheese casserole they try to pass off as pizza? Hot dogs with gross toppings? What is it about Chicago and ruining good food? Not a good place to eat
Chicago pizza is a different kind of good than New York style. Its more of an occasional thing as it is heavy and pricier. The one in my town is in a bad section but its worth the risk...
