Ann Fisher wrote:Pan pizza, baked on a cookie sheet (or, more accurately, I suppose, a jelly roll or bun pan) and served in rectangles about 4X6 inches. So one piece really is a substantial serving and even Ed is full at two. Nice balance between sauce and cheese, not too much of either. Cheese more crunchy than gloppy. Crust well cooked, not crunchy, not doughy, but done. IIRC a cannoli is about 89 cents, and they have lots of other Italian desserts as well.
And, as you observe, once you're at Johnny's or Gene and Jude's you're practically there.
Ann Fisher wrote:I'm glad the trip was salvaged. At least you weren't out a lot of money.
Ann Fisher wrote:I did have second thoughts about whether I'd remembered the right shape of Caputo's pizza. Now we know why. (Not to mention that now we know why I can never remember people's faces!). But I'm sure mine was improved by eating it there--not to mention by my appreciation for the weekend special pricing!
gleam wrote:I like both the thick, bready, cheesy, sausagey pizza at Caputo Cheese (when hot.. I've never eaten it any time except in the car after leaving the store) and the frozen reggios product -- one of the best frozen thinc rusts I've had.
gleam wrote:I'd completely forgotten about the reggio's at UIC, and I'll probably subject my wife to it at some point in the near future.
JSM wrote:Atino's lunch special, jumbo slice and a pop $3.79. Cut from an 18"x25" sheet pizza this is surprisingly good pizza.
JSM wrote:I believe Atino's slices are also sold from the Thunderbird catering roach coaches that roam the area at lunch time.
gp60004 wrote:Since Evanston was mentioned, i have to say that i think the 1/3 lb char cheese burger, reg order of fries and a med drink combo meal we serve for $4.95, tax included, is quite the deal. The hotdog, fries, drink with a dipping dog corndog for $4.80 also isn't bad.
Bacci has a few locations. Last time i went, a slice with a drink, free refills, was $3.75. As it was noted before, pizza not that good.
nr706 wrote:Gus, not everyone knows your place. gp60004 was referring to:
Wiener and Still Champion
802 W. Dempster
Evanston
847-869-0100
I don't know how the food compares to Poochie's, but I do know it's far better than it has a right to be.
fastfoodsnob wrote:would you say that burger is in the same league?
Just curious,
Dan
gp60004 wrote:Well, I can tell you we use the same burger patty that Poochies uses but we upgraded our bun. It isn't the standard machine made sesame seed bun most places use but instead a hand formed knot roll.
Make sure to specify doneness though. Most come out on the well done side.
Same league? You would have to judge that for yourself. My opinion doesn't really count.
fastfoodsnob wrote:[11-9 daily[/url], right? Centerstage and metromix have different hours listed for an establishment running since 1975, as well as differing hours for Sunday afternoons.)
c8w wrote:polster wrote:When I used to work in the area I used to go to Pita Inn for there lunch special which is $3.95 and has a lot food for the price.
PITA INN (taken from their website) - http://www.pitainn.com/menu.htmlBUSINESS LUNCH SPECIAL (Mon-Fri: 11am-3pm)
Combination of Shish Kabob, Kifta Kabob, Shawarma and Falafel served with rice pilaf, salad and our homemade pita bread. (Add chicken for $1.00) $3.95
This would be my entry too, BTW - Pita Inn raised their prices about a year
ago, but the one item on the menu that stayed the same price was this
lunch special. It is a ridiculously popular item, and one of the best deals in
Chicago with a huge amount of food (between 12 and 1, you have a huge
wait for food at Pita Inn, unless you do a call-in-and-pick-up). Also, BTW,
the "1 dollar for additional chicken" isnt worth it, usually - it is only "chicken
tenders". If you want to add chicken shawarma, which is very good at
Pita Inn, that would be well worth it - but would push you over the 5
dollar limit for this thread. (In terms of quantity of food, that would probably
be too much as well).
fastfoodsnob wrote:gp60004 wrote:Well, I can tell you we use the same burger patty that Poochies uses but we upgraded our bun. It isn't the standard machine made sesame seed bun most places use but instead a hand formed knot roll.
Make sure to specify doneness though. Most come out on the well done side.
Same league? You would have to judge that for yourself. My opinion doesn't really count.
A hand-formed knot roll? Intriguing... if you're still open later tonight, I might have to stop by to check that out.... When I went to Poochie's, I asked for medium or medium well, which is a pretty good indicator of a patty's quality for me. Might have to make two trips to really gauge both the burger and the dog/dipped combos, but I wouldn't consider that too much of a burden in the end.
Love the specials,
Dan
fastfoodsnob wrote:fastfoodsnob wrote:[Feeling quite honored, I knew I had to try both the cheddar-burger combo (the standard cheeseburger uses American cheese) as well as one of those much-discussed dipping dogs (which I only had to pay an extra dollar for when added to a combo meal). As noted earlier in this thread, double-dog (dipping or regular) and non-cheddar burger combo meals all fit under five dollars; I just like cheddar.
I bit into my burger right after it came off the grill, leading to a juicy patty that I could immediately tell was not overcooked. If I can make a superficial comparison to Poochie's char cheddar cheeseburger, WaSC's version was just as tasty and dripped less grease. In fact, I don't remember much (if any) oil dropping on my hands as I ate, which is fairly remarkable in my mind. The knot roll was delicious, and the hot fries were an excellent complement to the savory sandwich. (The cheddar used was Merkt's, right?) Knowing I'd probably have space for that extra dipping dog later, I arranged to have it prepared after I finished my main course, and I most certainly did not regret ordering it. (The corn casing was very similar to corn meal/bread in texture and taste.) The only thing I missed was not ordering a regular hot dog, as my main purpose today was to evaluate the cheddar burger. I'll have to try one (or a few) on my next trip, of which you can be sure there'll be one (and likely many more after that).
Wiener and Still Champion is now firmly ensconced in my short list of must-eat joints in Evanston. Just don't keep it a secret for too much longer! A great experience and highly recommended.
Wiener and Still Champion
802 W. Dempster
Evanston, IL 60202
[Just west of the El, Sherman, and Chicago Ave. on Dempster]
(847) 869-0100
Thanks for the awesome food (and, yeah, I still paid for it),
Dan
fastfoodsnob wrote:[
First off, my order-number calling was botched, so an expected 5-15 minute wait turned into a 30-minute grind. No joke. Then, when I finally tore into the plate and pita offered (after apologies from the staff), the meat just wasn't as impressive as the food I'd had on previous visits. Maybe it was the lunchtime rush, or the effect of eating too much good food on Devon recently, but I found my plate lacking. Half the meat was overly chewy -- without being overcooked -- and almost everything seemed to require a dip in the hot sauce to add some extra flavor. Just not very special in my mind. (I never really liked the rice there, but I ate most of it with the sauce today because I was so hungry.)
On a side note, there was a sign posted on the wall behind the order counter touting the $4.95 business lunch special with chicken tenders included. Surprised by this, I checked the take-out menus on offer and found the same $3.95 11-to-3 special as always. Thankfully, I was still able to order the special without the tenders for $4.30 with tax, but I did have to specify that I wanted my meal without the chicken.
Dan
c8w wrote:Am also fond of the corndog - clearly the best value in Chicago Id say, only a buck with a value meal.
c8w wrote:I too have stopped in very often at Weiner and Still Champion (even if
Ive probably never mentioned it on here). A fine burger, and an excellent
value IMHO - far better value than most around. I like the fries more than
most too - though they arent perfect to me (I personally prefer ones
with no skin, but fried hot - these are close, but not as great as, say,
Top Notch's fries on the Southside IMHO. But very good and much
more convenient, so this is my go-to fast-food place most of the
time).
c8w wrote:Am also fond of the corndog - clearly the best value in Chicago Id
say, only a buck with a value meal. Also, if you ever make it there
on SUnday's, corn dogs are a buck apiece even without anything
else - a couple corn dogs and the fresh fries makea pretty damn
decent meal.
c8w wrote:It isnt, proibably, a destination place - the burgers at, say, Paradise
Pup probably *are*, the fries at Top Notch are too IMHO. But this place
does a fine burger and fries (and corn dog) with a very good value,
and if youre in Evanston/Skokie or its environs, it is probably *the*
go-to fast food place IMHO. (OK, the hot dogs at places like Poochie's
are special too, but they dont have corn dogs there as Weiner and
Still CHampion does, so...
c8w
c8w wrote:fastfoodsnob wrote:...On a side note, there was a sign posted on the wall behind the order counter touting the $4.95 business lunch special with chicken tenders included. Surprised by this, I checked the take-out menus on offer and found the same $3.95 11-to-3 special as always. Thankfully, I was still able to order the special without the tenders for $4.30 with tax, but I did have to specify that I wanted my meal without the chicken.
Huh. I had this a week ago, and while mine was ok, they didnt let me order
this 3.95 special anymore! I asked them fora lunch speacial, and they just
gave me the 4.95 with tenders instead! I shall make sure to specify like
you the next time (I like their chicken shawarma a fair bit, but one piece of
their chicken tenders alone are not worth an extra buck, for sure
c8w wrote:As for the quality... Pita Inn sometimes gets variable when teh crowds are
going crazy( as they often are at lunchtime), but most of the time Iam
still very satisfied with what I get. Always call in ahead, BTW - its a mess
if you dont. I dont even get an order num,ber when I call in, they just
ask for the name, usually. And it remains an outstanding value in my
mind.
c8w wrote:(Ive tried a couple of the Kedzie places in the past couple of weeks. Salaam
was ok, good falafels and cheap too, and their shish taouk was outstanding
on the day, but the general shawarma was very disappointing to me - and
it was a touch more expensive than Pita Inn IMHO. Cafe Noor... I didnt care
nearly as much for the soft-cooked fava-bean falafels, and while their
meat quality was excellent, the flavour was lacking IMHO. And it didnt
help with their white or hot sauces either, both very bland IMHO - and
its also the first place that charged me extra for any sauces that they
provided! To each his own, of course - and I personally still find that
Pita Inn usually fits the bill for me quite well).
c8w
fastfoodsnob wrote:So this one misses the mark by a penny, but the regular gyros go for $5.00 at Cross-Rhodes, that wonderfully Greek-American joint in Evanston at 913 Chicago Avenue. (Check Cathy2's post from January for a more complete description of the gyros, fries, and other operational details.)
...
Nevertheless, I had a great time and enjoyed my meal (including the soda, which was dispensed with a straw in a tall yet slim glass). Should be even more fun at lunchtime.
Cathy2 wrote:HI,
Don't forget to weigh in: Which Polish is best: Jim's Original or Maxwell St Express?.
Cathy2 wrote:FFS - you really are on a under $5 tear!
Cathy2 wrote:Barnaby's Pizza in Northbrook, and probably other locations, has a number of under $5 specials. Unfortunately it does not include their excellent cornmeal crust pizza.
fastfoodsnob wrote:Cathy2 wrote:HI,
Don't forget to weigh in: Which Polish is best: Jim's Original or Maxwell St Express?.
That thread on Jim's and Maxwell St. Express (along with Rene G's excellent sunrise-backed pics) actually inspired me to make the detour to South Union Street/Avenue this weekend. Knowing I'd be in the neighborhood, I couldn't lose the opportunity to try the best Polish in the city, especially after the great experience I had today at Wolfy's (which was a lot closer to home). I'm just afraid I'll be as disappointed with Jim's Original as some other posters in that thread. ("Moldy"??)