LTH Home

[From Homepage] In Search of the Jim Shoe

[From Homepage] In Search of the Jim Shoe
  • Forum HomePost Reply BackTop
    Page 3 of 4
  • Post #61 - September 5th, 2015, 7:31 am
    Post #61 - September 5th, 2015, 7:31 am Post #61 - September 5th, 2015, 7:31 am
    WBEZ's Curious City had a segment on the Jim Shoe this week. http://www.wbez.org/series/curious-city ... ods-112815
  • Post #62 - February 7th, 2017, 6:15 pm
    Post #62 - February 7th, 2017, 6:15 pm Post #62 - February 7th, 2017, 6:15 pm
    Papa's Philly 3224 W. Foster has a Jim Shoe on the menu. Could this be the furthest northwest place serving a shoe in the city?
    Steve Z.

    “Only the pure in heart can make a good soup.”
    ― Ludwig van Beethoven
  • Post #63 - February 7th, 2017, 10:08 pm
    Post #63 - February 7th, 2017, 10:08 pm Post #63 - February 7th, 2017, 10:08 pm
    stevez wrote:Papa's Philly 3224 W. Foster has a Jim Shoe on the menu. Could this be the furthest northwest place serving a shoe in the city?

    There's a spot on Kimball, just south of Lawrence, also serving a Jim Shoe . . . haven't tried it yet though.
  • Post #64 - February 8th, 2017, 2:41 pm
    Post #64 - February 8th, 2017, 2:41 pm Post #64 - February 8th, 2017, 2:41 pm
    Habibi wrote:While I haven't found anything similar in New York, one common junk food treat is the bodega "hero" or "sub" sandwich. Basically a griddled, soft Italianesque long roll (with or without seeds) stuffed with whatever meats you like, usually chopped and gridlled on a flattop.

    One of these bodega heros, the chopped cheese, has been getting a lot of publicity lately (Anthony Bourdain on Parts Unknown, New York Times, etc). Here's a 19-minute video that gives a good introduction to the sandwich. Parallels with the Jim Shoe story will be obvious. Not surprisingly, given all that publicity, you can now get a semi-upscale chopped cheese in Chicago at Mikkey's in Hyde Park.

    stevez wrote:Papa's Philly 3224 W. Foster has a Jim Shoe on the menu. Could this be the furthest northwest place serving a shoe in the city?

    Depends on how you define “furthest northwest.” Papa’s Philly is 5200N 3200W. Flavor Shack (2305 W Devon; I mentioned their halal Jim Shoe here previously) is 6400N 2300W, so +1200N -900W, for a net north and/or west shift of a few blocks.

    As I understand (courtesy of laikom), Papa’s Philly on Foster traces their lineage to the South Side, being run by relatives of the folks who own Papa’s Philly and Fish at 75th & Cottage.

    BR wrote:There's a spot on Kimball, just south of Lawrence, also serving a Jim Shoe . . . haven't tried it yet though.

    Makki Fast Food & Grill (4702 N Kimball) was mentioned here briefly by Da Beef, but I'm not sure he ate there.

    Image

    Image

    That's the Jim Shoe (another halal one!) I sampled at Makki with Monica Eng when she was doing her WBEZ story a couple years ago. It's simply pieces of the three meats on a roll with lettuce, tomato and onion, but no sauce, cheese or giardiniera and no kat-a-kat action whatsoever (we simply ordered a Jim Shoe without further instructions). It's not a bad sandwich (actually, the well-charred gyros chunks were well above average), but it's hardly a Shoe. The Northwest Side seems to be carving out a niche for itself as the place to go for halal Jim Shoes.
  • Post #65 - March 24th, 2017, 12:22 pm
    Post #65 - March 24th, 2017, 12:22 pm Post #65 - March 24th, 2017, 12:22 pm
    A Jim Shoe (or Gym Shoe in this case) has been spotted just west of the Loop at the new 16" on Center deli, The Ruin Daily on 328 S Jefferson.

    I went with a reuben (which was quite good), as I need to avoid a post-lunch naptime at work this afternoon, but I'll be ordering a Gym Shoe next time. This version consists of: Sliced Lamb, Corned Beef, Sliced Beef, Tzatziki Mayo, Giardiniera, Shredded Lettuce, Italian Baguette $11
  • Post #66 - March 24th, 2017, 12:58 pm
    Post #66 - March 24th, 2017, 12:58 pm Post #66 - March 24th, 2017, 12:58 pm
    fresh wrote:This version consists of: Sliced Lamb, Corned Beef, Sliced Beef, Tzatziki Mayo, Giardiniera, Shredded Lettuce, Italian Baguette $11


    An $11 Jim Shoe??? That's the craziest shit I've read in a while.
    Steve Z.

    “Only the pure in heart can make a good soup.”
    ― Ludwig van Beethoven
  • Post #67 - March 24th, 2017, 2:15 pm
    Post #67 - March 24th, 2017, 2:15 pm Post #67 - March 24th, 2017, 2:15 pm
    stevez wrote:
    fresh wrote:This version consists of: Sliced Lamb, Corned Beef, Sliced Beef, Tzatziki Mayo, Giardiniera, Shredded Lettuce, Italian Baguette $11


    An $11 Jim Shoe??? That's the craziest shit I've read in a while.

    There's a pretty picture of it on their website.

    https://www.theruindaily.com/
    -Mary
  • Post #68 - March 25th, 2017, 8:52 pm
    Post #68 - March 25th, 2017, 8:52 pm Post #68 - March 25th, 2017, 8:52 pm
    stevez wrote:
    fresh wrote:This version consists of: Sliced Lamb, Corned Beef, Sliced Beef, Tzatziki Mayo, Giardiniera, Shredded Lettuce, Italian Baguette $11


    An $11 Jim Shoe??? That's the craziest shit I've read in a while.


    Looking at their menu online, based upon the appearance of that sandwich, $11 doesn't seem all that outrageous once one factors in perceived quality of ingredients plus assumed cost of location. However . . . $10 for a Green Flash West Coast IPA????? Are you FKM? THAT is the craziest shit *I* have read in a while.
    Objects in mirror appear to be losing.
  • Post #69 - March 31st, 2017, 1:18 pm
    Post #69 - March 31st, 2017, 1:18 pm Post #69 - March 31st, 2017, 1:18 pm
    The same argument is happening in NYC regarding high end Chopped Cheese sandwiches. What is sold for anywhere from $3.50 to $5 in Harlem, Spanish Harlem and bodegas elsewhere is now offered at restaurants and butcher shops with upgrades such as grass fed beef, designer cheese and artisan bread and better greens etc... for $11 and higher. The debate continues whether the upgrade is a true Chopped Cheese.
    What disease did cured ham actually have?
  • Post #70 - May 16th, 2017, 11:54 am
    Post #70 - May 16th, 2017, 11:54 am Post #70 - May 16th, 2017, 11:54 am
    Nice to see the 'shoe at Southtown Subs get a shout-out from Nick Kindelsperger in the Trib's current roundup of Chicago's top sandwiches.
    Definitely one of the more memorable sandwiches I've experienced. :shock: :wink:
    http://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/fo ... llery.html
  • Post #71 - May 16th, 2017, 12:56 pm
    Post #71 - May 16th, 2017, 12:56 pm Post #71 - May 16th, 2017, 12:56 pm
    Nice to see the 'shoe at Southtown Subs get a shout-out from Nick Kindelsperger in the Trib's current roundup of Chicago's top sandwiches.
    Definitely one of the more memorable sandwiches I've experienced. :shock: :wink:


    The "High Street" featured in that roundup is recognizable to anyone from Philly as a Roast Pork sandwich. Glad to see it becoming a more regular sasndwich option in these parts.
  • Post #72 - August 15th, 2017, 11:02 am
    Post #72 - August 15th, 2017, 11:02 am Post #72 - August 15th, 2017, 11:02 am
    I need to order in today and I'm contemplating whether I should behave myself (Yassa) or go all in for a Jim Shoe.

    Available places: Nadia, JP Subs, JB One, Sammy's Red Hots, Captain Hook's, and Taste of Chicago 2. Anyone familiar with those? I see they're not in the article and wondered if that's because they weren't worth a shot or they weren't tried. Thanks!
    I want to have a good body, but not as much as I want dessert. ~ Jason Love

    There is no pie in Nighthawks, which is why it's such a desolate image. ~ Happy Stomach

    I write stuff.
  • Post #73 - August 15th, 2017, 12:07 pm
    Post #73 - August 15th, 2017, 12:07 pm Post #73 - August 15th, 2017, 12:07 pm
    This sandwich had been on my mind lately and I figured I had created a map in the past. Yup! Can't authenticate it's accuracy after all this time (4 years) but... Their might also be additions later on in the thread.

    Panther in the Den wrote:Map
    "Very good... but not my favorite." ~ Johnny Depp as Roux the Gypsy in Chocolat
  • Post #74 - August 15th, 2017, 12:54 pm
    Post #74 - August 15th, 2017, 12:54 pm Post #74 - August 15th, 2017, 12:54 pm
    Panther in the Den wrote:This sandwich had been on my mind lately and I figured I had created a map in the past. Yup! Can't authenticate it's accuracy after all this time (4 years) but... Their might also be additions later on in the thread.

    Panther in the Den wrote:Map


    Sweet! Thanks!

    I ordered from LP Subs. Not bad; too sour. I think it was the giardiniera. And too much sauce. The fries were a letdown; cheap, limp, I think frozen. I see another Shoe in the future though to compare, so I'll keep this handy.
    I want to have a good body, but not as much as I want dessert. ~ Jason Love

    There is no pie in Nighthawks, which is why it's such a desolate image. ~ Happy Stomach

    I write stuff.
  • Post #75 - August 27th, 2019, 12:25 pm
    Post #75 - August 27th, 2019, 12:25 pm Post #75 - August 27th, 2019, 12:25 pm
    Chicago Bears add Jim Shoe to Soldier Field menu, inexplicably decide to call it "Lake Shore Drive Hoagie."

    The Jim Shoe is a kind of underground Chicago legend — known on the south side. At Soldier Field it’s going to be called the “Lake Shore Drive Hoagie.” It will be a scrap sandwich filled with shaved corned beef, Italian beef, gyro meat, giardiniera, tzatziki sauce, lettuce, onions and tomato on a sesame roll. He said those two are the new items every Bears fan should try this season.

    https://wgntv.com/2019/08/26/chicago-be ... fl-season/
    Objects in mirror appear to be losing.
  • Post #76 - August 27th, 2019, 5:06 pm
    Post #76 - August 27th, 2019, 5:06 pm Post #76 - August 27th, 2019, 5:06 pm
    Spotted further west...

    Sun Sub
    5542 W North Ave, Chicago

    Super Submarine
    1050 N Ashland Ave, Chicago

    Poor Boy
    101 Roosevelt Rd, Maywood
    "Very good... but not my favorite." ~ Johnny Depp as Roux the Gypsy in Chocolat
  • Post #77 - September 21st, 2019, 7:35 am
    Post #77 - September 21st, 2019, 7:35 am Post #77 - September 21st, 2019, 7:35 am
    Maybe this sammie could be a candidate for the 'WTF Food' category? :)

    Panther in the Den wrote:Spotted further west...

    Poor Boy
    101 Roosevelt Rd, Maywood

    Dropped in for date night last night (I take her to all of the best places! :) )...

    IMG_20190920_215135762.jpg

    The Shoo's I've had in the past were closer related to a Philly Cheese Steak rather than a sub. The meat a little more jumbled/steamed rather than layered/griddled.

    The meat was heated on the grill, an ample amount of lettuce. Missing most notably was the giardiniera and tzatziki sauce. I could of gone back to get some...

    Nitpicks; American cheese substituted for Swiss, no green pepper. Not greasy/juicy enough. If course this is an 'Alley' type of sandwich without formal rules.

    My recent research has led to this list of ingredients...
    Corned Beef, Italian Beef, Gyro Meat

    Swiss Cheese

    Lettuce, Tomato, Onions, Green Pepper

    Giardiniera

    Tzatziki, Mayonnaise, Mustard

    ... on Italian Bread or a Hoagie Bun

    Actually a pretty tasty sandwich here!

    My Bride broke out of her hotdog routine and got their Tuna Melt (on pita). A huge sandwich!

    IMG_20190920_215034305.jpg

    Without the 'melt' (cheese)? I told her why not just get the tuna sub? It is actually a different format.

    I always question the use of a mayonnaise based meat mixture on a hot sandwich but...

    I also noticed they have a HOBO Steak Sandwich in which I had to inquire; A rectangular hamburger patty on a sub roll. Might give that a spin next time.

    Doing a brisk business at 10:30. Everything very tasty and nicely prepared. Pricing very good with the meal coming in at around $11.
    "Very good... but not my favorite." ~ Johnny Depp as Roux the Gypsy in Chocolat
  • Post #78 - November 5th, 2019, 8:12 pm
    Post #78 - November 5th, 2019, 8:12 pm Post #78 - November 5th, 2019, 8:12 pm
    Was surprised and pleased to see the gym shoe/jim shoe/jim shoo sandwich featured in today's Gastro Obscura. https://www.atlasobscura.com/foods/gym- ... -southside
    "All great change in America begins at the dinner table." Ronald Reagan

    http://midwestmaize.wordpress.com
  • Post #79 - April 16th, 2021, 8:39 am
    Post #79 - April 16th, 2021, 8:39 am Post #79 - April 16th, 2021, 8:39 am
    JimTheBeerGuy via the Sandwich Tribunal weighs in on the Chicago sandwich cannon the south side's Jim Shoe.
    Cathy2

    "You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
    Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways,
  • Post #80 - April 27th, 2021, 8:54 am
    Post #80 - April 27th, 2021, 8:54 am Post #80 - April 27th, 2021, 8:54 am
    So over the last year or so I decided to see what this Jim Shoe (Gym Shoe, Jim Shoo) sammie is all about. First one I tried was Southtown Subs, on 35th St in EDIT: Bronzeville (not hyde park), now it's called Best Southtown Gyro according to the article above. This was pre-pandemic, the king size was $13 and included fries and a pop, giardiniera was 35 or 50c extra.
    Southtown seemed like a fairly standard sub/gyro place, little bit smaller and cleaner than most, with the typical extensive menu of just about any junk food you can want outside of pizza. I’m always kind of amazed at the variety of food they can serve out of a kitchen that looks about as big as a large walk in closet, with a small griddle and a single fryer and not much fridge and pantry space.
    So made my order and after a 10-15 minute wait got my food fresh off the grill. Mild sauce on the fries and a grape soda were much appreciated

    It was a sloppy, glorious mess of a sandwich. Those are sometimes the best sandwiches, but halfway through the meal the creaminess of the gyro sauce, mixed with the moisture of the other ingredients, just became off-putting to me. It gave me hints of a sandwich with way too much mayo (I'm guessing their gyro sauce is mayo based, not yogurt based), and I like mayo as much as the next guy but past a certain point it can be overwhelming ("Hello? I'd like a little meat with my mayo sandwich.").

    I stopped halfway through and finished the beast later but I'm thinking you either like these sandwiches or not. I was torn on this one, it started off tasty enough but became less enjoyable the more of it I stuffed in my food hole. Maybe just ask for light gyro sauce if you want a less sloppy beast?

    Image

    Image

    Image

    Image

    Image

    Image

    Image

    Image

    Image
    Last edited by Uther on April 28th, 2021, 10:06 am, edited 1 time in total.
  • Post #81 - April 27th, 2021, 6:28 pm
    Post #81 - April 27th, 2021, 6:28 pm Post #81 - April 27th, 2021, 6:28 pm
    That's not Hyde Park.
  • Post #82 - April 27th, 2021, 6:56 pm
    Post #82 - April 27th, 2021, 6:56 pm Post #82 - April 27th, 2021, 6:56 pm
    Uther wrote:So over the last year or so I decided to see what this Jim Shoe (Gym Shoe, Jim Shoo) sammie is all about. First one I tried was Southtown Subs, on 35th St in Hyde Park, now it's called Best Southtown Gyro according to the article above. This was pre-pandemic, the king size was $13 and included fries and a pop, giardiniera was 35 or 50c extra . . .

    Man - talk about taking one for the team! Kudos to you! :)

    =R=
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #83 - April 28th, 2021, 8:02 am
    Post #83 - April 28th, 2021, 8:02 am Post #83 - April 28th, 2021, 8:02 am
    Found one in Lisle at Stilin's Pub. Have not tried it yet. Their beef sandwich was pedestrian at best. Way too salty.

    https://www.stilinspub.com/menu

    Stilin's Pub
    2029 Ogden
    Lisle, IL
  • Post #84 - April 28th, 2021, 8:26 am
    Post #84 - April 28th, 2021, 8:26 am Post #84 - April 28th, 2021, 8:26 am
    With all the talk about the vegan Italian beef, I’ve been trying to imagine a vegan Jim Shoe.
  • Post #85 - April 28th, 2021, 10:28 am
    Post #85 - April 28th, 2021, 10:28 am Post #85 - April 28th, 2021, 10:28 am
    Right you are, it's in Bronzeville, so edited my post.

    Next up I visited Stony Sub at 84th Place and Stony Island, in the Avalon Park neighborhood. This was last summer, so during the pandemic. Customers were masked up but I didn't see any of the workers masked up. The cook was wearing gloves at least. I guess when you're working in a hot kitchen, sweating into a face mask would basically be like trying to breathe through a wet towel.

    A king size was $13.50, included giardiniera, fries and can pop.

    This was the supposed best Jim Shoe in the city but was my least favorite one. It looked appetizing enough at first but after a few bites the amount of juice coming off the thing made eating it a sloppy mess. The gyro sauce mixed with the liquid coming off the meat and veggies kept dripping down my hands no matter how I held it, and the flimsy napkins they give you weren't nearly up to the task. Good thing I had a roll of paper towels in the car else that would have been a very sticky drive home.
    Taste-wise it wasn't any better than the one from Southtown, if anything the giardiniera somewhat overwhelmed the taste of the meat. Not sure I'd go here again, one it's very out of my way, two the food wasn't memorable, but if I did I think I'd get light giardiniera and light gyro sauce.
    One more disappointment to add, the wife wasn't happy that I dragged her to this place for a sandwich and wanted onion rings, and the rings were those sad little ones made of minced onion and shaped into rings. They were cold too which I'm not sure how that happens if they're cooked to order.



    Image
    Image
    Image
    Image
    Image
    Image
    Image
    Image
    Image
    Image
    Image
    Image
  • Post #86 - April 28th, 2021, 1:48 pm
    Post #86 - April 28th, 2021, 1:48 pm Post #86 - April 28th, 2021, 1:48 pm
    metro man wrote:Found one in Lisle at Stilin's Pub. Have not tried it yet. Their beef sandwich was pedestrian at best. Way too salty.

    https://www.stilinspub.com/menu

    Stilin's Pub
    2029 Ogden
    Lisle, IL

    Looks like they replaced Bono's Pub but kept most of the menu.
  • Post #87 - May 11th, 2021, 11:12 am
    Post #87 - May 11th, 2021, 11:12 am Post #87 - May 11th, 2021, 11:12 am
    Here is my last Jim Shoe adventure, back in April of this year, at Tasty Sub on Howard St in Chicago (near Evanston).

    Image

    Price seemed pretty standard, 12.50 for a large Shoe with fries and can pop, don't remember if giardiniera was extra or not but I think it was included.

    Image

    Brought this beauty back home, it was about a 20 maybe 30 minute ride so I wasn't sure how fresh it would still be but was pleasantly surprised that everything was still warm and even the fries were decently crispy.

    Image

    Fries had a crispy coating but weren't 'seasoned' fries. Got the obligatory mild sauce on top.

    Image

    I actually enjoyed this Jim Shoe the most of the 3 I've had so far. Maybe the fact that I ate it at home, on a plate, with ready access to napkins and a sink made the whole experience a lot less messier and thus more enjoyable. But this sandwich was also much less juicier than the others, it wasn't dripping watered down gyro sauce with every bite, and all the ingredients were well balanced, the giardiniera wasn't overpowering and the vegetables (lettuce tomato) weren't the soggy messes I thought they would be after a half hour drive.

    So I guess this sandwich is basically what you would get if you try to combine a gyro (gyro meat, tzatziki sauce, onion, tomato) with a corned beef sandwich (corned beef, cheese, mustard) and an italian beef sandwich (italian beef, giardiniera) all in one. It's like a philly taco (giant slice of pizza wrapped around a cheesesteak) or some other regional franken-food where a very hungry person, perhaps under the influence of mind-altering substances, wants 2 or 3 different dishes but wants them all mixed together.

    Personally, after the first few bites the novelty of the experience wears off and I start to think I would enjoy the sandwiches as separate items. You lose something in the process of combining foods that were meant to be eaten separately, much like the philly taco has too much bread for most palates. But it was an experience for sure, and I can't say I wouldn't ever order it again, but it wouldn't be my first choice.
  • Post #88 - May 11th, 2021, 11:31 am
    Post #88 - May 11th, 2021, 11:31 am Post #88 - May 11th, 2021, 11:31 am
    I agree with your assessment. I have only had one. The first half was good as it was a new taste phenomenon. After that the richness, and sloppiness started to wear on me. I am for the individual sandy after that experience.
  • Post #89 - May 11th, 2021, 12:30 pm
    Post #89 - May 11th, 2021, 12:30 pm Post #89 - May 11th, 2021, 12:30 pm
    Uther-

    Thanks for documenting your adventures!
    -Mary
  • Post #90 - May 11th, 2021, 12:44 pm
    Post #90 - May 11th, 2021, 12:44 pm Post #90 - May 11th, 2021, 12:44 pm
    Agreed, great reports, Uther! Looks like I'll have to try and make my way up to Howard to try the Tasty Sub version one of these days. I'm a little Shoe-d out at the moment though. :)
    Ronnie said I should probably tell you guys about my website so

    Hey I have a website.
    http://www.sandwichtribunal.com

Contact

About

Team

Advertize

Close

Chat

Articles

Guide

Events

more