Crystal Wise
The Italian beef sandwich at Hershey’s Palace in Arlington.
Two months ago, when Portillo’s opened its first Tarrant County location, on South Cooper in Arlington, many local foodie types didn’t exactly welcome the Chicago-born chain with open arms. Many went after, specifically, the restaurant’s signature item, the Italian beef.
“Why is the bun so soggy?” one person wrote in the Real Foodies of Arlington Facebook page, where much of the hate for the Italian beef flowed. “This is just a cheesesteak without the cheese,” wrote another. Also: “This thing stinks.”
All Anthony “Hershey” Jones can do is chuckle.
“A lot of people just don’t know what it is,” Jones says of the delightfully sloppy sandwich, which he serves at his restaurant in Arlington, Hershey’s Palace. “I had a customer come in not that long ago and order one. She immediately sent it back, saying, ‘How do you eat this? The bread is too wet.’ I told her how to eat it, she tried it, she loved it, and now she’s one of my regulars.”
Crystal Wise
Anthony “Hershey” Jones owner of Hershey’s Palace.
Born in Chicago, reportedly during the early years of the Great Depression, the Italian beef is a mainstay of the Windy City’s culinary vernacular, as common there as barbecue is here. But unlike deep-dish pizza or Chicago-style hot dogs, Italian beefs have yet to find a strong foothold in other areas of the country.
The continuing expansion of Portillo’s is, obviously, helping expose the unique sandwich to a wider audience. And many turned their attention toward the Italian beef in 2022, when it was practically the star of the popular FX television show, “The Bear,” about a fictional Chicago restaurant. After “The Bear” aired, Jones saw a big bump in business, he says.
In many ways, the sandwich does resemble a typical roast beef sandwich in that it’s piled high with thinly sliced roast beef, and its size and sub bread certainly bear a resemblance to a Philly cheesesteak.
But an Italian beef lives in a world of its own. According to The Chicago Tribune, a true Italian beef is the perfect, harmonious mix of thinly sliced roast beef, spicy giardiniera, and a French roll, preferably one from Turano Baking Co. Cheese is optional and so are sweet roasted peppers.
What makes the sandwich such an unusual, napkin-needing, culinary experience is how it is served. Most of the time, it comes one of two ways, your choice: wet or dry. Order it dry, and it’ll be accompanied by a side of au jus for dipping. Wet means the meat and bread will be dunked in the au jus, completely soaking the bread. Some restaurants find a middle ground between wet and dry and serve the sandwich dipped — dunked in the au jus just long enough to get it wet but not soak it.
“People absolutely love the au jus,” says John Kirkpatrick, a manager at Weinberger’s Deli in Grapevine, which serves an excellent Italian beef. “That’s what gives it so much flavor. What a lot of our customers do is order it soaked, then take it home and reheat it in their toaster oven. That makes the bread firm again, and now it has all that flavor from the au jus that it soaked up. It’s really good that way.”
The au jus is an important component to the Italian beef, says Jones, a Chicago native who has been in the restaurant industry most of his life, here, in other parts of Texas and in Chicago.
“Everybody’s is a little different, but it’s made the same way, with the juice from the beef,” he says. “I make ours by hand, every day, using a blend of secret seasonings and spices.”
For a topping, some restaurants offer a choice between sweet peppers or spicy giardiniera. The latter is the Chicago standard, Jones says.
For newcomers, the sandwich can be a challenge to eat, especially if it’s ordered wet. If you order it wet, the quicker you eat it, the better; the bread may soon dissolve. But if you order it dry, you’re missing out on some of the flavor that melts into the bread.
Jones serves his wet Italian beefs wrapped in foil, which locks in the juices and prevents the bread from falling apart — not to mention, it keeps the sandwich from running down your arms.
“That’s how I get people hooked on it,” he says. “If it’s served in foil, it’s a lot easier and less messy to eat. I’ll gladly serve it to anyone dry, with au jus on the side. But wet is best. That’s how we do it in Chicago.”
Crystal Wise
Walloon's take on a classic Italian Beef sandwich.
All the Beeves
Variations of the Italian beef sandwich aren’t difficult to find locally. But only a handful of restaurants in Tarrant County serve true renditions of this Chicago masterwork. They include:
Crystal Wise
Chicago Deep Dish Pizza: This tiny takeout-only pizza shop in south Arlington specializes in its namesake dish, but offers a solid Italian beef, topped with appropriately spicy giardiniera and a splash of au jus. More au jus comes on the side. 4407 Little Road, Ste. 610, Arlington, chicagopizzadeepdish.com
Hershey’s Palace: Run by Chicago native Anthony “Hershey” Jones, this small restaurant bounced around Chicago and Texas before it found a permanent home in a strip mall spot in central Arlington. Jones serves several iconic Chicago dishes, including deep-dish pizza, pizza puffs, and magnificent Italian beefs, which come wrapped in foil to seal in flavor (and to save you a huge dry cleaning bill). 1420 W. Arkansas Lane, Arlington, hersheyspalacemenu.com
Portillo’s: Arlington location of Chicago chain, at 4200 S. Cooper St., offers a standard rendition of the Italian beef in an upbeat, family-friendly environment. The menu also includes shakes, burgers, and Chicago-style hot dogs. Locations in north Fort Worth and Mansfield are slated to open later this year. portillos.com
Walloon’s Restaurant: Newly opened on the Near Southside, this cozy venture from local chef Marcus Paslay focuses on seafood, which makes the inclusion of an Italian beef sandwich, tricked out with braised sirloin and provolone cheese, a nice, flavorful surprise. 701 W. Magnolia Ave., walloonsrestaurant.com
Weinberger’s Deli: The Grapevine outpost of this long-running deli, whose roots date back to Chicago in the 1920s, serves excellent Italian beefs on freshly made Italian bread, wet or dry, with the option to add additional toppings, including hot, medium or mild peppers, mozzarella cheese, grilled onions, marinara sauce, and sausage. 601 S. Main St., Grapevine, weinbergersdeli.com
