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| Beef Carpaccio with Porcini Mushroom Relish
Beef carpaccio was first served in Venice at Harry’s Bar, which is also birthplace of the Bellini (white peach nectar and sparkling wine). This elegant recipe is from Harry Caray's in Chicago.
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| Bierock
We've heard all sorts of explanations for the name bierock, including the fact that one of these pocket sandwiches tastes great with beer. Historically, the bierock, like the trademarked Runza, goes back to the Volga Germans who settled on the American plains about a century ago. The portable meals (similar to the Upper Midwest's pasties) were a favorite lunch among farm workers; and today they are ubiquitous at Church suppers and fund-raisers throughout Nebraska and Kansas.
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| Butter Burgers
Milwaukee's great flavors include wursts and sausages of every kind, dreamy custard, fish fries, and wondrous German, Czech, Polish, and Serbian dishes found in few other cities in America. Milwaukee also happens to be hamburger heaven, its unique specialty the butter burger. This recipe calls for 6-8 tablespoons, but as the accompanying picture (of a butter burger -- with cheese -- from Solly's Grille) shows, there is no such thing as too much butter on a Milwaukee butter burger.
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| Chicken Fried Steak
Our chicken fried steak recipe is based on a meal served to us at the home of the all-time greatest rodeo champ, Jim Shoulders, and his wife Sharon. They're in the cattle business, touting the health benefits of their extra-lean Salorn cattle. However, even the leanest cut of cow is not going to transform this gravy-topped luxury dish into a meal that is virtuously Spartan.
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| Chivito
The chivito is a flabbergasting hot Dagwood that combines the triple joy of a BLT, a cheese steak, and a ham and cheese sandwich all on one bun! Fernando Peryera, who was inspired to offer this sandwich at his restaurant, The Olive Market, in Georgetown, Connecticut, recommends serving the monumental creation with French fries; but chips are perfectly appropriate.
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| Cincinnati Chili
Bearing no resemblance to any Southwestern-style “bowl of red,” Cincinnati chili often is called five-way because there are five separate layers in its full configuration. No Cincinnati chili cook will give out his recipe, but this one comes pretty close to the superlative five-way served at our favorite Queen City chili parlor, Camp Washington.
Oyster crackers are the traditional garnish, and the proper companion beverage is a milk shake or sweet soda pop.
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| Dakota Burger
Junellia Meisenhoelder, chef and proprietor at the Sport Bowl Cafe didn't tell us why this delightfully simple beef sandwich is known as a burger, but there is no point quibbling about labels. Since getting the formula from her, we think of Dakota burgers any time we have leftover roast beef or, better still, pot roast. The more tender the meat, the better!
While it is possible to make a Dakota burger on an interesting bakery bun or even a Portuguese roll or small foccaccia, we highly recommend using supermarket-bought hamburger rolls. This is a case where you want bread that is little more than a soft muffler for the meat inside. And the fundamental gentleness of the beef precludes using bread that would require serious chewing.
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| Fritos Pie
The Five and Dime General Store, on the Plaza in Santa Fe, is the only place we know that still serves Fritos pie in a Fritos bag. You'll find this inspired mix of chips, chili, and cheese throughout the Southwest, and legend says that it was invented on the Plaza, when this place used to be the old Woolworth's. You don't want to use a sophisticated or overly hot chili in this dish. It is lunch-counter fare, and should be accessible to all taste buds.
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| Italian Beef
Just like the hero and hoagie shops of the Delaware Valley, the Italian beef stands of Chicago display pictures of celebrities who love them. At the original Al's #1 Italian Beef in Chicago, the wall holds an 8x10 of Jimmy Durante standing with his arm around Al Ferreri, inscribed by The Schnozola, "To Al's and Baba [Al's nickname]: Jink-a-dink-a-doo. What a beef sandwich!" Surrounding that are a picture of prize fighter Michael Spinks grinning with a gleaming set of dentures and a glamour shot donated by a local beauty queen. Several proprietors of beef stands have told us about celebrities who like the razor-thin, garlic sopped beef so much that they have it Fedexed to them overnight. An alternative is to make your own.
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| Meaty Chili and Cheddar Sandwich
Clementine is a neighborhood bakery-cafe in the Westwood/Century City part of Los Angeles that celebrates Grilled Cheese Month (April) with a festival that features a different grilled cheese sandwich every day. Chef Annie Milar's favorite is meaty chili and cheddar, variations of which sometimes include a hot dog and go by the name of Coney Island Grilled Cheese. She describes the sandwich as "gooey, sloppy, and delicious." She also noted, "This recipe makes enough chili for about 6 sandwiches, so that is what I have made the rest of the recipe for, but you could make fewer sandwiches and just freeze the leftover chili for future use."
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| New Joe Special
I won't get into the complete genealogy of the New Joe Special (because I cannot; it's too confusing), but the most credible tale of its origin is that it was invented late one night at San Francisco's New Joe's Restaurant to feed a hungry musician who ordered a spinach omelet but asked the chef if he could add anything to make his eggs more substantial. The chef said he had some hamburger meat left over from dinner hour. Now, all around the Bay Area, you will find menus that list Original Joes, New Joes, Baby Joes, and just plain Joes, all of which are a variation of the skillet meal that includes ground beef, spinach, and eggs. We like it at Original Joe's in San Jose (since 1956), where it is called the Joe's Special and the menu alerts customers, "We are not associated with any other 'Joe's' restaurants."
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| Roque's Carnitas
"Carnitas" usually means little pieces of fried pork or beef. At the edge of the Plaza in the heart of Santa Fe, New Mexico, it means a delicious lunch. Roque's Carnitas Wagon parks here between Easter and Halloween and dishes out a hefty sandwich of grilled beef in a tortilla. It tastes best if you can cook the beef on a tight-knit grate over an open fire, but a hot skillet will do fine. Make the salsa in advance, as you want to eat this sandwich good and hot. Note also that the meat needs at least an overnight marinade before being cooked.
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| Sautéed Fresh Calf Liver
Many otherwise adventurous eaters put calf liver on their short list of inedible dishes. But for those of us who love it, there's none better than served at the Dorset Inn of Dorset, Vermont. Chef Sissy Hicks explained its popularity on the menu by saying, "No two people in a family like calf liver, so it is rarely cooked at home." Thus, when liver-lovers dine at the Inn, it is their opportunity to indulge.
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| Surf and Turf
The big lobster tails called for in this recipe tend to be very pricey, more so even than prime filet mignon; but that’s the point of surf and turf. It is essential to any topflight steakhouse menu because it is the height of luxury – two of nature’s richest foods combined on a single plate.
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| Veal Chop with Peppers and Onions
The big veal chop is king of meat in Italian restaurants. Harry Caray’s serves massive one-pounders that are so tender that a knife seems to fall through them when applied to the surface.
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