Breaded Steak

There are all kinds of breaded steaks: chicken-fried, country-fried, schnitzels, and tenderloins. But in Chicago, “breaded steak” is a specific dish. The least known of the city’s old-time street food specialties, and increasingly the scarcest, breaded steak is the South Side version of Italian steak Milanese. It is a sandwich for which a broad, pounded-tender sheet of beef gets breaded and fried, then rolled hot with mozzarella cheese (which melts instantly), spicy tomato sauce and, optionally, hot giardiniera relish or roasted peppers. The awesome lode, stuffed into a length of chewy Italian bread, is barely pickupable, but rarely is it served with utensils. Made by neighborhood grocery stores and a few vintage restaurants, it customarily is presented well-wrapped in butcher paper.