a chibbqking production
Had lunch recently at the new BeefBelly over on Central and Lawrence. It's the brother of BRGRbelly which used to go by Leadbelly. I liked their burger spot well enough when I tried it. So when I heard they were doing an Italian Beef featured place my thought was that if they gave the same care to making a good Italian beef sandwich that they do the burgers and fries they might have something to sit on. Plus when's the last beef stand that recently opened up shop? I had to try it.
Corner of Central and Lawrence
They did a nice job on the inside with quite a few tables to sit at which is good because they were already busy. The menu is based on Italian Beef and the original with hot and or sweet peppers is one of the options. That said I don't think I need to explore different takes on this true Chicago classic. I asked for a "beef with hot" and the lady at the register replied "Original?" to which I nodded yes but she must not of understood the lingo as I was delivered a bare beef. I'll be honest it didn't look all that pretty without the peppers. The gravy is pretty damn red and the beef very limp and somewhat clumpy. I was kind of turned off but it looked better once I asked for some hot peppers and it did end up tasting much better than it looked at first. The beef was not dry nor chewy but it did lack texture and was very wet. I'm guessing from sitting around swimming in the gravy. Seasoning wise it wasn't really bad or great but I appreciate the effort as homemade beef is becoming a lost art. I think they'll do well as they seem to have a good following thru the burger spot and the neighborhood will come by for Italian Beef, fresh cut fries, and what looked to be a decent beer selection in bottles, cans, and draft. I'm sure I'll be back.
Beef with Hot
Rating Scale 5/5
beef: 4
bread: 4
gravy: 4
hot peppers: 4
Score: 16/20
BEEFBELLY
4800 N Central Ave
Chicago, Illinois
(773) 283-5545
