Luke's

"The tradition of Italian cooking is that of the matriarch." - Mario Batali

A look at Luke's

It's hard to argue with the man who owns Iron Chef's highest winning percentage (79.2%), but how could any female, Italian or otherwise, be the creator of the Italian beef sandwich? This sandwich epitomizes masculine cuisine, maximizing protein and simplicity while literally dripping with testosterone.  Batali would most likely respond by telling me I'm an idiot and that the Italian beef sandwich originated in 1930's Chicago.  The LLC is also a Chicago institution, which explains why Rob decided on Luke's at 215 W Jackson as the spot for our 7th meeting.

The Hawk, taking me under his wing

I arrived about fifteen minutes late to this week's meeting on account of a run in with the legendary voice of the White Sox and inventor of the batting glove Ken "The Hawk" Harrelson.  After hearing the Hawk's sweet, reassuring voice regale me with stories of baseball's golden age I found myself surrounded by it in the 1950's soda shop decor of Luke's.  The interior designer for Luke's most likely moonlights as the director of marketing for Coca-cola as the walls are covered in vintage signs and logos appear on every stool. Between all that and the red and white picnic tablecloths it felt like dining inside a gigantic peppermint.  Giant things aren't hard to come by at Luke's.  In any direction diners can marvel at the enormous novelty condiments hanging from the ceiling, most likely taken from Kirstie Alley's fridge. (A cheap shot, I know.  She was #1 in searching "fat celebrities" on google. Personally I think she's still got it.)

Well...her hair looks nice

Like most places with a Vienna Beef sign in the window Luke's was in violation of its maximum occupancy of 63.  It's understandable; they offer a good quality meal and a very reasonable price.  The menu includes everything from pastas to salads to burgers and desserts.  Rob and Dan Ofman put both their heads and stomachs together and decided to split a calzone, beef sandwich, and sausage. While none were overly impressive they deemed them all adequate.  The calzone, however, "didn't taste fresh" according to Dan.  He did go on to assure me that if more of it were available he would eagerly continue shoveling into his face like the Italian bambino he is at heart.

Spira had a beef with his Italian beef

Spira and I opted for the Italian beef.  I liked mine, but not enough to Facebook like it.  The bread left much to be desired but for the price and quickness it's a good deal. Spira didn't think quite as highly of it.  "It's decisively not as good as Portillo's," he said over the two unused ketchup containers he filled for no apparent reason. Honestly, I don't think Spira should be considered an authority on Italian beef considering how he neglected to order peppers, giardiniera, or any other topping on his sandwich. My belief is that had he grown up on Luke's, he'd find it "decisively" better than Portillo's.  I know I'm being hard on Spira, but it's just an effort to take his mind off the impossibly pressure packed pick he has to make for next week's meeting. Good luck buddy! Better not let us down...

Luke's Notes:

• I'd rather have McDonald's fries, which are worse than Berghoff chips, than Luke's fries.
• Absence of Nick Nikitas and Crisis Chris seriously detracted from the experience/average height of the group.
• The most memorable discussion topic revolved around what qualifies a chicken dish as being "tenders." Consensus: Boneless