Super GemChicago Exclusive Gem$$His order was the classic: sweet peppers, hot peppers, dipped wet in the au jus, which he once called "a big, soggy load of awesomeness" without a hint of irony. A trio of food critics later ranked the Beef and Sausage Combo the No. 1 sandwich in Chicago, and Time Out has called this the Mecca of Italian beef in Chicagoland -- the operation behind the counter backs up both titles, with five or six people working at once, each doing a single job, so a sandwich, fries, and an Italian ice come back to you in well under a minute even with a line out the door. Cash only, order at the window, eat standing at the counter or at the outdoor tables the City of Elmwood Park added just to handle the crowds.
Get it dipped if you want the full Bourdain experience, or wet if you'd rather hold the sandwich together for more than two bites. The numbers back up the reputation: 4.6 on both Google (over 6,000 reviews) and Tripadvisor, where it ranks #1 of 24 restaurants in Elmwood Park; 2,000-plus Yelp reviews say the same thing.
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