Bombacigno's J & C Restaurant - One for Another Beefathon (fer sure)

I had to meet someone for lunch yesterday in the West Loop.  You know you are not with Chowhounds when they suggest eating in Union Station.  I countered with J&C's Bombacigno's.  Actually, this was my counter to his counter.  I originally suggested Lou Mitchell's, which had been countered with Union Station.  Maybe it was clever subconscious negotiating on my part, because once I thought of J&C, I knew that was where I really wanted to go. 

And boy was it worth it.  J&C's beef is one of the few that is a variation on a theme, the way Al's is.  That is, there is the standard version of Chicago beef, which is epitomized by Johnnies, and then there is the distinctly different beef that is Al's.  J&C's while not exactly like Al's, tastes a lot closer to Al's than any other beef I've had in Chicago.  They also use a different bun, from Dakota Pride.  It is a crisper, lighter roll, almost like a New Orleans po' boy roll.  The effect of this roll is that it both falls apart at the seams yet stays very crusty on top.  In fact the J&C sammy is a big mess, and the best way to eat it is with scoops of bread, the way, say you would eat Moroccan or Ethiopian food.

The other outstanding thing about J&C's is the cottage fries.  Made to order, they also remind me slightly of Al's, with the same sweet flavor achieved from nearly burning the potatoes.  The gilding of the lily here, thought, is that the gravy from the beef seeps all over your basket, rendering a lot of the fries limp, but infused with essence of beef.

Finally, like Al's, J&C's aint cheap.  My beef, hot, fries, and bottomless cup of pop ran to nearly $10.  Still, one of the best lunches in a while.

Bombacigno's J & C Restaurant
558 W. Van Buren Ave. 
Chicago, IL
312-663-4114