Chicago Style Beef And Dogs is exactly what it advertises (and even a little bit more)
A sign hangs in front of Chicago Style Beef And Dogs (6680 W. Colfax Ave., 303-233-0500) warning drivers that the parking lot is for authorized vehicles only, a ubiquitous notice that doesn’t attract much attention. But look closer: The phone number has a 773 area code, and the service is Lincoln Towing on North Clark Street in Chicago.
A virtual embassy to the Windy City—erected rather incidentally across the street from Denver landmark Casa Bonita—Chicago Style Beef And Dogs is like a swirling crap tornado of memorabilia and local references: Bread from Gonnella Baking Company. Green River soda. Fannie May candies. Jay’s potato chips. And that’s just the food—the decor is all posters and knickknacks, bewildering to non-Chicagoans and overwhelming to expatriates.
An old poster from Harold Washington’s mayoral campaign hangs on one wall. (Washington was mayor from 1983 to 1987.) Outdated Chicago phonebooks and a tattered Niles East High School T-shirt adorn another. Chicago Style has even been known to play old Harry Caray-hosted Cubs games on the sound system. By the time an old ad for Carson’s Ribs and a box of Marshall Field’s Frango mints is uncovered, a nostalgic nervous breakdown is imminent.
The soul can be soothed with Chicago Style’s food. The menu is standard for a lunch joint, but Italian beef sandwiches and Vienna Beef hot dogs are the main attractions. The sloppy Italian beef comes on a Gonnella roll, with optional sweet peppers and giardinera (a mix of pickled peppers and veggies). Snuggled inside a soft poppyseed bun, the Vienna Beef Chicago dog is the real deal: Mustard, pickle, tomato, sport peppers, onions, radioactive-green relish, and celery salt. It’s unknown what happens when some sicko orders a dog with ketchup, but based on the anti-ketchup literature scattered about, it’s probably not pretty.
Sunny Colorado seems a little strange after spending lunch marinating in meaty Chicago culture. But when a little Chi-Town love—or just an Italian beef—is needed, it’s good to have a place like Chicago Style around. Parking’s a breeze, too, assuming your car doesn't get towed to Chicago.
