MIKE’S ITALIAN BEEF

Continued from pg 33 his kitchen career at the Country Club of St. Albans, then went on to a variety of culinary positions that gave him insight into a wide range of kitchen experiences — a pizzeria in Waterloo, an assisted living community, an independent school, Delta Queen Port of Call in Kimmswick, the BBQ Saloon in the Central West End, the Frisco Barroom (where he was the restaurant’s opening sous chef). Eventually, he landed at Salt + Smoke, where he met a colleague who hooked him up with a second job working on the Sedara food truck.

While working for Sedara, he and Simon developed a close relationship — so close that when Simon turned to him one day and suggested they open up a restaurant together, Roos thought he was just joking with him. A couple of days later, Simon again brought up the idea, telling Roos that there was a vacant storefront in the Affton strip mall where Sedara Sweets & Ice Cream was located. Pick whatever cuisine you want, and we will make it work, Simon said. Within two days, Roos had a plan: He was going to open a restaurant based around his beloved Chicago-style beef sandwiches.

Roos admits he had never cooked an Italian beef sandwich before opening Mike’s last January, though you’d never know that when you bite into the Classic. His painstaking research and experimentation has led to the embodiment of the form, especially noteworthy because of its tender meat and outstanding giardiniera, which serves as a delightfully crunchy counter to the rest of the soft, jus-soaked sandwich. Offered as either mild or spicy, the pickled vegetable condiment is searing enough as the former, and positively blazing as the latter; the heat is multidimensional thanks to its briny, vinegary taste.

The Italian beef may be the namesake dish, but it is just one of the restaurant’s several outstanding sandwiches. A classic Reuben is piled high with corned beef and generously appointed with zesty Thousand Island and pleasantly pungent sauerkraut. A special shout out must be given to the gentleman working the grill responsible for the flawlessly toasted marble rye bread. He has a gift. A cheeseburger is an equally well-executed dish; made up of two smashburger patties and gooey American cheese, it can stand up to any diner smashburger in town.

A St. Louis-style cheesesteak subs in molten Provel for Philly’s traditional provolone, with outstanding results. Haters, go on hating, but the way the especially gooey cheese melds into the seasoned steak-juice-soaked bread is otherworldly. Green peppers and onions add a snappy balance to the decadence. However, if I had to choose one sandwich to eat at Mike’s it might just be the chopped cheese with mushrooms and onions. Here, chopped-up hamburger is seasoned with Cajun spices, seared on the flat top with onions and mushrooms, then covered in provolone and tucked into a hoagie bun. It’s like making an entire cheesesteakstyle sandwich out of the lacy crispies you get from the outer edges of a smashburger.

In keeping with its theme,

Mike’s offers several styles of all-beef hot dogs, ranging from a classic Chicago version dressed in onions, mustard, pickles, sport peppers, tomatoes and relish to a delicious New York-style dog topped with caramelized onions and kraut. No matter the garnish, I was impressed with the hot dog’s snap and wonderful garlic- and paprika-heavy taste. Side dishes are also characteristic of this sort of shop — medium-cut fries accented with garlic and parmesan, battered onion rings, tangy mac and beer cheese and tater tots that are cloud-like puffs of potatoes, sour cream and cheddar cheese. However, the standout is the arancini, a Chicagoland riff on the Italian classic that features Mike’s Italian beef and giardiniera wrapped into a deepfried rice ball. The meat’s rich jus mixes with the pungent giardiniera dressing, infusing the rice with spiced beef nectar.

The next time I go to Mike’s Italian Beef, I’ll know better: Order a second portion of arancini and make sure to get something to wipe my hands with before I dig in.