Binko wrote:Holy shit. There's a place here that does roast pork?! After tasting it a few times in Philly, I've been making my own from time to time, and I could(n't) care less what nomenclature a restaurant uses, but are they any good? Are there any other places that do roast pork here in Chicagoland?

JT's Genuine Sandwich Shop serves it/these sandwiches. Thread here. Pics here and here.

=R=

JT's Genuine Sandwich Shop
3970 N Elston
Chicago, IL 60618
(773) 754-7729

Binko wrote:

Marshall K wrote:

metro man wrote:Mojo's on Maple in Downers Grove has a very respectable cheesesteak. They get their rolls and steak from Philly.

Been here several times. In addition to the Cheesesteaks, they also have decent Hoagies and Philly Style Roast Pork sandwiches.
Two negative for me are the meat portion size and the fact that they refer to some of there sandwiches as "Sammies".

Holy shit. There's a place here that does roast pork?! After tasting it a few times in Philly, I've been making my own from time to time, and I could(n't) care less what nomenclature a restaurant uses, but are they any good? Are there any other places that do roast pork here in Chicagoland?

Mojo’s Philly pork a’int bad. I’ve never sampled one in its native habitat and have also crafted them at home using high quality stuff (imported aged prov from JPG.) I do more of a fork tender/pulled pork version though. Mojo’s serves thinly sliced, relatively lean pork. There’s grilled onions in their mix, which I think adds. They use proper rapini which is great. The cheese is kinda nondescript. And the roll apparently is flown in from Philly. It’s a good sandwich, though I like what I make at home better. Not sure how authentic either are.

In my experience, Mojo’s pork sandwich is better balanced and meaty than their cheesesteaks which I agree could use more steak. Everything they make is fairly well crafted though. Great fries too.

Binko wrote:Holy shit. There's a place here that does roast pork?! After tasting it a few times in Philly, I've been making my own from time to time, and I could(n't) care less what nomenclature a restaurant uses, but are they any good? Are there any other places that do roast pork here in Chicagoland?

Laura's Pizza and Pasta in Bridgeport has a very good Philly-style roast pork sandwich. It's the 2nd picture in the rotating image slideshow on the front page of their website, https://lauraschicago.com


Laura's Pizza and Pasta
1546 W 35th St,
Chicago, IL 60609
773-801-0099


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edc

edc wrote:Laura's Pizza and Pasta in Bridgeport has a very good Philly-style roast pork sandwich. It's the 2nd picture in the rotating image slideshow on the front page of their website, https://lauraschicago.com

That does look pretty good. More the "pulled pork style" then the sliced. Also, gotta get all of these places working on stocking long hots.

bobbywal wrote:

edc wrote:Laura's Pizza and Pasta in Bridgeport has a very good Philly-style roast pork sandwich. It's the 2nd picture in the rotating image slideshow on the front page of their website, https://lauraschicago.com

That does look pretty good. More the "pulled pork style" then the sliced. Also, gotta get all of these places working on stocking long hots.

It actually does look sliced to me in that picture, but I can't tell for certain. But, yes, I'm definitely looking for something thinly sliced like an Italian beef. Biggest bonus points go to using aged Provolone and not wimpy young deli Provolone. I would say that's non-negotiable, but I'll take what I can get if I don't feel like cooking it myself (and for me, it's usually a two-day process to cook it. I roast the pork, let it cool in the fridge overnight, and then hit it with the deli slicer the next day.)

I think that Laura's place will be the first I'll check out, as it's the closest to me and my daily commute skirts and sometimes goes through Bridgeport.

According to the description at Fooditor, it's pulled pork style.

Fooditor quoting Anthony DeGrazia Jr. wrote:
"The pork is brined 24 hours in the cooler, then we slow roast it. It’s kind of like pulled pork, but more garlicky seasoning. The sharp provolone and broccoli rabe is a perfect fit, it’s got that little bitterness to it."

edc wrote:According to the description at Fooditor, it's pulled pork style.

Fooditor quoting Anthony DeGrazia Jr. wrote:
"The pork is brined 24 hours in the cooler, then we slow roast it. It’s kind of like pulled pork, but more garlicky seasoning. The sharp provolone and broccoli rabe is a perfect fit, it’s got that little bitterness to it."

Hmmm...that's a shame. I was hoping that was just the sliced edges of stacked meat I was seeing there from the sandwich being cut in half. Wishful thinking on my part. I'll try it anyhow and report back when I do. I'm sure it'll still be a fine sandwich, but, like crock-pot/pulled versions of Italian beef, not quite the same thing.

Actually, it looks like I ended up at Laura's sooner (as in today) rather than later. The roast pork was as described: like a garlicky pulled/shredded pork. I found it a bit too garlicky and a bit salty for my tastes and, overall. I wish the provolone was sharper and the bread different. The Italian-beef-type roll just didn't taste quite right with this sandwich. (I especially love the sesame-seeded roll that John's Roast Pork uses, which is crusty, yet soft and pillowy on the inside, and with some of the inside being scooped out.) I mean, a valiant effort, but it didn't hit on what I personally am looking for from a roast pork sandwich.

That said, I will return to Laura's to try some of their other offerings, as the pasta selections looked tasty and smelled good, and the staff were very amiable and welcoming, and it just looks like the kind of local place I would appreciate in the neighborhood.

I tried searching for Philly Bros on Fullerton near DePaul in this thread, but could not find it.

Take what I say with a pinch-o-salt as I am a vegetarian; but I like the Veggie version at Philly Bros a LOT more than the one at Philly's Best. It compares well with the one I had at Charlie's Steakery in Columbus OH OSU campus (which is my platonic ideal for this).

Maybe the meat version is better too!

Philly Bros
734 W Fullerton Ave
Chicago, IL 60614

Phone:
(773) 278-2767

Hours:
10:30AM - 10:30PM Mon-Thurs
10:30AM - 12:00AM Fri-Sat
10:30AM-9PM Sun

Edited to add website: https://www.phillybros.com/

Binko wrote:Holy shit. There's a place here that does roast pork?! After tasting it a few times in Philly, I've been making my own from time to time, and I could(n't) care less what nomenclature a restaurant uses, but are they any good? Are there any other places that do roast pork here in Chicagoland?

Surprised (unless I missed it?) that nobody has mentioned that Monti's makes an excellent Roast Pork Loin grinder. I was there tonight and they're still cranking those beauties out even under new ownership. (I had the standard philly steak but my friend ordered the roast pork and proclaimed it to be as good as ever).

Entente is offering their version of a Philly Style Roast Pork sandwich for pickup this Saturday.

Monti's and Laura's are other current options, while JT's does not have its Philly Roast Pork sandwich available since reopening this month with an abbreviated menu.

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edc