25289 Fri Aug 08 23:34:29 -0700 2003 9 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 100789 Lovers of Chicago style dogs (Vienna beef with “the works”) have a little longer to enjoy them here. This location was supposed to close July 31, but they’ll stay open until August 22. They’re still looking for a new site. 3284 El Camino Real Santa Clara 95051 408-246-0238 Link: http://chowingwiththehounds.com/picnic/upcoming/ Fri Aug 08 23:34:29 -0700 2003 0 Melanie Wong 1 100843 And I will add that they have the only Italian Beef sandwiches (that I know of) in the Bay Area. We MUST keep them going!! Sun Aug 10 01:05:59 -0700 2003 100789 0 tomritza 2 100845 This bit of news came from my brother who likes the dogs. I hope they can find a new location. Haven't tried it myself, but have you tried Rosamunde's Chicago beef which some have recommended in the past? I've found another place that has Chicago beef, but I want to check it out further. Not easy since it has eccentric hours. Link: http://chowingwiththehounds.com/picnic/upcoming/ Image: http://homepage.mac.com/alderete/resources/img/hundred-hound-logo.gif Sun Aug 10 02:58:41 -0700 2003 100843 0 Melanie Wong 3 100846 gumbah's in vallejo has italian beef sandwhiches which are very good, they also have other chicago foods such as the italian sausage sandwhich and the chicago hot dog, its on 138 tennessee street i've tried the italian beef at rosamunde and i thought it was kind of bland but speaking of chi-dog, i really like their hot dogs, but their deep fried polish dog is just so-so Sun Aug 10 03:22:44 -0700 2003 100845 0 razordog 4 100975 Gumbah's - that's the place! I've tried the Italian beef and want to go back for the hot dog (Vienna beef served with "the works" - mustard, relish, onions, pickle, tomato, sport peppers). After looking at the references on the Chicago board, it looks like another option for an Italian beef sandwich is to get a combo with sausage on the basic. What do you think about this? Judging from the signs tacked up at Gumbah's, it seems they've recently added a pastrami sandwich (imported from Chicago, of course) and a Chicago thin crust pizza (they say that 95% of the pizza sold in Chicago is thin crust like this). Any experience with these? Do you recommend the fries or the beer-battered onion rings? Mon Aug 11 22:21:50 -0700 2003 100846 0 Melanie Wong 5 100980 my friend's coworker is from chicago and reccommended the italian sausage sandwhich and the italian beef sandwhich as being the must eats at this place and she also reccommend the burger that has everything on it the french fries are good, they're thin and crisp, a little bit skinnier than mcdonalds fries, i had the parmesean fries which was just fries with the parmesean cheese from that green can, so i was a little disappointed and i've also tried the cajun fries which are fries with some cajun seasoning sprinkled over them, but i would definitely go with the onion rings on my next visit cuz the fries are pretty standard i definitely like the italian beef here better than at rosamunde's and the hot dog is pretty good too, i think the hot dog compares favorably to the ones in chicago, i haven't tried the pizza yet but i really want to... Mon Aug 11 23:06:56 -0700 2003 100975 0 razordog 6 100981 Thanks for the complete run-down! Do you get the hot peppers? I really loved the giardiera. Mon Aug 11 23:14:06 -0700 2003 100980 0 Melanie Wong 7 101033 i really like the hot peppers on the sandwhich also, i don't think it would taste the same without them Tue Aug 12 14:42:29 -0700 2003 100981 0 razordog 3 100879 Not tried Rosamundes. In fact, it might be tough to get past the sausages on the way to the Italian Beef. But please dont hold back on your other Italian Beef source! The more people that know, the more can try and report back! Sun Aug 10 22:50:58 -0700 2003 100845 0 tomritza 4 100974 You're right, Tom, gotta get the word out! Actually, I spotted this place over a year ago. It is Gumbah's (138 Tennessee St, Vallejo, 707-648-1100), which "razordog" recommended below. It's only open Monday through Saturday from 11am to 2:20pm (that's not a typo), so I've had a hard time getting to it once, and haven't made it back for a second visit yet. But now let's put you on it. This was my first experience with the genre. In fact, I posted on the Chicago board (link below) to try to get a handle on how close this might be to the definitive Chicago beef sandwich. (linked below) The sliced beef was plentiful, but not that tasty on its own. The "gravy" was thin, more like juices than anything thickened, and flavored with dried thyme and oregano. What made this humble beginning sing was the spicy hot giardiniera. The oil itself was spicy, and the veggies were chopped into small bits and stayed crunchy, so much so that they didn't seem processed/cooked to me. If this is the difference that sport peppers make, bring 'em on! The place is chockful of old Chicago memorabilia (political posters, sports stuff, etc.). At lunch time there are mostly pick-up trucks in the parking lot, this is a man's kind of place. There's also a sign up that knife sharpening and rehoning services are available. Would love to hear how this stacks up against your experiences with Chicago beef. Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/113366#616512 Mon Aug 11 22:19:59 -0700 2003 100879 0 Melanie Wong