Ok, part of me wants to admit I might be a little biased with this review. And another part of me admits that when it comes to food I have no biases - I take my food seriously, dammit. The truth is probably somewhere in between.
I'm originally from Chicago, and Stack's serves food that isn't often seen outside of Chicago. So there's my bias. I LOVE Chicago food, and it has been the thing I've missed most since leaving Chicago. My bias could work for or against them though. Am I so hell-bent on Chicago food that just being able to eat it makes me happy, or is Chicago food such a part of me that I would be hyper-critical of anything claiming to be "Chicago"?
Fortunately, I don't think either applies. If I'm being hyper-critical, it only means that they must be really good for me to like them. And if it's only because I'm happy to eat Chicago food, then that's fine with me because it's my blog. If I'm happy, I'm going to say so.
I'm happy.
But just to set things straight, I would probably lean toward being hyper-critical. I do take my food seriously, and I'm not especially forgiving. It's my nature. Thankfully, there's nothing I have to be forgiving about with Stack's.
"Chicago food", in this sense, means Italian beef sandwiches and Chicago-style hot dogs. Well, it's more than just those two items, but if you've spent any amount of time in the Chicago area you've surely seen the hot dog stands and the (sometimes) hole-in-the-wall places with the Italian beef sign. As the world becomes more and more mired in corporate chaindom, many of the small restaurants get pushed out of business. But since Chicago hot dogs and Italian beefs are such a regional phenomenon, the national chains aren't going after them. Which on one hand is wonderful because it preserves what I think is something important about food in Chicago, but on the other hand makes it really difficult to find outside Chicago.
Unless you find yourself in Grand Haven, Michigan, of all places.
The typical joint in Chicago has a lot more on the menu than they do at Stack's, so there are some things I still miss. Won't ANYBODY serve pizza puffs outside of Illinois? If you know what I mean then you know what I mean. If you don't, hopefully someday you will. Most of these places in Chicago have a ton of fried food, and many of them sell gyros too. Since gyros are easily found elswhere in the area it's no great omission here. Stack's concentrates on the basics, and, according to the owner, doesn't want to have a freezer full of stuff destined for the deep fryer. So, no pizza puffs for you.
Chicago-style hot dogs aren't terribly difficult to find, but GOOD Chicago-style hot dogs are another story. Some places get close enough to satisfy a craving, but don't quite get it right. At Stack's it's the real deal. Vienna hot dog, steamed poppy seed bun, mustard (no ketchup, you wimp! Ok, you can have ketchup but don't tell anyone), tomato, pickle spear, relish, onions, and the all-important sport peppers and celery salt. It's as good as any hot dog in Chicago.
For me, the whole point of Stack's is the combo sandwich. I have been to Stack's many times already, and that sandwich has kept me from trying most of the rest of the menu. I go with the best of intentions (ok, this time I'm going to try _____) and when I get to the counter all that matters is the combo sandwich. A combo is both an Italian sausage link and sliced Italian beef on a Turano roll, much like French bread. My preference is to have that then dipped into the seasoned juice (or jus, if you prefer), so it's a soggy mess. Then I have it topped off with hot giardiniera - a Chicago-Italian hot pepper mix that would be way too hot for the average person. There's a mild version too though. This, throughout my life, has been the ultimate sandwich, and Stack's version is far from disappointing. I've had their combo many times now and it is always heaven for me. The only thing I might do differently is to spice up the juice a bit more, but it is close to perfect as it is.
You can, of course, get either the beef or the sausage as a sandwich itself, and there are different ways to have them. Some people prefer to have marinara sauce and melted mozzerella, some like grilled onions and "sweet peppers", which are basically stewed green bell peppers. However it would work best for you, if you haven't had an Italian beef sandwich you have no idea what you're missing out on.
Oh, and they have great french fries. The best around in my opinion, unless you will only eat McDonald's fries.
Other menu items include a meatball sandwich (not bad, better than most around but I'll stick with the combo), a great chicken sandwich that isn't really Chicago but it's good, Polish sausage (not something I care for anyway so I haven't tried it here, but it's a menu must if you're claiming to be Chicago), soups, chili, a few things for the kids, and other stuff I'm sure I'm forgetting. Like I said, it's hard for me to get past the combo.
Prices are on the good side of reasonable. It's not Taco Bell cheap, but two adults and a kid could easily fill up on less than $20 and be much more satisfied than you would have been at Taco Bell anyway. High marks for cleanliness and friendliness, and food quality is unwaveringly good. The building is small with only 5 tables for eating, so it's usually a nice and quiet place to eat. It's not the fastest fast food around, but any wait is well worth it.
So it's pretty obvious that I like this restaurant, and I want to see them succeed. Given their location they're missing out on a lot of drive-by traffic, so a lot of people don't know they're there. Do yourself a favor and check this place out, and if enough of us keep going there they can do us the favor of sticking around. I say 4 1/2 out of 5 stars. That's a VERY high rating from me.
Stack's is located at 1050 Jackson in Grand Haven, in front of Home Depot and across from Rycenga's. Open Mon-Sat from 10:30 to 7:30. For more information visit http://stacksbeef.com/
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