Chicago has many regional food favorites, but the most famous may be its Italian beef sandwiches. Still, if you haven't spent time in the Windy City, there’s a good chance you’ve never heard of this hearty taste sensation. My indoctrination came late in life, but the experience made such an impact on me, I knew I was onto something epic.

The Chicago beef sandwich is nothing more than a roll stuffed with succulent slow-roasted beef, sliced paper-thin, with your choice of peppers, giardiniera and lip-smacking jus. If you order your sandwich “dipped,” you’ll get the whole sandwich, bread and all, dipped into the jus, turning the bread into a sponge. Sure, this gets messy and you’ll have jus dripping off your elbows, but you’ll love every bite of this two-handed sub. Think French dip — only better (and hold the cheese).