The Bear

Have you seen FX's "The Bear"? The show has garnered a lot of positive buzz of late, receiving several nominations (and wins) for the Primetime Emmys (10 for Season 1), Golden Globes (3 for Season 2), and upcoming Screen Actors Guild Awards. We were a little late to jump on the bandwagon, but after recently binging our way through both seasons on Hulu, count us among the fans of the show. 

Why?

1. It's set in Chicago, more specifically an Italian beef sandwich shop in Chicago. The main character, Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) is an award-winning chef who comes home to run the restaurant he inherited after the suicide of his older brother. Besides his brother's debts, he is also left to deal with both a kitchen and a staff that are dysfunctional. 
2. Food. Given that the show is about a restaurant, and Carmy and Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) are trained chefs, the food itself is essentially another member of the cast. Everything they prepare looks amazing!

Several of the locations in the show are actual restaurants in Chicago, so we decided to take a "foodie field trip" around the city to try them for ourselves...

Pequod's Pizza

In the Season 2 episode "Forks", Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) is sent by Carmy to an upscale fine dining restaurant (Ever) to learn what it takes to run a restaurant well. One of his assigned tasks is to meticulously clean forks, which he finds pointless and annoying. But after seeing how committed the staff are to giving their patrons an excellent experience, he finally gets it. Overhearing a customer comment that they've never had Chicago pizza, he runs out to Pequod's for their deep dish and brings it back, where it's plated and served to the table.

Truth be told, we've never had Pequod's, even though the original location in Morton Grove was not far from us when we lived here. We desperately miss Lou Malnati's pizza (sausage with buttercrust!), so that is always a high priority whenever we come back. But this time we were intentional about trying something new. 

So, what's our verdict? Their pan pizza is known for its caramelized crust, which comes from cheese placed between the pizza and the hot pan. It was really tasty, and while we would come here again, Lou's is still our fave, hands down. 

In reading more about Pequod's, it was interesting to learn that the owner Burt Katz not only opened Pequod's, but also Gullivers (we've eaten there many times - it was located on Howard St. on the northernmost edge of Chicago, but it closed in 2022) and Burt's Place, his final restaurant. Burt's Place is just around the corner from Pequod's in Morton Grove, so looks like we'll have another place to try next time.

Kasama

In the Season 2 episode "Sundae", Sydney takes her own foodie field trip around Chicago as she seeks inspiration for the restaurant's new menu. Kasama is her first stop, where she orders the longanisa (Filipino chorizo) breakfast sandwich and adds hash browns to it. 

Chicken adobo with garlic rice, longanisa breakfast sandwich (no hash brown),
citrus poppyseed poundcake, and passionfruit meringue tart

We arrived at the bakery/modern Filipino restaurant located in the East Ukrainian Village neighborhood just before 10:00AM Friday morning and joined the line. The weather was beautiful, especially considering that it's February in Chicago, so we didn't mind. It took us about a half hour to reach the counter where we placed our order and were seated at a table shortly thereafter. Everything we had was delicious! Definitely recommend!

Pro tip from our cousin T: order online and you can walk straight in to pick it up, no wait.

Mr. Beef on Orleans

Naturally, this field trip would not be complete without paying homage to the restaurant that served as inspiration for "The Beef." It was fun to recognize the storefront and interior from the show! We enjoyed their Italian beef but still prefer Portillo's, to be honest. Cash only. 

For further reading, here's a great article on the history of various Italian beef stands in Chicago. 

The corner of Orleans and Huron in River North

"Elegant dining room"

 

Italian beef with sweet peppers, dipped

Margie's Candies

In the same episode where Sydney eats her way around Chicago, we see her at Margie's Candies enjoying a huge ice cream sundae. What better way to end her field trip, or ours! She went to the Bucktown location, but we headed for the one in Ravenswood instead. R ordered a two-scoop sundae (Superman and Moose Tracks) with caramel topping, while I had a boring scoop of vanilla with a gravy boat of the best hot fudge sauce - YUM!

There are several other locations from "The Bear" described in this great guide, which are definitely on the list to try for our next trip back. Can't wait for Season 3!