(upbeat music plays) - Hey, look at it.

What the?

- If you roll this up, it's like the size of the beef.

- It's in my tum tum.

- Oh my God.

My mouth is watering.

That is amazing.

- Boom.

We were right!

I told him.

We knew what we were doing.

(upbeat music plays) What's up everybody?

I'm Jeff Mauro, CEO and founder of Mauro Provisions, Sandwich King, Food Network host, lead singer of The Jewel Bags, and ultimately a born-raised lifelong Chicago White Sox fan.

- And I'm Omar from Omarcito's Latin Cafe here in Chicago, Illinois in the Logan Square neighborhood.

Born and raised from Albany Park.

And I'm a Cubs fan.

- Ooh.

We're gonna do a blind taste test of three iconic Chicago dishes.

One from the North Side, one from the South Side.

And we will determine, I guess, which side of Chicago makes the best iconic Chicago foods.

- Let's do it.

- Honestly, right?

- Honestly.

- I know how you Cubs can get.

- Ooh.

- Actually I think the Sox kind of wrote the book- - I was gonna say, let's not talk about one incident back in the day.

(funky music plays) - Alright.

I mean we smelled it a mile away.

This is probably the most iconic Chicago sandwich.

- Absolutely.

- Italian beef.

Looks like we're dipped.

Sweet and hot.

We got the sweet peppers.

Got the giardiniera on here.

Little side cart of the gravy.

It looked like it was pre dipped though, but I like the option.

- First bite very much so.

- I'm going in.

(funky music plays) - That's amazing.

It's so good.

The sweetness of the peppers is spicy.

I love those celery bite.

I'm gonna dip now.

That first bite was absolutely delicious and it was so seasoned well and tender.

- I like the one sweet pepper on here.

I'm looking at this celery and only a couple places do this kind of homemade style celery-heavy version of giardiniera, Serrano's in there.

It's got great crunch but not like the oily.

- No.

- Luxurious giardiniera.

- And I agree it's not as heavy.

I feel like those vegetables are there to kind of cut the richness of everything.

- I'm gonna say this is more of a South Side beef.

- I'm gonna be real frank with you.

I'm not a beef person per se, though I know how to enjoy it.

But to pick one side right now would be difficult to do, but I'm gonna go with you for whatever this is.

I will travel South Side and North Side just to eat this.

(upbeat music plays) Let's try the second one here.

And right off the bat, let me say it's hearty.

There's no peppers whatsoever.

- [Jeff] No.

- This is definitely some savagery going on here.

- [Jeff] Well I think- - I'm all for it.

I'm all for it.

I'm all for it.

- From what I'm told, they got the order wrong.

- [Omar] Ah.

- Normally we would, I think we would have to compare these as equal, you know.

- [Omar] Someone's getting fired, let me tell you.

- You know, 'cause there's no sweet or hot on here.

But not even all on that.

- [Omar] First bite.

- I should have just drenched it.

Look at that very rich gravy there, right?

- Yeah.

We never talked about that last gravy either.

It was good.

There was a lot of seasoning.

- Wow.

That's a fatty gravy, right?

- Oh wow.

- My lips are so hydrated.

I'm not gonna have to put on any lip balm this winter.

(Omar laughing) - Oh my God.

Alright.

I don't know.

It's lean, too.

It's a little dry, but it's definitely tasty, though.

It's delicious.

It's well seasoned.

- And sliced nice and thin which you need on a big, you can't have no big like- - [Omar] No, definitely not.

- [Jeff] Shoe leather.

- [Omar] No, that's terrible.

- Big.

And then next thing you know, you're at the immediate care and you're getting, you know, your whole stomach pumped.

- I don't even want.

- Someone's over you trying to breathe oxygen in your mouth.

- Yeah please don't do that to me, man.

(upbeat music plays) So from the get, I love this one so much.

Definitely 'cause of the peppers.

I love that bread.

That au jus was great.

This was definitely delicious.

I love all the meat that's in there.

Lean.

The au jus is great, but that's my favorite.

- Yeah.

And if you take the peppers off, I'm judging it on bread.

- Yes.

- Beef and gravy.

Right?

- Okay.

Okay.

- I do love the richness.

- Yes.

- The layer of fat on that gravy.

- Yes.

- But overall the beef is just more spiced, more flavorful.

- More flavorful.

- Cooked better.

- [Omar] Yeah.

That's good.

- But we're just still so lucky to have this sandwich.

- Period!

Period!

- Every couple blocks away no matter where you're at in Chicago right?

- I'm having a bad day.

I know how to cure it.

- Now you know how to do it.

- You like apples?

- I love apples.

- How do you like them apples?

- No, this is beef.

- I know.

- Oh!

(Omar laughing) All right.

Should I reveal the favorite?

- What's called?

- Boom.

North Side.

Mr.

Beef.

- Mr.

Beef.

- I was gonna guess Mr.

Beef, but I was like it's not north enough.

What North of Ohio.

So you're still- - North Side.

- North, yeah.

North of Madison.

Okay.

- [Omar] Right.

Second one.

Ready.

- [Jeff] Great though.

I'm glad these guys, you know, don't wanna upset that.

- [Omar] South Side Tony's Italian beef.

- [Jeff] Okay.

Yeah.

- They both get an applause.

- Great.

- For me, I love them.

I thought it was great.

- There's not a bad beef of the bunch.

- No.

(Italian music plays) - As far as iconic Chicago foods and non sandwich form.

This is it.

This is the guy.

- I get mad because people say deep dish, this is- - This is what we grow.

I don't know.

- I grew up with.

- This is what we, every Friday night.

- Yes.

- Thin crust.

- In a bag.

- Sausage, in a bag, party cut into squares.

- Oh thin cracker crust.

Oh, like right away you gonna see.

- That's like, that'll float away if it wasn't for the sausage.

- And that's cheese and the sausage.

- Look at that, that is razor.

(music playing) - God bless America.

That is amazing.

- Less, less spice, less fennelly sausage.

Right?

- Yes.

- Game sausage.

- [Omar] More tangy.

- Maybe a little provolone, mozzarella mixture.

So I'm not seeing any parm on top and it's coming through.

- Yeah.

- That funk, you know?

- Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

There's a, that little funk from the cheese.

It's good.

- This is one of these pizzas like this - gone.

I can eat this by myself, gone.

Like nobody's gonna judge me because it's, this is man.

- No, it's small enough.

- It's small like- - That's small enough.

- When like my wife walks by and she's like, where's the pizza?

I was like, it's in tum tum.

- Well if you roll this up, it's like the size of the beef.

Yeah.

(Omar laughing) - See?

See when you apply geometry to eating, we can get away with a lot more.

Right?

If you fold it, it's a half a sandwich.

(bagpipe music playing) Alright.

I always start with the corner.

It's the amuse bouche of Chicago tavern style.

- I like the one right next to it right away actually on the corner.

My daughter loves the corner, but.

- I took one bite, I already know what it is.

I already know what it is, dude.

And I'll tell you what, people on the coast don't understand.

- [Omar] I don't know this one.

- The cheese is better here in the Midwest 'cause the cows live in the Midwest.

Our sausage culture is unprecedented because we're the meat packers of the world.

- [Omar] Agreed.

- So sausage is in the culture of the Italian immigrants, of the German immigrants.

Poland.

So you get the best Italian sausage on pizza here.

- I'm gonna get one more bite.

I don't know, I don't know where it's at, but I'm gonna go to this place because this is delicious.

Just like this.

This is amazing.

I like all the fennel seed, all that.

- [Jeff] Nice exterior char on here.

- Yes.

- This is what's giving it away for me.

This tiny, tiny middle piece.

- Oh.

Oh.

It's crust.

- I'd go to church a lot more if we got that instead of the growing communion.

We call that Chicago body of Christ right there.

Square.

- I've never had this before.

That's incredible.

- Someone around gave me a milkshake or something to wash it down with something light.

Alright.

They look somewhat similar, right?

- [Omar] Definitely.

- Both same size, both the same level of thickness.

Sausage, cheese, sauce.

This one actually looks like it would be more flavorful and I believe it is.

- Yes.

- So I mean I gotta be honest, between the two I'm going with this guy.

- Definitely would do a hundred percent on this one.

I think from the get go just to see it aesthetically compared to that one, this one looks like there was more intense love given to all.

Not that that doesn't have it.

I'm just make sure I'm clear.

- [Jeff] Come get you.

- [Omar] That was delicious.

- Very good.

- However, again, like we said, I think the herbaciousness that's on there, the tang, the char.

- [Jeff] Yeah.

- [Omar] That char to be like that's all- - [Jeff] Flavor.

- This is my favorite.

Right here.

- All right.

- Here's the winner.

- Alright.

Shall we reveal?

- Are you ready?

- Yes.

- We got the loser.

Not the loser.

Not the loser.

Not the loser.

- I'm thinking that this is a North Side pizza.

- I think so too.

- This is the South Side pizza.

- I agree.

I agree.

- I'm gonna go out on a limb and say this is Vito and Nick.

- Alright.

- Okay.

Michael's Original.

And Vito and Nick's.

- Wow.

- Wow.

- Alright, let's try the Chicago dog.

Little interested on this one 'cause I'm not gonna say, it looks like a tomatillo.

- My brain's like this is definitely a North Side dog.

I like to think.

- I like to think so as well.

Just by looking this.

- Further you get south, you get to those depression dogs that are, have no pickle spears on 'em.

- No.

- Definitely no tomatillos.

- I love them like that.

- Poppy seed bun.

I don't know if it's- - [Omar] Is it charred?

- A water dog or that?

It does look a little char right there.

- [Omar] I appreciate the diced onions and everything cut really strong.

- And then once you see neon green relish too.

This is a destination I feel like.

This is somewhere either near Wrigley, maybe SuperDawg.

- SuperDawg.

They're the ones that use the green tomatillo.

It just hit me.

Okay.

- I think we know.

I think we both know.

- Yeah.

- They chose the right guys for this.

- Yes.

- Square peppers as usual inedible.

(both laughing) I don't know why it just ripped a half of a square pepper.

That was, that was amateur.

- That what I just did right now.

- Like shot the vinegar down my throat.

(baseball stadium music) Alright, let's try this next dog.

Totally different.

- Very.

- There is a tomato slice on here and what looks like a mildly pickled cucumber.

Perhaps even a fresh cucumber.

I don't know.

I've never seen this.

- Little smaller dog too.

- Definitely a steamed dog.

Steamed poppy seed bun.

But you got like two sections here.

You got the cucumber.

I taste the celery salt.

- [Omar] I love that.

- [Jeff] And then you got the tomato thing I got, I'm feeling like this is a South Side dog.

- This is definitely a South Side dog.

- [Jeff] Got that South Side dog.

A little ragtag.

- Well the celery salt like I feel like is such a blue collar thing.

- [Jeff] Yeah.

- Chicago South Side really reminds me of like the blue collar big city.

And this is kind of- - [Jeff] Totally.

- And even with the cucumber on it.

- It looks like someone's like, I don't know.

What do we got?

What do we got in the fridge?

I'll throw it on the dog Donnie.

- I'm definitely taking off.

- You know what I mean?

(upbeat music plays) Alright, we gotta choose a favorite here.

I think I'm gonna go with this guy.

- I'm gonna go with this one.

However, I'm gonna tell you as I'm, as I was saying that, the lingering celery salt is in there.

It's giving me that nostalgia feel.

But I like the size of the dog.

I like it where it's cooked, the snap, the onions, and that tomatillo one, I think just the acid of everything coming together.

- Yeah.

- However, this one is definitely really good.

- [Jeff] Still a great dog.

- [Omar] Very good dog.

- Alright, let's see where the first one is from.

Big reveal.

Boom.

Superdawg.

We were right.

I told you.

We know what we're doing.

This one, no idea.

- I'm really curious.

I have no idea either.

Alright.

Fat Johnnie's from South Side.

- Fat Johnnie's.

All right.

We were right South Side here.

Gotta give it to the North Side on this one.

- Yay to Chicago.

How about that?

- Both great dogs though.

- Very good.

- It's official.

The North Side beat out the south side, two to one.

I'm proud of you.

I mean listen, you got.

- Thank you.

- You got the best stadium in America.

- I appreciate it.

- You won a championship, you know, more recently.

- Not too long ago.

- And now you get the W here in the Iconic Food competition.

- In all due honesty, Chicago.

- [Jeff] Yeah.

- At the end of the day.

And that's what's important.

- This is the best food city and that's why I still live here.

I stay for the food and the people that run these establishments.

The generations of families.

- [Omar] I love that.

- Making beefs, making dogs, making pizzas.

- Well you've traveled a lot more.

So to hear somebody like you say, I've traveled the world and Chicago is topnotch.

You feel it in your heart.

You know it.

But God bless, it feels good.

- Thanks.

- It feels good.

- Bringing people together.

- I love my city so much.

- Oh my God.

- Thank you so much.

Love you.

- Love you so much.

(upbeat music plays)