5 of 5 DeliciScore™ (From Heaven) Awarded to Mr. Beef for their Wet French Dip Sandwich in Chicago, IL on this 14th day of July, 2012 - Mr. Beef in Chicago!

I'd heard about Mr. Beef through Rich Albrecht, a former boss and all around great guy.  I found myself passing through Chicago while on vacation this summer and knew that I had to go to Mr. Beef.  My co-travelers (Jessica and her parents) were good sports and didn't mind having a sandwich.

It was a hot and sunny day and we were on our way to the airport.  Here goes!

Here it is from the outside.  Nothing special but Chicago's a  really cool city.  It was about 90 degrees in the city that day and we were impressed by all of the available and usable waterfront.  (not in front of Mr. Beef but in general).  It's in the heart of Chicago downtown.

A view of the city from in front of Mr. Beef.

The fine guy making my sandwich.  Their menu is impressive yet simple and the place is pretty funny and classic.

Sarcasm gets points for me.  The place is not impressive,  very humble but very famous.

Here's their "Elegant Dining Room" which is really just a long shared table with the Blues Brothers at the far end.  They have video games behind me in the same room.  It makes it feel very fun.  It wasn't very busy there that day but we didn't mind.  The place still felt clean enough and nice.

Here's the video games looking the other way.  It's a really long table.

By default, they make their sandwiches "wet", which means pre-dipped.  I didn't mind.  They also have the option for Sweet, Spicy, or both.  This refers to the peppers that they add to the top of it.  I went with Sweet & Hot because I'm just like that.

Here's what you're working with.  It has really good beef.  The bread is not so sloppy that it's a problem and the peppers are really good.  Overall, it's a great sandwich.

Here it is in its raw form.  You see the green peppers.  It also has celery and carrots on it, which makes it fun.  The size is pretty good.

They have a ton of signed celebrity art on the wall and the place is clearly famous.  Note Andrew Dice Clay.  (I don't mean this sarcastically, but he's the only one I recognize from this smaller pic.)

Sign of Mr. Beef.

The Review

• Bread.  4 of 5.  The bread's good.  Nothing wrong with it.  It absorbs the juice well and didn't get overly sloppy since it was pre-dipped.
• Meat.  4 of 5.  Nothing wrong here.  Good meat.
• Non-Meat Toppings.  5 of 5.  The sweet and hot peppers were really good.  They made the sandwich.  I especially enjoyed the celery and carrot in there!
• Juice.  4 of 5.  Nothing wrong here.  I liked this as a 'wet' sandwich.  It was good.
• Overall sandwich.  5 of 5.  Best wet dip I've had so far.  The peppers made it fun.  It's not gourmet, it's just good!
• Overall Location and Experience.  5 of 5.  This was a really neat place.  A very classic French dip.  

4 of 5 DeliciScore™ (Great) Awarded to Pink Pony for their Prime Rib Dip Sandwich in Mackinac Island, MI on this 11th day of July, 2012 - A delight in a far off land.

Earlier this summer, I visited Michigan where a large portion of Jessica's family resides.  Jessica's parents and I traveled north  to the Upper Penninsula for a few days and took a ferry to Mackinac Island, where motorized vehicles are not allowed, one day.  We had a great time one the island: we rode bikes, we went on a horse-drawn buggy tour, and I even got to enjoy a Prime Rib dip at a restaurant called Pink Pony.  Why not?

Here's the nicely done stained glass sign above the main entrance.  My mom does stained glass for those of you who don't know.

Here's their logo on the menu.  Pink Pony is a nice little place on the waterfront in a hotel.  Here's a little more info on Pink Pony and the hotel containing it.  

I hadn't planned on getting a French dip but there it was on the menu and I'm basically famous for eating French dips by now so there was a little pressure from Jessica and her parents to enjoy one.  Eating French dips now is almost like having a miniature birthday party for myself: I take pictures, I eat, people celebrate.  It's fun.  Provolone and Swiss.  Bonus point for two cheeses.

Here's our view from our table.  It was kind of a blustery day but nice, too.

Here's the sandwich, served.  You can see that there's lots of cheese on it, which was fine and that it comes with home made potato chips rather than fries.  Also note that the level of the jus is fairly low, which is obviously something to really worry about. 

A very large and good pickle and the good, thick, homemade potato chips.  They're using a standard Hoagie-style roll here which was reasonably toasted.  Good pickle.

From this angle the jus looks like a bowl but it wasn't a sufficient amount as you'll later see.  It's a pretty standard dip.

More shots of cheesy goodness.

There it is.  Soft bread, the Prime Rib is done "medium".

I do love this sight of the dregs of the jus and the last bits of the soggy French bread.  It's such a great sandwich!

Yes, I had to go through two cups of jus but cleaned my plate neatly.

They have nice drinks there and a good atmosphere.  Mackinac Island and the Upper Peninsula really were night.  I really enjoyed my trip to Michigan and will definitely go back.

Summary

Total 4 of 5 because the dip wasn't all that fancy or to die for but was very good.

Points for: great ambiance, a fun environment, two types of cheeses, the name Pink Pony, a great pickle, home made potato chips, and good company.

Negative points for: too little jus, the bread could have been fancier, there's nothing that's really striking or rare about the dip.