Foodies just love their lists.
Whether it's the Eater 38 or Michelin's world-famous list of starred restaurants, it's tough to tell which is the bigger deal: a restaurant making a list or diners being able to say they've been to X number of establishments on it.
For the Chicago Food Planet team, nothing makes our heart race more than seeing spots on our tours appear on a best-of list. And our glee doubled when Chicago Magazine's "50 Best Sandwiches in Chicago" list came out in the November 2012 issue: Two stops on our Bucktown/Wicker Park food tasting and cultural walking tour made the list!
Mindy's Hot Chocolate finds itself at No. 20 on the Top 50 list for its crab cake sandwich.
We've got some decent seafood here in Chicago, but crab cakes can still be sketchy business…which may be why the Chicago Magazine contributors were so impressed. It's a perfect New England crab cake — with a respectable "crab-to-filler ratio" — plus fresh, crisp Werp Farms Bibb lettuce and a house-made roasted giardiniera tartar sauce.
And, of course, it comes on a buttered bun, because the sandwich was too healthy before. (In fact, why not top things off with one of Mindy Segal's award-winning sweets? Go all out.)
Mindy's Hot Chocolate 1747 N. Damen Ave. | (773) 489-1747
And representing Bucktown in the second half of the list is Debbie's Egg Salad sandwich from Goddess and Grocer, which comes in at No. 47.
This sandwich's crowning achievement is not in its bells and whistles but its simplicity: egg salad, a good sprinkling of salt and pepper, Dijon mustard and hearty multigrain toast. It's handheld comfort food at its finest. It only makes sense that a no-frills, unassuming storefront with only the loveliest products inside would win big for an unsuspecting sandwich with a whole lot of lovely flavor.
Grab your jacket and a scarf — there's still plenty of time to sample some of these much-loved restaurants' wares (and more!) on our Bucktown/Wicker Park food tasting and cultural walking tour!
