Dear John (Kokkines)

Dear John,

I'll have an Italian beef - hot and wet. Thanks.

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What a nice way to start my Friday. I read that a gentleman by the name of John Kokkines has opened a sandwich shop called Crostini Sandwiches over on North Street. Not particularly exciting in and of itself but the kicker is that he's from the Chicago area and he will be serving Italian beef. His family owns Billy's Hot Dogs & Beef in Palatine so the guy has got Italian beef in his blood. (At least I am hoping so.) And his establishment is not too far from my home.

I am getting hungry right now.

Just called. They open at 10:30...

ADDENDUM: Of course I stopped there for lunch. I ordered a beef and the guy behind the counter slyly tried to get me to order the beef-sausage combo. Whoa there tiger. The beef's the thing wherein lies the something something.

It was tasty. Very tasty indeed. A bit heavy on the oregano, to my taste, but not to the point of overkill. Otherwise, it was great. I had to use four napkins. The giardiniera was good and, for those you weary of spicy food, it didn't have that many chili slices so it wasn't overly hot. I should also mention that the kartoffelsalat was good but needed a bit of salt. Good marks for the minced hard boiled egg and diced red pepper in it. John was very friendly as was the guy he had working the register. We ended up discussing the merits of Vienna dogs vs. other brands. Eat your heart out Mayor Soglin.