Chicago's beloved Italian beef sandwich and Buffalo's signature beef on weck taste like they were separated at birth. But it's the nuances that set these regional favorites apart from each other and that other famous juicy roast beef sandwich, the French dip. Here's how to tell them all apart. 
The Beef on Weck
Hometown: Buffalo, NY
Origins: Brought to New York by German immigrants in the early 1800s, beef on weck is one of America's oldest sandwiches.
Defining characteristics: Thinly sliced hot roast beef served on a kimmelweck bun, a Kaiser-type roll sprinkled with caraway seeds and salt crystals, and dipped in roasting juices.
Where to try one: Schwabl's in Buffalo or Charlie the Butcher.
Keep reading for the "French" and "Italian" takes on hot roast beef.
Unless you are well acquainted with a Buffalonian, as I am, you've probably never heard of beef on weck. A cousin of the French dip — possibly even a predecessor — this famous regional sandwich originated in Buffalo, NY, in the early 1800s, making it one of America's most historic sandwiches. And beef on weck purveyor Schwabl's has been around almost as long, since 1837. The catchy name is short for beef on kummelweck or kimmelweck, and the weck in question is a Kaiser-type roll sprinkled with caraway seeds and salt crystals. It's piled with thinly sliced hot roasted beef and drenched in roasting juices, either on the roll, on the meat, or on the side, much like an Italian beef sandwich or French dip.
The rolls are thought to have been brought to Buffalo from the Black Forest by William Wahr, a German baker, and the fact that the credited French dip inventor, Philippe Mathieu, stopped off in Buffalo en route to California from France suggests the beef on weck might be the French dip's inspiration.
As with any beloved regional sandwich, locals seem to have strong opinions on how to make 'em right, like whether or not you should spread horseradish on the sammie. So Buffalonians, tell me: what's the best way to eat beef on kummelweck? And should I try Schwabl's or somewhere else?
Source: Flickr User Nickgraywfu
Inspired by this
wonderfully Freudian sign comes Sand Wish List, where I'll chronicle the sandwich joints I haven't had the pleasure of visiting but desperately crave. First up:
Cole's in Los Angeles, which I had my eye on even before my friend Phil (below left) gave the beef and blue cheese French dip a glowing review.
Both Cole's and
Philippe the Original claim to have invented the French dip in the early 1900s. Until recently, Cole's was closed, so Philippe won by default. But now Cole's has reopened as both a sandwich mecca and a purveyor of classic cocktails, which is sort of what I think heaven must be like.
I am a big Philippe's fan, and really, it doesn't matter who made the French dip first. What matters is whose is better, which is why Cole's is on my Wish List. If you've been to both, let me know what you think is better.
Philippe the Original is a gravy-laden relic of old Los Angeles and the home of one of America's oldest sandwiches: the French dip. According to LA lore, the dip was invented in 1918 by a French immigrant named Philippe Mathieu, though others give credit to the newly reopened P.E. Cole's. Either way, there's no denying that eating a French dip at Philippe's is a singular experience. Click on the photos to read the story.
Latest Comments