The Greasy Foodie

The story begins blustry day Friday after Thanksgiving in 2008 in a cramped booth at a fake NYC deli in Nashville called Noshville. In between my wife, Rachel, and my brother, Michael, I sat across from my "cooler than me" cousins Mark and Sarah, and Sarah's just as cool husband, Danny. Mark, who lives the awesome life being a lawyer living in San Francisco working for Facebook, with his only downfall being his SEVERE lactardation..which has never been medically or scientifically proven to exist in Mark.. Sarah and Danny are foodies from NYC who have tried every dive "chicken finger" hut and "curry on a stick" in the big city. Danny and Sarah had discussed that they were trying to go to as many places from Bobby Flay's 'Throwdown' show as they could, and that there was one in Nashville we had to try.....a place that I had never heard of in my 13 years of living there..I will get to that adventure later.

I got an idea from my cool cousins idea. An idea became a hobby. And the hobby became an obsession. And thus produced the list.....a world-famous spreadsheet...of every restaurant that has ever been featured on Food Network and Travel Channel....every restaurant from the famous shows like "Throwdown", "Man V. Food", "Man v. Food Nation", "Food Feuds", "Food Wars", "Best Thing I Ever Ate", "Food Paradise" and "Diners Drive-Ins and Dives" to the obscure "Best Food Ever", "Meat and Potatoes", and "101 Best Places to Chowdown", plus my additions of the restaurants of famous chefs, favorite catergories (burgers, wings, pizza, bbq, and sandwiches) and local places of legend. Names, cities, food they are famous for, and addresses. It was and still is an obsession. As of 11:31am on November 27, 2018, THE LIST HAS 4,660 RESTAURANTS ON IT...WITH A FEW OVERLAPS HERE AND THERE. And then over Pastrami Eggs Benedict at Nate N' Al's Deli in Beverly Hills, Hannah and Andrew, our good friends, gave me the idea of the blog. Document every place I went. And thus, "The Greasy Foodie" was born. I will log the places, the shows they are from, and what I had. So far, every place I have been has been amazing, except two, one being mediocre, and another being down right awful.

If there is a city you have been to, or are going to, or are from and want to know what from my list is in the city, send me a email at agmarks@gmail.com

Monday, February 10, 2014

Manny's








1141 South Jefferson Street Chicago, IL 60607
FROM BEST THING I EVER ATE

NYC has hundreds of deli restaurants that are world renowned. Everyone has their favorite. Carnegie, Katz, 2nd Ave. Deli, Stage, Wolfies, etc.  LA has a few renowed delis. Everyone has their favorite. Langers, Factors, Nate and Al's, and Canters.  Chicago has one.  Just one. One deli that is everyone's favorite. One deli that keeps the people coming back.  If the third largest metropolitan city in America only boasts one famous deli, it must be great, and it is.  This is a cafeteria style place where you order your sandwich to the guy behind the slicer and watch it be made. Where you fill a tray with all the amazing goodies they have to offer from the soups to sides to sandwiches to desserts.  Manny's is great!!! I get the corned beef on rye, mac and cheese, and pie with a giant soda.  It is truly a midwestern institution that stands in the pantheon of great delis from the midwest with Shapiros from  Indy!


PS- When the food festival Taste of Chicago takes over the city in August, Manny's is the most popular booth, not because of deli food…but because of the turkey leg…the only thing they make…turkey leg.  Other places at the taste make stuff you can get everyday at their respective permanent locations, Manny's makes something they only make once a year special for the food festival

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