Mystery Diner: Beef Shack's cheezy beef on garlic hits the spot
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| The regular size cheezy beef on garlic at the Beef Shack in St. Charles costs $6.50. (Kane County Chronicle photo) |
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Beef Shack
Address: 2115 W. Main St. in St. Charles
Phone: 630-443-9797
Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. every day
Website: www.beefshack.com
ST. CHARLES – I was talking around a fictional water cooler with a few coworkers the other day about beef sandwiches. Specifically, which restaurant in the Tri-Cities serves the best one? After minutes of debate, we couldn’t decide on a winner. But, one establishment was mentioned multiple times and that’s the Beef Shack on Main Street in St. Charles.
Having only been open for about eight months, the Beef Shack has already created a fan base so large, it can be difficult to find seating during the peak lunch hours. I recently took a coworker to lunch, and we were lucky enough to snag the last table available at about 12:15 p.m.
First thought after walking in? The ambiance. Combined with the authentic-wood looking walls and comfortable stools and tables, the Beef Shack uses the term “shack” lightly, despite looking like one from the outside. Four small HD TVs (all tuned to ESPN during our visit) adorn a short wall above where the dedicated employees prepare each sandwich or salad. My coworker specifically pointed out the light fixtures as something she enjoyed looking at. They were in the shape of a woven basket and allowed the perfect amount of light to hit each table.
As for the menu, there aren’t a lot of choices. But for this particular establishment, that’s perfect. The staff knows what it does well – and that is make a delicious beef sandwich. Another coworker of mine told me to get the cheezy beef on garlic – a sandwich I probably wouldn’t have tried without the suggestion. My dining companion opted to go with the cheeseburger so as to make this review as well-rounded as possible. We ordered freshly cut fries to share at the table.
The rest of the menu features your typical Italian beef, a cheezy beef on regular bread, a hot dog and a chopped salad.
There are two sizes for the beef sandwiches – regular or mini. I decided to go with the regular size sandwich after a Beef Shack employee showed me the difference between the two sizes. Although I did finish all of my sandwich, the regular size is a hefty portion. If you’re looking for a lighter lunch, go with the mini instead.
The beef can be topped with hot or sweet peppers at the request of the customer – I went with sweet. I’m sure you could also order your beef dry, dripped or wet like at any other beef place, but I wanted to order the sandwich the way it was intended. (Which is wet, by the way.)
Combined with the melted mozzarella cheese and garlic bread, this cheezy beef sandwich is one of my favorites. The melted cheese gives the perfect amount of flavor and zest while the garlic bread adds another dimension to a traditional cheezy beef.
Those in the Chicago area are serious about their beef – and it’s no surprise that the Beef Shack ranks up there with the best of them in terms of quality, price and taste. The Beef Shack’s owner, Spiro Douvris, and his family have owned Zippy’s restaurants in Schaumburg and Hoffman Estates for more than 25 years, according to Kane County Chronicle article last year.
As for my companion’s cheeseburger, she said it was tasty and priced well. She added chopped onion to the burger, which usually comes with lettuce, tomatoes and chipotle mayonnaise. The burger was not too greasy, she said, and the chipotle mayo added a nice touch and was delicious. I could tell she enjoyed it as she finished the burger well before I got through all of my beef sandwich.
With the Beef Shack’s quality ingredients, it will be hard for anyone to match the taste that Douvris and his crew create on a daily basis.
• The Mystery Diner is a newsroom employee at the Kane County Chronicle. The diner’s identity is not revealed to the restaurant staff before or during the meal. The Mystery Diner visits a different restaurant each week and then reports on the experience. If the Mystery Diner cannot recommend the establishment, we will not publish a review.
