Jim's Original Polish a very different dead early breakfast

tonyd wrote:that is one of the most beautiful pictures ive ever seen!!! god bless you!!!

Cathy2 wrote:We drove past Jims and their competitor to marvel over and over again why Jim's is simply not as busy. People are in line next door, the crew is hopping and Jim's is working at a slower pace due to far fewer clients.

March 14, 2004

Hi,

While at the Popeil exhibit last week, I was reintroduced to a Maxwell St Preservation activist. I met him about 6 years ago at a meeting where he talked about preserving Maxwell St. He later conducted a tour, which allowed me to see the backrooms to Jim's Original.

This chance opportunity allowed me to ask our favorite board question: why does Jim's Original suffer badly against the neighboring competitor Maxwell Street Express. Jim's has the superior product, yet the neighbor always seems to have better foot traffic. The answer was almost akin to the Hatfield's and the McCoy's!

Cousin's own both establishments: Jim's by the Stefanovics and the neighboring stand Maxwell Street Express by the Lazerevskis. Both are credited with creating the Maxwell Street Polish as we know and love today. These are not kissing cousins. Rather they are warring cousins.

My contact offered two reasons why there is a difference in foot traffic, one is management and the other is perhaps psychological. He claims Jim's has a largely absent owner. My most recent visits I have encountered the same crew: mostly Hispanic and one Eastern European. I have met Jim Stefanovic once years ago, I have never seen him since but my visits are very random. Whereas, he claims Maxwell Street Express always has a family member present to supervise. Consequently, my contact claims the food is more consistent at Maxwell Street Express. Until very recently I would have balked at this argument. However, ReneG and I have both expressed surprise at the change of peppers used at Jim's. They are substantially longer peppers, where they would overlap on the sandwich rather than one right after the other. Additionally, I believe ReneG advised they were also hotter. Since I only collect the peppers to take home for others, I will rely on ReneG's opinion. Beyond the pepper issue, my usual order of Polish, onions and mustard has consistently rung true each time. The fries don't do anything for me.

The other reason is more socio-psychological pertaining to street aesthetics and client comfort zones. In the old Halsted location, Jim's had a more down-to-basics working class look, which garnered more foot traffic than the 'spiffier' Maxwell Street Express. At the temporary location, Jim's has the more refined look than Maxwell Street Express, which has all the traffic. I don't know, it could just as well be location-location-location because you do approach Maxwell Street Express first, then Jim's. It may even confuse those casually seeking refreshment that they are one and the same.

What does ring true in my experience was this person's parting thought: once Jim's Original and Maxwell Street Express move to their permanent locations on Halsted, they will likely succumb. Presently, you can pull off the expressway, jump out of the car for a minute to collect your food. In the more refined new location on Halsted, the pull-over-and-jump-out scheme isn't likely to be tolerated. Searching for parking and potentially paying as much as $5 to park, then buy a $3 quick meal fix isn't going to jive with people's thinking. Where they are today is perfect for their survival. Let's hope they extract themselves out of this deal with the devil.

Meanwhile, in our little treasure chest is the location on 95th and I-94 where the other location of Jim's Original Polish lives.

Cathy2

Some years ago, Culinary Historians had a tour of Maxwell ST which included meeting the owner of Jim's. He mentioned at the time there was a 2nd location in or near Indiana. Tonight, I decided was the time to ferret out this information once and for all.

Keep this in your treasure chest just in case it is ever needed. Jim's has a 2nd location just off I-90/94 at the 95th Street exit (just north of the fork where I-57 the glory road to Memphis begins). Jim's is located just east of the highway bridge on the north side of the street next to the gas station at State St and 95th.

Just to keep things confusing, the mounted parkway sign says "JJ Top Dog." Whereas the building facing 95th says, "Jim's Original Maxwell St. Polish."

Like our other Jim's, it has 24 hour service, the heady smells of grilled onions and Polish hit you in the face as you exit the car. There was also a polite panhandler who kept his manners despite my equally polite decline to feed his habit with my money.

What a wonderful life we have here in Chicago.

David Hammond, October 22, 2002 wrote:I've been cruising the Eisenhower Expressway (290) since just about the Eisenhower Administration, and I don't remember ever seeing much in the way of food stops along that relatively barren route. So it was with some interest that I spotted the blaringly bright yellow sign announcing The Original Maxwell Street right off Independence, on the south side of the Ike. Aside from the obvious problem of a place called The Original Maxwell Street being located probably 4-5 miles from the actual Maxwell Street, I was hungry tonight, and on the road, so I bounced off and pulled in.

I ate several items, but the one that I want to write about tonight is the pork chop sandwich. What a zany invention! Why in the name of God would you put a piece of meat, full of bones, between two slices of bread?! Makes no sense. But, I was in the mood, so I got it. It was good. Basically, the pork chop sandwich, as interpreted at this roadside stand, is two thin chops, griddled to jerky-like chewiness without being really tough, and covered with a combo of rough cut cooked onions and cheap mustard. There is no way you can eat this thing like a sandwich - you have to disassemble it and eat it in pieces. If you accept that premise, you're home free with this 'sandwich.' The onion-mustard mess was really right (can't quite figure out why), and the chops were probably the healthiest thing on the menu - very lean, but flavorful. I opened the sandwich (I had to, to eat it), and those twin chops were looking back at me, all browned and succulent - made me very happy.

At $2.60 for a sandwich of two chops and fries, that ain't bad - especially for that stretch of the Ike. Plus, it's open 24 hours.

Cathy2, October 23, 2002 wrote:Hi David!

The first time I had the pork chop sandwich from Jim's on Maxwell and Halsted, now just off the Ike, I was with a very dainty steel magnolia from Atlanta. Surprisingly, she had the perfect solution on how to eat a pork chop sandwich with a bone: locate the bone with your fingers and hold your sandwich between your fingers from that position. You rotate and eat the sandwich around the axis of the bone. A very efficient method, isn't it?

This particular day included a tour into the backrooms of the Original Jim's. There were barrels of homemade (like made on the premises) sport peppers. My Dad loves them so much we always order extra on the side for our home consumption. There were also crates of raw peeled onions waiting to be sliced and grilled up front.

We also learned a bit about the bottom line. Jim's earns more profit from their pork chop and proprietary recipe polish sausage sandwiches, than they do from the Vienna hot dogs. Consequently, we support them by eating only the money makers. Despite all the convenient pre-prepped foods available to fastfood places, their bottom line improves if they make-it-themselves.

Good night!
cathy2

David Hammond, October 23, 2002 wrote:Hey Cathy,

You know, they did give me a little folded paper pouch of sport peppers (to go along with Polish, hamburger and pork chop sandwich that I walked away with). These little green nibs were surprisingly good. I'm usually okay with sport peppers, but they're frequently a little too burn-y and vinager-y for my tastes. The ones I got last night had a nice quick burn and no sourness at all.

Thanks for the tip on the pork chop sandwich -- your magnolia's strategy seems like the soundest way to consume a sandwich that is, from an engineering perspective, unsound (though delicious).

David