substituting Italian bread with a large croissant or topping with marinara sauce. Outside of Chicago Among Sicilian-Americans in Brooklyn, New York, especially in Bensonhurst, the Italian beef sandwich is called a "roast beef hero". In 1968, The Original John's Deli opened on the corner of Stillwell Avenue and 86th Street by Sicilian immigrants John and Maria Cicero. There was now easy access to roast beef and therefore, they decided to use roast beef in their business, preparing roast beef heroes adding mozzarella, gravy and onions to the hero, becoming a Brooklyn staple and would eventually be renamed the "Johnny Roast Beef" after a character from the movie GoodFellas. Other places took note of this sandwich and added them to their menu or created their own variation to the sandwich including Roll N' Roaster, Brennan and Carr, and Defonte's. In the media The Italian beef sandwich was featured in a late 2008 episode of the Travel Channel's Man v. Food, when host Adam Richman (who focused his restaurant visits on Chicago in that episode) visited Al's No. 1 Italian Beef to try the signature sandwich. The sandwich was mentioned in the 1999 History Channel documentary American Eats: History on a Bun as an example of the specialty sandwiches found in different cities in the United States. Chris Pacelli, owner of Al's No. 1 Italian Beef, is shown demonstrating how to eat the sandwich with the "Italian stance." Al's Beef was also featured on Adam Richman's Best Sandwich in America in 2012, where Richman declared the Italian beef sandwich the best sandwich in the Midwest. See also Cheesesteak Chicago culture Chicago-style hot dog Chicago-style pizza French dip sandwich Sandwiches That You Will Like List of regional dishes of the United States List of American sandwiches List of sandwiches Meatball sandwich Steak sandwich References External links GreaseFreak's images of Chicago-style Italian beefs American sandwiches Cuisine of Chicago Cuisine of the Midwestern United States Italian-American culture in Chicago Sicilian-American cuisine Italian-American culture in New York City Beef sandwiches Hot sandwiches