Have you ever wondered where Chicago’s greatest French fries or chicken sandwiches are, or what’s the most gourmand of all the Michelin Bib Gourmands? Well, you no longer have to thanks to the work of Mitch Gropman.

Inspired by the comprehensive burrito, burger, and taco lists of former Chicago Tribune food reviewer Nick Kindelsperger, it’s not uncommon for Gropman to eat and drop a ranking of 200 Chicago-area French fries in rank order.

Gropman will be the first to tell you that because he hasn’t tried every single local version of the food he’s obsessing over, this isn’t a “best” ranking as much as his “favorite” list.

That Gropman has made this distinction tells you how thoughtful he is about the work. Gropman isn’t a journalist or a professional per se, but he thinks a lot about the ethics of what he’s doing, and avoids things like pay for play or just giving someone good coverage in his online posts because they were nice to him.

As a so called “pro”, I believe Gropman, who dines out four or five times a week, on average is one of the more knowledgeable and passionate folks I’ve met in the Chicago food scene.

What I also like about Gropman, who is also the moderator for Reddit Chicagofood (which gets over 4 million views a month) is that he pursues his passions hard, whether it’s collecting hockey cards, restaurant menus, or playing guitar.

In this episode we talk about his rankings, the private Chicago dining club he runs, and some of our favorite meals of late. Enjoy the episode!

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