Italian Beef Sandwich at the Sportsman Bar, Monterey

A reader of this site dropped me an email with a recommendation. She granted permission to post her remarks.

Travel the back country roads of Pulaski County to the little jewel of Monterey, population  about 200. Only county roads lead to this area, west of Highway 17, and east of Highway 35.  Monterey was a once railroad town of the early 1900's, even boasting a Limburger cheese factory.  But alas, interstate highways and the death of the rails has reduced this town.  It boasts two churches, a beautiful library, a bank, hardware, and post office.  And two bars -- saloons, if I may, located across from each other at the main cross streets.

Quite by accident, my daughter & I stopped in the Sportsman Bar for a cool drink on a hot day.  We left with smiles on our faces after consuming the best ever Italian Beef sandwich we ever had.  (We once had our own restaurant, and are both very good cooks with a good IB in our repertoire.  Italian Beef has been a regular Christmas Eve fare for years.)

The Sportsman's Italian beef is an excellent sandwich, huge, well seasoned, and served with melted cheese!  The bun is toasted and crispy.  Of course it is served with au jus, and peppers and if you have room, there will be chips on your plate.  And what a bargain -- the 6" sandwich is about $7 and big enough for two.  (But we do not share!)   They also offer a 12" sandwich.  (My son-in-law orders this, eats half, and takes the rest home for dinner.)

They also have a "garbage pizza" which is awesome, immense, and under $20.  Five of us, all adults with good appetites, ordered this, ate our fill,  and took left-overs home.

I believe they do not have a cook during the week, but this is a wonderful weekend lunch and well worth a side trip.  The ambiance is what you would expect in a neighborhood bar -- NASCAR decor, pool table, and loud tv.

We are recent transplants to this area from Valparaiso, and enjoyed varied urban & Chicago dining.  We were skeptical of eating locally when we moved here 3 years ago.  What an awakening we had! My family drives here from Valparaiso when they get hungry for Italian Beef (about 50 miles). - Nancy

Sportsman Bar is located at 6215 on East Main Street in Montery.