Native Chicagoans have built-in defense mechanisms that protect them from tourist trap eateries. The fact that Chicago Flat Sammies resides amidst a souvenir shop, a tourist information counter, and a tour bus ticket booth on Michigan Avenue makes it that much more of a dubious option.

Sure, it's a madhouse in the summer, but this is not merely a function of auspicious location. The six signature "sammiches" would draw crowds in any part of town. Ingredients are pressed between a slender, quasi-French roll and baked in an original Faulds Oven that dates back to the 1940s. This technique produces the quintessential tuna melt and reinvents the Italian beef. Despite all this "flat" talk, Flat Sammies are counterproductive to that flat stomach you might be working on. In that case, you might as well complement your "sammich" with homemade kettle chips that can be topped with bleu cheese, chili cheese or top-secret atomic sauce.

Centerstage Reviewer: Larry Majewski