Chicago food favorites to keep your Chicago Bears friends happy

The 49ers are headed to Chicago to face off against the Bears for their first game of the NFL season.

• And so, we enlisted Axios Chicago's Justin Kaufmann to give some menu suggestions if you're hosting any Bears fans this Sunday.

• He insists that "Chicago is much more than just a meat and potatoes town," but just wait until you get to his second rec.

Here's Justin:

🥬 Spinach and artichoke dip: We love our dip. Ranch, French onion, queso, seven-layer. But the spinach and artichoke dip is a Chicago classic. It's spinach, artichokes and several cheeses, baked to perfection. Serve with tortilla chips. It's healthy!

🥩 Crock pot Italian beef: There's nothing better than a pile of seasoned beef simmering for hours. Time it for kickoff and make sure you top it with giardiniera.

🍫 Dessert: Portillo's has a chocolate cake shake. There are recipes online on how to copy. The secret? Mayonnaise.

As for the game itself, Justin says to watch out for Chicago rookies Jaquan Brisker (Penn State) and Kyler Gordon (University of Washington) to start in their secondary.

• Gordon grew up in the Seattle area and used to work out with Richard Sherman and Bobby Wagner. Both rookies could make big plays on Sunday.

For the Niners, it's all about the quarterback situation.

• Second-year QB Trey Lance will make the start, but after a shaky training camp, all eyes will be on how he performs Sunday.
• Will Jimmy Garoppolo, who re-signed with the team late last month, get thrown in if the 49ers are down early? It would be high drama if it happened.