Cheese curds in Chi?

They HAVE to be here somewhere. Don't make me drive up to the Cheese Castle!

ndgbucktown wrote:They HAVE to be here somewhere. Don't make me drive up to the Cheese Castle!

If you can wait a few months, I know for sure that they're available at farmer's markets around the city.

Too bad you missed the farmers markets where the cheese girl(I forget the company) offers cheddar, horseradish, dill, and sundried tomato curds. Hers are the only ones I've had, so no comparison, but when they're not overly squeaky and waxy they're pretty darn good. She's sold at the markets at least two years in row so I bet she'll be back come Spring.

Ah, of course, the farmer's markets...but I need poutine, now!

To answer my own question, the good folks at Will's Northwoods Inn informed a friend of mine that Vienna Beef has them in their shop on Damen.

Vienna Beef
2501 N Damen Ave
Chicago, IL 60647
(773) 278-7800

Christopher Gordon wrote:Hers are the only ones I've had, so no comparison, but when they're not overly squeaky and waxy they're pretty darn good. She's sold at the markets at least two years in row so I bet she'll be back come Spring.

I don't claim to know much about curds, but isn't the "squeak" a sign of freshness?

Hammond

David Hammond wrote:I don't claim to know much about curds, but isn't the "squeak" a sign of freshness?

'Tis.

David Hammond wrote:

Christopher Gordon wrote:Hers are the only ones I've had, so no comparison, but when they're not overly squeaky and waxy they're pretty darn good. She's sold at the markets at least two years in row so I bet she'll be back come Spring.

I don't claim to know much about curds, but isn't the "squeak" a sign of freshness?

Hammond

The squeak is by no means unpleasant...just odd. I prefer my curds when they're a li'l less "superball", but, as I mentioned, I have no basis for comparison or previous experience. I do know that I tend to end up with a sack from the cheese girl virtually every weekend during farmers market season. And she's genuinely friendly, to boot.

ndgbucktown said:

"...but I need poutine, now!"

Oh man, wish I could help you from here in snowy Montreal! But it's a long throw from here to there.

Make your own gravy?? If so, willing to share a recipe?

Geo

I'm blessed in that one friend just got back from Quebec with cans of poutine gravy in tow, and ANOTHER friend, a native Quebecois, has acquired a deep-frier for the weekend, so we're going to throw down.

I'll take some pictures if I can. He said that he has used powdered regular gravy, which has worked.

Oh yes, let us see the pix! Eat yourself blue!

BTW, does this sound right to you?

http://www.cs.umanitoba.ca/%7Egedetil/poutine.au


Geo

I'm pretty sure I saw them at Woodman's.

ndgbucktown wrote:Don't make me drive up to the Cheese Castle!

If you do make the drive, keep right on going....

I can't understand why people have a fascination with day old, or even hours old cheese curds. Do yourself a favor, strike that, ruin yourself for good, by driving up to Gibbsville Cheese about an hour North of Milwaukee. I imagine any other small cheese producer will be the same. Try curds fresh out of the vat and you will never crave another day old curd again. They are a little warm from the enzyme action and they squeek to the point your feel like your head will explode. There's an apple farm another mile North on Hwy 32.

I know folks who won't eat an egg more than a day old or who require fresh bread at all costs....me, its curds. Call ahead, they don't make cheese curds everyday and don't always sell fresh ones. In that sort of Midwestern logic that I luv and hate, they no longer make fresh curds on Saturdays because they are too popular.

Geo wrote:BTW, does this sound right to you?

http://www.cs.umanitoba.ca/%7Egedetil/poutine.au


Geo

Yup - the 'ine is short ("in"), not long ("een").

And as an academic, I am *fascinated* that someone at the University of Manitoba wants to teach us how to pronounce it...

Fillay

Fillay remarks:

"And as an academic, I am *fascinated* that someone at the University of Manitoba wants to teach us how to pronounce it... "

D'acc. And as yet another academic (a philosopher-logician pretty much mostly), I'm fascinated that it's someone from the University of *MANITOBA* doing the wanting!!

I mean, UQAM or U. Montreal, sure. But I wouldn't think that poutine would even be within the observable universe of Manitobians' discourse.

BTW, there's a noticable "s" in that pronunciation: whence?

Geo

Geez, I've never once heard it as anything but poot-een.

When I was in Eganville, ON last summer at one of the MANY chip trucks, most promounced it as PUT' - in, like the Russian leader with the emphasis on the first syllable.

Most Americans pronounce it POO-TEEN which the emphasis on the second.

Geo wrote:I mean, UQAM or U. Montreal, sure. But I wouldn't think that poutine would even be within the observable universe of Manitobians' discourse.

Geo

When I was in Montreal in the early 1990s I did the drive to and from and Winnipeg multiple times and so was able to track the progress of poutine across the country. By 1993 it was a fixture of the roadside dining scene as far west as Sault Ste-Marie. Not surprising that it has broken through the lines and onto the prairies - and Winnipeg has a significant francophone population to boot.

And yes, the "t" can be pronounced almost as a drawl, bringing out the "s" sound.

Fillay

Sayin'. 0.00/gal had a bunch over for the real deal: russet Idahos fried in his new Euro-Pro, with brick cheese (the Vienna store closed before he could get there) with genuine canned poutine gravy. I feel too full to write any more. The man knows what he's doing.

fillay wrote:

Geo wrote:I mean, UQAM or U. Montreal, sure. But I wouldn't think that poutine would even be within the observable universe of Manitobians' discourse.

Geo

When I was in Montreal in the early 1990s I did the drive to and from and Winnipeg multiple times and so was able to track the progress of poutine across the country. By 1993 it was a fixture of the roadside dining scene as far west as Sault Ste-Marie. Not surprising that it has broken through the lines and onto the prairies - and Winnipeg has a significant francophone population to boot.

And yes, the "t" can be pronounced almost as a drawl, bringing out the "s" sound.

Fillay

It's been my understanding that poutine began sometime in the 1950's ... anyway there is an interesting history of poutine, which made a claim interesting to many here:

The famous California burger chain In-N-Out Burger has an off-menu item which qualifies as a poutine: French-fries, animal-style. , where the french fries are grilled with special sauce, onions and cheese. Note that In-N-Out never officially acknowledges their (otherwise) famous off-menu items (author's favorite: hamburger, protein style).

Mike G wrote:I'm pretty sure I saw them at Woodman's.

Mike,

Woodman's in Kenosha has cheese curds, I've bought them there.

I have to agree with Peter D about fresh cheese curds, nothing like the squeak of a couple of hour old cheese curd. I also agree with Peter, hummm, what's with all the agreeing all of a sudden , that you don't get much fresher than Gibbsville cheese.

Looking though Gibbsville retail shop window onto the factory floor.


Speaking of cheese curds, you ever find yourself near Eau Claire, Wisconsin make sure to stop at Albertville Tavern for fried cheese curds and a Friday night fish fry.

Fried cheese curds at Albertville Tavern


Enjoy,
Gary

Most of the towns in Northern Ontario ( at least from Eganville to Kenora) have at least a part-time chip truck which sell poutine and french fries. The ones I have been to sell about 80% french fries to about 20% poutine.

Very useful link to useful link to poutine discussion by Cathy2. I like the FAQ on fresh curd squeak.

I also enjoyed the tongue-in-cheek French-Canadian embarrassment explaining the validation for poutine as an off-menu item. I believe the U.S. Capitol cafeteria makes an off-menu version of Freedom-poutine

BTW, if this is the way you intend to treat cheese curds, buy the stuff at Cheesey Castle or the Shoppe with the ginormous fiberglass mouse or any other tourist crap-trap stop at the border --I'm not even sure you are allowed to bring poutine gravy into Wisconsin, though some yooper fishermen in the Nort' consider all borders rather fluid.

As a born and bred cheesehead, I am afraid I would be required to hunt you down and make "venison" sausage otta yous guys if caught treating Gibbsville curds this way...but the dish does look delicious. Thanks for the picture and, er, recipes

Oberweis just started offering them to their home delivery customers, so you may be able to place an order for pick-up in one of their ice cream shops. (Or just look for someone with a gray cooler on their front stoop and see if they'll order some for you.)

Or just check the grey cooler

Culver's makes great fried cheese curds. :9 YUM

http://www.culvers.com

Marion st. cheese market has cheddar, white cheddar and garlic dill. I tried the cheddar and garlic dill and they are fantastic.
Its in Oak Park, just off of Lake and Harlem.
lo

If I'm not mistaken, I believe some A&W Restaurants offer cheese curds. (The one in Waukegan, on Lewis Ave, offers it there for sure.)

I just had a fantastic dish of curds at Red Door. Light and fluffy (for fried cheese)...with or without their tarragon aioli.

Red Door
2118 N Damen Ave
Chicago, IL 60647
(773) 697-7221
reddoorchicago.com