Rich and I went to CP on Friday intending to buy Gunthorp duck breasts for a small dinner party. When we learned that they were down to just one, we went to Plan B and purchased La Pryor pork chops. One thing we look for in pork chops is a nice bit of marbling, and these lovely chops, with a thick fat cap, fit the bill. Rich brined them for about eight hours and then grilled them on the Weber.

Wow. These were the best pork chops I've had in ages. Really tender and flavorful. One of our guests, who doesn't have a large appetite, somehow managed to finish the entire chop, despite the fact that we were on the fourth course. And with butter-sauteed morels and grilled asparagus from the Green City Market, it made for a great early spring main course.

For those of us who live a heck of a lot closer to CP than to Butcher & Larder or Publican Quality Meats, it's good to remember that while CP may not have a vast selection, they do have very high quality meat and friendly service.

Ronna

I live pretty close to CPD and I can't rave enough about it. I have to restrain myself from going there once a week or more for meals, provisions, treats, booze. it is pricey, so that's a deterrent. but with the focus on local and house made items with an eye towards organic stuffs - it's an upcharge I can live with.

the sandwiches I've tried have all been outstanding. Even the corned beef and pastrami - which look really small at first, but are very satisfying. the smoked turkey has become one of my favorite sandwiches in the city. the rosemary mayo really makes it. you can buy the mayo separately. it's so good.

sarcon wrote:the sandwiches I've tried have all been outstanding. Even the corned beef and pastrami

Are they still serving the pastrami sandwiches cold?

stevez wrote:

sarcon wrote:the sandwiches I've tried have all been outstanding. Even the corned beef and pastrami

Are they still serving the pastrami sandwiches cold?

I've had hot pastrami and corned beef - but only as a special. I think the regular menu corned beef/pastrami is cold.

I do want to say one thing about the house-cured corned beef - it's very dense and rich, sort of "dry", as opposed to more soggy cold cuts. More charcuterie-like. that must be why they make the sandwich a bit on the small side, especially when compared to the typical piled-sky-high deli standard. It's closer to like a prosciutto or a virginia smithfield-style country ham. I couldn't imagine a giant hulking sandwich made with such a dense, salty meat. anyway. JMO.

They were selling a smoked roast beef a month or two ago (might have been pastrami made from their usual roast beef cut) that was the best deli meat I've ever had. Couldn't quit opening my fridge to try another slice and the smoke scent was just perfect.

I had a terrible meatball sandwich at City Provisions about a month ago. The meatballs were extremely tough and practically inedible. I ate less than half of it. For 14 bucks, I can't believe I didn't ask for my money back.

Per an email from owner Cleetus Friedman, CPD is closing . . .

in an email, Cleetus Friedman wrote:As of Monday January 28th I am closing the City Provisions Delicatessen.

City Provisions Closing Announcement

=R=

Too bad. Great place, great idea, really too expensive to work IMO.

BR wrote:In my post on the first page, I expressed concern about the pricing at City Provisions and I noted that the cost of my turkey pastrami sandwich was high. But I want to be careful about how I express these thoughts because it's not my opinion that City Provisions' offerings are overpriced. My concern is that there are not enough people willing to venture to City Provisions to spend the money on their high end items. UES Manhattan, where the vast majority of residences are at least mid-rises? Yes! But let's face it - there are a heck of a lot of people within waking distance of City Provisions willing to spend their hard-earned money on pre-packaged lunch meats at Dewel and Jominick's. I sincerely hope they make it. In my opinion, they're doing pretty much everything the right way.

prescient

Damn.... total bummer. I really enjoyed that place, and had recently tried again justifying the high prices to my wife. I think I had finally convinced her.

Damn, sucks they're closing. I happen to be in that neighborhood every two weeks and would usually stop in. Prices were steep, but quality was usually worth it (especially the bacon and deli meats). Didn't have much density of product in the store, but thought they were doing well with brunch and lunch. Wasn't sure how much turnover they were having in some things like the cheese, but figured the neighborhood could support it.

Terrible news. We just had chicken enchiladas that we made with a City Provisions-Miller Amish chicken this evening.

He hints that he might give it another go in a neighborhood with more foot traffic. I hope he does.

Now where am I going to get my smoked hummus, as well as delicious ham? This makes me so very sad...

riddlemay wrote:He hints that he might give it another go in a neighborhood with more foot traffic. I hope he does.

I'm sure that if he was on Lincoln Ave in Lincoln Square, he probably would have done a lot better (although no one can predict if the sales volume increase would counteract the difference in rent). That stretch of Wilson is a no-man's land because of the train corridors.

lodasi wrote:That stretch of Wilson is a no-man's land because of the train corridors.

Yeah, there really isn't much around there. The hospital just down the street is finally being knocked down and will be replaced with a school, I believe. There are businesses along Ravenswood, but none of them really drawing foot traffic. Even being a few blocks up on Damen between Wilson and Lawrence might have helped. The prices were high, but you knew you were getting good quality. The roast beef, ham and turkey pastrami were all fantastic.

A new location on Montrose somewhere between Lincoln Ave. & Clark St. would be much more profitable. Nice 'hood, but not too pricey, lots of foot traffic - and parking! And that shiny new-ish Montrose El station is right there, too. THINK ABOUT IT, CLEETUS!