JLenart wrote:Saturday afternoon's crowd had more of a River North hipster/Self-Entitled Gold Coast Condo dweller feel

But who's judging, right?

I'm hoping that, as Jeff posted above, mid-week off-hour will be a good time to visit. That's what I'll be shooting for and it's usually workable for me. I can't imagine even bothering to try this on a weekend but I do realize that for many, that's the only time it'll be possible.

=R=

To VI's point, I think the flow of this is going to be a challenge if they do not try to segment things a little better. I kind of think there ought to be more separation between the butcher counter/deli and the sandwich ordering. Just a bit of a jumbled mess there yesterday around 11:30 am, although I suspect they will figure things out. If you are going for something other than lunch, as I suspect will be the case more often than not for me, go early or late (duh).

Got some great bone-in Berkshire pork chops that we grilled last night over lump and hickory for dinner, together with some Morteau sausages we will eat with french lentils for a meal this week, and a baguette (great crust, pretty good crumb). Also ordered some Mexican chorizo, but they forgot to put it with the rest of my order (did not charge me for it either, though). Pricing seems relatively steep in general in comparison to other more upscale delis and butchers around town, particularly on the raw meats and on some of the prepared items such as the porchetta), but there are some decent values to be had, comparatively speaking -- some of the sausages, house made prepared items, and definitely the bread. Certainly the quality (at least of what I tried thus far) puts this in the top tier of places around town in its category, and, together with some of the unique product offerings, seem to make it a place that will be able to justify the prices. I will certainly use it as a periodic resource for hard-to-find-items and when I want really highest quality, local meats, and may be a more regular customer for some of the breads, sausages, and other "everyday" items.

JeffB wrote:It was hard to pass up the massive 2-person cocido de garbanzos stuffed with house cured meats, given my particular love of that dish.

I had it today and loved it. Piggy and I shared it (portioned and priced [$22] for two) and for what was served, I think one of the best values in town. Perfectly stewed garbanzos in a broth flavored with links of housemade chorizo, juicy morcilla, braised beef (tasted like cheek meat). It was served family style in a Le Creuset casserole with a platter of cabbage, carrots, fresh herbs and loaf of bread. Just really simple and well executed everything.

We got there at 11:00 and by the time we left the line was pushing out the front door. Throngs of young professionals cramming offal, cured pork, and bread soup during their lunch hour was enough to warm the heart on such a winters day. Count me a huge fan of PQM.

A friend and I showed up at 12:15, ordered right away, and were sitting eating about 10 minutes later. Although there were a lot of people milling about in the front of the restaurant, the tables turned pretty quickly and the staff seemed good at keeping things moving and orderly.

The "better than gyros" sandwich was very good, though a little heavy on the tzatziki.

Three Floyds Ham on Rye is an excellent beer.

Arrived about 1:00 on a Saturday. It took about 5 minutes to order and we were seated immediately. Either the weekends are a great time to go, or the initial crush has died down.

Stopped in on the easy to Sepia tonight. Picked up a couple sausages including their house-cured chorizo, a cheese and a chocolate. Nice place.

Aside from the fact that I already have a butcher I love, PQM (what the cool kids are already calling it, I hear ) is simply too far from my house to be a frequent shopping venue for me. But, I love The Publican and was very curious about PQM, especially since I'd heard and read almost nothing but favorable reports. So, when I knew was going to be in the city over the weekend, I planned my day so that I could stop in at around 4 pm on Saturday. I ended up making a few purchases, which led to a few cooking projects . . .

Item #1: Tomahawk Terry Alexander's Axe Steak
This steak, the most expensive cut in the shop, costs $38.99/#. That's pretty steep but it is Belgian Blue Grass-Fed beef, which is very tasty. Still, it's a novelty cut and not much of a value by any measure. The tag on the steak offers that once purchased, they will cook the steak for you over at The Publican. Assuming there's no additional cost for that service, it does mitigate the price a bit (at least before extras, tip, etc.). In any case, I took mine home and cooked it tonight over Royal Oak lump charcoal on my Weber kettle . . ..


Tomahawk Terry Alexander's Axe Steak
The steak weighed 2.77 pounds. The bone here is about 15.5".



Decent marbling, especially for grass-fed beef.



A couple of minutes on each side over direct heat and then a few minutes indirect. I took the steak off when it hit about 115 F.



Very tasty meat with a sweetness and light minerality through the chew. There was quite a bit of sinew, as well. The steak came in at $108.17 and it fed 3 of us. Given the cost, I doubt I'd buy this one again. I certainly liked it but man cannot live on tomahawk steaks alone.


Item #2: Beef Shanks

Beef Shanks
Excellent-looking shanks from Slagel Farms. As you can see, they were almost purple in color. At $5.99/#, this was the cheapest cut in the case.



A closer look at the shanks.



The plan all along was to cook them en sous vide. When I mentioned this to chef Erling Wu-Bower, who was helping me from behind the counter, he suggested seasoning them first and cooking that at 138 F. I followed his advice, sprinkling them with kosher salt and cracked pepper before sealing them up with a scant amount of fresh herbs.



I ended up going at 137.5 F and plan to cook them for 72 hours. On Wednesday evening, I'll see how it went and report back.

I also picked up a loaf of rye bread and a couple of boudin blanc sausages. Chef Wu-Bower very kindly threw in a link of blood sausage after he asked me if I liked it (natch, I said yes). I've yet to try the sausages but hope to do that tomorrow.

After a single visit, I'd have to say that the shop is pretty effing awesome. The selection of raw meats, charcuterie, breads, and frozen & dry goods immediately sets PQM as a premium destination in my mind. Service was remarkably friendly and knowledgeable. Again, being that it's 20+ miles from home, I doubt I'll be in super frequently but if I'm in the area I'll definitely make a point of stopping in. There's a lot here I look forward to exploring.

On top of that, the prepared foods and eat-in items looked absolutely awesome, so I hope to hit it for lunch on occasion, too. We'd already eaten by the time we got there on Saturday but the Tuna Muffaletta that was out on the counter looked sensational. A dual-purpose lunch and shopping trip would be a great way to '2 for 1' it at PQM.

=R=

Wow, my wife and I literally just missed you! We were childless and made PQM one of our stops on a long day of eating and drinking.

We shared the tuna muffuletta which was great and took some cured meats and bread to go. Aside from the products the folks behind the counter are just great. Knowledgable, helpful, and seem to encourage tasting -I usually have to condition people on this . Great place.

Both sausages I got from PQM were stellar in every dimension. The flavor and definition were both better than I could have ever hoped for . . .


Boudin Blanc



Blood Sausage

With both, on the advice of a friend, I sliced and seared them with a touch of olive oil. I ate the morcilla straight up. I loved that the sweet spice that usually dominates this kind of sausage was still there but very much in the background. This is a savory rendition and the definition was tight, similar to meatier types of sausages. It was not mushy or crumbly at all. A lot of skill went into making this sausage.

I ate the boudin blanc on toasted slices of baguette with some awesome mostarda, which was made by LTHer gastro gnome. What a heavenly and perfect combination.

As high as my expectations were, these sausages were really impressive. If they're typical of what PQM is going to be putting out, the place is going to be an extremely exciting and rewarding destination for linkophiles.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:
I ended up going at 137.5 F and plan to cook them for 72 hours. On Wednesday evening, I'll see how it went and report back.

Sadly, these turned out to be an unmitigated disaster. I doubt it had anything to do with the meat but when I opened the bags tonight, seriously unpleasant odors filled the room. It was like stale, nasty cheese. The shanks, which looked beautiful and were perfectly tender, are now in the garbage. I'm going to post more about this on the Sous Vide cooker for homethread and hope that someone can help me diagnose what went wrong.

=R=

The morcilla looks great. I love that stuff. Guess I'll head over there in the next few days.

teatpuller wrote:The morcilla looks great. I love that stuff. Guess I'll head over there in the next few days.

I made an omelet with it today for lunch using some manchego, farm eggs and Spanish olive oil. Absolutely fantastic.

=R=

What a place, These cats are producing cured meats at the highest level. Staff couldnt have been nicer or more enthused when talking their craft.

Not cheap, but i think what they are doing is worth every penny. I ended up with just some chicken stock and slagel burgers. Hoping to go back today for a sandwich as we stopped in PQM before dinner @ Publican last night and didnt want to sample too much.

Picked up an excellent Slagel flap steak yesterday. The butcher asked if I was going to eat it that night and, upon my replying yes, asked if I would like for him to season it up for me. I took him up on it, but regretfully forgot to ask him what he did to it (my wife did say it tasted like something we would eat at Avec). Either way, cooked quickly over high heat on a charcoal grill, was really outstanding. I am not likely to be a regular purchaser of more premium cuts of beef at PQM, but I have had really good luck with the "bistro" steaks I have purchased there.

Also picked up some eggs, sausages (Toulouse this time), duck fat, and bread. Great stuff all around.

Do you recall the $/lb the flap was?

gleam wrote:Do you recall the $/lb the flap was?

Let's just say more expensive than Costco.

Kidding aside, it was a (quite expensive for flap) $12.99/pound. But it was more flavorful (let's use the overused "beefy" and "mineraly" here) than more premium cuts you would pay similar for elsewhere, and I thought the quality justified the price. For what it's worth, note that skirt at PQM at $10.99/pound (for inner -- not sure on the pricing for outer skirt, which is all they had yesterday, and it was not labeled with a price) is cheaper than the same for the "standard" beef (choice, not grass fed) at Whole Foods and for the skirt at Paulina, and it blows each of theirs out of the water. I have had a couple of skirts from PQM and they have been excellent.

Honestly, that's not as high as I expected. Great to know.

Matt wrote:For what it's worth, note that skirt at PQM at $10.99/pound (for inner -- not sure on the pricing for outer skirt, which is all they had yesterday, and it was not labeled with a price) is cheaper than the same for the "standard" beef (choice, not grass fed) at Whole Foods and for the skirt at Paulina, and it blows each of theirs out of the water. I have had a couple of skirts from PQM and they have been excellent.

Good news and bad news. Thanks to a clarification on the "skirt steak" thread, the skirt I have purchased at PQM (Slagel Farms) is outer, not inner. The bad news is that the price has now (at least as of today) been adjusted upwards to $13.99 a pound. I realize this price is not something everyone is willing or able to pay, but I will say that it is some of the best skirt I have had.

Ran by PQM for what has now become a weekly endeavor. I am often a sucker for ease of use, since I cook for myself (fiance living overseas at the moment), and have found the pre-marinated chicken to be consistently amazing. Just roast a half in the oven for 35 minutes and steam up some veggies and viola.

Something new I found behind the counter today was Calumet Fisheries smoked trout and shrimp. About $5 more a pound than the source, but I still couldn't resist the convenience and got a little of both.

I also have to mention that the service is phenomenal here. At every turn, someone is at hand to provide information, suggestions and a smile.

Took a photo last week. I was in a big hurry and didn't buy anything, but it all looked good. It's hard to believe this is actually in Chicago.


Publican Quality Meats Chicago by jandrfox, on Flickr

I made my virgin voyage to PQM on Thursday for lunch and tried the "better than a gyro" sandwich, the green salad, the radish salad side. All good, but that's for the other thread. I also bought three sausages and a "Publican marinated chicken" from the butcher. The whole chicken was $20, but we love the Publican chicken so thought it would be worth a try making it at home.

The butcher was awesome. He explained exactly how to cook it...
Cast iron skillet, get it as hot as possible
Put the whole chicken in, skin down, and cook for about five minutes to render the fat out (I think he said to oil the skilled with neutral oil, but I forgot that step...didn't seem to matter)
Drain the fat, then stick the whole thing in the convection oven at 400 degrees for 25 minutes
Rest for five mins

He also gave me an extra cup of the spice mix, said to reduce some chicken stock with it and just keep tasting until it tastes right. We used that as a baste right before going in the oven and once while it was in the oven.

I don't know who supplies the birds or what they use as a base for the marinade in-house or how long the particular chicken I bought had been marinating, but who cares when it tastes like that. Wow.

The sausages were nice too, especially the lamb sausage. I used Ronnie's sear/pan fry method noted above, I suppose I could have grilled but it didn't seem worth firing the grill up for just three sausages.

Much more to try next time. Thanks PQM!

Chickens are from Slagel Farms. I enjoy them but candidly, I prefer the chickens at Whole Foods from Indiana (air chilled) a touch better.

The spanish style chorizo at PQM right now is awesome...soft globules of melting fat and a really aggressive fresh smoked pimenton flavor. Guanciale and Edwards country ham also great.

AlekH wrote:The spanish style chorizo at PQM right now is awesome...soft globules of melting fat and a really aggressive fresh smoked pimenton flavor.

Alek, I'm also enjoying some chorizo from them. Are you talking about the house-made product or the one they get from Spain? They were offering both varieties the last time I was in. The house-made is about $9/lb and is best for soups and stews (they said) and the import is closer is north of $20/lb and is for slice-up-and-eat-it consumption.

I was making a stew, so I bought the house-made stuff and agree that it is excellent.

I go here a lot and I think my favorite things are the nduja and the blood mortadella. Occasionally I will buy things that aren't awesome, like the liver pate sometimes tastes not-good to me, as does the smoked heart. Don't know why, but I suspect it's because they buy animals from such a variety of places and some of the places they buy from are themselves middlemen (Black Earth, Pinn Oak).

I make the trip to PQM every couple months to stock up on guanciale, edwards country ham, and spanish chorizo...all reliably delicious. The impulse buy star of today's run was the porchetta di testa...the 1/4 lb of which I bought won't last 6 hours. Assertively spiced and a deep rich pork flavor.

The Faith's Farm spicy coppa at PQM right now is out of this world. I forget what kind of pigs they're using but it's special stuff…rich and nutty pork that just melts in your mouth.