Since SteveZ recommended the reuben at Maders, I had the sauerbraten sandwich.

Don't. Have the reuben instead. Maybe if they'd served it something other than a white hamburger bun........

Wouldn't this thing be the ideal place for roasted chestnuts? Maybe they are not a German thing....

It sure would be!

I don't know if it's German either, but the Chriskindlmarket is not all German anyway. I bought earrings from a Guatemalan stand, there was something from a Mexican vendor...it's just mostly European, I guess.

Had to run downtown due to a mix-up by my doctor (make sure yours writes the date on your scripts!)

Snapped a few pics of this year's Christkindlmarktimbißbude. I was pleasantly surprised by the potato pancakes which, while not on the same playing field with what my family comes up with, were solid.

David Hammond wrote:I like simple, as in say, a slab of Swabian Spam, a hot dog steak, leberkase. I saw it sizzling there; it was kind of food lust at first sight.


The kraut and senf bumped it up a lot.

Remembering this endorsement after my skepticism last year, I ordered myself a leberkase with kraut this evening. Very pleased. Serves me right for jumping to conclusions before Hammond has weighed in.

Antonius wrote:Christkindlmarktimbißbude 2009
Das heißt: Beim frischen Wetter al fresco fressen

I find it hard to believe that it is already five years ago that I first wrote up the food at the German Christmas Market on LTH, the site then in its first year of existence. The market had already been going for a good bit then and Amata and I have visited it and eaten at it every year, since the very first one over by the Michigan Avenue bridge, back in the previous millennium.

The line-up looks like it will be much like last year. Regarding food, however, I see that my friends from Plauen at the German Grill Company (in the row of booths facing Dearborn) claim to be offering Currywurst this year, which I have not seen them offer in previous years. Here is a list of vendors; scroll down to see the food vendors:

List of Christkindlmarkt Vendors

As with all things Christmas related, the start of the market has gotten a bit earlier over the years and this year will start on the 25th, with a further truncated session on Thanksgiving itself. It ends on Christmas Eve. Here's a link to the schedule page:

Christkindlmarkt Schedule

Viel Spaß, Kinder...

Antonius

Planning my first trip to Christkindlmarkt tomorrow, but I expect it will be cold. I seem to remember in past years that there were heated tents to eat in.

Can anyone who has been this year confirm this?

Any reports from this year's food vendors?

gastro gnome wrote:Planning my first trip to Christkindlmarkt tomorrow, but I expect it will be cold. I seem to remember in past years that there were heated tents to eat in.

Can anyone who has been this year confirm this?

Any reports from this year's food vendors?

The goulash we had tasted good, but had no meat. The potato pancakes looked the same as pictured above. Tasted good, but were pricey. My favorite by far was the cherry strudel.

Heated tents are still there, altho expect them to be crowded,

and the goulasch I had (corner stall facing Dearborn) had plenty of meat in it, and was probably the best thing I had on my three trips to the markt (altho the fact that it was bitter cold and the goulasch was blazing hot with a nice little paprika bite to it might have had something to do with that estimation).

Can anyone tell me if the vendor who sold the "bratwurst" that were thin (think breakfast size for us gringos) and you got three on your hard roll, is at the market this year? I did a very fast run through on a lunch break (stopping to gaze at the Cuckoo clocks for a very long time despite the cold) and only saw fat brats.

bjt

bjt wrote:Can anyone tell me if the vendor who sold the "bratwurst" that were thin (think breakfast size for us gringos) and you got three on your hard roll, is at the market this year? I did a very fast run through on a lunch break (stopping to gaze at the Cuckoo clocks for a very long time despite the cold) and only saw fat brats.

bjt

The German Grill Company which sells two thin brats on a roll, along with leberkaese and the kilometer, is on the Dearborn side of the market. We ate there on Sunday night before seeing the Addams Family musical and both the brats and the leberkaese were excellent.

The one thing I tried this year which I enjoyed back at the office and I haven't seen before was the baked apple dipped in simple syrup and cinnamon. It was a baked red apple with marzipan, raisins and cinnamon dipped in a syrup.

Looking the map the following vender sells these baked apples (1 for $3 / 2 for $5)
26, 51 Traditional German Food (Joessnitz, Germany) Bratwurst, leberkäse, sauerkraut, hot soups, potato pancakes, currywurst, baked apples & more.

I certainly got my overpriced money's worth of doppelbock this weekend!

The sad part was that they were out of green 2009 gluehwein mugs, so we had to take a generic blue one with no year on it.

Any ideas about where to look, besides Craigslist, for a mug someone might be foolish enough/willing to trade or sell me?

Had the kilometer sausage with sauerkraut on a roll with the fried potatoes. Love that sausage. Any one know where we can buy these in Chicago? They taste like smoky links but much better. Pls advise.

toria wrote:Had the kilometer sausage with sauerkraut on a roll with the fried potatoes. Love that sausage. Any one know where we can buy these in Chicago? They taste like smoky links but much better. Pls advise.

Maybe Paulina for this Hungarian style sausage? I'd say that many of the smoked kielbasas available at a number of our great Poilsh delis are a close approximation. In particular to the size and shape of the kilometerwurst, the supremely delicious kabanos style has an analogous intense smoke flavor, garlic bite, and textural snap. Kabanos is partially dried, so it may not be as juicy and I also believe it has a coarser grind.
Speaking of the kilometerwurst, I recently partook in one and while I love the sausage, there is an off ratio of bun to meat. The wurst is thin and gets lost in the depths of the thick bun (which is perfectly suitable for thicker brats and the like). While I appreciate the dramatic flair of the kilometerwurst sticking somewhat obscenely from either end of the sandwich, I think the sandwich would be more harmonious if the sausage were cut in half and doubled up. Just sayin.
I did tremendously enjoy my first experience with leberkaese this year. Yup, a hotdog steak, but of a superb German wiener calibre. I found it to be spiced to a degree close to the brats (which I find milder than their Wisconsin cousins).
Has anyone tried the currywurst? I almost went for one, but I was put off that it wasn't served as a sandwich. I have learned since that this is a traditional prep, cut into sections, bathed in the sauce, bread on the side. I may head back down this week and try some.

This piece in Time Out from last year is a great reference for the kielbasa.

Kurowski's Sausage Shop
2976 North Milwaukee Avenue
Chicago, IL 60618-7345
(773) 645-1692

Bobak Sausage Company
5275 South Archer Avenue
Chicago, IL 60632
(773) 735-5334

Rich's Deli
875 N Western Ave
Chicago, IL 60622

Andy's Deli
5442 North Milwaukee Avenue
Chicago
(773) 631-7304

I go for the kilometer wurst as well, but I have to observe, it's not really a high-quality sausage. It is damn tasty, but has the texture and fat content of a shelf-stable thing you might find at the checkout of a truck stop. The hungarian sausages at Paulina are close in flavor. Agreed that the Gonella beef buns aren't great for this sausage. I saw curry served on meatballs, not wursts. I'll have to look again.

Has anyone tried the currywurst?

Yup. Not one of my favorites. Difficult to eat if you're using only your hands and messy no matter what you're using, particularly in crowded circumstances. Ketchupy kind of sauce with curry powder and some spiciness. What I could taste of the sausage only confirmed its hot dogginess. Far from the top of my list for next year.

Amata and I, on a raw and blustery day, had our basic combo from the German Grill Company (Dearborn-side)... Bratwurst mit für mich, ohne für sie... and Bratkartoffeln for both of us... Once upon a time, the prices seemed reasonable, now a wee bit less so... in fact, at $19 for the two sandwiches and two portions of potatoes, it seems a bit high... but it was a very delicious lunch in a festive outdoor setting...

Antonius

I haven't gone back through the thread to see if they've been discussed previously, but I tried the Weißwürste last week. Perhaps my favorite of the sausages I've tried so far. I was especially fond of the mustard it was served with, which I gather is a traditional sweet-sour variety. They told me to take it out of the casing to eat it, which I wouldn't have otherwise known is also traditional. Highly recommended.


Holiday Weißwürste, by yooperann, on Flickr

From vender 35 on this map.

We had the same sausages as Ann yesterday and also enjoyed them.
didn't know to remove the casing, oh well...

We also tried the German stuffed bread, with mushrooms, onions and cheese,
and we thought that was wunderbar!
A trio of hot and crispy potato pancakes (can you say latkes?)
rounded out a great light lunch before the theater.
Of course some Gluhwine made for a warming beverage.

Add a stop for roast nuts, and the Sweet Castle and we were all set for a perfect afternoon.

My memory is a bit spotty, but the Markt seems to be adding food items as the years pass, to good effect. Note the above mentioned weisswurst, baked apples and stuffed sandwiches, none of which I can recall from previous years. Also one booth (the weisswurst booth?) now has thuringer along with the others, and the "soup" booth has six offerings: tomato, pickle/beef, sauerkraut (with pineapple?), potato/bacon, and lentil. The last two I tried the other day, and they're both good, particularly the lentil which has a rich, meaty broth. At $4.50 (the lentil/potato, anyway) they make for a hearty picker-up on a frigid Chicago afternoon.

I was here yesterday also. After seeing Ann's post, I immediately gravitated to the weisswurst. Removing the skin cleanly in 20 degree weather proved difficult but the sausage was quite good with the sweet-ish mustard. The pretzel roll was mushy and tasteless, though. I still think I prefer my favorite, the kilometerwurst (which I did not try yesterday).

I've grown wary of any griddled foods at the market because I just don't think they come out very crisp. Dead to me are potato pancakes and now an ill-adivsed cheese puff served with apple sauce. I was also a little disappointed with the sugared almonds (usually a favorite) because they were pretty lukewarm, having tasted like they sat for a while.

I noticed the increased offerings at the soup place which are welcome. I didn't try the thuringer, but applaud future sausage proliferation.

In the wake of the shitty events in Berlin, it was wonderful to step off the train and walk out of the Daley Center into a bustling Christmas market. Long lines at the raclette booth, lots of drinking for 2 pm and, incredibly, a new stand from Germany devoted to herring on hard rolls, Rollmop. Apologies for the inexplicably inverted phone image. Will try to flip when I am at a computer.

I know those photo flips-
when I was posting from my phone in Europe everything came out upside down.
I still don't know why...

irisarbor wrote:I know those photo flips-
when I was posting from my phone in Europe everything came out upside down.
I still don't know why...

Unfortunately, no one does. This is a prolonged incompatibility with some cell phone pics that are attached inline (not just from iPhones). We've not been able to get to the bottom of it. I went ahead and reloaded Jeff's picture correctly.

Thanks, for the posts!

=R=
for LTH

Regardless of orientation, that herring photo looks delicious. That might be my lunch today.

With JeffB's post in mind, went to the German Seafood place at the Christkindlmarkt. A great addition to the markt. This is Matjes with kraut. Happily, they also seem unaffected by the notorious whipped cream shortage.

For info, the seafood stand is at the southeast corner of the plaza.

I don't do herring, but I'll be there this noon for my Nurnberger Bratwurst fix.

Does anyone have a source for them in Chicago?

JeffB wrote:.. a new stand from Germany devoted to herring on hard rolls, Rollmop.

I hope it is around next year. Went this morning, had a Leberkase sandwich which was just ok (I remember much more flavor last year). I then became "comfortable" with some glühwein and didn't want to fight the crowds to get over to the herring stand.