Indeed -- pasta fresh is my favorite purveyor of fresh pasta, since I so rarely choose to make my own.

It's just hard to get out there that often. Does anyone have recommendations a bit closer to Pilsen? Maybe taylor or grand.

Oh no, the shudder was over the strangeness of the coincidence!! Sorry...and thanks for the good advice. I'm on vacation from work this week & will definitely be making a trip to North Harlem

Paisanaa wrote:Hi Antonius,
I loved the pictures in the original post---it reminded me of when I was a kid & my family used to go to Randolph Street on Saturday mornings, and buy salami & vegetables & spices; I wonder if this is one of the places we went? And then to D'Amato's bakery on Grand Avenue, where we bought "pizza bread" (we didn't call it foccaccia, but now I know that's what it was)...So, thanks for the reminder....

Paisanaa:

The term "pizza bread" you used to use was, I gather, the basic term in the Italian community here for that style of pizza, made in a bakery with basic bread dough and baked on a sheet pan. I've gone on record here (along with others,e.g., JeffB, Hungryrabbi) in saying that this is my(/our) favourite (and in my view the best) of the local styles of pizza in Chicago. In any event, I hadn't realised that there was an older, local name for this style but it seems indeed to be "pizza bread." I had heard the term used before by Frank Masi of the Italian Superior Bakery (link), though he more often just says pizz', but when I was at the bakery yesterday chatting with him, he said that that's what everybody in the neighbourhood used to call it --"pizza bread."

If you have a chance this week, check out both Graziano's and Masi's bakery, especially if you are in the mood for a brief trip back in time, both from a visual standpoint and from the standpoint of interacting with people who know and enjoy their business. The Masis' bakery is just a couple of blocks south of the Eisenhower on Western; if you want to go, I suggest calling ahead the day before and asking them to hold pizza bread and non-pizza bread for you (unless you'll be getting there really early). You might also want to special order some of their excellent cornbread, as seen and described in this thread:
Masi's Pan di Granturco/Italian Cornbread (link)

***

I was at Graziano's on Saturday and got a large piece of pecorino. Unfortunately, I can't remember the name of the producer (not Locatelli, in any event -- it began with 'M-') but it is particularly good. Cut fresh from a newly split wheel, this cheese had a nuttiness that one doesn't usually associate with Romano but rather with grana, esp. Parmigiano.

They also just got some Italian '00' flour in.

As always, a delightful visit, thanks to the very friendly treatment one receives from Jim Sr. and Jim Jr.

Antonius

Paisanna,

If making a trip to North Harlem and interested in the Mercato de Pesce across from Caputo's, keep in mind that they get fish flown in from purveyors in Europe (Italy and Greece, I believe) on Wednesdays and Saturdays. They often have wonderful things like razor clams, small scallops in the shell with the roe, and the rascasse that is used to make a true bouillabaise.

Also, I believe Masi's only has bread Wednesdays--Saturdays?

annieb wrote:Also, I believe Masi's only has bread Wednesdays--Saturdays?

Fresh bread available Thursday through Sunday. I think they'll be making taralli this coming Friday (they only make them every two or three weeks).

Thanks for the tip on the delivery schedule at the Mercato del Pesce... I must thither...

A

Antonius wrote:

annieb wrote:Also, I believe Masi's only has bread Wednesdays--Saturdays?

Fresh bread available Thursday through Sunday. I think they'll be making taralli this coming Friday (they only make them every two or three weeks).

Thanks for the tip on the delivery schedule at the Mercato del Pesce... I must thither...

A

If I stop in early friday morning I can pick up some Taralli? That's fantastic!

What time do they open?

trs23 wrote:

Antonius wrote:

annieb wrote:Also, I believe Masi's only has bread Wednesdays--Saturdays?

Fresh bread available Thursday through Sunday. I think they'll be making taralli this coming Friday (they only make them every two or three weeks).

Thanks for the tip on the delivery schedule at the Mercato del Pesce... I must thither...

A

If I stop in early friday morning I can pick up some Taralli? That's fantastic!

What time do they open?

They're open quite early, insofar as Frank is in there baking and at some point, maybe 5 or maybe 6, he unlocks the door and heads back to the oven.

About the taralli, give a call and check. Sometimes they make them on Thursday, more often on Friday, but they do it after the bread baking, so if you get there really early, they might not be done yet. The taralli they make are the lemon flavoured, slightly sweet kind.

Do call: 312.733.5092

Antonius

Antonious,

Finally made it Graziano's on Thursday and I'm wondering why it took me so long, what a great shop, Jim Sr, Jr. and MaryEllen are a real treat. Pigmon likes to talk about the holistic experience of a place, meaning the complete package including vibe. Graziano's 'vibe' resonated so strongly, I woke up this morning and made one of the recipes Jim Sr. told me about for breakfast.

In addition to pecorino, they were out of the 'Pepato' w/whole black pepper corns, provolone and green olives I bought oil cured olives. Jim, in conjunction with a funny story about a customer named Peanuts, gave me a simple snack recipe for the oil cured.

Spicy, plump Oil Cured Black Olives.

Rinse olives, pat dry.
Broil on high heat until olives plump 3X in size.
Dust, while still hot, with crushed red pepper.

Enjoy with glass of wine, pecorino, provolone or parmesan.

As I said, I made these for breakfast, along with DAmato bread, precorino and provolone. No wine. The olives took on a slight sweetness, contrasted by the sharpness of the red pepper and, due to the rinse, salt was less predominate than eating out of hand.



I really can't stress just how friendly the Graziano's were, free with bites of cheese, stories, no affectation, just nice folks who love the business they're in and people

If you're wondering about the two olive oils, both Sicilian, I tried a new olive oil this morning, Paesano. Frantoia has become hard to find, and expensive, and I'm looking for a replacement. Paesano, which is unfiltered, is in the money, plus being $7 less a bottle than Frantoia, but I need to have Paesano a few more times before commenting.

Couple of additional pictures here

Enjoy,
Gary

G Wiv wrote:Antonious,

Finally made it Graziano's on Thursday and I'm wondering why it took me so long, what a great shop, Jim Sr, Jr. and MaryEllen are a real treat. Pigmon likes to talk about the holistic experience of a place, meaning the complete package including vibe. Graziano's 'vibe' resonated so strongly, I woke up this morning and made one of the recipes Jim Sr. told me about for breakfast...

Gary:

I'm really glad you finally got there and more so that you liked it. Graziano's and the family Graziano are gems.

Greetings from the High Street Internet Shop...

A

G Wiv wrote:As I said, I made these for breakfast, along with DAmato bread, precorino and provolone. No wine.

That's a nice looking breakfast. I'll be making this soon for sure. Unfortunately petit pois is not an olive-eater, otherwise I'd cook with them much more often.

I'd say like a glass of pellegrino with lemon would be a nice wine substitute with this dish.

Best,
Michael

Gary, next time you make that early in the morning, call me and I'll bring the breakfast wine....

sempre a disposizione

Antonius wrote:Greetings from the High Street Internet Shop...

A,

How's Merry Ol'? You make it to Tubby Isaac's jellied eels yet?

Enjoy,
Gary

Choey wrote:Gary, next time you make that early in the morning, call me and I'll bring the breakfast wine....

Choey,

Sounds a plan, though I best lay in additional supplies as, by late afternoon, when we are on the 3rd or 4th bottle, we may be feeling a bit peckish.

Enjoy,
Gary

Graziano's: New Hours on Saturdays

I almost always go to Graziano's on Saturday mornings and if I can't make it there then, I've usually missed my chance for the week (and family life often makes Saturday mornings a busy time). Unfortunately, I ended up missing my chance for quite some time until this weekend. Well, lucky for me, Graziano's has extended their Saturday hours to 2 p.m., giving me a better chance at getting there when I'd like to.



This Saturday I got an especially wonderful piece of parmigiano reggiano and also a big piece of a new item, namely, a cow's milk caciotta from Umbria with little bits of black truffles in it. Very nice indeed (understatement!).



As always, a most enjoyable shopping experience (for those unfamiliar with this store, check out the o.p. and subsequent posts above).

Antonius

Antonius,

Thanks for the reminder - I've been meaning to head to Graziano's for a while now.
How much was the caciotta? I picked a small piece up from DiBruno's on a recent trip to Philly - it was sold as pecorino al tartuffo but is essentially the same thing. IIRC DiBrunos charged $39.99/lb

Thanks!

sazerac wrote:Antonius,

Thanks for the reminder - I've been meaning to head to Graziano's for a while now.
How much was the caciotta? I picked a small piece up from DiBruno's on a recent trip to Philly - it was sold as pecorino al tartuffo but is essentially the same thing. IIRC DiBrunos charged $39.99/lb

Thanks!

Ciao Sazerac,

Ah, Di Bruno's, an excellent salumeria (though in my Philadelphian period I went more often to Claudio's, just up the street)... As I mentioned in the original post above, the prices at Graziano's are lower than elsewhere -- often very significantly so -- but for the most part one needs to buy more substantial quantities of things. With the caciotta al tartufo I got there on Saturday, I think the price per pound (a whole small form weighs about a 2 pounds) is closer to $15 per pound than the $39 at Di Bruno's. Nota bene, however, that there seem to be two distinct cheeses in question here, since the one you got was a pecorino, i.e. made with sheeps' milk, whereas the Umbrian truffled cheese I got is a cows' milk cheese.

The parmigiano which I singled out for praise was more aged than most of that which one encounters in the local shops and the piece was cut from a wheel that had just been opened. Simply sublime.

Antonius

Notate bene: 'Eagle Eye' Amata caught a considerable error concerning the price of the cows' milk caciotta al tartufo in the above which I have now corrected. Note too that hey prefer to sell such small forms whole and these are about 2 lbs; the price per pound is, I believe, about $15. Give them a call concerning exact price and availablility.

312.666.4587

Antonius

Antonius,
Minor and just detail I suppose, but is the cheese you picture possibly a cow/sheep milk blend (see this link)

The one I picked up was, as you note, sheep's milk (pecorino) but a caciotta (Caciotta di Pecorino al Tartufo).
I tried googling to try and find out more about the cow vs. cow/sheep vs. sheep versions but was assaulted by hits mostly in Italian.

Grazie!

sazerac wrote:Antonius,
Minor and just detail I suppose, but is the cheese you picture possibly a cow/sheep milk blend (see this link)

The one I picked up was, as you note, sheep's milk (pecorino) but a caciotta (Caciotta di Pecorino al Tartufo).
I tried googling to try and find out more about the cow vs. cow/sheep vs. sheep versions but was assaulted by hits mostly in Italian.

Grazie!

Caro Sazerac,

Prego... No, the one I have is made just of cow's milk according to the label, though there are many caciotte made with sheeps' milk and mixtures of sheeps' and cows' milk, including -- as you indicate -- ones that are 'truffelised'. 'Caciotta' indicates a semi-soft, young or only slightly or somewhat aged cheese of mild flavour, and it can be made from various milks or mixtures thereof. I should note that that includes buffalo milk and such caciotte di bufala are produced in the Latian-Campanian border zone whence most of my family hails.

I wonder if the use of cows' milk in the one I have is an attempt to keep the truffle flavour more prominent in the final product than it might be in a sheepish context, though, I myself love sheeps' milk cheeses of all sorts and would be happy to have sheepish and 'truffly' flavours joining forces in a nice caciotta al tartufo. But the one I got at Graziano's is really quite nice as is (and quite 'truffly').

Antonius

Sazeruccio,

Silly me... I didn't follow your link which leads to a picture of the same label which I show in my picture published above. You're right: the write-up on the link claims a mixture of milks to be the basis of this caciotta but if you get out your magnifying glass, that's not what it says on the label. Just cow's milk according to that. As to taste, it doesn't taste sheepish but then again, with a mixture and the presence of those troublesome truffles (or was that tribbles?), hi doan no. Anyway, caciotta can and is made with various mixtures as well as pure measures of milk di mucca e di pecora e di bufala.

Saluti invernali (nel mezzo del cammin di questo non-inverno),
Antonius

Antonius caro dio greco,
I did peer hard at the picture you posted but the identity of the milk was not visible (earlier, not in response to your last post). In searching then for info about composition, when I came across the picture in the link I posted, I was curious about the one in your post (I don't trust pictures and text and their correspondence on webpages – especially if they are selling things*). Thanks for clarifying.

è il riscaldamento globale responsabile? ~[insert Italian for 'sigh' here]~

* Dept. of curioser and curioser - I just looked at your posted pic again and could make out that it is distributed by Forever Cheese – the webadress is also visible though a bit blurred. Looking that up, I see the description here. Again, see my parenthetical remark above. Note also that forevercheese links to sinifulvi – FWIW.

sazerac wrote:Antonius caro dio greco,
I did peer hard at the picture you posted but the identity of the milk was not visible (earlier, not in response to your last post). In searching then for info about composition, when I came across the picture in the link I posted, I was curious about the one in your post (I don't trust pictures and text and their correspondence on webpages – especially if they are selling things*). Thanks for clarifying.

è il riscaldamento globale responsabile? ~[insert Italian for 'sigh' here]~

* Dept. of curioser and curioser - I just looked at your posted pic again and could make out that it is distributed by Forever Cheese – the webadress is also visible though a bit blurred. Looking that up, I see the description here. Again, see my parenthetical remark above. Note also that forevercheese links to sinifulvi – FWIW.

Gueh Sazè'!

Something is rotten in the region of Umbria! We must get to the bottom of this. I think we should hire Cyril Wecht to oversee proper DNA analysis of the cheese and determine what animals were involved in its making. Now, who can give him a ride to the airport?

A

P.S. Nice link to sinifulvi. Grazie.

P.S.2: Dio, forse, ma piuttosto Italico.

P.S.3: Ma, pensavo io che secondo certi uomini importantissimi non esista questo cosiddetto 'riscaldamento globale'.

A2Fay and I were at Graziano's on Saturday where we got some great cured and brined olives (Kalamatas - sold by the pound out of barrels at the back) and some very fresh ricotta (Mancuso; he doesn't carry Chellino (sp?) – family historical account <snip>).
He didn't have any of the caciotta al tartufo Antonius pictured, but a different and much larger wheel that I passed on.
A delightful store and a delightful and helpful store owner – I wish he had some items in smaller quantities, but he is a wholesaler.

Really I'm posting to say that the giardiniera A2Fay picked up there was dynomite! It is hot, hot with fresh, crunchy veggies and did I say hot hot serranos – wonderfully tasty (a tad low on olives, but that's easily remedied). With the bread we picked up from D'Amatos, we're having some great sandwiches. Victoria brand giardiniera in oil (not the one in vinegar). There is also a mild version.

I went to Graziano's for the first time the other day, and I love that place now. I bought a lot of stuff-cheeses, olives, balsamic vin., pasta, dried beans, tomatoes-and it was under $15. It was exciting asking how much stuff was and hearing all the low low prices. And yes they are very nice and helpful. The owner recommended a certain whole wheat pasta(can't remember brand, imported) and said it had no grittiness to it. I didn't really believe him, but I just ate it today and it's true. Can't tell it's whole wheat at all. I mentioned LTHForum.com and the owner said "Yeah, Tony-comes in about once a month"

bnowell724 wrote:I went to Graziano's for the first time the other day, and I love that place now... It was exciting asking how much stuff was and hearing all the low low prices. And yes they are very nice and helpful.

bnowell,

I'm really glad to hear you like Graziano's so much; it is a remarkable store.

I mentioned LTHForum.com and the owner said "Yeah, Tony-comes in about once a month"

I badly need to get there this week, having missed my chance the last couple of weeks. Which reminds me, does anybody know if and when the 'taste of Randolph' event is happening this year?

An item I got at Graziano's for the first time last month was the olive oil from California that they carry. The brand is 'Cassata' and it is really a very nice oil -- grassy, lightly fruity, fresh, to use olive oil terminology. Not of the peppery sort. Quite nice.

Antonius

Taste of Randolph is this coming weekend! June 16-18.

As is my favorite Evanston fest -- Custer's Last Stand.

I love our summer festivals but man...they're always stacked on the same days!

I've got to get out to Graziano's -- everytime I read one of these posts, I literally get hungry.

Shannon

Taste of Randolph is, I regret to inform you, this weekend.

That said, I learned during my last visit to Graziano's that there'll be someone making mozzarella fresh at ToR. I'm not sure what days, though.

We really need to get to Graziano's, too.

Graziano's retail slicing and sandwich making!

Unfortunately, I've been slow in getting this up and posted but since early winter or so -- before Christmas by several weeks, for sure -- Graziano's has whatever licence and new equipment installed that one needs in order to cut meats and cheeses in whatever amounts a customer wants. In addition, they're also making very nice sandwiches with Italian cold cuts and cheeses, using D'Amato's breads; there's also one with Krakus ham. The sandwiches are well-filled and all under or just over $5 and make for an excellent quick take-out lunch.

Given that they can slice meats, the shopping rounds can now be a good bit simpler.

Jim Jr. at work on a sandwich for me:


The list of choices:


The spicy option:


Fresh mozzarella and prosciutto:


As always, they continue to serve great products at great prices and do so in a neat space with genuine friendliness. Graziano's remains one of favourite stores anywhere.

Antonius

I just had occasion to mention in response to a question in another thread that Graziano's generally has ricotta salata on hand. They also have various other imported cheeses for grating and always at relatively excellent prices. Sometimes they also have something a little out of the ordinary on hand and that was the case the other day when we were there. On this occasion they had a pecorino pepato, a pecorino cheese with whole pepper corns dried out for grating:

We made good use of it last night, grated onto to some maccheroni con melanzane:


Bon pro',
Antonius

Antonius wrote: On this occasion they had a pecorino pepato, a pecorino cheese with whole pepper corns dried out for grating:

Antonius,

A nice size wheel of pecorino pepato is currently in stock at Graziano's, really a terrific cheese.

Enjoy,
Gary