Muffaletta in Chicago?

I just returned from my first trip to New Orleans where I finally got to sample some food. I had a muffaletta from Central Grocery (OK, I had two...seperate days though) and I need to find a way to satisfy my muffaletta craving in Chicago. Any suggestions?

Pictures of my muffaletta and other treats from my New Orleans eating can be found in THIS THREAD.

Thanks in advance for your prompt suggestions, I'm slipping into a dangerous withdrawal.

Bar Louis offers one, but I don't think it's all that wonderful. It's the kind of thing easy enough to make at home after sourcing quality products.

Don't know if you want to drive all the way out to Buffalo Grove, but Berutti's Deli has a good muffaletta sandwich. No, it's not exactly the same as the one at the Central Grocery in NOLA, but it's mighty tasty and might keep you going until your next trip south.

Berutti's Deli
771 S. Buffalo Grove Rd (just north of the corner of Dundee and Buffalo Grove Roads)
Buffalo Grove, IL

Thanks for posting the photos and notes from your trip to NO!

We have been there pre-Katrina and the soft shell crab alone looks like a wonderful reason to return at the next "conference" opportunity!

In terms of local sandwich options, Fontano's offers muffolatta mix in jars at the 1058 W Polk original location (and possibly others, but I can only speak for this one) that make an italian sub approximate the real (central grocery) offering.

http://www.fontanossubs.com/

Crazy timing, I was just snacking on a Central Grocery muffaletta this past weekend as well. I added my higlights to the NO thread above.

The only decent muffaletta I know about in Chicago is from Bar Louie and Christopher is right, it's fairly average and doesn't hold a candle to Central Grocery. (As an aside, their blackened catfish po boy is very good.)

It's sad, but there is no really good muffaletta in Chicago, that I know of. And it's such a great sandwich. I go to L'Appetito and buy my own prosciutto, genoa salami, mortadella, provolone and smoked cacciocavella (sp??) - this mix of meats and cheese is my adaptation of a muffaletta that used to be available at a short-lived place in Lincoln Park may years ago. I also buy some Sicilian olives to make olive mix from, and a loaf of crusty Italian bread. I then make my own muffaletta, and I can pack it as full of stuff as I like!

r2g wrote:Pictures of my muffaletta and other treats from my New Orleans eating can be found in THIS THREAD.

R2G,

Great post and pictures, I'd try taking a bite of the soft shell crab if I hadn't just bought a new monitor.

r2g wrote:Thanks in advance for your prompt suggestions, I'm slipping into a dangerous withdrawal.

Sadly, I have to agree, no good muffalettas available in Chicago. 6-7 years ago RevrendAndy went on a hard-target search for proper muffaletta ingredients, meats and cheese were easy, any good Italian deli, Olive Salad a little harder, he ended up bringing it back from Central Grocery, proper muffaletta bread, he found impossible. Maybe RevrendAndy, even though he has moved out of the area, can offer a tip or two.

Good luck on your quest, it's right up there with finding proper Cajun Boudin in Chicago.

Enjoy,
Gary

My mom has pretty poor internet access right now (they're up in the upper peninsula of michigan again), but I know in the past she's been moderately impressed by the muffaletta at Nola's Cup in Oak Park.

I don't know if that still stands, though.

NOLA's Cup
800 S Oak Park Ave
Oak Park, IL 60304
(708) 524-1520

edit: Found where she mentioned it:

I did finally try the muffuletta at Nola's in Oak Park. My only standard of comparison is a muffuletta at the Central Grocery in NOLA--but that was probably 20 years ago. When I had the one at Nola's, I remembered that my reaction to my Central Grocery experience was it was a fine sandwich, though I preferred my Italian Special from Fontano's on Polk. It did open my eyes, however, to the joys of putting an olive salad on a sandwich.

So, back to Nola's. Fine sandwich. Bread is reasonably authentic. Meats aren't Riviera quality, but aren't Jewel either. The olive salad is GREAT--very coursely chopped and very fresh tasting. But, in what I recall is the authentic style, it comes without lettuce, tomato, or onion--all of which, especially the onion, are essential to any truly worthy sandwich. If I order it again, I'll be bold and ask for them.

Sorry, I usually carry two muffs back from the Central Grocery whenever I return from NO simply out of frustration at not being able to find anything comparable in Chi. You might try to manufacture something at Riviera, tho. Their meats are certainly comparable, altho I'm pretty sure they have nothing resembling that incomparable olive salad.

For what it's worth, the Local Shack/Local Option on Webster served muffalettas at the Map Room's International Night last week. Not as good as Central Grocery, but at least equal to Bar Louie.

gleam wrote:My mom has pretty poor internet access right now (they're up in the upper peninsula of michigan again), but I know in the past she's been moderately impressed by the muffaletta at Nola's Cup in Oak Park.

I don't know if that still stands, though.

NOLA's Cup
800 S Oak Park Ave
Oak Park, IL 60304
(708) 524-1520

edit: Found where she mentioned it:

I did finally try the muffuletta at Nola's in Oak Park. My only standard of comparison is a muffuletta at the Central Grocery in NOLA--but that was probably 20 years ago. When I had the one at Nola's, I remembered that my reaction to my Central Grocery experience was it was a fine sandwich, though I preferred my Italian Special from Fontano's on Polk. It did open my eyes, however, to the joys of putting an olive salad on a sandwich.

So, back to Nola's. Fine sandwich. Bread is reasonably authentic. Meats aren't Riviera quality, but aren't Jewel either. The olive salad is GREAT--very coursely chopped and very fresh tasting. But, in what I recall is the authentic style, it comes without lettuce, tomato, or onion--all of which, especially the onion, are essential to any truly worthy sandwich. If I order it again, I'll be bold and ask for them.

I had a muff from Nola's about a month ago. My reaction was just about as flat line as Ann's. No olives were included in my sandwich, just meat and cheese soulessly stacked on big thick hunks of bread that made eating a chore that was not compensated by taste. I have vowed never to return. Still, it's the best place for a muff in Oak Park ( ).

Hammond

Yeah, after I finally tracked down the post I realized how not impressed she was. Oh well!

Muffaletta is one of my favorite sandwiches at Encore...

Encore Liquid Lounge
171 W. Randolph St., Chicago
(same building as Hotel Allegro and Cadillac Palace Theatre)...

Not sure if it compares to what you might actually find in NO, though.

Another more common place is Alonti Deli... there are a few of these spread around the Loop.. the one I go to is in the Illinois Center at 225 N. Michigan ... another plus about this is its only $2.95.. (and it used to be slightly cheaper, Alonti just raised their pricing about a month ago). So even if its not all that authentic NO, its hard to go wrong. looking at your pictures, the bread is the same style as Alonti but their olive mix is more chopped up ...

http://www.alonti.com/cafes.asp?hd=4&id=4 for locations

Hi,

Tenuta's in Kenosha serves a variant they call the Muffo-lotta:



While in the right direction, it could certainly use a pressing to help the ingredients meld together.

Regards,

I don't know if this has changed in the post Katrina world, but Central Grocery used to be able to overnite Mufalettas anywhere in the usa. I actually did this about five years ago after a really bad craving and it worked out fine. This may be the best answer for you as I have found local versions sadly lacking.

If you'd like to attempt to make your own, I had a muffaletta at a cafe in South Bend, IN, and they use an Italian bread from Breadsmith. I'm not sure if it's called Rustic Italian or Italian Loaf, but it's round, it's the right texture/density, and it does a fine job of soaking up the olive oil dribble before it hits your chin.

I also use Boscoli Foods Italian Olive Salad, but I'm sure you can find a reasonably good olive salad--along with the Genoa salami, mortadella and ham you'll need to complete the masterpiece--at any Italian market, like Bari Foods.

Breadsmith
1710 N. Wells Street
Chicago, IL 60614
(312) 642-5858
(There are other locations in the Chicago area.)

Bari Foods
1120 W Grand Ave
Chicago, IL 60622
(312) 666-0730

crrush wrote:I also use Boscoli Foods Italian Olive Salad, but I'm sure you can find a reasonably good olive salad--along with the Genoa salami, mortadella and ham you'll need to complete the masterpiece--at any Italian market, like Bari Foods.

Another option is to get Central Grocery's olive salad. I try to pick up a jar whenever I'm down there. At about $10 for a large jar, it's a bit steep (and probably priced largely for the tourist market), but it is very good. Last time I was there you could also buy it in bulk from behind the counter, but I don't recall the price. I believe you can order it over the phone and have them ship it to you as well.

Aha, I thought I saw a Muffuletta somewhere recently...

The new California Pizza Kitchen ASAP at Washington & LaSalle has one on their menu:

New Orleans Muffuletta Sandwich - $7.49
A New Orleans classic served on our hearth baked Pane Rustico with Provolone cheese, herb-mustard Parmesan vinaigrette and a mixture of chopped olives, peppers, cauliflower and carrots.
Choose from the following:

-Classic Muffuletta - Mortadella, Capicola ham, and salami
-Roasted Turkey Muffuletta
-Tuna Salad Muffuletta

The menu picture looks good...and the sandwiches I saw being served on my one trip definitely looked good. I'm gonna have to give this a shot soon...

i've been told the cobblestone bar and grill at 514 w. pershing
(773-624-3630) is known for its muffalettas. i've been planning to check it out but havent done so yet, so this isnt a personal recommendation. my jaw dropped at the report of a muffaletta without olive salad. no way. justjoan

I am totally [happily] overwhelmed by all of the great suggestions. I can't wait to go around town and sample what Chicago has to offer in terms of muffalettas. That said, I'm not optimistic that I will find what I am looking for if I hold my New Orleans muff from Central Grocery as the gold standard.

Grabbing the key ingredients and making one myself seems the best way to go. In fact, my wife and I were going to purchase a jar of the olive salad from Central Grocery. However, our travel coincided with the banning of all liquids in carry-on luggage. The smell of oily, cured, and vinegary meats and vegetables was intoxicating wafting from the sandwich and all over the Central Grocery. Somehow neither my wife nor I thought it would be as enchanting all over our clothing, if the jar were to break in our bags.

Thanks a million to each and every one of you for your thoughtful suggestions and comments. If I win the lottery, I'll fly everyone who posted to New Orleans and the muffalettas will be on me.

I'm bringing plenty back next time!

And as another thought, when I was at a cajun restaurant in Austin once, I found a Muffaletta SALAD on the menu. It was great. A bunch of nice lettuces, lots of meat and cheese, a substantial amount of olive salad and a bit of vinegrette. Muffaletta for those watching their carbs.

well, i just tried the muffaletta at cobblestone bar and grill(thanks reneG!) in bridgeport for the first time and it was a real disappointment. it was a sizable sandwich-definitely enough for 2. i got a whole round of good looking bread (dusted with flour, somewhat crusty) cut into quarters. after a 30 minute car ride home during which i foolishly worried it might be getting soggy- no such luck. there was almost no olive salad on it. this is really annoying. why go to all that trouble and skimp on the signature ingredient???? there was a thick stack of meats- too much ham for my taste, a little salami, a little mortadella(i think), way too little cheese, melted. a quarter of the sandwich had not one smidge of olive salad. the other 3/4 had only a tiny amount all nestled at the pointy tip. it appeared homemade (i saw olives and red pepper) but was such a modest amount i cant be sure. consequently the sandwich was way too dry. while the bread looked ok, and might be alright with sufficient oily salad moistening it, it was not to be. this was a serious violation of sandwich making principles in my book, and a real shame. i've never been to new orleans but were i to go, central grocery would be a must-go stop. i doctored the sandwich with some homegrown tomatoes and bari's hot giardiniera and it was better, but not what it was supposed to be, alas, justjoan

I know nothing about the food, but I saw muffaletta on the menu posted in the window at

Rollin' to Go
910 Noyes St.
Evanston, il
847-332-1000

Think of it this way. If you get there and the sandwich is horrible, you're next door to Al's Deli where I've never gone wrong.

My understanding is that this is a retail outlet for people who have done catering from a storefront on the same block for years and who did (still do?) drive a sandwich truck around Northwestern to satisfy students late night munchie-fits.

GWiv is correct that I was on a mission for muffaletta in Chicago but I never found anything worthwhile. Building my own was not very satisfying. Many local delicacies are often imitated, never duplicated and can only be fulfilled from the source(try finding good Italian Beef outside Chicago). I believe the muffaletta to be such a creature.

However, for those of you salivating over that soft shell crab so mouth-wateringly captured in r2g's thread, here's Brigsten's recipe that was featured in a food magazine a number of years ago. It may even have been in the Tribune food section. I haven't tried the crab at his restaurant, but you will find this preparation delicious. I don't believe this is missing any secret ingredients.

Soft Shell Crab Brigsten
Soft shell crabs with pecan-meuniere sauce

2 Servings

4 teaspoons unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup toasted briefly pecans
1 tablespoon green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup seafood stock
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
6 to 8 soft-shell crabs


1. Combine the flour with 1 tsp of the seasoning. Set aside. Season the crabs lightly with the remaining seasoning mix, reserving 1/8 tsp. Dredge the crabs in the flour. Set aside. 2. Heat clarified butter in a heavy skillet. When it stops bubbling, add the crabs. Cook until golden brown on the bottom, about 4 minutes, turn and cook the second side about 3 minutes. Transfer crabs from the pan to a plate with paper towels and keep warm in an oven at 200 degrees. 3. Pour off half the remaining fat from the pan. Add 1 tsp of the unsalted butter and return to the heat. Cook until dark brown, 10 to 15 seconds, shaking the skillet. Add the pecans, green onion, garlic and 1/8 tsp of the seasoning mix. Cook for 10 seconds. Add Worcestershire, stock and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Add remaining Tbls of butter and shake the pan or stir until it is fully incorporated. 4. To serve, place 3 crabs each on 2 warm plates. Use a slotted spoon to lift pecans and green onions from the sauce and sprinkle them over crabs. Pour sauce around the crabs and serve at once.

I've always enjoyed the muffalettas at Tony's. IMO, not as good as Central Grocery but still very respectable.

http://www.tonysdeliandsubs.com/subs.html
Tony's Italian Deli
6708 N Northwest Hwy, Chicago, IL
(773) 631-0055

Well here's a pic of that CPK ASAP Muffuletta I mentioned above, courtesy of my mediocre camera phone:



I thought it was a pretty tasty sandwich, but I've never had an authentic one. The olive salad was good, but I think they went a little too heavy on it. You can see from the picture there was a layer on both the top and bottom of the sandwich. Its flavor dominated everything else. Also worth noting is that contrary to the menu description, there was no salami on my sandwich...and I couldn't find that 'herb-mustard Paremsan vinaigrette' either. Bread was above average, definitely soaking up the oil without falling apart...seemed a good match for the Muffuletta.

The muffalettas at Cobblestones Bar & Grill got a shout out in this month's Chicago Magazine. Has anyone tried one of these?

Cobblestones Bar & Grill
514 W. Pershing Rd.
Chicago, IL
773-624-3630

stevez wrote:The muffalettas at Cobblestones Bar & Grill got a shout out in this month's Chicago Magazine. Has anyone tried one of these?

I believe justjoan provided a review of Cobblestone’s earlier (Aug 23) in this thread. She accidentally referred to it as Cornerstone probably explaining why you missed it.

This is probably completely useless information now but I did have one pretty respectable muffaletta in Chicago. At the Recipe for Relief benefit last year, Susan Goss of West Town Tavern made a very nice version. Unfortunately I don’t think it’s on West Town’s menu.

Jerry's Sandwiches - 1045 W. Madison

They make a sandwich called the Nola O with housemade olive relish...order it on ciabatta or italian white, and you're in business, closest I found...especially the great olive relish.

Try Nola's Cup in Oak Park. 800 S Oak Park Ave. New Orleans style cafe with mufaletta, gumbo, beignets, etoufee and jambalaya. Great place