Every now and again the husband and I go on a meat bender: beef salad, steak tacos, pork chops, chicken thighs, and burgers within a span of time much too short to be healthy. This weekend was like that, but with sausage. Lots and lots of sausage.
Saturday night at a friend’s house, we were treated to an astounding pile of grilled sausages. Truly delicious were the house-made garlic veal and shitaake-leek pork sausages from August, a sweet little grocer on the edge of Wicker Park. And it wouldn’t be a Chicago grill fest without something from Paulina Meat Market, a venerable German butcher where it’s all meat, all day. Traditional bratwursts and *new* trendy sundried tomato sausages. Thank you, barnyard.
Earlier that day I’d picked up a sandwich for the husband at Bari. Being Labor Day weekend, their coils of fresh sausage (hot or sweet) were completely sold out. The man in line ahead of me had called in his order, which appeared to be at least 10 pounds of encased goodness, not to mention substantial packages of pork chops and ribs. When I asked him what time to come over for dinner, he didn’t laugh. Ah well, uptight meat man, more cholesterol for you.
Also consumed this weekend were spicy garlic Italian links from Serrelli’s, one of several hotly contested purveyors of the best Chicago-style Italian beef (must say, I prefer theirs to Buona, Al’s #1, or Mr Beef). I’d never tried their house-made sausage, which I received in payment for babysitting a friend’s kids. Nice work if you can get it: fresh sausage, perfectly spicy, no giardinara needed.
At least the husband and I are back on the gym track. I see a week of salads on the horizon.