Northwestern Cutlery: Any way you slice it

Northwestern Cutlery: Any way you slice it

During the debate over the GNR nomination of Peoria Packing and the Maxwell Street Market, I hoped a new category would be offered to allow for all of those vital places that make Chicago’s rich culinary scene possible, in part so I could nominate Northwestern Cutlery. Plenty of stores will sharpen your knives or sell you a melon baller and other cooking whozits and kitchen whatnots, but none do it with as much Chicago style as NWC. There’s no overwrought, color-coordinated window display or cookie cutter saleperson demo-ing a pair of onion goggles as the latest foodie must-have. It’s down and dirty (ambiance in part from the ‘L’ train rumbling by), and all about the utilitarian business of cooking, whether you do it professionally or at home. Best of all, a ringside viewing of the while-you-wait sharpening service. I love nothing more than finding a knife in my stash beyond my sharpening capabilities or discovering a bargain diamond-in-the-rust blade, just so I can watch one of the craftsmen give it some TLC.

There may be a few exceptions, but where there is discussion of knives—from purchasing to sharpening to admiring—recommendation of NWC follows. Creating a comprehensive list of Northwestern Cutlery’s track record on LTHForum is like trying to compile a list of all references to pork.

Knife Master — Good Sharpening Needed
Knife care, storage and use
Knife Sharpening
knife sharpening?
Kitchen Knives for Left-handers
Show your knives
Knives
Restaurant Supply Stores
BBQ Survival Guide

Northwestern Cutlery
http://www.northwesterncutlery.net
810 W Lake St
Chicago, IL 60607-1704
(312) 421-3666

Friendly staff, excellent services, extensive inventory & low prices - Northwestern Cutlery is, in my opinion, a Great Neighborhood Resource in every sense of the word.

Our freshly-sharpened knives & gigantic new PE cutting board concur

I love NW Cutlery for all of the reasons that crrush and Khaopaat said, though I'd quibble with the lower prices bit. Their prices on some things are very low. Their prices on knifes and cookware can generally be beat by shopping around. As the name implies, though, their specialty is knives. They've offered me excellent advice on buying knives and especially on when it makes sense to get the $100+ German or Japanese knife, and when it makes sense to stick with the $25 Forschner. Plus, their knife sharpening services are the best in the city. I happily support this nomination.

HI,

This was a place I was considering nominating, though hoping someone else would. I have several ideas popping through my mind.

A big ol'thumbs up for this wonderful resource.

Regards,

While I like NW Cutlery and I'm a very good customer, it's "greatness" in my mind only seems to come out of a lack of any reasonable alternative.

It's a good resource for specific purposes, but I don't think I'd send someone there unless they had needs that would be met by NW Cutlery's specific purposes.

I like to think of a GNR as a place that I'd send someone, no matter what they needed, because they simply would be better off for the experience. I think that if I sent friends to NW Cutlery, they'd think I was a weirdo unless they specifically needed a knife sharpened or a specific piece of kitchenware.

Chicago should have 10 places just like this and it's a shame that we don't. But that alone doesn't make NW Cutlery a GNR in my book.

eatchicago wrote:While I like NW Cutlery and I'm a very good customer, it's "greatness" in my mind only seems to come out of a lack of any reasonable alternative.

It's a good resource for specific purposes, but I don't think I'd send someone there unless they had needs that would be met by NW Cutlery's specific purposes.

I like to think of a GNR as a place that I'd send someone, no matter what they needed, because they simply would be better off for the experience. I think that if I sent friends to NW Cutlery, they'd think I was a weirdo unless they specifically needed a knife sharpened or a specific piece of kitchenware.

Chicago should have 10 places just like this and it's a shame that we don't. But that alone doesn't make NW Cutlery a GNR in my book.

I'm not sure I agree with that. Would you send someone to Old Fashioned Doughnuts for anything but an apple fritter? Or to Honey One for anything but the few things they serve? Many of the restaurants we have as GNRs follow the "do one thing and do it well" principle, should the Resources be any different?

It's a shame we don't have 10 places making Country-Fried Bacon, but it's good we celebrate the one place that does make it.

eatchicago wrote:While I like NW Cutlery and I'm a very good customer, it's "greatness" in my mind only seems to come out of a lack of any reasonable alternative.

It's a good resource for specific purposes, but I don't think I'd send someone there unless they had needs that would be met by NW Cutlery's specific purposes.

I like to think of a GNR as a place that I'd send someone, no matter what they needed, because they simply would be better off for the experience. I think that if I sent friends to NW Cutlery, they'd think I was a weirdo unless they specifically needed a knife sharpened or a specific piece of kitchenware.

Chicago should have 10 places just like this and it's a shame that we don't. But that alone doesn't make NW Cutlery a GNR in my book.

First and foremost, it is a cutlery store. I cannot think of any place in the city that has as good a collection of knives (at different price points), does sharpening on site, and has as knowledgeable of a sales/service team.

If you want other professional/consumer kitchenware, this may be a good place to visit. Their selection is aimed at professionals to some extent, so their stock doesn't mimic a place like Sur La Table (for example). If you are sending that friend to NW Cutlery for a pan, then yeah, this may not be the best place. But it is a good place to include in their search.

In a sense, Chicago does have 10 places like NW Cutlery - there are many professional restaurant supply stores around town and specifically in the west loop. But I think NW Cutlery is one of the few that specializes in cutlery, and is also does a good job of bridging the needs of the professional kitchen and the home kitchen.

Llama wrote:Would you send someone to Old Fashioned Doughnuts for anything but an apple fritter?

Llama, your point is well taken, and for the record I support this nomination, but to answer you question, YES. Old Fashioned has some of the best donuts in town and while they are overshadowed by the apple fritter and its surrounding hype, I would absolutely send someone there for their chocolate and/or blueberry donuts in a heartbeat.

stevez wrote:

Llama wrote:Would you send someone to Old Fashioned Doughnuts for anything but an apple fritter?

Llama, your point is well taken, and for the record I support this nomination, but to answer you question, YES. Old Fashioned has some of the best donuts in town and while they are overshadowed by the apple fritter and its surrounding hype, I would absolutely send someone there for their chocolate and/or blueberry donuts in a heartbeat.

Agreed, but there is a valid point (or question) here that there are one-dish GNRs, so why not one-service GNResources. This does not need to be a rhetorical question; your input is valued. There was some discussion of this issue here for reference.

Llama wrote:

eatchicago wrote:While I like NW Cutlery and I'm a very good customer, it's "greatness" in my mind only seems to come out of a lack of any reasonable alternative.

It's a good resource for specific purposes, but I don't think I'd send someone there unless they had needs that would be met by NW Cutlery's specific purposes.

I like to think of a GNR as a place that I'd send someone, no matter what they needed, because they simply would be better off for the experience. I think that if I sent friends to NW Cutlery, they'd think I was a weirdo unless they specifically needed a knife sharpened or a specific piece of kitchenware.

Chicago should have 10 places just like this and it's a shame that we don't. But that alone doesn't make NW Cutlery a GNR in my book.

I'm not sure I agree with that. Would you send someone to Old Fashioned Doughnuts for anything but an apple fritter? Or to Honey One for anything but the few things they serve? Many of the restaurants we have as GNRs follow the "do one thing and do it well" principle, should the Resources be any different?

It's a shame we don't have 10 places making Country-Fried Bacon, but it's good we celebrate the one place that does make it.

You're missing my point.

I would send someone to Old Fashioned Donuts for an apple fritter even if they didn't ask for a donut. I would send them to Honey One to try a rib tip if they weren't hungry.

I would not send someone to NW Cutlery unless they needed their knives sharpened. I would not take a friend from NY who's visiting and say, "You've gotta check out this place NW Cutlery. You're gonna love it!" If I brought them there, they'd say, "nice store, but why are we here?" They would not say that about Old Fashioned or Honey 1.

This is not about "doing one thing and doing it well". I'm all in favor of those places. This is about doing something well that doesn't particularly rise above it's own utility. A good service. Nothing great.

that's all well and good, but can you buy a switchblade at Old Fashioned?

I'd agree with eatchicago's point if we were still talking about a program for Great Neighborhood Restaurants. But now that we've added Resources, I don't think it applies anymore. "Resource" implies utility more than inspiration. I don't think we can hold Resources to the same "would you send an out of towner who didn't even ask for a donut" standard.

I fall into the camp that doesn't view Northwestern Cutlery as anything special. It's a place where you get your knives sharpened. <Shrug.> It's got a good selection of knives, but if we're being honest, so does Sur La Table and Williams-Sonoma. Actually, if I'm being really honest, those two places are probably more deserving of a GNR(esource) as they're both greater cooking resources for me than Northwestern Cutlery.

Edited: On further thought, I can't say NC's selection or pricing is any better that cutlerynmore.com - that's where I usually buy my knives. Or Ebay.

aschie30 wrote:I fall into the camp that doesn't view Northwestern Cutlery as anything special. It's a place where you get your knives sharpened. <Shrug.> It's got a good selection of knives, but if we're being honest, so does Sur La Table and Williams-Sonoma. Actually, if I'm being really honest, those two places are probably more deserving of a GNR(esource) as they're both greater cooking resources for me than Northwestern Cutlery.

The big difference I see is that, when you go to Sur La Table, the staff isn't likely to know too much in-depth info about any particular product, especially from a professional perspective (not that I have a professional perspective, but someone else's is certainly appreciated when I'm in the market for knives or other kitchen implements), whereas the folks at Northwestern Cutlery seemed far more knowledgeable and willing to share what they know about their products.

Also, I was told (by a Sur La Table staffer when I called to ask some questions) the knife sharpening service at Sur La Table consists of one of the staff members running your knives through a Chef's Choice sharpener and charging $1/inch of blade, and has a 48-hour turnaround time...meanwhile, Northwestern Cutlery has a dedicated guy doing nothing but getting knives frighteningly sharp using a grinding stone, charges a flat $4/knife, and sharpens them while you (and a bunch of culinary students, and maybe the occasional chef) wait.

Khaopaat wrote:

aschie30 wrote:I fall into the camp that doesn't view Northwestern Cutlery as anything special. It's a place where you get your knives sharpened. <Shrug.> It's got a good selection of knives, but if we're being honest, so does Sur La Table and Williams-Sonoma. Actually, if I'm being really honest, those two places are probably more deserving of a GNR(esource) as they're both greater cooking resources for me than Northwestern Cutlery.

The big difference I see is that, when you go to Sur La Table, the staff isn't likely to know too much in-depth info about any particular product, especially from a professional perspective (not that I have a professional perspective, but someone else's is certainly appreciated when I'm in the market for knives or other kitchen implements), whereas the folks at Northwestern Cutlery seemed far more knowledgeable and willing to share what they know about their products.

Also, I was told (by a Sur La Table staffer when I called to ask some questions) the knife sharpening service at Sur La Table consists of one of the staff members running your knives through a Chef's Choice sharpener and charging $1/inch of blade, and has a 48-hour turnaround time...meanwhile, Northwestern Cutlery has a dedicated guy doing nothing but getting knives frighteningly sharp using a grinding stone, charges a flat $4/knife, and sharpens them while you (and a bunch of culinary students, and maybe the occasional chef) wait.

Again, just because the competition does a crappy job, it doesn't make you very special in my book.

Kennyz wrote:I'd agree with eatchicago's point if we were still talking about a program for Great Neighborhood Restaurants. But now that we've added Resources, I don't think it applies anymore. "Resource" implies utility more than inspiration. I don't think we can hold Resources to the same "would you send an out of towner who didn't even ask for a donut" standard.

So, a food-related store that proves good utility is "great" and deserves an award? Too broad by a mile. By this definition/interpretation the new "resources" standard stands to significantly water down the GNR designation.

I believe a GNR, restaurant or resource, should be a place that rises to the level of the "out of town visitor" test. I think Super H Mart is a more compelling resource than NW Cutlery (which miserably fails my "out of town visitor" test) for a GNR nominee, and I think H Mart fails the test as well.

aschie30 wrote:I fall into the camp that doesn't view Northwestern Cutlery as anything special. It's a place where you get your knives sharpened. <Shrug.> It's got a good selection of knives, but if we're being honest, so does Sur La Table and Williams-Sonoma. Actually, if I'm being really honest, those two places are probably more deserving of a GNR(esource) as they're both greater cooking resources for me than Northwestern Cutlery.

Edited: On further thought, I can't say NC's selection or pricing is any better that cutlerynmore.com - that's where I usually buy my knives. Or Ebay.

I guess Amazon.com should get a GNR also.

eatchicago wrote:I believe a GNR, restaurant or resource, should be a place that rises to the level of the "out of town visitor" test.

Not only have I recommended Northwestern Cutlery to out of town visitors I have taken them there myself. I've also suggested friends in other cities ship knives to NWC for sharpening.

Northwestern Cutlery is one of my happy places, I go in to have a few knives hand sharpened for $4/per and end up spending an hour eying All-Clad, Le Creuset, various peelers, micro planes and checking heft, balance, feel in various brands and types within brands of knives. I enjoy asking knife specific questions at Northwestern Cutlery as they get answered, not deflected.

I've been a Northwestern Cutlery customer for 20 plus years and very much support this nomination.

Enjoy,
Gary

eatchicago wrote:I believe a GNR, restaurant or resource, should be a place that rises to the level of the "out of town visitor" test.

I hear your point, but NWC passes this test in my book--I've taken plenty of visiting friends and family to NWC as part of my version of the Chicago's Best tour. My mom carted knives all the way from Maine just to have 'em sharpened there.

eatchicago wrote:I like to think of a GNR as a place that I'd send someone, no matter what they needed, because they simply would be better off for the experience.

I think NWC also passes this test--but maybe I'm weird like that. Watching those guys sharpen knives is mesmerizing. It would be like watching Burt make a pie, or Homaro vaporize something, or a cannoli being filled at Pasticceria Natalina. That alone doesn't a GNR make, I realize, but NWC is also a unique and vital culinary resource in Chicago. Maybe it's a little over-dramatic to say that the style of sharpening service at NWC is a dying art, but it's certainly uncommon and...IMO...Great.

Thumbs up for NW cutlery!
They do a great job of sharpening knives, yes.
But, they also have all kinds of cook kitchen gadgets and baking supplies. Frankly, I wish they didn't, since instead of walking out of there having spent $8 on knife sharpening, I leave having spent, say, $58 because I had to get another microplane grater or a bigger Silpat. The staff is very helpful as well. And it has sort of an underground, 'those in the know' vibe. I support this nomination.

Knives Sharpened While You Wait


A craftsman at work.

stevez wrote:A craftsman at work.

Compare him to those other guys' dedicated, on-staff knife sharpener:

They can't hold a candle to NWC.

Well, if the "pat them on the back party" is going to continue, I'm not going to sit idly by.

You see a craftsman, I see a laborer. They do a good job sharpening knives, but it wouldn't take long to train anybody with a pair of hands and brain to do the same thing with the right equipment.

My dad had a stone he could sharpen with in the back of his shop. He would sharpen knives for himself and his friends and he did a darn good job. He taught me how to do it at the age of 9. It took one afternoon to get it right and I didn't ruin a single knife. I was pretty good at it.

I like what they do, they're good at it, but it doesn't impress me. They just happen to be the only game in town, and that's sad. But I'm not going to pin a medal on them for being in business.

eatchicago wrote:My dad had a stone he could sharpen with in the back of his shop. He would sharpen knives for himself and his friends and he did a darn good job. He taught me how to do it at the age of 9. It took one afternoon to get it right and I didn't ruin a single knife. I was pretty good at it.

FWIW, my grandpa had one in his shed. I recall him sharpening knives all the time, but never recall him enrolling in any sort of apprenticeship to learn how to do so. As kids we would hand crank the wheel as fast as we could, while he sharpened. Good times for kids with no malls within an hour.

My feeling is that any city that has real chefs has places like NWC; it's there to serve a ready-made market. How many does NY have that have probably been around since the time Mollie Ann opened her tavern in the Bowery? Anyway, as I've intimated earlier, rewarding a place because it sharpens knives seems a little provincial and I mean that in the most polite way possible.

aschie30 wrote:My feeling is that any city that has real chefs has places like NWC; it's there to serve a ready-made market.

I'm betting that most chefs or good restaurants have a good sharpening machine in the kitchen and do it themselves. Faster, cheaper, and a pro needs sharp knives all the time. Hopefully someone who has pro kitchen experience can speak to this.

eatchicago wrote:

aschie30 wrote:My feeling is that any city that has real chefs has places like NWC; it's there to serve a ready-made market.

I'm betting that most chefs or good restaurants have a good sharpening machine in the kitchen and do it themselves. Faster, cheaper, and a pro needs sharp knives all the time. Hopefully someone who has pro kitchen experience can speak to this.

many places where I worked/cooked had a knife service that would come in each week, change out the dull knives, leaving us sharp ones in their place.. During the interim when a knife dulled during the week, we sharpened our own.

I was wavering on this one until I flushed out my thoughts with a fellow LTHer the other day. I think it's true that a GNR shouldn't be awarded because a nominated destination is alone or without much competition. If Northwestern Cutlery was only about sharpening knives I don't think it would cut the mustard. But because of its wide selection of knives and related accessories, with the ability to feel and swipe and hold, I think this makes the nomination like cutting butter with a hot, um... well you know.

They have a staff that is knowledgeable. They have items that you will not easily find elsewhere, save the Internet. As an amateur cook when I'm plopping down what I consider to be a fair amount of money for a new knife, one that I'll undoubtedly use daily for many years to come, I want to test drive it as much as possible. I don't think this is done as easily at one of the other stores previously mentioned.

I think the cutlery selection, in addition to the sharpening services and kitchen items, make this worthy of recognition.

jimswside wrote:many places where I worked/cooked had a knife service that would come in each week, change out the dull knives, leaving us sharp ones in their place.

There are a number of professional knife sharpening service available to restaurants, butcher shops and meat processing houses, Cozzini being one of the largest. The come in pick up the dull knives and leave a batch of sharp knives, it is a constant rotation.

The difference between a service such as Cozzini, which fills an important niche in the food service world, is industrial vs artisan. When Cozzini sharpens a knife they blast it on a machine that cuts a new/fresh angle into the knife removing quite a bit of metal, especially in comparison to Northwestern Cutlery hand process. Knives sharpened in this fashion are utility, disposable, and only last x number of sharpenings.

No thinking person would take a medium or top quality kitchen knife to Cozzini, at least not twice.

Enjoy,
Gary

This place is up for renewal of its GNR. Please post your comments here until 10/10/11.

Northwestern is my go-to spot for knife sharpening and knife purchasing (they've talked me out of more expensive knives and in to cheaper ones they prefer). They've also got a well-curated collection of kitchen gear and gadgets - while not as overwhelming in variety as your average restaurant supply warehouse, everything is high-quality and carefully selected. Just yesterday I dropped off the blade to my Hobart 1612 deli slicer - my only concern about it's return is that it'll be too sharp to handle and remount to the slicer chassis without harming myself.

I fully support Northwestern Cutlery's continued standing as a GNR.

-Dan

I don't take my knives anywhere else. And I try to time my sharpenings with lunchtime: drop off knives, lunch at Cafe Central (or elsewhere), pick 'em up.