I stopped in yesterday for lunch. The apple cider braised pork shoulder sandwich on a potato roll was insanely good. You could tatse both the cider and the pork and it was cooked to perfection. A real deal for $10 including a drink and chips.

While eating we watched Rob breaking down a primal of beef. He was workin on the short ribs as we ate. Of course seeing them come off the band saw I had to have some. So, after finishing I picked out a few nice ones. The guy helping me explained that they came from a Dietzler Farms animal and that I was lucky to be there because they'd likely sell out by the end of the day. I also inquired about marrow bones and he brought out a whole femur and cut it up for me.

I'm planning a feast this wekend obviously.

I'll admit I'm new to the independant butcher scene that has been popping up in Chicago over the past couple years. But the Butcher & Larder looks like a very neat place. Is this a place that one can use as their go-to butcher for everyday cooking needs? Or is it best to call ahead to see if they have what you're looking for first? Also, how much more expensive is the average cut compared to the local Whole Foods, for example? Thanks!

My sense is that they get a couple of whole animals at the start of the week (lamb, beef, pork, chicken) and will sell you whatever cut you like provided they have it in stock. For now, while they're still starting up, it seems like they go through animals pretty quickly - once they can better anticipate demand, I'm assuming their inventory will increase on a week to week basis. They don't take any reservations but could probably special order anything you want.

I'd say the price is cheaper than Whole Foods if not the same price. B&L will have a wider variety of options (never seen beef heart at WF) but, again, maybe not as much in stock. In a lot of the pre-opening press, Rob seemed determined to introduce Chicago to the flap steak - an uncommon cut that seems on par with a flank or skirt steak, but cheaper. If you walk in looking for something specific and they're out, I'm sure Rob will find something else to meet your needs.

The store is pretty active on facebook and twitter, so that's one way to keep tabs on what's coming in. For example, here's something to look forward to:

Also in the line up for the near future: steak and kidney hand pies, mortadella, toulouse sausage and...porchetta...

http://twitter.com/butcherlarder

Like you said, too, it never hurts to call ahead.

thaiobsessed wrote:I roasted the chicken I got on Monday per the Zuni cafe recipe with bread salad. It was really an outstanding chicken.

That's such a beautiful chicken I almost feel bad wanting to see the bread salad too.

Zuni chicken and bread salad is one of my favorite meals.

G Wiv wrote:That's such a beautiful chicken I almost feel bad wanting to see the bread salad too.

Thanks Gary, here's a bread salad pic...

G Wiv wrote:Zuni chicken and bread salad is one of my favorite meals.

Mine too. And leftover bread salad makes a great breakfast.

Thanks for your response danimalarkey.

Well, this morning while out running errands I decided to stop into the Butcher & Larder to take a look and see if they had some beef chuck for a chili that I'm making tonight for dinner. Ok, so beef chuck isn't as "foodie" as beef tounge or whatever but I figured if they didn't have it I was on my way to the LP Whole Foods anyway.

I found it ok, even though the store is pretty non-discript. There is free parking all over the place. I walked in around 1130 to find maybe one customer and 4 people working behind the counter. I asked the lady working there if they had two lbs. of beef chuck and she kind of chuckled a little bit, which I couldn't interprete as either 1) we don't carry that or 2) we don't have any right now. After a "Um, ok..." the man butchering something behind her and said "we JUST ran out of it." So I said thanks and I'll come back another time to which I got a "bye" from the gal working the desk.

Maybe I'm reading way too far into it, but it noone there struck me as very polite...

Anyway, it looks like a nice place and a good spot to call ahead and see if they carry what your looking for before you drive too far to get something. Thankfully Whole Foods is nearby if B&L's stock is low. But if they want to become the butcher of choice for local consumers, they are going to have to carry more inventory?

A friend got some pastrami and a beef spleen (the spleen probably will be for the dog). He mentioned that the pastrami was $20 a lb. That seems a bit high to me. How is that compared to places like Manny's or Kaufman's?

P. Channon wrote:Well, this morning while out running errands I decided to stop into the Butcher & Larder to take a look and see if they had some beef chuck for a chili that I'm making tonight for dinner. Ok, so beef chuck isn't as "foodie" as beef tounge or whatever but I figured if they didn't have it I was on my way to the LP Whole Foods anyway.

But "foodie" is about seeking out the local shop and buying local product! Even if B&L didn't have what you were looking for, there's always next time.

During my (one) visit, I did notice that the staff, while terribly enthusiastic, was not uniformly educated about different cuts. Rob knows what he's talking about (and has a pretty bad-ass tool belt I've seen in a long time) and his sous, too, but I suspect the other staff are still learning. The idea of opening a butcher shop these days is pretty daunting and I won't fault them for dipping their toes in instead of risking a big 'ole belly flop. I'd suggest going early in the week (Wednesday or Thursday) if there's something specific you're looking for.

Butcher & Larder keeps a blog, too, and I'll quote liberally here, if only to demonstrate their complete sincerity and enthusiasm:

I have been talking for some time about my desire to be the friendly neighborhood butcher. I went on about getting people to understand our mission to cut and sell the whole animal, not just the obvious parts. But there is so much more than that going on behind our counter. I told a customer today that while we take our work very seriously, it is a great feeling to be able to have fun again! We aren’t constricted by a menu concept or concerned with having enough variety to please everyone from discerning foodie-types (both positive and negative connotations) to the vegans that “sometimes cheat a bit with bacon.” We plan on making sloppy joes for Wednesday’s hot sandwich and porchetta sandwiches with fennel pickles and arugula for the cold option. They are kind of diametrically opposed, but both things we love to eat. The staff and I look at both options with the same reverence (read: giggly drool), so why not serve them both?

This is what I look forward to the most.

It was a bumpy road, paved with natural progression that got me here and I am anxious to get settled. I am anxious to meet my neighbors and greet old friends. I have gone on about selling my public some things they may not recognize, but if it is a pork chop you want, I’m proud to say mine are the best and I’ll eagerly talk to you about cooking it or anything else in the case. If today was any indication the public likes to see a guy and his crew working hard and having fun. And why not? What could be more inspiring than a bunch of goofballs laughing, picking on each other like siblings, singing (poorly and often with air guitar) who happen to know a lot about meat, and how to cook it?

http://butchergrip.blogspot.com/

ETA: A picture of said tool belt, courtesy of The Feast --

leek wrote:A friend got some pastrami and a beef spleen (the spleen probably will be for the dog). He mentioned that the pastrami was $20 a lb. That seems a bit high to me. How is that compared to places like Manny's or Kaufman's?

Not sure of of the price of corned beef at Butcher and Larder, but one to one price comparison with Kaufman's/Manny's seems mostly moot. B & L is an artisanal product with specific small farmer provenance. Can't comment on taste as I have not tried B & L pastrami, but I'm guessing damn good.

P. Channon wrote:Maybe I'm reading way too far into it, but it noone there struck me as very polite...

~snip~ they are going to have to carry more inventory?

Rob and Allison Levitt have always struck me as extraordinarily polite, their staff as well. B & L is a small shop, new venture, lots of work involving sharp knives and band saws. You might have misinterpreted attention to detail/concentration for impolite.

Far as stocking every cut of meat, B & L gets in whole animals which only have so many parts. If you want something specific for a dinner party call in advance.

One of the benefits of Butcher Rob breaking down whole animals in plain sight of customers is we can ask questions and purchase different interesting cuts. I was at B & L yesterday picking up beef heart and Rob had half a fairly large animal on the table. I wasn't quite sure what it was, turns out it was Ram, I never had Ram before so I bought Ram chops to grill for a quick week night dinner.

Butcher and Larder, count me a fan.

Enjoy,
Gary

danimalarkey & G Wiv,

Thanks for your responses. Please don't get me wrong, I'll be heading back! But next time after calling ahead.

GWiv, let us know how the Ram is!

If beef chuck isn't "foodie" then I think a large number of posts on this board should be removed.

Beef chuck is perhaps the most popular cut of beef for braising. A lot of "foodies" would go pretty hungry if they were deprived of braised beef.

Perhaps the lady was laughing because they just ran out of chuck? It's hard to imagine someone who's philosophy is "whole animal cookery" scoffing at using one of the largest parts of the animal.

gotta say im intrigued by B & L. Mostly interested in their cured meats, etc. vs. straight up pork and beef.

A side note, at least at the butchers I frequent, it isnt uncommon for the establishment to bring in one or two local pigs per week, and sell them rooter to tooter. I know if I want spare ribs, pork belly, or some of the popular cuts I have to call early in the week to reserve them, otherwise I am s.o.l. Also the places I go to cut their meat to order, steaks not by the pound but by "how thick" you want them. So these things are not unique to B & L.

With the above said I am happy to see folks excited about going to a real butcher shop vs Whole Foods, Costco, Jewels, etc. for their meat needs.

jimswside wrote:So these things are not unique to B & L..

I did not mean to imply it was unique. B & L most certainly did not 'invent' the idea of bringing in whole animals to butcher, if memory serves it was a fellow named Morg in 2387 BC.

G Wiv wrote:

jimswside wrote:So these things are not unique to B & L..

I did not mean to imply it was unique. B & L most certainly did not 'invent' the idea of bringing in whole animals to butcher, if memory serves it was a fellow named Morg in 2387 BC.

I was just replying to some upthread posts where folks thought it was something different to have a butcher cut steaks by thickness not weight, and the idea a butcher could run out of items as they only process a certain number of animals a week.

I hope to get to B & L in the next few days.

P. Channon wrote:GWiv, let us know how the Ram is!

Ram chops were surprisingly mild, I was hoping for a hint of mutton, flavor was on par with mild American lamb. Chewy not tough, but enough so that my next ram purchase will be a braise centric cut.

Ram chops w/garlic, lemon peel and Zatar rub.



Grilled with lump charcoal on Big Green Egg

G Wiv:

Thanks for posting a follow up...looks great! Certainly inspires me to be more adventurous in my meat selections.

danimalarkey wrote:ETA: A picture of said tool belt, courtesy of The Feast --

Much as I like the idea of a knife holster for a chef, the sight of those knives touching sheet metal is like nails on a chalkboard to me.

Katie wrote:

danimalarkey wrote:ETA: A picture of said tool belt, courtesy of The Feast --

Much as I like the idea of a knife holster for a chef, the sight of those knives touching sheet metal is like nails on a chalkboard to me.

no doubt. but you need something you can sanitize daily, and you're already going to be sharpening your knives on a weekly basis, so it's not likely to cause much trouble aside from clatter.

Finally made my first trip to The Butcher & Larder earlier this week . . .


The Butcher & Larder - 1026 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago



FYI



Rob Levitt; running the show



The daily offerings



What's in the case? A nice assortment



Rob continues the butchering...



2 pounds of some damn nice-looking ground beef, purchased by the customer who came in before me



Back at home, I prep my purchase...a gigantic, bone-in ribeye from Dietzler Farms



Blizzard, schmizzard...



Seasoned and ready to go. 1 minute on each side over the open coals and 4 minutes on the indirect side, covered



Medium-Rare Ribeye (andouille in background brought by a very good friend from Louisiana)

This steak was really delicious. On first sight, I was thrilled with the marbling and it turned out to be a very representative sign. There was great depth of flavor here and lots of juiciness, too. It was one of the best steaks I've had in a long time. I also bought some chicken liver mousse (sensational, just like Rob used to make at Mado) and some testa, which I still haven't tried. I'm really excited to have this excellent resource available and look forward to stopping by regularly.

=R=

I (along with just about everyone I know, it seems) dropped in yesterday and brought home some beautiful jalapeno/cheese curd brats and a nice slice of country pate for about $11.00, which seemed reasonable. I asked Rob about meaty beef shank bones for soup and he thought about it for a minute and suggested I call ahead so he could be sure to have them for me. Everyone there was really, really nice and it smelled fantastic. I wish my house smelled like that!

Also, Rob just tweeted the following (sorry, too lazy to do a screen cap at the moment):

"Attention Chef-types: I have a LOT of pork and beef bones and rendered beef fat. Terms are negotiable."

It seems as though someone on this board would be interested, so I thought I'd share.

We've made several happy trips to B&L so far, enjoying testa, pate, pork chops, pork sausages, chickens, and the various soups and sandwiches. Such a lovely place! I'm excited to get some pork bones from them to try making Momofuko Ramen. Yesterday our dinner was NYTimes quick (4 hours) duck confit, which we did with some beautiful legs Rob ordered for us and butchered when we arrived to pick them up. We amused ourselves wondering what great things he'll get up to with the rest of the duck; we amused our palates with the confit, which we though was made awesome by the quality of the duck meat (which was a beautiful, vibrant, dark maroon, unlike any I've seen before).

The Butcher & Larder
1026 North Milwaukee Avenue
Chicago, IL 60642
773-687-8280

This past weekend I made the short trip west from downtown to visit the Butcher & Larder to pick up something for an appetizer for a dinner party we were hosting that night. I learned from my last visit that other than the shop's twitter page, there really isn't a "menu" of items. In fact, the shop seems to get a few whole animals a week and then butchers them on a first-come-first-serve basis until the animal is gone, so I think its best to just show up once and a while and see what's available and fresh.

The shop itself is pretty low-key with not much except for a small window full of ready to go products and a long counter and 3 people working, including Rob who was there working on a large piece of meat behind the counter. In addition to being a butcher, B&L also offers a few daily lunch specials. When I was there their hot sandwich was a sloppy joe, cold sandwich was chicken salad (both about $8), and they also were selling quarts of homemade chili for $16.

When I was there I spotted one of the daily specials, a jalapeno cheese curd brat:


I ended up cooking them for lunch. Very flavorful, they had a subtle jalapeno flavor, a few cheese curds, and a hearty brat texture. Great stuff and not too expensive at roughly $2.50 each.


For our dinner party, I bought three links of B&L's "house" sausage. I served them on a platter with some simple mustard. To be perfectly honest I forgot to ask what was in them, but they were very good and went quickly during our cocktail hour.

When waiting in line, I spotted a few different pates in the display glass and had to try some. Below is a small slice of the very rich and creamy "country" pate. This was just outstanding, and something I can see myself stopping in for and buying by the pound. I served it with some light toast.



Overall, the Butcher & Larder is a big winner in my book. I love that all the animals come from local farms, and the freshness of the meat really shows through in their offerings. I expected the shop to be expensive, but it really was pretty reasonable. I will certainly be back!

Re: service.

I have shopped more than once at B&L, and will continue to shop at B&L. Mado was my favorite restaurant in Chicago. I've had nice, congenial and interesting conversations with Rob. I am a huge proponent of this business.

But the service can be a little weird! Once when it was only Rob working the counter, I was the only customer in the store and got great service. Chatted a bit, got some great meat.

Second time I went in with my wife. We were the only customers in the store. Four folks (including Rob) were behind the counter carving up meat. For an awkward minute we stood there expecting someone to come up when those working were finished with what they were doing. After a bit someone told us to holler if we had questions. Weird question in a shop with one tiny display case. Nope, no questions, but I would like to buy some meat and can't do it without your help! So the employee finally came up and took care of us. But it was surreal for a spell there. The meat was, again, great. Love the pates here.

This comment is noteworthy not as a complaint by me as I am among those diehards who will continue to shop here hell or high water. But those newcomers who might be on the fence about returning to B&L after an initial visit (or who might have no patience for the randomness of a nose to tail butcher -- i.e., the decent chance that on any given day there's no bacon in the case) could be turned off by the experience and not return.

Still, a great place which that part of Chicago desperately needed.

60654 wrote:Second time I went in with my wife. We were the only customers in the store. Four folks (including Rob) were behind the counter carving up meat. For an awkward minute we stood there expecting someone to come up when those working were finished with what they were doing. After a bit someone told us to holler if we had questions.

I wish they would put up a sign or something saying something to that effect, because in my several visits there, I've noticed that -- keeping in mind that this is a working butcher shop -- the staff (Rob included) is so intensely focused on what they're doing, that it's not that I think they don't notice you, but they have to pull away from what they're doing to help. If there's a steady stream of customers then it's never an issue, because Rob's already at the counter. If I'm alone, I will usually just say hi, then look in the case, decide what I want, and then politely say, "let me know when you're ready," to signal that I'm ready to order. A bit unorthodox, but not unusual, as a lot of places have developed customs for ordering (Bari comes to mind).

I was there today - lots of people getting steaks for V-Day I heard them say they were out of some cut of steak because of the holiday.

It seemed like everyone behind the counter was busy, in a good way. But it looked like they aren't set up very efficiently - there isn't much of a space for wrapping things up. One person could be there, but there were 2 or more at the counter at any one time, and they were under each other's hands and feet.

I got a whole chicken and some toulouse sausage (very very garlicky smelling - nom nom nom!). I think the quoted prices include tax, unless the woman who served me didn't hit the tax button. If that is the case, the chicken (Gunthorp Farms, I think?) was right around the same price as the Organic, Free Range chicken from Trader Joe's, which I suppose would be a semi-comparable item. Except not local, cryo-vac-ed, anonymous, etc.

It was confusing - how to order, what was available, where to stand. It might help if they put big blackboards up on a wall, and list the sodas, etc there too (or just painted that chalkboard paint on a section of wall). It was very crowded around the counter, and people were having a hard time seeing the different options on the small black boards, the soda, what was in the case, keeping track of who was in line where, etc. Luckily, none of the customers got out of sorts or huffy, and the staff all seemed in a good mood, if a little bit frazzled by the crowds.

I was in yesterday afternoon and was the only customer in the shop for a good 20 minutes, so I got very prompt and attentive service. In fact, I have only been in there on a weekend once and, while it was bustling, didn't notice any service difficulties or confusion amongst the other customers. Of course, the smell in the shop is rather hypnotic so maybe I'm just automatically lulled into a blissful state when I walk in the door.

I picked up some wonderful Chicken Liver Mousse, a good size serving for just under $3.00 and a nice slice of a pate grand-mere for just under $2.00. I had actually inquired about braunschweiger, which I heard they had earlier this week, but they were out. Rob suggested the grand-mere as something I might enjoy if I liked braunschweiger and he was right, it's really terrific! I've noticed this every time I've been in - Rob is really amazingly helpful with suggestions.

I also picked up some of the beautiful ground beef that Ronnie posted photos of upthread. Since I've seen that pic, I've had hamburgers on the brain! Rob didn't have any ready, but was happy to grind some fresh for me, which I very much appreciated. I picked up some boneless chicken breasts for the picky eater too, at the last second. It looks beautiful, but, literally, doubled our bill, from $11.00 to $22.00. However, for the quality, I think the prices are really very reasonable and I'm happy to pay them. With a resource like Butcher and Larder so readily available, you can be sure that I'll think twice before purchasing meat from a supermarket again.

I bought some amazing Dietzler Farms marrow bone last week. Rob cut the whole femor on the ban saw for me. May, I'm so glad this place is open. You can get some great stuff. Sure, it might not be right in the case. But just ask. You never know what great stuff they have in the walkin.

Just got back from a trip to The Butcher and The Larder where I ran into G WIV. Birds of a feather I suppose.

Nice to finally meat you in person Gary.

JLenart wrote:Nice to finally meat you in person Gary.

Nice to meet you as well, it apears B & L is going to be one of those places to run into LTHers. How was your pork chop, it looked like a movie star in the store.

My B & L bacon went into a Valentines Day dinner of BBQ Shrimp, New Orleans style, B & L chicken liver pate, same as it was at Mado, as appetizer. Not sure if it made a difference, but all they had left was bacon ends, which was fine for my application, but when I opened the package the smell of smoke was almost overpowering. I was apprehensive the bacon might have a slightly bitter creosote edge.

Not to worry, Oscar performance as supporting character for BBQ shrimp, but ever so slightly smokey for my taste in bacon. But, as I mentioned, these were ends which took on a lot of smoke. Hope to get to B & L in the next few days for bacon from the next batch to compare and contrast.

Enjoy,
Gary

Kind of as a joke, about a month ago I asked Rob to reserve a beef heart for Valentine's Day. When I went in on Sunday, he trimmed it and, after talking through the process, he suggested confit-ing the heart in non-beef lipid and then warming it on the grill.

Skeptical of making heart delicious at home, this method made it nearly fool proof (despite all of this until bite one, I was still nervous). I cooked the heart in a vacuum bag with bacon fat, garlic, bay, and rosemary overnight in a waterbath in the oven. After chilling it until dinner, I grilled it for a few minutes on each side and let it rest.

The heart was really excellent. Some char on the edges and really tender overall, but the thing that I noticed was the beefiness of the heart.