T's Turkey Sandwich

--Tailgatin' and how to make mofos start playa hatin' (Recipes)

I make a handful of trips a year to the Vienna Beef Factory Store which also has a cafe for both of it's employees and also public to enjoy lunch. Of late they've always had a special at the deli counter on their turkey pastrami meat for $3/lb. So I've been buying it each trip in. I came up with a sandwich recipe that fit's perfectly with the pepper crusted turkey meat and would like to share the simple recipe with you here today. No exact measurements because you don't need them. You just need to know a good portion size and how to toast bread on a flattop.

The Vienna Beef Factory Cafe 

What You Will Need

1 lb Turkey Pastrami
1 Package of Rye Bread
1 Tomato, sliced
1 Red Onion, sliced
12 slices Swiss Cheese
Yellow Mustard of Choice
Butter
Bacon (optional)

The toasting process is simple. Serve with chips, fries or tator tots

The first step is cooking the sliced red onion in a pan with butter until nice and browned. The butter is the key here folks, don't skip this step. The building of the sandwich is simple. Put the cheese on both the top and bottom. The onions go on the top followed by the tomato and then the turkey meat. Smother the top half with mustard and spread butter on both the top and bottom bun. Cook on a buttered flattop until golden and slice in half. Always hits the spot.

The insides

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See ya next time @chibbqking

Turkey Club Crawl

 -Grubbing in Chicago
Where can I get a good Club?

Some things are just always better when someone else makes them for you. That's the case with me and Turkey Club Sandwiches. OK well maybe once a year the day after thanksgiving I can make one that's great but other than that I'm not cooking turkey all that often. I cant stand the places that use lunch deli meat instead of fresh sliced breast and over the last couple years made it a point to find a serviceable turkey club, these are my findings.
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Palace Grill

 Longtime locals favorite near the United Center

The Palace Grill on Madison Street has been serving Chicago's hungry since 1938. It's also housed in a cool old school building and has a dope neon sign. This place is a popular stop for Blackhawks and Bulls fans headed to the game and also city workers and anyone who lives near there. They serve a respectable club but not one to make me come directly back when the taste for one comes. But good enough to get it again when I find myself there.

Turkey Club from Palace Grill

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RJ Grunts

I hadnt been to RJ Grunts in god knows how long leading up to last year. But my lady friend happens to live near there so I've been in a couple times since we met. I like Grunt's. I know it's nothing special and they started the salad bar trend which some cant stand. Others love it. But I dont care about it either way. I just like the fact there's a Lincoln Park place that remains that was there before I was. That said they're Club was how I found others things I've ate there of late. Good in some aspects but lacking in others. The turkey was top notch and the bacon good too but where was the middle piece of bread? That and a lack of toast on the two pieces it came with prevented it from being the best.

 Turkey Club from RJ Grunts

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Melrose Restaurant

The old school Greek diners are fading in our city and even faster go the ones that stay open into the evening. The Melrose over on Broadway is a place I've never dined inside at but I did stop in for a club sandwich to go one night when riding by and I was pleasantly surprised. There are three things I judge a good turkey club by and the most important is the turkey itself. Here they had the real stuff, cut thicker which I like. My other two needs of an actual triple decker sandwich with crispy bacon were also met. I liked the thick cut Greek diner style fries too.

Very Respectable

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 Golden Apple

 Longtime locals favorite in Lakeview

The Golden Apple has been serving the families and local drunks of Lakeview for over 40 years now. They're open 24 hours a day and have had a broad range of clientele over the years. I used to go there now and then with my friends back in high school but dont get there all too often anymore. However because of their always being open I did stop in for a club one night when there were no other options. If the person taking my order asks if I want cheese on my club I will say yes so you'll notice some have it on them in this roundup. Theirs was another ok but not great one. Cheap deli meat was it's downfall.

Turkey Club's at 2 in da morn

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Sam & George's

Not far at all from our last stop in Lakeview is S&G as the locals call it as those are the letters on it's sign outside. They've been serving the community for over 50 years and are open from 5a until 8p daily. During the cities best months you can sit outside and dine. They serve a nice option for a Club here. The most lacking aspect was the amount of bacon which there was little of. I need bacon placed on the bottom piece of bread and then again as the last layer before the top piece of bread goes on. Otherwise the portioning just isn't right when it;s a triple decker. Props for the option of tots.

A nice Turkey Club option to have

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The Original Alps

Longtime locals favorite the Irving Park neighborhood

As mentioned this round-up wasn't done all in one day or even a month or for that matter a year. But I can remember which ones I liked and the original Alps which is still standing was the best. This place has some history too as it first opened up shop at 71st and Exchange before moving North in the mid 60's. They've been where they are today since 1970. It's a classic Greek owned diner and they put out a near perfect (in my book) Club. I'll just have to start ordering double layers of bacon when I eat one.

Chicago's best Turkey Club? Maybe

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Palace Grill 

1408 W Madison St
Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 226-9529

RJ Grunts
2056 North Lincoln Park W
Chicago, IL 60614
(773) 929-5363

Melrose Restaurant
3233 N Broadway St 
Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 327-2060

Golden Apple
2971 N Lincoln Ave
Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 528-1413

Sam & George's
3000 N Lincoln Ave 
Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 935-4025

Original Alps Restaurant
3637 W Irving Park Rd 
Chicago, IL 60618
(773) 267-5112

Capriotti's Sandwich Shop

Regional Fast Food
-Classic Delaware Sandwiches made famous in Vegas

I first read about Capriotti's on LTHforum, the Chicago based food forum. Someone, either from the East Coast or Las Vegas, wanted to know if there was anyplace in Chicago with sandwiches similar to theirs. Which the poster said he craves daily. Not too many people knew of Capriotti's since they have no Chicago or even Illinois locations. The closest one's to us are all in Wisconsin. They have two locations in Madison, neither of which were around when I was living there and one in downtown Milwaukee. I was intrigued by what I had read about them after learning of the place so I always had it on my list. I checked it off while in Milwaukee not too long ago.


Location in Downtown Milwaukee

Birthplace: Wilmington, DE
Type: Franchised
Founded in: 1976
How Many Today: Over 60
Locations in: 11 states incl. WI and FL
Menu item that made them: Sub Sandwich

Today Capriotti's is well known by those people who are lucky enough to be near one. It all started off in Wilmington, DE which if you were unaware is a sandwich paradise. I've never been to Delaware but when I do get there, I'll be eating a bunch of signature sandwiches from all over. Capriotti's was started by a young lady who wanted to open her own sandwich shop in Wilmington's Little Italy so she borrowed the money to do so and teamed up with her brother and they named the shop after their grandpa. A recent trip to Philly aka Sandwich City, USA confirmed my love for the cheesesteak so I gave Capriotti's version a try. Not bad at all, especially for a franchised place, in fact it was really good. It was cooked to order, chopped up and topped with fried onions, their famous hot peppers and sweet peppers too. Should of got two.


Capriotti's Cheesesteak Sandwich

It was in1987 that the Capriotti's teamed up with their cousin and opened up a 2nd and 3rd store. They started to introduce their signature sandwiches around this time including "the Bobbie" which is it's most famous today. The Bobbie was the sandwich the person looking for something similar in Chicago wanted. Their approach when they first started was to capture the heart of "real turkey lovers" and they would roast fresh turkeys overnight. This was something that separated them from the other seven sandwich shops in the neighborhood. They began roasting one a night but then were up to twelve per. The sandwiches were made to order with the turkey meat. The most popular today is the 'Bobbie' which comes with that fresh roasted pulled turkey meat, stuffing, cranberry sauce and mayo.

Capriotti's famous "Bobbie" sandwich

Again this was another very good example of a "fast food franchise" sandwich. The bread was the best I can remember from a franchised place and I thought the 'Bobbie' was a satisfyingly simple sandwich thanks to the fresh turkey paired with their bread. I'd say I slightly enjoyed the cheesesteak better but so do many as that's their most famous hot sub sold. Well the companies dedication to quality sandwiches with above average ingredients got them to 44 stores before they started franchising which they do today. Now located in Las Vegas (Where most of their locations are) the original founders sold the company to an original franchisee and they seem to be doing a great job with with plans to have over 500 locations by 2015. I'm a fan.


The "Bobbie" is something Subway franchise owners enjoy...

Capriotti's Sandwich Shop
111 E. Wisconsin ave #130
Milwaukee, WI 53202
(414) 223-2277

*Please note there are multiple locations throughout the country. Click HERE.

Thanksgiving Turkey Leftovers

--Tailgatin' and how to make mofos start playa hatin' (Recipes)

Hello all, I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and well while enjoying it. Now it's time for the shopping season so I know many family folk out there are going to be busy this Christmas season. So I have one more thing for y'all to be thankful for. The perfect recipes (that arent soups or gumbos) for your leftover turkey from Thanksgiving. The first one is the obvious one to many and in my opinion the best way to enjoy the leftovers and that's as a sandwich. With there being so many ways to make a turkey sandwich the toppings options on top of the turkey are endless. My favorite way to eat them is the simple simplicity of the slider.

Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey Sliders

Ingredients

- Whatever you have as far as leftovers incl. Turkey
- Mini Rolls such as Hawaiian or potato

Directions

1) Build your sandwich your way

I like to use a couple slices of turkey breast with some stuffing* on top of that. Then on go some mashed potatoes topped with gravy then some bacon garlic brussel spouts followed by cranberry sauce. All of this is served warm on the sandwich although its good too if the cranberries are cold.

Note* For these to be real turkey sliders you have to have made White Castle stuffing for Bird Day. Although your family favorite stuffing will work just fine.


Turkey Sliders for leftovers
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Mom's Turkey Divan

No my mom didn't create this dish. I imagine that at some point she saw a recipe for it and said "that look's easy" and made it one night back in my youth. You cant blame her for that because it was probably at a time she was busy as could be with four kids and the Christmas season here before Thanksgiving even leaves. This is childhood comfort food for me but if you you dont have any major beefs with any of the main ingredients you should like this almost effortless hearty dish. It's great for those of us in the cold weather states.

Ingredients

- Leftover Turkey (about a layer of a casserole dishes worth)
- 1 bag of Pepperidge Farm Herb Seasoned Stuffing
- 2 cups cooked broccoli cuts
- 1/2 cup cooked, chopped celery
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 can or cans worth of cream of...soup (your choice)
- 1/2 cup milk

Directions

1) Layer baking dish with stuffing and then add the milk and celery. Add the turkey and then broccoli followed by the cheese. Pour the can of soup over all that and bake at 350 until done (about 30-40 minutes).

Turkey Divan Stuffing

Very tasty and easy to make
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See ya next time @chibbqking

Turkey Day Treats

--Tailgatin' and how to make mofos start playa hatin' (Recipes)

I'm saddened to say that I never got around to frying up a turkey pre-Thanksgiving this year. I wanted to do a little experimentation and document the process and recipe on here but I just never had the time to do it. It was about six maybe seven years ago that my dad decided he wanted to deep fry a turkey to go along with the wonderful baked turkey my aunt makes each Thanksgiving. I've been going to Thanksgiving on the southside with my moms side of the fam since I can remember and Danny's (my dad) Fried turkeys have become as much a part of them as Mary Eileen's asparagus roll's (more on them another day) and the rest of the amazing spread we chow down each Thanksgiving holiday.

-Snoopin' around
a peak into my favorite food sites


I'm not a big turkey guy and to go along with that fact, my aunts oven baked birds are so good that I'll never duplicate them so therefore I never make turkey. I just get as much in me as I can every fourth Thursday in November. But then when my dad and I fried up that first bird some seven years ago I wondered why people even bother baking them. If I'm making turkey, which is rare these days but I don't think will be so in the future, I'm taking that bird and dropping it in hot oil. No ifs and's or buts about it. However that was until I caught a peek at the Chili cheese fry guy's baked turkey. Who is the chili cheese fry guy?!?! The dude that runs chilicheesefries.net which if you don't know about...you need to.


chilicheesefries.net is one of the best recipe sites on the 'net

This from the site "Frankly if you are looking for 30 minute or $10 meals, you won’t find many here. I don’t cook everyday but when I do, it’s all out and all about bold, spicy, rich food. Not that anyone should eat like this everyday but these recipes are for times when you want to indulge and prepare food that will carpet bomb your and your guests’ taste buds." Put together by a native of Baton Rouge, so you know he knows good food, it might be the best men's cooking site out there. All original recipes and all will have you printing them out and putting them in your to do list if you keep one like me. I never thought I would make a baked turkey as I said above. Until I saw CCF dudes original recipe for his own baked bird.

Bitchin' Firebird


Chili Cheese Fry Guys baked turkey (Pic from chilicheesefries.net)

The recipe is what I call a "sure thing" in that you just know its good. I cant wait to try it up. If your looking for something different or are in charge of the bird for your Thanksgiving dinner then check it out right HERE.

-Sampling America's "Micro Fooderies"

If you liked my tip from up above then your going to really like this one. I got an email a few months back from a passionate person in the food world. It was from Ron Broughton and his team at Tribal Moose. They explained how they love S'C&C and wanted to send me a package of their cranberry based sauces. Started in 2005 by Ron who started coming up with ideas and recipes for his sauces back in 1988 while growing up in Seward, Alaska. Not to drift off topic but Alaska State Troopers is one of my fave TV shows right now. A young Ron would always cook with his grandmother and during the 80's he gathered his ideas and perfected his recipe and turned into a full company in 2005 based out of Oregon.


Tribal Moose Cranberry BBQ sauce...a must for your fried turkey

Now if you know me I'm not going to BS, I've gotten other stuff from other companies that you wont see on here because I didn't like it. I've been to places to eat that sucked and so I'm not going to waste my time telling you about them. So when I like something I'm going to let it be known and try to spread the word. I happen to really like Tribal Moose's sauces. As noted above they are cranberry based and aside from both regular BBQ sauce and spicy they also have ketchup and a steak sauce. The first thing I thought when I learned about Tribal Moose was "that would be great for thanksgiving fried turkey" and of course for any leftovers to make sandwiches with the next day. I'm a big fan of the spicy version and my little cousins ate up all the ketchup at a BBQ and loved it. I made sure to save a bottle for my thanksgiving fried turkey and cant wait for the day to arrive.


a must for any fried turkey tailgate or holiday dinner

I would HIGHLY recommend checking out their site and ordering a few for your holiday festivities and backyard BBQ grilling sessions. Click HERE to learn more. Happy Holidays.