Show-“casing” Our Top Five Charcuterie Restaurants in Chicago

With Thanksgiving around the corner, it’s assumed that the holiday will involve typical items such as turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, etc. However, for those who do not celebrate the “typical” American holiday or in an effort to go against the grain, a wonderful substitution for the butterball turkey & the maple-glazed ham are slices of beautifully encased meats. Having so many locations around the city perfecting its charcuterie and sausage platters, it’s hard to truly dub a favourite – which is why we’ve narrowed it down to our top five (in no particular order):

Publican Quality Meats

825 W. Fulton Market Street  Chicago, IL 60607  

As it says in the name, PQM is known for its quality meats, along with its hyper-seasonal menu. Offering its own house-made charcuterie, seasonal cheeses, rustic soups, home-made breads, and more, PQM is not only a butcher shop, but it is also a neighborhood cafe, bakery, and gourmet market. Calling its home in Chicago’s meatpacking district, PQM, along with its sister restaurant, Publican, continue to wow its customers with its conscionable and local selections.

Quartino

 626 N State St, Chicago, IL 60654

Dusek’s

1227 W 18th St, Chicago, IL 60608

Mott Street 

1401 N Ashland Ave, Chicago, IL 60622

Head Chef Kim says it best, “We’re trying to make food that tastes good using a different, but familiar application.” With that being said, Mott Street introduces a Filipino and Thai version of a charcuterie platter, serving up two different types of sausages that play off both the sweet and savory sides of the spectrum. While the Longanisa, the sweeter pork sausage, brings a softer and enjoyable flavour profile to the board, the Issan Sausage, made of fermented garlicky pork and rice, contains pieces of whole peppercorns that explode with flavour during each bite. If the sausages don’t blow your mind, wait until you try its garnish of luscious apple-ginger marmalade, you’ll want to scoop out every last spoonful.

Table, Donkey and Stick 

2728 W Armitage Ave, Chicago, IL 60647

Featuring a mix of traditional and non-so-traditional charcuterie, this quaint and quirky Logan Square location offers items ranging from pork rillettes, smoked trout, to szechuan cured pork loin, and pheasant galantine. Although the charcuterie is normally presented in groups of proteins, each item is looked at as its own miniature composed plate – focusing on every detail, down to the seasonal garnish. A current standout and my personal favourite, was the rich and decadent Duck Liver Mousse (below), topped with cocoa nibs and fresh cherry preserve. By lathering the restaurant’s freshly baked sourdough rye baguettes and sunflower oat bread with a large schmear of the Duck Liver Mouse and its toppings, it exemplified a perfect and delectable adult PBJ, only much more extraordinary.