The trip started at
Cross Fit Chisel and went to the Blue Line which is under construction. We went down to Western where there was an elevator down and we went on a shuttle bus to Damen where we went up the stairs to continue our trip. The Damen stop smelled of donuts from the two shops below. I think the bus would have taken anyone needing an elevator on down to Clark and Lake. Todays trip has not really begun though as I was on my way to Flourish 2014. Getting off at the Halstead (UIC) stop there was the very long ramp marked with a handicap sign. Then over to UIC to listen to Derek Eder of Open City and to visit with some Pythonistas. Enough of that fun. It was time to move on to collecting some meat. First on the Halsted bus to Randolph and strolling west to
Columbus Meat Market which can barely be seen through the trees in the Haymarket. I picked up almost eight pounds of bacon, rind on, sliced to a thickness of six.
That much bacon certainly deserves two pictures
Strolling back to the Halstead bus which took me to Grand, Milwakee and Halsted. That is another six cornered intersection that is not The Six Corners. The Grand bus took me along Grand which becomes one way the other direction so the bus jogged over to Illinois and to Clark Street.
Bub City is across the street east and half a block south. The sign on the door read 10 am to 3 am but at that point I was tired and thought I was too late. I had already been disappointed twice as Flourish ran out of meat and cheese two people in front of me. There were a good thirty people behind me. Carbs are not my friends. Almost everything in the student center was closed and I had gone for a stroll only to find Ghareeb Nawaz Express closed. Strolling on for two more blocks I enjoyed the University Village environment but did not see anything inviting to me at that time. Standing there, tired, dejected, a young man walked up, opened the door and went in. Oh! 3 am. This is Chicago after all.
If you can get your mind past the array of big screen TVs, the DJ booth in one wall and the Host stand you might get the feel of an upscale North Texas country bar. Host, Hostess and waitstaff were all friendly. The Bub BBQ Combo looked good but remember the purpose of this blog is to get one pound of slow smoked brisket in Chicago. This is about as Chicago as you get being a short stroll from the Red Line Grand Stop. I asked for and got a pound of sliced brisket, half a pound of sliced ham and half a pound of hot link sausage. Tons of pickles, sauces and fine ground cole slaw were stacked in as well.
A quick trip to Trader Joe's a few blocks away then back to the Red to the Brown and to a very slow trip home on the 80 in Cub's game traffic. Back at the Red at Grand the elevator from the street to the mezzanine was a welcome site for me but then the elevator to the platform was out. A rider in a wheelchair should be able to know this when they left Trader Joe's and make decisions accordingly and even have trip options presented to them without clicking through pages to alerts.
So you want to hear how the food was? Well first there was no smell getting out of the containers on the trip home.
The food all looks good. I would like leaner ham sliced thicker but that may just be me.
So here is some of everything on a plate.
Now on a given day you and George might have strolled over to Otto's and enjoyed a similar meal with some peppers and onions as well. For many that is enough said but for those not having had that joy here is more about the meats. The brisket had a nice thick rub crust just a notch back on the heat for Chicago taste buds. Nicely smoked and tender with the fat soaking through the meat. We each ate a full serving without any need for sauce. The sweet sauce has a spicy kick when you want it. The sausage is a rough grind and the fat content varies but is all good and I think the heat is mostly black pepper. The ham is just pure good smoked ham goodness and would put a smile on any FFA student at the Houston Livestock Show.
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