MEAT NIGHT

I am lucky to have friends who live in Lincoln Square, a German-centric neighborhood of Chicago. In this neighborhood are many wonderful bars, shops, cafes, and - most importantly - specialty European-style grocers. Two of my favorites are Gene's Sausage Shop and Lincoln Quality Meat Market.

I went to Gene's a few weeks ago, where we found some amazing things: local Kolsch microbrew beer, Manchego cheese, dark chocolate with pear pieces, and French green lentils. Val happy.

They have tons of meats and sausage, and my friends picked up some for a Star Trek / meat night combo at my place. Oh, and it was glorious.

First, I made a set of things from my own fridge, as well as things they brought.

On the left are some Italian sausages from Gene's. In the middle are some venison sausages (from my mom's coworker) and some turkey burgers are on the right. These were all good, although out of these three, my favorite was probably the Italian sausage. Look at those beauties.

Next I made a large set of bratwursts from Gene's, including a mix of regular brats and jalapeno cheese brats.

Uhhh so amazing. These were probably my favorites. Next time I need to bust out my sauerkraut.

So, the meat was a success, naturally. I made sides and appetizers to accompany all the meat, including guacamole, barley salad, applesauce brownies, and an apple crisp, all of which were delicious. (I didn't get pictures of the applesauce brownies or the apple crisp, so I'll blog them tomorrow.) Success, and I've already made a mental note to get all of my sausages from Lincoln Square grocers from now on.