We’ve spoken to the awesomeness of Salted Caramel before. We’ll always be fans here at SPG. So when they came around with their cocoa mix. We had to get our mitts on it. And boy howdy were we pleased we did. It’s that rich chocolate that we love with a sparkle of caramely goodness and a hint of salt to enhance the sweet experience.
Perfect in the cold weather, we could sit and sip this all day in front of a fireplace. Pick up a pack today!
Chicago has a lot of bars. A whole lot of bars. Sure, by now you’ve found your local haunt, where you take your dates, or where you can catch your alma matter games. But you also want to discover some the greatest places the city has to offer but are not sure where to go. How about doing so but also saving a bit on your end?
Drink Deck does this as well as provides you with a useable deck of cards at the same time. What you get is 52bars with up to 30% off or cash off your bill for just $30. 52 bars, that is a possible new haunt a week, a place to ‘take the girls’ every 7 days, an all encompassing year of some of the best spots in Chicago. The folks over at Drink Deck have already done all of the hard work for you – sifting thought the pool of possible pubs. Hand picked places, distinguished deals, all you have to do is supply the friends and the good times will come. Drink Deck also comes equipped with the warm fuzzy of having a portion of the proceeds donated to the ONEHOPE Foundation.
Pick up a Drink Deck near our check out to get your 2012 bar adventure started today!
If you visit, live or just simply pass near Chicago enough you’ll have come to know sauerkraut.
Most likely its a staggeringly soggy clot of small cuts of muted cabbage drowned out by saltiness and/or “vinegaryness”. Here lies the problem. True, see: good, sauerkraut is something of a wonder. Real sauerkraut doesn’t contain any vinegar, it’s sourness comes from the wild fermentation of it’s sweet slices. At SPG we place halved, sliced, and chopped cabbage into our secret & tasty brine, and let it go. The sugars in the cabbage are released into the brine via osmosis and wild yeasts nibble on the sweet cabbage brine, more movement of liquids between the brine and cabbage later we end up with our heavenly sauerkraut.
It isn’t “going bad,” the lactic acid produced from it’s ‘turning’ (the wild yeast) creates that tasty ‘sharp’ flavor, which also happens to be thing that preserves it. There is a whole host great things in sauerkraut too, like a heap of vitamin C, and a host of lactobacilli – which aids in digestion. It also contains various cancer-fighting compounds including isothiocyanate and sulphoraphane. So it’s not only good but good for you!
Our local wild yeasts us a great favor and we reciprocate by keeping them fed with lots of food. The trick is to keep them alive for a constant and more full flavor, just like a sourdough starter. We have to feed them so our kraut will be tasty enough to have the SPG stamp on them.
Don’t usually like sauerkraut, love it the stuff from the can, or never tried it? Our kraut will add the perfect zesty sourness to any piece of encased meat, dress up a sandwich, stack nicely on top of pork – just be an all around awesome topping. Give it a go, available today in our grocery.
It’s that time of year citizens. It’s gift giving time. We’re warming up our stainless steal table, clear wrap, and of course the baskets. We have been putting together perfect gift baskets for businesses, families, friends, for over 8 years. We’ve shipped to the edges of the continental United States, walked baskets down the street and everywhere in-between. SPG’s whiz staff puts together packages ranging from $50 to $200, usually – but if you are on a different budget we’re happy to help.
Know someone who can’t get enough of cooking? Someone that debates with you without promoting about the fact that olive oil is unregulated, or that likes to judge an ice cream dependent on it’s percentage of air? How about someone that is just growing into their own as a home chef, discovering new flavors and seeking the finer ingredients in their kitchen? We can put together items that will show them how much you try and listen to their raving about food.
How about that uberlocalvore? With the small space we have, SPG has a shocking large array of locally made products. From the second city, there is a host of delights ranging from handmade candies and popcorn to spices. We’ll bring in what is best from around the area and pack it up tight into a pretty container (for shipping or picking up/delivery) just for you and your giftee. This is also the perfect gift idea for those folks who move out of town and need those little pieces of Chicago. Don’t let them forget their time in the ‘big shouldered’ city, heck some folks in the suburbs forget!
All of those people that you have to get gifts for. You’ve checked off a handful of people off your list, but for some reason you can’t think what to get them. We can help with that too. Tell us about them and we can make the perfect basket! Don’t know anything at all? We can work with that too, we are just that good! Had a great year at the office and want to reward all your employees? We’ve done that, and can help make your gift giving special and easy.
If you have an eye for finding the exact right food stuffs for your basket, SPG can put it in a nice bag or in one of our baskets for you, wrap it up nice, making the perfect handpicked gift.
Have you ever wanted a rewards program that worked everywhere you went? How about a rewards program where the rewards are worthwhile, fun, and interesting? Yeah, us too. Announcing Belly .
Strange name, awesome rewards. It’s an easy to use rewards program that a whole mess of businesses on Southport are using. The cards work at getting you great rewards from all sorts of local business. It’s amazingly simple to use and we’ve cooked up some pretty awesome rewards: from a youtube video playlist put together by our in-house comedian, all the way up to us delivering you breakfast for two! Pick up a card, sign up, and get flopping!
A tiny inconspicuous glass jar sits on our shelf, next to it other jars loom over it’s low profile and portly looking glass. Inside there is a kolideascope of brown nuggets, soft and scattered inside. Clear liquid and a few popped seeds make for an arrangement of dark blots in a roast colored container. On top is a golden lid that is proof of concept, a gold standard of flavor – Chicago Honey Co-Op’s Honey Mustard is just that.
Pop the top of the honey and swirls of sharp white vinegar awaken your sleepy olfactory. Then the power of the mustard pulls though and a crisp honey follows behind luring in for a taste, the two together creating a caramel sweetness to the nose. When dipped into with a finger there is the rush of mustard filling and flatting itself out on the tongue, only after the tide of mustard flavor settles the vinegar makes it’s rise. A vinegar effervescent pushes it’s way in between lulls and high waves of sweet mustard and sour vinegar. But there is no “vinegar burn” the mustard and honey turns down the harshness and puts it to rest, ending in a lasting flavor. If you haven’t noticed by know we love this mustard. There is more dimensions though then just being an incredible and tasty jar of sandwich spread. Chicago Honey Co-Op is just that, a co-op.
It’s an apiary of helpful. They have apiculture (bee keeping) classes, a full fledged ‘Bee Farm’, with whole mess of supers stacked in an open area in North Lawndale. The bees pollinate a local garden and the surrounding area which allows us to get their sweet honey. Chicago Honey co-op is also raising funds for Queens – which will allow them to become self-sufficient and not have to import new droves of bees! Help keep Chicago buzzing by supporting local bee keepers.
Same city it’s made, just a little bit of a drive away from where it’s made – right on our shelves. The little container of tasty mustard will wait, but can you?
Step right up! I’m here to tell you of the grand expanses, the wonderful treasures to behold, of sweets and treats to bestow upon the tongue. Intangible lovely mixes that will spoil you for future tastes. A grand opera for the senses, surprising to know this creation is made with earthly hands, by the gang at Salted Caramel.
Then step right this way – watch your step as you dive deep into flavor. They construct all matters of treats, but for our uses we couldn’t possibly say no to their popcorn, grahams, or marshmallows. But there are no mere copies of confectionary normalcy, oh no dear reader, these are extravagant concoctions of other worlds. Bridging the gap between sweet and savory flavors in the most incredible goodies. Their caramel corn is churned with two characters of buttery sprit: Smoked Pecan Bourbon, or Bacon Bourbon. Yes indeed my fine readers, they are real things not figments of your imagination - creations of wondrous accord.
The train doesn’t stop there my friends, no indeed – Salted Caramel pulled out the stops of salt meets sweet with the Pretzel Grahams. Close your eyes for a tick and imagine the crunchy fabric of a graham cracker munching between tooth and cheek – now enters the salty surprises of the pocked pretzel combine the two and away you go. Do not fret the minor inclination to be over-salted, it is roused, tussled deep in the graham’s profile, only to be awaken on the back of the tongue where upon you wonder how many you could eat in one seating.
But fear not loyal reader there is yet one more tasty snack to mow – the Stout Marshmallows. Peal the entrance to this bag open and stick your noodle in for a breath of chocolaty beer and sugar, but pull one of the brown speckled white cubes out and take a nibble, they spring to life tugging your taste buds to and fro into delicious combat. First the sugar coating outside softens the tongue, as you pull the piece away the sugar dissolves – your first taste of the bitter tasty beer flavors – a chew and a chomp the sugar coats and mixes with the stout. A mellow chill of flavor rests and there is no help but to go back in for more.
This here establishment of course. All three are newly acquired and ready to be eaten. Why not stack a heated Stout Marshmallow on top of a perfectly sized TCHO chocolate which happens to be placed square on a Pretzel Graham? Do you mouth a favor for a change and indulge in real flavors dearest readers. Harken to the days of ol’ but a little bit of a grown up taste with Salted Caramel.
A lot of folks know us for our brunch menu or our cupcakes or the grocery. Something we may get skipped over for though is our catering. Thats right, the same place that allows and even endorses cupcake batter poured on the griddle and combines brisket and breakfast, caters.
There is a handful of places that just copy and paste the restaurant menu and stick the food in metal tubs and let you deal with doing something with the contents. We at Southport Grocery know what it’s like to get those ‘tubs.’ We make most of what is on our menu in the cafe, but also some handmade tarts, crostini, even the ever delicious poached shrimp wonton. Just like in the cafe, we seek out and find the best produce and products we can to make your event special. Make it even more special, and maybe fool the party goers, by bringing in your own platters. Have a pretty floral plate grandma gave you and you’d like to show that you still use it? Bring it in and we’ll fill it full of tasty food.
Have a party coming up and want something more interesting than a pile of over steamed beef? Keep the beef, but bring in flavor with mini sandwiches. Want something a bit more classy than what you had at your high school graduation? Wow your party goers with a bakery tray full of awesome, or a stack of a bunch of flavorful finger food. Have an idea for something already? We can work with you to find the right flavors and type of food that will fit. Only having a handful of people over, but too busy to cook? We can work with your party no matter how big or small.
Make another day unique and have your guests experience exceptional food with our catering at your next gathering, just give us a call or stop by!
Might come as a surprise to some, but we carry wine. Yeah, you know that big dark wood thing near the check out? It’s packed full of tasty wine that is hunted by a few great folks; people who know us, lovers of Southport Grocery themselves they dine at Secret Supper, and fill our shelves with great tasting great value wines.
From Cream Wines, the original small batch wine company in Illinois, we’ve got Dan. A sharp dresser, even for a wine rep, and a laid back reportage that we can appreciate. He makes sure everything he shows us is a “great value under $20.” Not only that but that they are “obvious off the cork… meaning the wines are immediately enjoyable or interesting.” Dan also understands that “just like in food, some wines are an ‘acquired taste’,” which translates to super tasty wines that needn’t to ‘breathe‘ for a long time or are overcomplicated. We even get our favorite patio-season-wine from Dan, the Perfum de vi Blanc from Raventos. It’s great with food, great with friends; it isn’t just a favorite of staff, it’s one of our best sellers, it really a fantastic wine. Cream wine is also the only distributors that we have seen that has info on every single one of their wines – an incredible resource for anyone to use. Speaking to resources, Dan says he’s “tasted almost everything in the portfolio,” and we’re lucky enough to be able to have someone like him at our disposal. Dan likes to bring in wine from “places, estates” and wine “made by people who want to make great wine as an expression of that estate.” Dan knows his stuff and almost always bring a couple of bottles we love, sometimes more than what we have room for.
GlunzThere is Jim, our rep from Glunz Wine. A wall of a man and an understanding of what we expect from the wines on our shelf. He says that “taste is always the most important thing,” which we notice. Jim does a great job at finding the right wine for the right time of year too; smooth reds for summer, robust for winter – but one tried and true wine we get from Jim is the Fleur Pint Noir. It is a wine we carried when we first opened and it’s come and gone but it really is a favorite, approachable red with flavor and interest, perfect with almost any meal. The wines he brings in is almost always flush with interest even those a bit more ‘accessible,’ which Jim says that he makes sure to show us – approachable, great tasting and not over complicated. He also says that Glunz” is always looking for new wines to represent.” Jim brings us little surprises each time, from old forgotten loves to new exciting bottles.
We do a fair amount of homework to get the ‘just right’ wines on our shelf and in the secret supper, but it pales in comparison to the work Jim and Dan put in. We feel pretty lucky to have two great wine reps that keep us in the loop and let us bring our customers such great flavor coupled with value. Thanks guys!
What’s your favorite breakfast? Where do you go to fill the morning rubbles in the old tummy tomb? Is it a pile of pancakes? A handmade lump of the tastiest sausage? What is your ideal breakfast? Eggs? Bacon? Something sweet? Savory? We’ve got your ideal breakfast covered here at Southport Grocery and here is why.
the eggsSimple, straight forward, but very easy to mess up. We think our eggs are awesome – fluffy, not dry, never too wet, and the perfect doneness. Over easy? No problem. The other thing is we’re pretty straight forward on our ingredients – fresh, accessible but interesting. We’ll shake up your preconceived notions of what you thought about omelets a bit maybe, but we aren’t pulling ingredients off the space station – we’re very down to earth. Which leads us to the next section.
Yeah, we know. Everyone talks about hyper-local-organically grown everything – we get it. But just for the record, we get what we can locally and sustainable. It might surprise some to know that we house smoke our brisket, smoke and cure our pastrami, roast and slice the chicken, turkey, roast beef, all in house. We slice the vegetables, roast them, chop them and add them to the veggie and chop salad. We are a scratch kitchen – a dying breed in the world of breakfast restaurants. We crack our own eggs, we make our baked goods from scratch, we do almost everything from scratch. Two things we have to source: sliced potatoes for the hash and egg whites – both would require full time employees just doing that one job all day everyday to fulfill how much we go through. Speaking of our employees…
the peopleOur staff is well versed, super fun, and kind. We are human though, we admit it, sometimes – just like you – we have bad days. But we try and do our best so you can have a great time in our place, because that is what it’s all about. Great food, a great time, and service; we think our people rock and do an amazing job of keeping it together during the controlled chaos that is weekend brunch. Our staff changes slowly, unlike a lot of restaurants - it is not uncommon to have a waiter that has been at Southport Grocery for over a year. We grow to have real meaningful friendships – we care about each other and the customers, we try and never push you out the door. Somepeople’s food experience takes longer than others, and we think it’s worth the wait – check out the neighborhood while you do! All of the staff does what they can to know the ins and outs of the menu, but aren’t afraid to ask another server for deeper info. But its not just about the people who work at SPG, but the folks who come in are awesome too: the people that come in every Tuesday to read the paper and have their favorite omelet, the families that come in with their kids and have a breakfast tradition, and the out-of-towners who come all the way up from the loop because they read in their travel book that our breakfast rules. We’re overjoyed and humbled each time regulars and new folks walk in and give us a go.
the menuSome places like to tell you their menu is innovative and then you come to realize it’s the same list as the local dive. We think our menu is fun, interesting, and something a little different. We take your favorites and put them to a new light, make you reevaluate what you knew – like bread pudding pancakes, or the cupcake pancakes – just a new view on the tried and true.
We hear a lot at the check out, we’re plugged into facebook and twitter, try and catch all the blogs written about us, and are happy to hear from everyone! Don’t take our word for it – check our yelp page or read the horribly out of date metromix page. We read all of our reviews – the good, the bad, and the ugly – there is something to learn from each one. Sure, you can’t make everyone happy – but does that mean we shouldn’t try?
And maybe that is why we are the best place for breakfast in Chicago – we love food and want to share out passion. Come and join us on our journey from farm, to the kitchen, to your table and on to your stomach.
The Cupcake
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