A Sandwich A Day: Garlic Sausage at Real Kitchen

Editor's Note: In this great city of ours, one could eat a different sandwich every day of the year--so that's what we'll do. Here's A Sandwich a Day, our daily look at sandwiches around the Windy City. Got a sandwich we should check out? Let us know

[Photograph: Lindsey Becker]

Just across the street from the northwest corner of Graceland Cemetery in Ravenswood sits an unassuming strip mall. Wedged among the expected Subway and Baskin Robbins is Real Kitchen, a gourmet take-out shop. Inside you'll find an array of spicy mustards, crackers, and tinned sardines next to a large refrigerated case. Most of Real Kitchen's food consists of a rotating menu of homemade classics meant to be picked up and reheated at home. Their sandwiches, however, are made to order. The Garlic Sausage ($6.50) comes split lengthwise with a bacon white bean puree and red onion marmalade spread on a hunk of Bennison's baguette.

It's no surprise the three chefs behind Real Kitchen list Charlie Trotter's, North Pond, and L2O on their resumes. The sausage sandwich exemplifies the simple kind of food that chefs might long to make after resigning from four-star restaurants. The onion marmalade provides a nuanced sweetness to the robust savory flavors of the mild sausage and bean puree; it's the common, satisfying combination of sweet and salty. Unlike their refrigerated items, which are swapped out weekly, the sandwich specials rotate every two to three weeks, so you still have time to try the garlic sausage, though I would venture to guess that any sandwich would be satisfying thanks to the exceptional bread and obvious care with which they're made.

Real Kitchen

1433 West Montrose, Chicago, IL 60613 (map)
773-281-2888
realkitchenchicago.com/

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