Fumare Meats and Deli, Chicago

 When I was last in Chicago we decided that we would try to find a deli that had things that we could not get in Iowa City.  That is how we ended up in the Chicago French market (which is a really nice upscale market that is part of a working train station--I would love to be able to walk by this place every day on my way to or from work--really nicely done).  That is how we ended up at Fumare Meats and Deli.  In my search for a meat counter that would be memorable, time and again Fumare's pastrami was noted.

Here is a photo of President Obama ordering the famous Montreal style pastrami sandwich on rye (there was a bit of a scandal about this, because it was initially reported that he placed an order with mayo.  What was he thinking?  It was later clarified that he ordered that for a staff member, and that his sandwich was ordered with the oh-so-much-more traditional mustard.  Phew.  The POTUS' reputation vis-a-vis food remained untarnished.  The fact that the media reported this at all is a source of some concern for me--rather than do in-depth analysis of the problems that face us at home and around the world they are instead reporting on what the POTUS is ordering.  It is no wonder that we are in trouble).

The good news is that the pastrami is magnificent--it is cured, smoked, and slow cooked with lots of peppers and spices each and every day, and it is really delicious. They sell lots of other smoked meats and salamis, but the pastrami is really special.