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Merichka's — Crest Hill/Joliet — Garlic Butterine Since 1933

Merichka's — Crest Hill/Joliet — Garlic Butterine Since 1933
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  • Merichka's — Crest Hill/Joliet — Garlic Butterine Since 1933

    Post #1 - February 21st, 2011, 4:24 pm
    Post #1 - February 21st, 2011, 4:24 pm Post #1 - February 21st, 2011, 4:24 pm
    Mentions of Merichka's on this forum are scattered in several locations but until now "Will County's Landmark for Good Eating" hasn't had its own thread.

    Merichka's has never been anything more than a novelty act for me.

    I found the food pretty bad, even the signature garlicky po' boy.

    This was another disappointing experience.

    I might be in the minority but I like Merichka's. It's not all about the food but by choosing carefully, one can eat pretty well. Okay, I'll admit it. I wouldn't like Merichka's nearly as much if they got rid of the sign, a Route 66 classic. It's shaped like a boomerang because they want their customers to keep coming back. How corny is that? I love it.

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    Immediately upon entering, you are confronted with a display of the famous garlic butterine.

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    Just past the butterine is a small shrine honoring Merichka and Joe.

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    It would be a shame to visit Merichka's without having a cocktail or two. Manhattans (now up to $4.25) are well prepared and generously portioned. A textbook old-school cocktail.

    You'd expect a place like Merichka's to have a great relish tray.

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    Unfortunately you'd be mistaken. There's nothing glaringly wrong either the tri-bean salad or cottage cheese but the sweet, mushy pasta salad is terrible. The side salad is mostly iceberg with a handful of croutons but I enjoy the (very) sweet and spicy house dressing. Homemade soups sound worth trying.

    Many opt for Merichka's signature Poorboy Steak Sandwich with lots of garlic butterine but I find the Yodel Burger with light (or no) butterine plus grilled onions to be preferable. Skip the fries and definitely skip the twice-baked potato in favor of the American fries—really excellent potatoes.

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    Fried chicken is another respectable option.

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    I don't know that I'd make a special trip from Chicago specifically for Merichka's but I find it an enjoyable retro-dining experience every now and then. I'm another customer who'll be coming back.

    Merichka's
    604 Theodore St
    Crest Hill (Joliet) IL
    815-723-9371
    http://www.merichkas.com/
  • Post #2 - November 5th, 2012, 6:13 pm
    Post #2 - November 5th, 2012, 6:13 pm Post #2 - November 5th, 2012, 6:13 pm
    Holy crap!! I remember that place! I remember the poor-boy sammies! Thank you for the reminder - will def consider this. It still lives, how funny is that...... Thanks!
  • Post #3 - June 14th, 2018, 9:02 pm
    Post #3 - June 14th, 2018, 9:02 pm Post #3 - June 14th, 2018, 9:02 pm
    Bummer that ReneG's photos are no longer accessible. We may try to make it down to Merichka's this weekend; if we do, I will post any good photos I take.
    "Don't you ever underestimate the power of a female." Bootsy Collins
  • Post #4 - June 15th, 2018, 8:42 pm
    Post #4 - June 15th, 2018, 8:42 pm Post #4 - June 15th, 2018, 8:42 pm
    YEAH, well, nostalgia only goes so far...
    Reading is a right. Censorship is not.
  • Post #5 - June 16th, 2018, 6:19 am
    Post #5 - June 16th, 2018, 6:19 am Post #5 - June 16th, 2018, 6:19 am
    I still feel that Merichikas is a hidden gem.The fried chicken is better than White Fence farms.The pieces are larger and well cooked.
    The pork chops are grilled perfectly.Moist and flavorful.The soups are homemade and the sides are simple but tastey.
  • Post #6 - June 16th, 2018, 7:48 am
    Post #6 - June 16th, 2018, 7:48 am Post #6 - June 16th, 2018, 7:48 am
    Unfortunately, I can't say the same about the chicken although it may have been an off night. The chicken I was served was days old and tasted like it. The double baked potato dry, overcooked, inedible. The two people I was with felt the steak poor boy and butterine for which they remain famous was really just ick. I wanted it to be fancy like how I remembered, a place we went for special occasions in my youth, but it wasn't. It felt tired and dirty and below average. I have been longing to return, but remain hesitant. I shall give it another try based on jerryg's post and recommendations above!
    Reading is a right. Censorship is not.
  • Post #7 - June 19th, 2018, 11:00 am
    Post #7 - June 19th, 2018, 11:00 am Post #7 - June 19th, 2018, 11:00 am
    Buzz about Butterine

    I heard about butterine about the same time as I heard about Merichka’s. I was intrigued; it sounded weird, and it’s been around for a long time, so hey, it’s food history: I’m in.

    Butterine (or margarine, oleo, etc.) started out being made of beef tallow (that’s how companies like Swift got into the action).

    Butterine.jpg


    Later, margarine was made mostly of vegetable oil.

    Butterine at Merichka’s is part margarine and part butter. It’s been cured for maybe weeks, so that might help the flavor some. Got to say, I couldn’t believe it wasn’t butter. With garlic in it.

    At Merichka’s, butterine is simply spread on both halves of the split French bread section. Alas, butterine didn’t add nearly enough additional flavor to either the Poorboy Steak (cube steak) sandwich nor the Yodel Burger (ground beef with melted cheese) to make either of those largely unseasoned strips of meat more moist or appealing. Both meat planks were dry as a damn bone.

    Entirely unsurprisingly, the Poorboy Steak sandwich is, our server told us, by far the big seller at Merichka’s. It’s what the place is known for. If you visit, you pretty much have to try it. No, really: you do. It’s one of those things that keeps people coming back over the years. If I ever go back to Merichka’s (highly unlikely) I would probably get a Poorboy Steak sandwich.
    "Don't you ever underestimate the power of a female." Bootsy Collins
  • Post #8 - June 20th, 2018, 12:56 pm
    Post #8 - June 20th, 2018, 12:56 pm Post #8 - June 20th, 2018, 12:56 pm
    David Hammond wrote:I heard about butterine about the same time as I heard about Merichka’s. I was intrigued; it sounded weird, and it’s been around for a long time, so hey, it’s food history: I’m in.

    I wonder if there's another restaurant in the country that still brags about their butterine. Merichka’s may be unique in that regard.

    David Hammond wrote:Butterine (or margarine, oleo, etc.) started out being made of beef tallow (that’s how companies like Swift got into the action).

    Yes, butterine used to be a big deal in Chicago (and elsewhere). For those interested, there's a surprising amount of historical information available on the industry. One local producer was Moxley, whose handsome butterine factory still stands at the corner of Randolph & Clinton. Here's a postcard (postmarked 1914) from my collection and a photo I took in 2011. It looks like the two flanking buildings haven’t changed much either.

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  • Post #9 - June 20th, 2018, 1:41 pm
    Post #9 - June 20th, 2018, 1:41 pm Post #9 - June 20th, 2018, 1:41 pm
    Rene G wrote:
    David Hammond wrote:I heard about butterine about the same time as I heard about Merichka’s. I was intrigued; it sounded weird, and it’s been around for a long time, so hey, it’s food history: I’m in.

    I wonder if there's another restaurant in the country that still brags about their butterine. Merichka’s may be unique in that regard.


    I think the weirdness of that kind of boast might be what they're going after. What was once a cheap butter substitute becomes a point of distinction. When I was first told about Merichka's, the woman who told me about it quickly added "And they put something called Butterine on the poorboys." I was intrigued, in part, because of that.

    I am morbidly sensitive to margarine (having grown up with it in the 50s-60s), and I honestly could not detect the flavor of it in the Butterine we had at Merichka's. With the prices of margarine and butter almost comparable (checking Amazon, Earth Balance "natural buttery spread" is 27 cents an ounce, and Land o' Lakes butter is 29 cents an ounce), I wonder if Merichka's is even using margarine. Might be easier just to get an inexpensive butter, add garlic, age, and boldly advertise it as Butterine.
    "Don't you ever underestimate the power of a female." Bootsy Collins
  • Post #10 - June 20th, 2018, 4:18 pm
    Post #10 - June 20th, 2018, 4:18 pm Post #10 - June 20th, 2018, 4:18 pm
    Sounds like another split is in order
    "Very good... but not my favorite." ~ Johnny Depp as Roux the Gypsy in Chocolat
  • Post #11 - June 20th, 2018, 8:36 pm
    Post #11 - June 20th, 2018, 8:36 pm Post #11 - June 20th, 2018, 8:36 pm
    Panther in the Den wrote:Sounds like another split is in order

    Probably not, because Merichka's and Butterine are so intertwined. Where else do you get Butterine? Merichka's is just about the only answer.

    Regards,
    Cathy2
    Cathy2

    "You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
    Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways,
  • Post #12 - June 20th, 2018, 10:40 pm
    Post #12 - June 20th, 2018, 10:40 pm Post #12 - June 20th, 2018, 10:40 pm
    Cathy2 wrote:
    Panther in the Den wrote:Sounds like another split is in order

    Probably not, because Merichka's and Butterine are so intertwined. Where else do you get Butterine? Merichka's is just about the only answer.

    Regards,
    Cathy2

    Not to mention that when considering the title of the thread, this post makes perfect sense here.

    =R=
    for LTH
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #13 - September 17th, 2018, 11:03 am
    Post #13 - September 17th, 2018, 11:03 am Post #13 - September 17th, 2018, 11:03 am
    HsammondMeat.jpg Butterine is a featured product.
    At the Culinary Historians of Chicago talk on Saturday, there was a slide featuring Butterine made by the Hammond Meat Processing:
    Cathy2

    "You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
    Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways,
  • Post #14 - September 17th, 2018, 11:25 am
    Post #14 - September 17th, 2018, 11:25 am Post #14 - September 17th, 2018, 11:25 am
    Thanks, C2.

    "Lunch tongue" sounded so strange, but googling revealed that it's a potted meat product, unlike the big whole tongues you might see at a Mexican taco stand or a Jewish deli.
    "Don't you ever underestimate the power of a female." Bootsy Collins

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