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I was at a bar (whose name is yet to be determined) last night watching, then crying over, the ill-fated Bulls. Right before the end of the game, the bartender asked if I wanted to buy some meat. Just meat? I asked. Like raw naked meat? Apparently a fellow comes in every now and then, like the tamale guy in Wrigleyville, selling raw steaks. According to the bartender, they're very good.

Anybody know about this fella? He gave me his card:

Ruprecht Company
Wholesale Meats
Ribeye Steaks & Filets

Pasquale
708-408-4683

The company is located in Mundelein, which makes this even stranger. http://ruprechtcompany.com/

_________________
I want to have a good body, but not as much as I want dessert. ~ Jason Love
There is no pie in Nighthawks, which is why it's such a desolate image. ~ Happy Stomach
I can't go to Hollywood. I got biscuits to make. ~ Dwight Henry

Late-Nite Eats Database

Do they have a vertical marketing sales model? What's next, "Get your Streetwise! T-bone steaks!"?

When I tended bar ages ago a guy would often come in with a variety of smoked ready to eat sausages, cheese spreads, cocktail breads/crackers, and mustards.
They were actually pretty good and not very expensive. Late night snacks at the bar vastly improved when he showed up.
Sometimes I really miss those days but I realize that at my age you can't go back; my liver, my wallet, and my wife will not allow it.

_________________
The cake is a lie

That's what I was hoping for, but sadly, everything was raw.

_________________
I want to have a good body, but not as much as I want dessert. ~ Jason Love
There is no pie in Nighthawks, which is why it's such a desolate image. ~ Happy Stomach
I can't go to Hollywood. I got biscuits to make. ~ Dwight Henry

Late-Nite Eats Database

There are at least a couple guys doing this. One guy sells more of the typical butcher-shop fare (steaks, burgers, etc.) and the other guy has more sausages, cheeses and condiments, probably the guy zoid is talking about. About a year ago, one of them sold me a jar of the most obscenely hot horseradish I've ever had. It's awesome, and jacks up a bloody mary nicely. The other thing I remember is the guy wore a white butcher's coat, which was kinda charming.

The sausage guy goes by the nickname "G.I. Joe". His official company name is Perl Brand Foods. He's been doing the bar circuit for a couple of decades or more; working all night, hitting the bars until the last ones close at four a-m.

Occasionally, he carries our sauces as part of his selection.

Turns out I actually went to high school with him. I could tell you his real name, but then he'd have to kill both of us.

Buddy

G I Joe.... Got way more of my money late at night than he ever would have in the day. He has a wide area he covers. I remember seeing him in many different parts of town, and that was 15 years ago or more. Glad to hear he is still around.

That might be part of his business model.

Buddy

Perl Brand has not be around for 10 year or so. I knew the son of the owner and they closed down a long time ago. They had be around of the south side for a long time. They had wonderfull things. Even walmart carried them.

"G.I. Joe" is the son of the old Perl Brand owner. He and his brother operate a specialty food distribution company up in the northwest suburbs. The Perl Brand company used to make a line of sausages in a south side plant. "Joe" was doing the bar circuit even back then. I don't know how he stayed up all night selling sausages bar stool to bar stool, and then managed to run the plant during the day.

Of course we were 20 years younger back then.

Buddy

I remember the original Joe showing up at freight houses and baggage handler break areas when I worked at O'Hare field in the early 80's. He always had a stainless steel drum full of sausages on a two wheeled hand truck.
The guy really covered a lot of ground. There were days I would see him at O'Hare and later that night I would see him again working the bars on Lincoln Av.

Oh, I bet security wouldn't let that happen anymore! Sounds like a really interesting character! This whole post has been fun. Reminds me of the street "mongers" when I was a little kid in... ah hem...... many years ago!

Me too, bought this great horseradish from one of these guys for $5. About 2 weeks later I saw him in Joe and Franks at Archer and Harlem buying it for $2.29 a jar. Now I buy it when I'm sober, and I buy it at Joe & Franks.