I stopped by Fumare yesterday for Linner. I apparently just have terrible timing here because I was very disappointed to find out they were out of rye (c'mon! what's a pastrami sandwich not on rye?!), so I ended up with ciabatta. The meat itself was good, I'd put it at the top of some of the pastrami that I've had, but to me Langer's in LA is still easily #1 (I'd maybe put this equal to - if not slightly better than - Katz'). I've never had "montreal pastrami" FWIW though. Though I thought the meat was almost more like corned beef than pastrami. The ciabatta definitely detracted from the sandwich too, was a shame they were out of rye. Also, what is with the TINY ration of mustard they give you? Jeez.

For anyone that's done the take-home by the pound, how does it hold up?

mdpilam wrote:
For anyone that's done the take-home by the pound, how does it hold up?

I always find my "pound to go" holds up very well if you get it UNCUT and slice it at home to order. I'll quickly steam it it if I want it warm. Usually I just slice a couple slices cold and dunk it into deli mustard, and repeat every hour on the hour until I feel slight shame and/or it's all gone.

Had one for lunch yesterday and I could eat it everyday. It was excellent.

Only started going on Fridays during Lent. Really enjoyed the smoked whitefish, and the tuna salad the one time they were out of whitefish.

I'm a bit late to the Fumare party, as I work in the far east side of the loop. However, I finally made the walk over today for the first time and was very glad that I did. I have no frame of reference for Montreal Pastrami, but that meat was the best pastrami/corned beef product that I have had in Chicago by a long shot, and is right up there with Smoque as the best brisket/navel product that I have had in Chicago.

Like Katz' in NYC, the rye is just along for the ride.

My first Fumare Pastrami sandwich was a definite wow. Along with a nice portion of the fat mentioned in a few of the previous posts, some of the edges of my pastrami were crispy, adding a wonderful textural element. One of the very best sandwiches I've had in Chicago. (So good that I forgot to buy macarons at Vanille afterwards, but at least I had gotten some Garrett's beforehand.)
Almost let myself get lured away by Little Goat next door . . . thank goodness I didn't.

Here's a terrific article from Serious Eats discussing the similarities and differences between Montreal-style smoked meat and pastrami.

Montreal-style sandwich was on point today at lunch...flavorful and tender with lots of crunchy peppercorn bark bites.

Always a pleasure to get a sandwich at Fumare. Dick is a great host/owner (he loops the market to chat-up people eating his sandwiches to make sure they are enjoyable). I have not had a sub-par sandwich from Fumare over many visits. Has anyone? The only problem I have is making a choice between Fumare at Little Goat.

chainey wrote:I have not had a sub-par sandwich from Fumare over many visits. Has anyone?

Only once.

Tasty sandwich, not quite corned beef, not quite pastrami, not quite my recollection of smoked meat in Montreal, but a damn tasty sandwich.

Fumare

I guess I will be the outlier, as I liked the sandwich fine, but found it to be just okay. The day I had it - a weekday a little before noon - the meat was not as smoky or flavorful as I would like, a touch too chewy and without as much fat as I like in my pastrami. I was not unhappy to have tried it but on my return visits to the market, I have had no desire to have it again. Cheese and bread, followed by a macaron, for example, is a much better choice. Of course, I have also tried some truly awful things.

On the other hand, I find myself at Manny's quite regularly. Yes, I get it that the meats are different in style and quite intentionally, and I admire the effort the owner is putting into it. I do love Langer's and quite enjoyed my Schwartz's in Montreal (which was my reference point for this - as I said I found the meat a bit too chewy, too lean which is probably the cause of the chewiness, and without as much flavor compared to Schwartz's and some other meats I have sampled up north), but this was just okay.

dicksond wrote:the meat was not as smoky or flavorful as I would like, a touch too chewy and without as much fat as I like in my pastrami.

Based on the sample I had a while ago, I can't imagine anyone complaining about it not having enough fat.

nsxtasy wrote:

dicksond wrote:the meat was not as smoky or flavorful as I would like, a touch too chewy and without as much fat as I like in my pastrami.

Based on the sample I had a while ago, I can't imagine anyone complaining about it not having enough fat.

So maybe it was a bad serving? And maybe I have to try it again?

dicksond wrote:I guess I will be the outlier, as I liked the sandwich fine, but found it to be just okay. The day I had it - a weekday a little before noon - the meat was not as smoky or flavorful as I would like, a touch too chewy and without as much fat as I like in my pastrami. I was not unhappy to have tried it but on my return visits to the market, I have had no desire to have it again.

You are not alone.

In a post linked to in post #39, I wrote:I'd also recommend specifically asking that your sandwich be made with fresh, non-dried out meat. If enough people ask, maybe they'll get the message.

Disclaimer: I don't profess to be an expert on pastrami or corned beef or brisket or whatever, just an enthusiast. I've had Montreal style pastrami only once, and it was in Omaha, which doesn't really count.

I had lunch with a friend at the French Market today and beelined straight for Fumare. I have to admit that I, too, was not that impressed. It seemed somehow dry and too salty for my taste. Even now, hours later, I'm still thirsty. The dryness I suspect does not come from a lack of fat in the meat, but from the fact that the sandwiches appeared to be pre-made, sitting wrapped behind the counter awaiting their fate (at high noon). The meat was not hot and slick and greasy, but more like a cold (or at least room temperature) corned beef sandwich with excellent, excellent bark. Maybe that's how it is supposed to be, but I was kind of disappointed.

I can't be sure that the sandwich was pre-packaged because I did not see where it came from, but I saw neither the meat being sliced nor my sandwich being assembled. They certainly didn't hand me a piece to taste and approve like Katz charmingly does. Rather, between me handing in my order, paying, and receiving my sandwich, the transaction took at most a minute. It was my first time there, so I wasn't yet assertive enough to demand they slice me fresh meat, but knowing what I know now, next time I might take a stand.

As an aside, my friend got the pastrami sandwich from the Kosher deli, and it looked pretty good too, though I didn't try it. He did let me take a photo for comparison purposes (pictured below).





Edited to add: No need to comment SteveZ. I read your post beforehand and still made the mistake.

well since you guys are on the subject, I had a sandwich at Fumare last week that made me so mad, I will never buy anything from them again. The chewy, dried out part of the pastrami was the best part, as it was the only thing edible between the bread. The rest was split between needle-sharp slivers that literally punctured my gums, and crunchy bits of peppercorn, coriander, and bay leaves.



Given that they're charging $11 for this, I think it falls on them to ensure they're serving edible product. Since it seems they consistently fail to do so, I will buy good sandwiches with my money.

This is alarming. It's been several months, but any time I've purchased this stuff (I always get a pound, never a sandwich) it's been Langer's/Katz's soft and fatty, not sawdust or shards. Too bad. I never thought it was quite up to the lofty standards of those spots or Schwartz's, but damn good anyway. I hope they fix whatever the problem is before it's too late.

Back in July stopped by Fumare and a sign stated they were closed for the month of July due to medical emergency.

Went back today hoping they would be open and a new sign states that Fumare will be closed for good (that sign was signed by the French Market).

"one on rye" was my favorite sandwich in the Loop!

Yelp says"this location has closed".
Does anyone know if Dick is okay?

Sign on the stall says it's closed permanently

Clinton Street Smoked Meats is bringing pastrami back to the French Market very soon:
https://frenchmarketchicago.com/vendor/ ... ked-meats/

I was at French Market on Monday for lunch and had the pastrami on rye at Clinton. Got to say I was underwhelmed by the portion, price point, and taste of the pastrami. It was not very flavorful, not enough fat and was actually dry. A sandwich and can of diet coke approaching $20. I work in the area and probably won't return. I was disappointed to say the least