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BM Bakery, Bosnian Pita and Cevapcici [pictures]

BM Bakery, Bosnian Pita and Cevapcici [pictures]
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  • BM Bakery, Bosnian Pita and Cevapcici [pictures]

    Post #1 - May 20th, 2005, 6:00 am
    Post #1 - May 20th, 2005, 6:00 am Post #1 - May 20th, 2005, 6:00 am
    LTH,

    BM Bakery is an easy to miss, poorly marked storefront on Devon, a block East of La Unica, a glance in the window yields a few tables, chest high counter, half-filled bakery case and a small cooking area against the West wall. As the old saying goes, looks can be deceiving.

    Your nose will be the first thing to alert you to the fact there are good things going on here, the smell of sausage frying in a pan, cevapcici to be exact, and wonderful aroma of baking bread.

    BM Bakery Bosnian style pita.
    Image

    The proprietress, who seems shy, but quite nice, starts the cevapcici sizzling in a pan as soon as you place your order. It's a simple sandwich, pan griddled pita, cevapcici and a few slices of onion, but the combination is satisfying in a way that belies the simplicity.

    BM Bakery Cevapcici on Pita
    Image

    I've only had the burek once and, frankly, am luke warm on this style, which is dense and eggy, m'th'su, with whom I've eaten at BM Bakery, liked the burek.

    BM Bakery Burek
    Image

    BM Bakery Spinach Burek
    Image

    My last time at BM Bakery I had a slight miscommunication with the proprietress, who has very little English, and ended up with cold lamb on pita spread with a generous portion of quite thick sour cream. Not a problem, as I should have simply pointed to the hanging menu sign instead of speaking my butchered pronunciation of cevapcici to her.

    Though, seeing as how I was really in the mood for cevapcic,i I ordered one as well. I was going to take home all of the cold lamb sandwich but, somehow, half of it disappeared while I waited for my cevapcici. By the way, the lamb sandwich is quite a deal at $3

    BM Bakery Cold Lamb on Pita with Sour Cream
    Image

    The main things I find myself stopping at BM Bakery for are cevapcici and the wonderful Bosnian pita, which is delicious as a vehicle for just about anything, from cevapcici to SunDevilPeg's Char Siu w/hosin and homemade chili oil.
    Image

    BM Bakery has a few other items, very soft loaf bread, quite good, though simple, pastries, Radenska sparkling water from Slovenia and Slovenia cola as well.

    Cockta Cola (Made in Slovenia)
    Image

    Since we are talking about cevapcici I should mention my other favorite place for cevapcici, which also serves the sausages on Bosnian pita, Bosanski Okusi. Bosanski Okusi has a full range of offerings, and is a restaurant, albeit modest, whereas BM Bakery is more of a bakery with a few tables and chairs for the convenience of it's customers. The cevapcici are served with sliced onion, a small bowl of sour cream and ajvar, though you may have to as for the ajvar.

    Enjoy,
    Gary

    B M Bakery
    1443 W Devon
    Chicago, IL 60660
    773-381-1321

    Bosanski Okusi
    6014 N Broadway
    Chicago, IL 60660
    773-743-7560
    10-10 7-days a week.
    No liquor, not sure about BYOB, call first.

    La Unica
    1515 W. Devon Ave.
    Chicago, IL
    773-274-7788
    Hold my beer . . .

    Low & Slow
  • Post #2 - May 20th, 2005, 8:37 am
    Post #2 - May 20th, 2005, 8:37 am Post #2 - May 20th, 2005, 8:37 am
    Darth,

    The Bosnian pita looks fantastic, though sometimes it’s hard to tell if it’s the beauty of the dish or the photo.

    I’ll have to tell The Wife about the Slovenian cola…she’s still all aglow that a Slovenian made it to the Miss World competition.

    Did you really have Yucatecan habanero sauce with your lamb sandwich?

    Hammond
    "Don't you ever underestimate the power of a female." Bootsy Collins
  • Post #3 - May 20th, 2005, 9:01 am
    Post #3 - May 20th, 2005, 9:01 am Post #3 - May 20th, 2005, 9:01 am
    I popped in there last week and besides the pitas (which are quite good, big puffy things twice the size of a usual pita, and especially good if they're a little burnt around the edges) I bought some croissant-like things (I guess I should say that they had what passes in Eastern Europe for a French croissant's delicacy and lightness) filled with bitter chocolate which were pretty damn wonderful. I bought two of them and wound up tearing off pieces and sharing them with the other moms at school pickup that day, they never made it home.
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  • Post #4 - May 20th, 2005, 10:33 am
    Post #4 - May 20th, 2005, 10:33 am Post #4 - May 20th, 2005, 10:33 am
    We stopped by there a couple of times last year before moving (gettting carpets cleaned nearby) and that was in the late summer/early fall tomato season. Those pita loaves halved make great quick pseudo-pizzas, especially with really high quality ripe tomatos. Next time I get some, I think I might build a sandwich along the lines of the Provençal pan bagnat; they also would probably work well filled with Italian cold cuts -- a sort of Bosnian mufaletta...

    Antonius
    Alle Nerven exzitiert von dem gewürzten Wein -- Anwandlung von Todesahndungen -- Doppeltgänger --
    - aus dem Tagebuch E.T.A. Hoffmanns, 6. Januar 1804.
    ________
    Na sir is na seachain an cath.
  • Post #5 - May 20th, 2005, 2:09 pm
    Post #5 - May 20th, 2005, 2:09 pm Post #5 - May 20th, 2005, 2:09 pm
    Mike G wrote:I popped in there last week and besides the pitas (which are quite good, big puffy things twice the size of a usual pita, and especially good if they're a little burnt around the edges) I bought some croissant-like things (I guess I should say that they had what passes in Eastern Europe for a French croissant's delicacy and lightness) filled with bitter chocolate which were pretty damn wonderful. I bought two of them and wound up tearing off pieces and sharing them with the other moms at school pickup that day, they never made it home.


    thanks for this recommendation - just got back from a little snack of those chocolate thingies with some cafe con leche from la unica down the block and they were just great. btw, the wife thinks the cranberry ones were even better, but as I didn't get a bite, I couldn't say
  • Post #6 - May 21st, 2005, 6:28 am
    Post #6 - May 21st, 2005, 6:28 am Post #6 - May 21st, 2005, 6:28 am
    David Hammond wrote:Did you really have Yucatecan habanero sauce with your lamb sandwich?

    Hammond,

    Yes, and few weeks before El Yucateco KutBil-Ik with my Cevapcici.

    I should point out I bring my own. Like Zim, I usually stop at La Unica for a coffee before going to BM Bakery, and take the opportunity to buy a small bottle of hot sauce, typically a version of El Yucateco . La Unica has a nice selection of El Yucateco, including KutBil-lk, which is newish and can be hard to find.

    Image

    Enjoy,
    Gary
    Hold my beer . . .

    Low & Slow
  • Post #7 - May 21st, 2005, 9:20 pm
    Post #7 - May 21st, 2005, 9:20 pm Post #7 - May 21st, 2005, 9:20 pm
    Hi,

    What I have always received when ordering Cevapcici has been Ajvar, a red pepper sauce which can be mild to quite spicey. Was that offered?
    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 #8 - May 22nd, 2005, 1:44 am
    Post #8 - May 22nd, 2005, 1:44 am Post #8 - May 22nd, 2005, 1:44 am
    I walk past this place at least 4 times a week and never stopped. :shock:

    I'll be sure to stop in there some time w/in the next few weeks.
  • Post #9 - May 23rd, 2005, 9:01 pm
    Post #9 - May 23rd, 2005, 9:01 pm Post #9 - May 23rd, 2005, 9:01 pm
    Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

    What I have always received when ordering Cevapcici has been Ajvar, a red pepper sauce which can be mild to quite spicey. Was that offered?

    Cathy,

    BM Bakery does not have Ajvar, at least not when I've inquired. Bosanski Okusi has ajvar, but one, typically, has to ask to have it brought to the table.

    A few years ago I inquired at Bosanski Okusi as to why, as in many other places, ajvar was not brought to the table as a matter of course. The response I received, which I am simply repeating and am not representing as fact, simply an offhand response to a casual question, was as a general rule Bosnians do not like spicy food and ajvar is spicy.

    Enjoy,
    Gary
    Hold my beer . . .

    Low & Slow
  • Post #10 - May 23rd, 2005, 9:07 pm
    Post #10 - May 23rd, 2005, 9:07 pm Post #10 - May 23rd, 2005, 9:07 pm
    Gary wrote:The response I received, which I am simply repeating and am not representing as fact, simply an offhand response to a casual question, was as a general rule Bosnians do not like spicy food and ajvar is spicy.


    Interesting response. In most the Balkans, the ajvar was simply slathered on without any inquiry if you wanted it or not.

    Thanks!

    Regards,
    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 #11 - May 24th, 2005, 6:29 am
    Post #11 - May 24th, 2005, 6:29 am Post #11 - May 24th, 2005, 6:29 am
    Lepina

    I don't think anyone has mentioned this here but the Bosnian name for their quasi-flat 'pita' bread is lepina.

    ***

    G Wiv wrote:...I should point out I bring my own. Like Zim, I usually stop at La Unica for a coffee before going to BM Bakery, and take the opportunity to buy a small bottle of hot sauce, typically a version of El Yucateco . La Unica has a nice selection of El Yucateco, including KutBil-lk, which is newish and can be hard to find.


    We always have three or four El Yucateco sauces on hand at home; I find all their sauces very flavourful beyond being (to varying degrees) hot, the Kutbil-ik included despite it being quite potent. The red and green habanero sauces get more regular use by us than the Kutbil-ik, but I also really love the jalapeño sauce for its very nice flavour with only restrained heat. But, whereas I can find the Kutbil-ik and the red and green habanero sauces in many of the Mexican shops and groceries I visit, I hardly ever see the jalapeño sauce. Does La Unica regularly carry it?

    Antonius
    Alle Nerven exzitiert von dem gewürzten Wein -- Anwandlung von Todesahndungen -- Doppeltgänger --
    - aus dem Tagebuch E.T.A. Hoffmanns, 6. Januar 1804.
    ________
    Na sir is na seachain an cath.
  • Post #12 - May 24th, 2005, 8:00 am
    Post #12 - May 24th, 2005, 8:00 am Post #12 - May 24th, 2005, 8:00 am
    Antonius wrote:We always have three or four El Yucateco sauces on hand at home; I find all their sauces very flavourful beyond being (to varying degrees) hot, the Kutbil-ik included despite it being quite potent. The red and green habanero sauces get more regular use by us than the Kutbil-ik, but I also really love the jalapeño sauce for its very nice flavour with only restrained heat. But, whereas I can find the Kutbil-ik and the red and green habanero sauces in many of the Mexican shops and groceries I visit, I hardly ever see the jalapeño sauce. Does La Unica regularly carry it?

    Antonius


    I'm pretty sure Morelia on Clark carries the full line of yucateco sauces, and is worth a visit for their butcher/deli counter as well as their sauce collection
  • Post #13 - September 18th, 2005, 11:06 am
    Post #13 - September 18th, 2005, 11:06 am Post #13 - September 18th, 2005, 11:06 am
    Antonius and I stopped in BM Bakery briefly on Thursday after lunch at Cafe Salamera to pick up some lepina (Bosnian pita) and a cheese burek.

    Alas, like Cafe Salamera, BM Bakery has a sign in the window announcing "For Sale -- Bussiness" [sic]. Another place to visit while you still can... :(
  • Post #14 - January 21st, 2006, 10:35 am
    Post #14 - January 21st, 2006, 10:35 am Post #14 - January 21st, 2006, 10:35 am
    Antonius Bonus wrote:
    We always have three or four El Yucateco sauces on hand at home; I find all their sauces very flavourful beyond being (to varying degrees) hot, the Kutbil-ik included despite it being quite potent. The red and green habanero sauces get more regular use by us than the Kutbil-ik, but I also really love the jalapeño sauce for its very nice flavour with only restrained heat. But, whereas I can find the Kutbil-ik and the red and green habanero sauces in many of the Mexican shops and groceries I visit, I hardly ever see the jalapeño sauce. Does La Unica regularly carry it?


    Antonius B:

    I have good news for you: La busca de la Vuestra Merced, Don Antonio, es ahora terminada. I found a source for the Yucateco jalapeño sauce for which you long have searched. There were a number of bottles of it on the shelf at La Municipal for the reasonable price of $1.49 per bottle.

    Don't drown in it.

    Saluti convenevoli,
    Antonius Malus

    Supermercado 'La Municipal'
    2559 W. Division
    Chicago
    773.235.2408
    Alle Nerven exzitiert von dem gewürzten Wein -- Anwandlung von Todesahndungen -- Doppeltgänger --
    - aus dem Tagebuch E.T.A. Hoffmanns, 6. Januar 1804.
    ________
    Na sir is na seachain an cath.
  • Post #15 - January 24th, 2006, 6:49 pm
    Post #15 - January 24th, 2006, 6:49 pm Post #15 - January 24th, 2006, 6:49 pm
    Antonius wrote:I found a source for the Yucateco jalapeño sauce for which you long have searched. There were a number of bottles of it on the shelf at La Municipal for the reasonable price of $1.49 per bottle.

    Antonius,

    Thanks for the heads up, I'll definitely be there this week.

    Enjoy,
    Gary
    Hold my beer . . .

    Low & Slow
  • Post #16 - January 31st, 2006, 4:16 pm
    Post #16 - January 31st, 2006, 4:16 pm Post #16 - January 31st, 2006, 4:16 pm
    Amata wrote:Antonius and I stopped in BM Bakery briefly on Thursday after lunch at Cafe Salamera to pick up some lepina (Bosnian pita) and a cheese burek.

    Alas, like Cafe Salamera, BM Bakery has a sign in the window announcing "For Sale -- Bussiness" [sic]. Another place to visit while you still can... :(


    Not to worry everyone. I stopped in there today for cevapcici, and asked about the sign. Apparently, there are plans for new management and redecorating, but the menu and the cook are to remain the same. Thanks to a particularly nice Bosnian guy (I think he said his name was Bono), I also learned that the proper way to eat cevapcici is with a glass of buttermilk. It reminded me of Cathy2's salt lassi at Khan's. A winning combination that I will repeat.

    As for Salamera, I think it is past time to worry. I passed by there this afternoon and it was closed. Although it is sad, Norka will not be the first young woman to discover that the realities of running a business can be burdensome. I wish her well, and hope that she finds her heart's desire wherever it lies.
    Man : I can't understand how a poet like you can eat that stuff.
    T. S. Eliot: Ah, but you're not a poet.
  • Post #17 - February 1st, 2006, 11:56 pm
    Post #17 - February 1st, 2006, 11:56 pm Post #17 - February 1st, 2006, 11:56 pm
    Antonius wrote:I found a source for the Yucateco jalapeño

    Antonius,

    Thanks ever so much for posting a source for El Yucateco Jalapeno. I stopped at Municipal Food and bought a few bottles. Tasted great on a Cuban sandwich from Cafeteria Mariano.

    Image

    (Cathy2, thanks for providing LTHForum On-Star)

    Enjoy,
    Gary

    Municipal Food
    2559 W Division Street
    Chicago, IL
    773-235-2408

    Cafeteria Mariano
    2246 N Milwaukee Ave
    Chicago, IL
    773-278-4533
    Hold my beer . . .

    Low & Slow
  • Post #18 - February 2nd, 2006, 9:55 am
    Post #18 - February 2nd, 2006, 9:55 am Post #18 - February 2nd, 2006, 9:55 am
    Gary:

    I'm glad to hear you got over to La Municipal for the El Yucateco jalapeño sauce. Did you notice they also carry an El Yucateco 'Caribbean' style hot sauce (as well as the standard red and green and brown (Kutbil-ik) habanero-based sauces). I haven't tried that Caribbean one nor their Chipotle sauce but I can't imagine they wouldn't be very good. I love all the El Yucateco products I've tried so far...

    La Municipal isn't a great store but it's not bad and now it is my nearest source for several Puerto Rican/Caribbean ingredients since my Puerto Rican go-to store on California recently closed.

    Antonius
    Alle Nerven exzitiert von dem gewürzten Wein -- Anwandlung von Todesahndungen -- Doppeltgänger --
    - aus dem Tagebuch E.T.A. Hoffmanns, 6. Januar 1804.
    ________
    Na sir is na seachain an cath.
  • Post #19 - February 2nd, 2006, 10:43 am
    Post #19 - February 2nd, 2006, 10:43 am Post #19 - February 2nd, 2006, 10:43 am
    EY Carribean is very good, with a sweet heat.

    I find the bottles I get in Cancun are a little better than the bottles I get here in the US.
    Bill-Plainfield
  • Post #20 - February 2nd, 2006, 10:48 am
    Post #20 - February 2nd, 2006, 10:48 am Post #20 - February 2nd, 2006, 10:48 am
    My husband found the El Yucateco chipotle sauce on the shelf at our local Ultra Foods (in Chicago Heights) and has been busy putting it on everything we've eaten in the past week, except breakfast cereal. We also saw the jalepeno flavor there. I think he'll be getting a bottle of that this Sunday.

    As Ann Fisher mentioned in a different post, Ultra Foods has a very extensive selection of Hispanic food items. The one in "da Heights" also carries a nice Italian selection, as there is still a large (although aging) Italian community here. Prices are consistently lower than at other chain grocery stores in my area. Aside from the stores in the southern suburbs and northwest Indiana, there is an Ultra in Forest Park.

    Suzy
    " There is more stupidity than hydrogen in the universe, and it has a longer shelf life."
    - Frank Zappa
  • Post #21 - February 17th, 2006, 9:27 am
    Post #21 - February 17th, 2006, 9:27 am Post #21 - February 17th, 2006, 9:27 am
    the cincos hermanos in Berwyn has a full line of el yucateco as well as el gallito brands

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