One of the places we always visit on our food trips back home is Merichka’s. My personal favor is their “Poorboy” which is NOTHING like the Louisiana type.
I like to get the “Yodelburger” version.
Here’s what the standard Poorboy is: cubesteak on a long hard roll (much like the Italian Beef versions) with sliced pickles (which I cannot identify or find anywhere else) and the best part is the GARLIC BUTTERINE. I always order extra & like mine dripping (like my IB). The Yodelburger version is actually ground hamburger shaped into a longish square to fit the roll, and it includes a slice of swiss cheese. The Garlic Butterine is standard, as are the mysterious pickles.
If you have a chance to visit them, they’re on Theodore Street. It’s a little hometown joint, not a fancy gourmet restaurant or chain, and the ethnic history goes way back to Crest Hill’s Slovenian roots. If you’re into that sort of thing, it’s worth a visit (and I think they are still using the same red check cloth tablecloths that they had when I was a kid).
My mother used to work there, they have the best poorboys. I always order mine with extra garlic butter,just make sure your SO has garlic as well to cancel each other out.
I haven’t been there in years, yet I referred to them in my e-mail invite to our Super Bowl party for a few friends.
I told them I’d be serving poorboys just like Merichka’s, and awarded bonus points for anyone that even knew what that meant. I learned that except for my two oldest friends, I hang with a bunch of losers!
They’re all modern and fancy there now, with their own website and all.
I seldom have a reason to get down that way much anymore, but now this is in my head, I might just make a special trip.
I live in the Joliet area but have never been! Based on this thread, I’ll have to head out there the next time we’re looking for a new place for dinner.
I love that Merishka’s has a Thread!!! I grew up around there and this place was our go-to family get together joint. Simple, affordable and tasty. On any trip 9 of 10 people probably order the Poorboy. I also love and crave their House Salad Dressing. It’s a sweet, tangy french/russian style that is unlike anything you’ve ever had before. If only they sold it in bottles.
Or maybe your library has a copy of this? In fact, I’m going to the library tonight on my way home - I’ll look and see if mine has this book and I’ll check it out for ya and send you the recipe. I know, I know - I’m groovy like that.
I spent my formative years in Joliet, and to this day I’ve never been to Merichka’s. Why? Well, I never went there with my parents as a child – because they went there once MANY years ago, and my mother had a bad experience, so she did everything she could to prevent me from going there. Even made me change my group date plans because oh, horror of horrors, should we want to go to Merichka’s.
I have only heard RAVES from everybody who’s not my mom.
My wife and I actually have considered going there just to piss off my mother.
How weird that that book would have that recipe and that it’s be highlighted on it’s Amazon description. So bizzare!
I strongly recommend it. It’s not high class or gourmet, but it’s delicious and unique. That said, like any family run place that does a large volume business, you can every once in a while get a bad dish or bad service. Around the holidays the place can be mobbed and that stress can lead to mistakes. I’ve been dozens of times and once or twice I did get a dry, somewhat bland poorboy, but they fixed it when asked.
I’ll throw this out here - I miss a lot of Chi-Dope fests because so many are on the north side, while I live far W/SW. But maybe some of us that are reasonably close could drop in for a Merichka’s Dope Fest one day?
Funny this thread came up, like I said, I mentioned Merichka’s in the invite I sent to my friends for our Super Bowl bash, which I just have conveniently located and recreate here, with redaction of personal info:
*"it’s that time again, by “that time” i mean super bowl. as the subject line says.
our place, roughly 30 minutes before game time. if you haven’t been there or don’t have directions (tom?), it’s XXX street, zip code. just put that in a map search, you’ll get us.
we’ll have food, and we have either decided exactly what, and that particular brain cell is dead, or we haven’t decided. i’m not sure which. but the lovely wife will no doubt reply to ALL to correct me.
you may bring something you like to drink, and in sufficient quantity that it’s possible for you leave some behind. that’s my favorite part of this deal, is that i have a toasty group of leftovers in the beer fridge for the next week or so. i of course will have a bunch too, but that’s the thing with beer and loose women, is you can never say you have too much of either with a straight face.
cheryl is under strict orders about those balls. anyone else may, if you wish bring some sort of accompanying thing to the main dish, of which i’ve already pointed out i am confused about.
my only duty so far has been to make sure the invite went out today, getting it all correct was not on the list - clearly."
PS: Found the brain cell. I am making steak sandwiches on garlic bread.
Just like you used to get at Merichka’s on Theodore. (Not many
people will get that. Tough crap if you don’t )
Note to Dopers: My friend’s wife Cheryl makes some kind of chocolate balls out of crushed Oreo’s and cream cheese. She is forbidden to enter our house without an offering for the Wife.
