Panozzo's Italian Market

There aren't too many things that I like as well as a deli, even better is a European deli, or since I am in the US, a European style deli; and that is exactly what I got when we had lunch at Panozzo's Italian Market on Michigan Avenue in Chicago. Panozzo's in more than just a deli with fresh made sandwiches, homemade pastas, and an abundance of salads, it is an establishment supporting it's own local community by using local and sustainable food.

Not only is the menu at Panozzo's incredibly tempting, but the deli case will also have your mouth watering; since we have heard such good things about the hot sandwiches, we went that route. I chose the porchetta, which is a pork shoulder that is marinated for a couple days, wrapped in a cured pork belly, and slow baked. For the first time in my life I ordered a sandwich totally unaltered (normally I prefer my sandwiches pretty plain), and it was delicious! My porchetta came on delicious yeast bread that was pan fried and perfectly crispy on the outside, it was topped with pickled fennel, greens, and a mild chili aoili, and that aoili in combination with the rendered fat from the porchetta gave the inside of the fried bread a soft, creaminess. I am so glad that I went against my inhibitions and ordered this sandwich as is, because it was delicious!

My hubby ordered the chicken thigh confit, which we were told is another popular choice. His sandwich also came on the delicious fried bread, and was reminiscent of chicken Parmesan with a chicken thigh, tomato pesto, herbs, pickled chili's, Parmesan, and most importantly fresh, handmade mozzarella...yes, they make their own mozzarella daily. 

For our little man we ordered a breaded chicken cutlet, which my hubby and I both tried and agreed it was delicious! These chicken cutlets can be bought by the pound and would be the perfect base for any chicken dish like chicken Parmesan. I perused the deli case and saw many unique olives, salads, and several different varieties of lasagna and I personally had to resist the urge to take home pounds and pounds of deli meat like salami and speck, but without a cooler, I am not sure it would have fared well during the rest of the day and trip home, but next time I will be smarter and take a cooler to bring home extras.

Italian restaurants are a dime a dozen, but Panozzo's Italian Market is a unique little joint, that is doing Italian different and doing it well.