I drove out to Q7 Ranch today and bought a few pounds of free range, grass fed sirloin, ground beef…read moreand few pasture raised chickens (which are better than simply "free range" in that they get to eat more natural grass because their pen is moved a few feet to a fresh spot every day). They also have pork but I didn't order any. They're very friendly and easy to buy from. Just call first to make an appointment and drive out to the ranch. Most meat is sold by the pound. When I got home I cut the frozen sirloin into 3-4oz pieces and seared in a cast iron skillet (which I think is a more pure way to cook a steak, avoiding any extra flavors which are imparted from cooking over fire). The steak was extremely flavorful. I also minced a piece to have as traditional steak tartare (see picture above). The beef flavor was bright and full -- and the color was amazing. From the Q7 Ranch website: "Quarter Circle Seven Ranch is an Illinois family owned and operated all natural, grass fed beef cattle ranch based in Marengo, Illinois. Blessed with an abundance of natural vegetation and water; our ranches provide over 400 acres of native grass pastures in Marengo, Poplar Grove and Virginia, Illinois with our home pasture being only 58 miles northwest of the Chicago loop. Our husbandry and pasture management practices meet all of the All Natural/Grass Fed requirements that our clients want...locally produced and locally processed. No growth hormone implants or additives. No fed antibiotics. No herbicides applied to our pastures. No pesticides applied to the cattle. Plenty of natural grasses, shade and clean flowing water. Our processing, packaging and pricing is intended to allow for the maximum in client choice. You can purchase one steak, one whole beef or any amount in between or split a purchase with family or friends. We believe that buying locally leaves a smaller carbon footprint by saving energy and therefore should cost less. Our prices are market based, applying discounts of 10% to 33% to the prices of the largest internet based providers. Our mission is to provide Chicagoland families a high quality, locally produced, and affordable choice in grass fed beef. Living "Green" is critical. It is also inconvenient when compared with a trip to the local supermarket. We try to help with that by offering delivery service to your home or business. Although, we have more fun when you visit the ranch to pick up your order and take a look around."

We purchased some ground beef from them at the Family Farmed Expo. It was the tastiest beef I have…read moreever had. We have also purchased some of their Beef at the Butcher and the Larder and love it. It is nice to have a free range grass fed alternative to the regular store beef. We look forward to ordering our first 1/8 beef side.

If you want quality meat. Butcher is the place to go. The workers are great, very quick in and out…read more Store is small but it doesn't bother me. When it's busy it gets busy, but it's well worth the wait. You can tell the people just care and they care for there quality of foods, and that's what encourages me to keep coming back. You must come if you never been to a butcher before or need just great meat.

Butcher on the Block sells excellent cuts of meat, service is efficient and friendly, the shop…read morelooks very clean. I'd recommend their sliders and brats and their sandwiches are great. The one negative I have to say is they charge a fee if you use a credit card. C'mon, eliminate that fee.

Been working in Hampshire for 2 years and just came across this hidden gem in downtown area. Well I…read morefinally stopped before the weekend hit and I am glad I did. I got some fresh applewood smoked bacon which usually I'd cook on stovetop. After talking with owner for a while he reminded me to cook it in oven and let me just say I have been doing it wrong my whole life. The applewood smell in my house afterwards was like I just smoked it myself! Hands down one of the coolest guys I've talked to and for sure will be back to try everything else! Thank you

Great town butcher. The best bacon and corned beef! Service was great, very kind and informative.read more

"Yum Yum Yum!" That's the review that my 8 yr. old wanted to leave after visiting for ice cream…read more It's a great little neighborhood market with a surprisingly good butcher shop. The ice cream from Cedar Crest is consistently great, with a wide selection.

This is your all in one stop shop! The best part is the ice cream shop connected to the grocery…read morestore and butcher shop. And how great is the name - cattle & cream !! Stopped in for a late night ice cream run and grabbed a gallon of milk as well because we needed it and it was one less stop. The ice cream was delicious- the banana bread French toast is a must try!!! Banana bread ice cream with pieces of crunchy French toast. Also beware because their sundaes are huge and can definitely be shared - it was loaded with Caramel and hot fudge, soo good. They also serve coffee in their ice cream shop. The grocery store/butcher shop had tons of variety! A wall of wine of every selection, can goods, cheese, fresh produce - basically everything you could possibly need. Love that they have outdoor seating and water bowls for the pups. A place I will definitely be back to visit or two.

This is Disneyland for a FatGuy. I never took up tobacco,…read moreI'm a sensible imbiber of Alcohol, and but for a VERY few exceptions (and periods in my history) I wasn't drawn to recreational drugs. Lunchmeat and sausages, though... Thoroughly, positively, indubitably, and absolutely addicted throughout all of my 72 years. Mea culpa, pwned, signed, sealed, and delivered. (Yes I know that shit is NOT good for you or me; and I have, here in my dotage, adapted at least a smidgen of discipline in my consumption of said foodstuffs) But stepping into Reams is hard, my Brothers and Sisters, it's HARD. Temptation in the air, from the butcher shop aroma; Temptation in the eyes, from the never-ending displays in the cases, Temptation in situ from the beckoning samples placed like land mines throughout the store, and the myriad namecards everywhere you look. Temptation to cross gluttony off the "mortal sin" list, or at least create a scheme to take a parcel of fresh Bratwurst to one's next confession; slipping it to the padre hoping the penance is to leave the Mustard off the links for a week or two. I won't even try to describe the treats in store. There's just too much. And it goes beyond charcuterie. The steaks, the chops, the prepared meats. All top top quality. There's condiments, baked goods, wine and beer, even stuff for your dog. Want weird stuff? Offal and innards? It's all there. Seafood, too. And if you're one of those guys (like me) who dig "sausage stix" and Jerky, their home-made offerings are nonpareil. Ditto for their home-made potato salad-type thingies. It wouldn't surprise me to find a dozen Grandmothers fixing all this shit up behind the back wall. Here's another example: In the West Burbs of Chicago, the Czech butchers always had Daisy/Crawford Praszky for sale-It's a tasty Garlic juggernaut halfway between salami and summer sausage. Oscar Mayer WISHES they had something tasting this good. It's a Chicago Staple you'll never hear of through all the chatter about Hotdogs, Italian Beef, and Deep-Dish Pizza. Maybe it didn't get as far North as the Kosher neighborhoods, but on the South and west sides...oboy. Imagine my surprise when I saw Ream's version sitting almost hidden on the very bottom row of one of the cold chests lining the Southern wall. I've never seen it elsewhere, except for the echte Daisy/Crawford version. I thought it was a proprietary thing. Welp, here is Ream's iteration. I saw it while I was in line, and as I already had a cart full of custom-cut stuff, I didn't add it to the haul that day, but the NEXT time we're in deepest Elburn, I'm SO there. Every theory has a corollary, and I was disappointed to learn Ream's quit making their excellent Head Cheese. Yes I know, "head cheese" is on the "fear factor" list with Anchovies, Limburger Cheese, Czarnina (q.v.), and Haggis; but IYKYK, this is a significant loss. Oh well. And about that "it's not good for you" thing: Yeah, there's a lot of fat in sausages, but I am without doubt Reams has no truck with nasty chemicals, or cheating the recipes to add bulk in the name of profits. I'm also pretty sure they're using the best quality sources and the best cuts to make their stuff. Ream's is WAY the fuck out there in the far far far Western Burbs. It isn't quite Eastern Iowa, but it may seem like that during the journey there. And if you're looking for a bargain, shop at Aldi. If this was an Auto Dealer, they'd be selling Mercedes, Audis, and Lamborghinis. Make sure you have some free limit on your cards if you come out here to shop. It also is certain you will buy MORE than you planned to. Mark my words. Then again, Distance and price be damned. If you demand pure excellence, You pay the tab without a gripe. But when you make a sandwich, or pull one of their steaks off the grill, or have a snack of their heavenly Pimento Cheese on a cracker; or shook a bottle of one of the boutique sauces on who-cares-what, or took a bite of a Brat with SERIOUS "snap"... You'll smile quietly knowing you got what you paid for. Perhaps more. And THAT is a rare occurrence in these days of "interesting times"

I don't come here often, but when I do, I'll join the droves of people gathering around the Meat…read moreCounter waiting methodically for your number to be called, Yep, it's a 'cattle call' for those willing to throw 5 Stars for a slab of Beef or Pork with 'Steakhouse' prices. Apparently, people tend to become enamored over some 'Meat Stix'! It's good, but it ain't the only place around serving the best meat imaginable!

Just finished the Ribeyes we bought on Sunday so tender and juicy! The store is very neat and clean…read morewith a lot of choices not just meats. Eggs, cheese, milk, jellies, beef sticks, pies, pot pies ice cream (delicious). You get what you pay for so is it cheap no but worth the price and the drive.

Live closer now so I go all the time. The fresh dairy so yummy. Sour cream like nothing else,…read more tasty yogurt , milk and cream. So yummy. The staff is fantastic. The meat and cheese and way too many items to mention. Go get something. It's worth it

The owners of this place are gouging our community. Some of the prices are absolutely absurd. Today…read moreI went there for a jar of mayonnaise. A 30 Oz jar of Hellman's mayonnaise was $9.99. Everywhere else that I shop, the same jar is $7 at most. This is an emergency Only Store. Actually, I would rather drive 20 minutes to shop anywhere else.

Food was overpriced they wanted me to leave after 2 minutes and it smelled so not recomendread more

A large selection of brats that you can only find there. The other food is equally good. The…read moreservice is friendly and knowledgeable; it is well worth the ride. You know you are in a specialty shop.

In a dusty little town that can easily be 1000 miles from nowhere, a Meat Market suddenly appears…read moreas you kick the tumbleweeds aside. Yep, an unsuspected Twilight Zone moment involving purveyors of fine meats.. The hefty 'Iowa Chops' will weigh down your picnic basket, and 'Bears' fans can rejoice while torching some 'Packer' Brats over an open flame! The 'Beef Stix'; you're guaranteed a full day supply of Sodium. Just West of Dekalb...

Drove past this today while running errands and my wife and I said together, "we need to stop…read morethere". Located in the old Soukup's appliance store on the east side on State St. And so we did....and glad we did. Only opened 3 weeks or so, coolers and freezers were stocked nicely. The brat selection is awesome, all sorts of varieties and mixtures. Salsa's, spices, steaks and the like line the cooler shelves throughout the clean, well laid out store. We picked up some Southern Pimento spread......OMG! Has to be the best!!! Couldn't decide on which brat to buy so we went with the Kentucky Bourbon brat. Also got 2 pounds of their ground beef at a great price along with some fresh sliced turkey from the deli cooler....and a jar of salsa. Other than the pimento spread, we haven't tried any of our purchases but I'm sure it'll be good. Kyle, from Blue Goose is a butcher here....another star! Even though they are still in their "soft opening" the lady behind the counter couldn't have been nicer and accommodating!!! Fresh seafood is coming along with a sandwich board for fresh Sammy's. We WILL go back! :) :) :) UPDATE: Grilled the Kentucky Bourbon brats this past weekend, goodness they were good. The KB brats are juicy and full of unique flavor!!! Need to get more..... UPDATE #2: We've grilled the Steak Burgers and they are awesome! Juicy and flavorful. Picked up more ground beef, pimento and spicy beer spread, some New York strips and regular brats, just to try something different.

First time customer. Bought two good steaks. One prime and one choice porterhouse. Cooked the…read more"choice" first and was super impressed with the tenderness and the taste! Far better than we have gotten from Joseph's or Costco! Saving the "prime" for maybe Fathers Day? ‍. Fresh fish looked good too but came to try steaks. Picked up some store made mild salsa and enjoyed some on the patio today! I loved it! But don't recall if they offered a spicier version...which my son prefers? Only negative I could find is they don't offer a very large deli variety; nor do they make many salads to choose from. Joseph's has them beat there! Mostly I'm THRILLED a butcher shop is open past 5:00PM! Commuters and lazy people like me will appreciate that!!