We were pleasantly surprised by this diner located at 145 S Oak Park Avenue. We have passed by George's Restaurant many times but have never eaten there. People have recommended it to us but we have never gone in. Last week we met Peter Sagal from the radio show "Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me" and he told us his kids love this restaurant for breakfast so we finally decided to breakfast here this morning.
The restaurant was very crowded. There were green carnations on every table (even though it's a Greek Diner) and decorations up for St. Patrick's Day. The waitress quickly came with diner coffee and water for both of us. The menu had the usual breakfast items (pancakes, waffles, omelets etc.). After eating a lot last week, we decided to go with the basic egg breakfast. Believe it or not, we were still able to get the early bird special (it's not over until 11:00 a.m.). We had eggs over easy, toast, turkey sausage, orange juice, and hash browns (Leslie got fruit instead). The eggs were perfect! We were really pleasantly surprised and how good our breakfast tasted. This diner was much better than our last diner experience in Oak Park. The waitress came around with coffee often and was very friendly.
There seems to be a group of older men that meet there every day (there was also a group of older ladies at a different table). There was great diner conversation (one person was talking about Rod Blagojevitch on the radio and his court case). We talked to the man at the register and he told us he grew up at this restaurant. It's been around for years. The full menu looks like your typical Chicago diner: salads, Greek specialties, pasta, sandwiches, etc. I'm sure we'll be back for a meal with our kids one day and for breakfast again soon.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
We're not in Oak Park this week! Victoria's Pastries in San Francisco
On Saturday afternoon we left Chicago for San Francisco. It's R & R time for Leslie and the Rabbi's Convention for Max. We got here Saturday night and had a great Tapas dinner. Sunday morning we went to a local restaurant for breakfast and then walked around. On our walk we passed by Sear's Restaurant (not part of Sears Department Store). There was a long line out the door and a video playing about their Swedish pancakes. It's supposedly the best pancake in town and has been open since 1938. It had to be good. We decided we needed to blog about this place. SO we thought we'd cheat and go there early Monday (before Max's sessions) and blog about it on Tuesday. Well, after our breakfast we were so disappointed that we didn't want to blog about it! The Depot has nothing to worry about. The pancakes were small and there was not much flavor. We were both disappointed until this morning. We had a great breakfast (serves us right for trying a place the day before!).
Leslie's coworker sent us with a list of restaurants close to our hotel, the Fairmont in Nob Hill. Victoria's Pastry Company was about 7 blocks from our hotel in North Beach. The pastry shop has been open since 1914. The walk there was really nice (all down hill!). There are about 8 tables in this old Italian Bakery. We got the last table. There was a man siting alone at one table next to us and two woman at the table on the other side. It wasn't until the middle of our breakfast that we found out they were a married couple who come to the bakery every morning. The woman sit and gossip together. The man was waiting for other men and reading his newspaper. We offered to switch tables but he was thrilled with the distance (I didn't understand but Max shook his head in agreement). They meet their friends every morning.
There is no doubt in our mind why this bakery has been open since 1914. It was delicious! The coffee was rich. We both enjoyed our large mug and could have had more. (Although I didn't want to carry it on the walk up the hill!). We shared three pastries. The first one was a Bear Claw. It was fresh and so soft. The next was a broiche. This was also very good. But by far the Cherry Strudel was the best. It was flaky and delicious. We both finished everything. I have to say this was one of the best bakery's we've ever been too. You'll have to check it out when you come to San Francisco or you can even order on-line. The walk back uphill was hard but not hard enough to stop us from going back to this bakery tomorrow!
Max went on after breakfast to a day trip titled, Coffee, Beatniks and Jewish Literature. Leslie went sightseeing around San Francisco and to the Wharf. We won't say who has had a better day. We're home on Thursday and will blog about our regular life next week. Thanks to Leslie's mom and dad we've had a great time away together (and of course Max has enjoyed his meetings.)
Leslie's coworker sent us with a list of restaurants close to our hotel, the Fairmont in Nob Hill. Victoria's Pastry Company was about 7 blocks from our hotel in North Beach. The pastry shop has been open since 1914. The walk there was really nice (all down hill!). There are about 8 tables in this old Italian Bakery. We got the last table. There was a man siting alone at one table next to us and two woman at the table on the other side. It wasn't until the middle of our breakfast that we found out they were a married couple who come to the bakery every morning. The woman sit and gossip together. The man was waiting for other men and reading his newspaper. We offered to switch tables but he was thrilled with the distance (I didn't understand but Max shook his head in agreement). They meet their friends every morning.
There is no doubt in our mind why this bakery has been open since 1914. It was delicious! The coffee was rich. We both enjoyed our large mug and could have had more. (Although I didn't want to carry it on the walk up the hill!). We shared three pastries. The first one was a Bear Claw. It was fresh and so soft. The next was a broiche. This was also very good. But by far the Cherry Strudel was the best. It was flaky and delicious. We both finished everything. I have to say this was one of the best bakery's we've ever been too. You'll have to check it out when you come to San Francisco or you can even order on-line. The walk back uphill was hard but not hard enough to stop us from going back to this bakery tomorrow!
Max went on after breakfast to a day trip titled, Coffee, Beatniks and Jewish Literature. Leslie went sightseeing around San Francisco and to the Wharf. We won't say who has had a better day. We're home on Thursday and will blog about our regular life next week. Thanks to Leslie's mom and dad we've had a great time away together (and of course Max has enjoyed his meetings.)
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Al's Grill
It's Tuesday again! The first day of ISAT's for Jacob and regular school for Aden and Abby. Jacob listened to his teachers and had a big healthy breakfast before school. Then as he was walking out the door he turned to us and said, "Where are you going for breakfast?" I really do wonder what he thinks about us blogging!
Today we decided to go to Al's Grill. Al's is on Madison St. in Oak Park, just across the street from Oak Park Hospital. Their slogan is "Where Food and Friends Become Family." Not sure what they're striving for but I don't think we'll become family with their food (we've got enough to deal with in our own family). From the outside, you can see the menu illuminated by florescent lights above the counter. We assumed you order up at the counter and then sit down. But when we walked in, the waiter seated us and handed us the menu. We're not sure why the menu is also illuminated on the wall.
We had high hopes for the restaurant as it was very crowded, especially for a Tuesday. Shortly after we sat down the waitress came over to offer us drinks. She immediately came back with their version of coffee (definitely not Blue Max, The Depot, or Prairie Bread Kitchen). We each ordered a full breakfast (not that we were told to eat properly for ISAT's but we both kept up with Jacob's breakfast mode). Max had 2 eggs over easy, hashbrowns, turkey sausage, and toast. Leslie had a spinach/cheese omelet, grits, and toast. Everything came extremely fast. The food was fine but not nearly as good as the other diners we have been to. The turkey sausage was very good and so were the grits. Everything else was just fine. The hash bowns weren't very crisp and the omelet had frozen spinach. We were really surprised at how crowded the restaurant was but the price and service were good so we think that helped. It is also much better than hospital food so we're sure they get a lot of business that way. We decided while we were eating that this is the perfect place to go if you want a quick breakfast but not McDonald's.
We're not sure we'll be back to this restaurant. I guess if we are visiting the hospital it's a fine place to breakfast (it's only open for breakfast and lunch). We would probably take the two extra block walk though and eat at the Original Pancake House a little further down Madison (one place we went to before the blog started that we will write about at some point!).
Today we decided to go to Al's Grill. Al's is on Madison St. in Oak Park, just across the street from Oak Park Hospital. Their slogan is "Where Food and Friends Become Family." Not sure what they're striving for but I don't think we'll become family with their food (we've got enough to deal with in our own family). From the outside, you can see the menu illuminated by florescent lights above the counter. We assumed you order up at the counter and then sit down. But when we walked in, the waiter seated us and handed us the menu. We're not sure why the menu is also illuminated on the wall.
We had high hopes for the restaurant as it was very crowded, especially for a Tuesday. Shortly after we sat down the waitress came over to offer us drinks. She immediately came back with their version of coffee (definitely not Blue Max, The Depot, or Prairie Bread Kitchen). We each ordered a full breakfast (not that we were told to eat properly for ISAT's but we both kept up with Jacob's breakfast mode). Max had 2 eggs over easy, hashbrowns, turkey sausage, and toast. Leslie had a spinach/cheese omelet, grits, and toast. Everything came extremely fast. The food was fine but not nearly as good as the other diners we have been to. The turkey sausage was very good and so were the grits. Everything else was just fine. The hash bowns weren't very crisp and the omelet had frozen spinach. We were really surprised at how crowded the restaurant was but the price and service were good so we think that helped. It is also much better than hospital food so we're sure they get a lot of business that way. We decided while we were eating that this is the perfect place to go if you want a quick breakfast but not McDonald's.
We're not sure we'll be back to this restaurant. I guess if we are visiting the hospital it's a fine place to breakfast (it's only open for breakfast and lunch). We would probably take the two extra block walk though and eat at the Original Pancake House a little further down Madison (one place we went to before the blog started that we will write about at some point!).
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
The Depot American Diner
We started our Tuesday morning with the usual question (after the complete hecticness of sending the kids off to school), Where should we have breakfast? We needed to have a good relaxing breakfast since afterward we were off to the accountant to do our taxes. We decided to go back to one of our favorite restaurants, The Depot American Diner.
The Depot is an an unusual place. Located on Roosevelt Rd. about 2 blocks east of Austin Ave. with limited parking, limited seating and an old fashioned diner ambiance it looks like and is located like a typical greasy spoon but it is decidedly not. The food is all fresh, extremely tasty and made to order. This is our second visit here for breakfast.
The most difficult part of writing this blog today is just sticking to today's breakfast. We could tell you how delicious the pot roast, hot turkey sandwich, meatloaf, spaghetti, and hot made to order donuts are but that would all be from our previous dinners (okay, donuts are breakfast food too but not for the two of us) at this restaurant. We do highly recommend ALL of the above meals!
For those of you who might not know, this week is National Pancake week. So, to celebrate we both had pancakes for breakfast. Actually, we had read in one of the Oak Park's weekly papers that the Depot had the best pancakes in Chicago, a claim that could not go untested. Usually I can eat about half of a large plate of pancakes but today I could not stop eating.
The plates came to the table with about 6 good sized pancakes fanned across the plate. It is difficult to describe how good these pancakes were so I will begin with what they were not. They were not spongy. They were not soggy. They were not eggy. They were not sugary. They were not dry. They were not too buttery. They were not floury. They were balanced pancake perfection. Each bite was chewy, sometimes crisp on the edges with hints of vanilla. They were the best pancakes we have ever eaten.
The coffee was good too.
Dinner can sometimes feel a little rushed here but weekday breakfast was very relaxing. On our way out we asked a man sitting at the counter how his oatmeal was. He said that it was as good as oatmeal can be. (I guess that is an endorsement)
The Depot is an an unusual place. Located on Roosevelt Rd. about 2 blocks east of Austin Ave. with limited parking, limited seating and an old fashioned diner ambiance it looks like and is located like a typical greasy spoon but it is decidedly not. The food is all fresh, extremely tasty and made to order. This is our second visit here for breakfast.
The most difficult part of writing this blog today is just sticking to today's breakfast. We could tell you how delicious the pot roast, hot turkey sandwich, meatloaf, spaghetti, and hot made to order donuts are but that would all be from our previous dinners (okay, donuts are breakfast food too but not for the two of us) at this restaurant. We do highly recommend ALL of the above meals!
For those of you who might not know, this week is National Pancake week. So, to celebrate we both had pancakes for breakfast. Actually, we had read in one of the Oak Park's weekly papers that the Depot had the best pancakes in Chicago, a claim that could not go untested. Usually I can eat about half of a large plate of pancakes but today I could not stop eating.
The plates came to the table with about 6 good sized pancakes fanned across the plate. It is difficult to describe how good these pancakes were so I will begin with what they were not. They were not spongy. They were not soggy. They were not eggy. They were not sugary. They were not dry. They were not too buttery. They were not floury. They were balanced pancake perfection. Each bite was chewy, sometimes crisp on the edges with hints of vanilla. They were the best pancakes we have ever eaten.
The coffee was good too.
Dinner can sometimes feel a little rushed here but weekday breakfast was very relaxing. On our way out we asked a man sitting at the counter how his oatmeal was. He said that it was as good as oatmeal can be. (I guess that is an endorsement)
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Eastgate Cafe'
We thought that this week we would revisit one of our favorite breakfast spots from before we began blogging but then Saturday night we went out for dessert (and wine) at the Eastgate Cafe' following a play and we were so charmed that we decided to try it for breakfast.
The Eastgate Cafe is in the "art's district" of Oak Park at 102 Harrison Ave. This little cafe' is great. It has been open for a year and a half on a quiet corner with plenty of street parking. In addition to the food in the cafe' they also feature a small cooking oriented gift shop. But we came for the coffee and breakfast and we were not disappointed. Although this was only our second visit the owner remembered us from our last visit and we were warmly welcomed.
After being greeted by the friendly owner the first thing that you see walking in the front door is a display case with desserts and pastries- All looked tasty and the ones we tried were delicious. We sat at one of the 8 or so tables and enjoyed the quiet friendly atmosphere of the cafe'. There were only 2 other occupied tables, two women were seated at one table and at the other was a man enjoying the wifi on his lap top. (Max may come back here to work on sermons).
The coffee was fresh and had a great flavor - kind of caramel and berry. A carafe was sitting on the counter so it was also plentiful. The breakfast menu was limited (pastries, 2 types of quiche and some type of Russian egg/mushroom pastry that was the owner's grandmother's recipe) -- I think that they specialize in lunch. We decided to share our orders. We split an order of the mushroom/thingy and 3 wonderful small pastries. The mushroom/egg/phyllo thingy was very good, light and tasty. The serving was large, served with sweet fresh fruit and two potato pancakes (frozen). It was supposed to be served with sausage or bacon, which we declined. The pastries were great- the corn and blueberry muffins were moist and sweet. There was a cinnamon swirl which had a lightly crunchy crust and was flaky and moist on the inside.
We sat for a while after we ate read the paper and relaxed. When we went to pay Leslie got into a conversation with the co-owner (the wife part of the husband and wife team) and found out the the pastries were made by a french company located in Hawaii. Apparently the owner of the factory got fed up with France and decided to relocate the entire operation. The pastries are shipped frozen and cooked fresh on location. The desserts are shipped frozen from New York and are also good (we tasted those the other night).
The breakfast was much more relax than last week. No phone calls and just the newspaper and one another's company. We'll be back here again but not for awhile on a Tuesday since we want to keep exploring.
The Eastgate Cafe is in the "art's district" of Oak Park at 102 Harrison Ave. This little cafe' is great. It has been open for a year and a half on a quiet corner with plenty of street parking. In addition to the food in the cafe' they also feature a small cooking oriented gift shop. But we came for the coffee and breakfast and we were not disappointed. Although this was only our second visit the owner remembered us from our last visit and we were warmly welcomed.
After being greeted by the friendly owner the first thing that you see walking in the front door is a display case with desserts and pastries- All looked tasty and the ones we tried were delicious. We sat at one of the 8 or so tables and enjoyed the quiet friendly atmosphere of the cafe'. There were only 2 other occupied tables, two women were seated at one table and at the other was a man enjoying the wifi on his lap top. (Max may come back here to work on sermons).
The coffee was fresh and had a great flavor - kind of caramel and berry. A carafe was sitting on the counter so it was also plentiful. The breakfast menu was limited (pastries, 2 types of quiche and some type of Russian egg/mushroom pastry that was the owner's grandmother's recipe) -- I think that they specialize in lunch. We decided to share our orders. We split an order of the mushroom/thingy and 3 wonderful small pastries. The mushroom/egg/phyllo thingy was very good, light and tasty. The serving was large, served with sweet fresh fruit and two potato pancakes (frozen). It was supposed to be served with sausage or bacon, which we declined. The pastries were great- the corn and blueberry muffins were moist and sweet. There was a cinnamon swirl which had a lightly crunchy crust and was flaky and moist on the inside.
We sat for a while after we ate read the paper and relaxed. When we went to pay Leslie got into a conversation with the co-owner (the wife part of the husband and wife team) and found out the the pastries were made by a french company located in Hawaii. Apparently the owner of the factory got fed up with France and decided to relocate the entire operation. The pastries are shipped frozen and cooked fresh on location. The desserts are shipped frozen from New York and are also good (we tasted those the other night).
The breakfast was much more relax than last week. No phone calls and just the newspaper and one another's company. We'll be back here again but not for awhile on a Tuesday since we want to keep exploring.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Prarie Bread Kitchen
Well-- Not a typical Tuesday.
Today Leslie needed to be at O'Hare by 10:00 to meet a group of 8th grade students who were flying back from Israel. The 80 kids had spent 7 days touring Israel with the Community Foundation for Jewish Education on the Ta'am Yisrael trip. Unfortunately, the day they returned, snow returned to Chicago. So we were in a rush and Leslie had to work the phone during our breakfast. We decided to go to a standby for us, The Prairie Bread Kitchen, at 103 N. Marion Street. It is a warm friendly bakery where they now know us by name. Having recently moved to town, it is a good feeling to be known by people who do not have to know us.
We both had muffins and coffee for breakfast. The muffins were moist and tasty and I think they are probably the best we have had in Oak Park. Their coffee is Intelligensia brand and is very good but we miss having coffee in a real mug. Prairie Bread Kitchen definitely has the best Challah in town which is probably why they know our names. One of us goes there every Friday (usually with Abby for a snack and to buy our challah).
We sat at the window facing Marion Street watching the snow fall, cars splash and people trudge to their destinations. The bakery always smells good and the folks who work there never rush you out. The chairs and stools are utilitarian, but it is a bakery, not a restaurant. I know that we will be back.
Today Leslie needed to be at O'Hare by 10:00 to meet a group of 8th grade students who were flying back from Israel. The 80 kids had spent 7 days touring Israel with the Community Foundation for Jewish Education on the Ta'am Yisrael trip. Unfortunately, the day they returned, snow returned to Chicago. So we were in a rush and Leslie had to work the phone during our breakfast. We decided to go to a standby for us, The Prairie Bread Kitchen, at 103 N. Marion Street. It is a warm friendly bakery where they now know us by name. Having recently moved to town, it is a good feeling to be known by people who do not have to know us.
We both had muffins and coffee for breakfast. The muffins were moist and tasty and I think they are probably the best we have had in Oak Park. Their coffee is Intelligensia brand and is very good but we miss having coffee in a real mug. Prairie Bread Kitchen definitely has the best Challah in town which is probably why they know our names. One of us goes there every Friday (usually with Abby for a snack and to buy our challah).
We sat at the window facing Marion Street watching the snow fall, cars splash and people trudge to their destinations. The bakery always smells good and the folks who work there never rush you out. The chairs and stools are utilitarian, but it is a bakery, not a restaurant. I know that we will be back.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Cozy Corner Coffee Shop
After shoveling the walk (you really have to love living in Chicago!) and dropping off the kids at school, we decided to go to Lido's Cafe for breakfast today. There had been many articles in the local Oak Park papers about Lido's closing and we then heard it quickly reopened. So, we decided the nice Oak Park neighborly thing to do was spend our money at Lido's. We were happy to see it was opened but ended up not eating there. All they had were plain croissants and Ham & Cheese croissants (difficult for us since we don't eat pork.) So, we bought the kids some sprinkle cookies and walked up the street.
We ended up eating at the Cozy Corner on Lake and Marion. I think the age of the customers dropped when we walked in but we were pleasantly greeted by the diner waitress and sat down. I (Leslie) felt like my grandfather was going to walk into the restaurant at anytime (but he died when I was 9) because it reminded me of the diners we used to go to when I was younger. The restaurant opened 60 years ago this March. It is clean and updated but still has that old diner feel to it. Max had a silver dollar pancakes (and many of them) with turkey sausage. The turkey sausage was good as were the pancakes. Leslie had a Greek omelet that comes with hash browns and toast. The omelet was very good (not greasy at all) and the hash browns were crispy just the way we like them. Overall, we were very impressed with the breakfast and surprised that people just kept coming into the restaurant. The waitress was friendly, the food was good, and the coffee just kept coming (although it definitely wasn't the best coffee). It is a great place for a classic diner experience.
We ended up eating at the Cozy Corner on Lake and Marion. I think the age of the customers dropped when we walked in but we were pleasantly greeted by the diner waitress and sat down. I (Leslie) felt like my grandfather was going to walk into the restaurant at anytime (but he died when I was 9) because it reminded me of the diners we used to go to when I was younger. The restaurant opened 60 years ago this March. It is clean and updated but still has that old diner feel to it. Max had a silver dollar pancakes (and many of them) with turkey sausage. The turkey sausage was good as were the pancakes. Leslie had a Greek omelet that comes with hash browns and toast. The omelet was very good (not greasy at all) and the hash browns were crispy just the way we like them. Overall, we were very impressed with the breakfast and surprised that people just kept coming into the restaurant. The waitress was friendly, the food was good, and the coffee just kept coming (although it definitely wasn't the best coffee). It is a great place for a classic diner experience.
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