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GNR w/ Breakfast?

GNR w/ Breakfast?
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  • GNR w/ Breakfast?

    Post #1 - January 26th, 2008, 10:56 am
    Post #1 - January 26th, 2008, 10:56 am Post #1 - January 26th, 2008, 10:56 am
    I hate to start another breakfast post (I've read many of the previous post on this subject). I'm going out to breakfast tomorrow (likely early to avoid crowds), and I'm wondering if there are any GNR's (OTHER THAN Patty's, which is terrific, but I'm looking for something in the city) that do breakfast very well. Particularly eggs, omelette's, skillets etc. If not a GNR, other consistent breakfast spot recs are welcome as well. Perhaps just a restaurant with a GNR-worthy breakfast.

    The breakfast spots I've enjoyed (Lucky Platter, Tweet, Lou Mitchell's, Walker Bros.)

    Thanks

    Rob C[url][/url]
  • Post #2 - January 26th, 2008, 11:12 am
    Post #2 - January 26th, 2008, 11:12 am Post #2 - January 26th, 2008, 11:12 am
    Tre Kronor for hash and eggs, different eggs benedicts, waffles, omelets, etc.

    also, The Depot, but I much prefer the food at Tre Kronor.

    Best,
    Michael
  • Post #3 - January 26th, 2008, 11:15 am
    Post #3 - January 26th, 2008, 11:15 am Post #3 - January 26th, 2008, 11:15 am
    IMO, the Melrose Diner at Melrose and Broadway makes a truly outstanding corned beef hash. A nice quality corned beef is ground in house, then fried crispy with onions and cubed potatoes. It's served over really tasty crisply,thinly sliced hash browns with three poached eggs.
  • Post #4 - January 26th, 2008, 11:26 am
    Post #4 - January 26th, 2008, 11:26 am Post #4 - January 26th, 2008, 11:26 am
    We visited Over Easy on Damen a couple weekends ago and loved it! It was recommended by a friend.

    I had the chorizo hash with eggs and my dining companion had pancakes with eggs and bacon. They serve Julius Meinel coffee. Very friendly and efficient service.

    The place is small, maybe 30 tables! We waited about 20 minutes outside for our table, but they do offer comp self serve coffee outside the door. The hostess also let us know that you could wait in the coffee shop next door and they would come and get you when your table was ready.

    Over Easy
    4943 N. Damen (just north of Lawrence)
  • Post #5 - January 26th, 2008, 12:01 pm
    Post #5 - January 26th, 2008, 12:01 pm Post #5 - January 26th, 2008, 12:01 pm
    Visiting friends over the holidays, one suggested Tre Kroner. I'd never been, always wanted to. We arrived to an empty house just prior to the lunch rush(parties huddled in the door, seemingly giving us the evil eye as if we were lingering...or perhaps they were just jealous that we had better timing...maybe they were just pretentious, fur-wearing assholes) :)

    Which is to say....excellent breakfast. It's one of those, "I can't believe I never got my butt over here!" kinda moments. I had the Oslo---cutest li'l pillow of an omelet stuffed with cured salmon, chives, and luscious cream cheese alongside skillet potatoes, and sweetish(get it?) lefse. S/o, some other city-identified omelet with sausage and havarti. And friend, a waffle piled high with fresh berries. Simple, thoughtfully-prepared, scrumptious. The specials sounded good, too, but we were all about breakfast. Yum-o.
    Being gauche rocks, stun the bourgeoisie
  • Post #6 - January 26th, 2008, 1:33 pm
    Post #6 - January 26th, 2008, 1:33 pm Post #6 - January 26th, 2008, 1:33 pm
    For something a bit different, the chilaquiles from GNR winner Nuevo Leon have received a lot of LTH love.
  • Post #7 - January 26th, 2008, 2:01 pm
    Post #7 - January 26th, 2008, 2:01 pm Post #7 - January 26th, 2008, 2:01 pm
    I enjoy Fox and Obel cafe, although can be hectic.
  • Post #8 - January 26th, 2008, 2:20 pm
    Post #8 - January 26th, 2008, 2:20 pm Post #8 - January 26th, 2008, 2:20 pm
    By "the city" i don't know if you mean the Loop or anywhere...but on the northside in the Andersonville area a couple of great breakfast places. The aforementioned Over Easy isn't too far but I tend to visit m.henry and Tweet more often.

    Both have a natural and organic focus -- both serve excellent food and both are kind of quaint and usually always hopping. And, most importantly for me, both have great coffee. Metropolis over at m.henry and Intelligentsia over at Tweet. I also think Tweet serves some of the best old-fashioned hash browns in the city and serves very tasty sausage and a decent B&G. I recommend egg dishes at Tweet over pancakes, etc. The pancakes (or "blisscakes" as they're called at m.henry) are just phenomenal -- as big as your head and served with fresh blackberries and raspberries, granola and a lovely vanilla mascarpone.

    Now, neither of these places are "diner" like. But I see lots of families there on Saturday mornings -- and that always makes me feel good. Expect a bit of wait, especially at Tweet, unless you go around 9ish. But as I mentioned...there's darn good coffee to sip while you do.

    Oh..and Tweet accepts no plastic. Only cashola.

    Enjoy!

    Tweet
    5020 N. Sheridan Rd.
    773-728-5576

    M. Henry
    5707 N. Clark St.
    773-561-1600
  • Post #9 - January 26th, 2008, 3:10 pm
    Post #9 - January 26th, 2008, 3:10 pm Post #9 - January 26th, 2008, 3:10 pm
    Another Andersonville place, Svea, makes great Swedish pancakes. Love those lingonberries...

    Svea
    5236 N Clark St
    Chicago, IL 60640
    (773) 275-7738
  • Post #10 - January 26th, 2008, 3:16 pm
    Post #10 - January 26th, 2008, 3:16 pm Post #10 - January 26th, 2008, 3:16 pm
    I love the previously-mentioned M. Henry, in Andersonville; it's my second favorite breakfast place in the city. My number one favorite in the city is Bongo Room, which has locations in the South Loop and Wicker Park. Same kind of thing as M. Henry, with egg dishes, pancakes, etc. I had a dish there that was mmmmmmm good - blueberry pancakes topped with almond panna cotta cream. You can find their menus at menupages. My favorite in the suburbs is Walker Brothers.

    Other breakfast places I've enjoyed include Orange on Harrison (in the South Loop; they have a location on the north side too) for egg dishes, pancake "flights", and customize-your-own fresh juices; Original Pancake House (same franchise as Walker Brothers, with a similar menu and quality) on Bellevue Place and at Clark and Armitage; Wishbone; Flo; Kitschn; etc.

    Keep in mind that most of these places are crowded on weekends, and waiting times to be seated could be lengthy. Since you're talking about a Sunday, you might prefer to do a Sunday brunch somewhere, since such places usually accept reservations. These generally fall into two categories - places that do an excellent a la carte brunch (there are many; ones I've enjoyed within the past year include Sola in North Center, Magnolia Cafe in Uptown, and Cuatro in the South Loop), and places that do a big buffet, like the uber-expensive upscale restaurants in the luxury hotels off Michigan Avenue (NoMI in the Park Hyatt, Seasons in the Four Seasons, the Greenhouse in the Ritz-Carlton).
  • Post #11 - January 26th, 2008, 4:05 pm
    Post #11 - January 26th, 2008, 4:05 pm Post #11 - January 26th, 2008, 4:05 pm
    Rob C wrote:I hate to start another breakfast post (I've read many of the previous post on this subject). I'm going out to breakfast tomorrow (likely early to avoid crowds), and I'm wondering if there are any GNR's (OTHER THAN Patty's, which is terrific, but I'm looking for something in the city) that do breakfast very well. Particularly eggs, omelette's, skillets etc. If not a GNR, other consistent breakfast spot recs are welcome as well. Perhaps just a restaurant with a GNR-worthy breakfast.

    The breakfast spots I've enjoyed (Lucky Platter, Tweet, Lou Mitchell's, Walker Bros.)

    Thanks

    Rob C[url][/url]


    You've had some excellent recommendations, but since you specifically asked about GNR's, a couple that haven't yet been mentioned are White Palace Grill open 24/7 and GNR Winner Manny's, which is open for breakfast during the week, but I'm not sure about weekends. They have recently increased their hours, so you might want to call ahead if you're going on the weekend. They have what is arguably the best corned beef hash in the city.
    Steve Z.

    “Only the pure in heart can make a good soup.”
    ― Ludwig van Beethoven
  • Post #12 - January 26th, 2008, 5:01 pm
    Post #12 - January 26th, 2008, 5:01 pm Post #12 - January 26th, 2008, 5:01 pm
    YourPalWill wrote:IMO, the Melrose Diner at Melrose and Broadway makes a truly outstanding corned beef hash. A nice quality corned beef is ground in house, then fried crispy with onions and cubed potatoes. It's served over really tasty crisply,thinly sliced hash browns with three poached eggs.


    Mmm, my favorite corned beef hash ever. I just had it last night, actually. Seriously, for hash fans, this stuff will not disappoint. Perfectly seasoned, perfect texture, and fried up to a perfect crisp. In a word? Perfect.
  • Post #13 - January 26th, 2008, 6:51 pm
    Post #13 - January 26th, 2008, 6:51 pm Post #13 - January 26th, 2008, 6:51 pm
    GardenofEatin wrote:
    YourPalWill wrote:IMO, the Melrose Diner at Melrose and Broadway makes a truly outstanding corned beef hash. A nice quality corned beef is ground in house, then fried crispy with onions and cubed potatoes. It's served over really tasty crisply,thinly sliced hash browns with three poached eggs.


    Mmm, my favorite corned beef hash ever. I just had it last night, actually. Seriously, for hash fans, this stuff will not disappoint. Perfectly seasoned, perfect texture, and fried up to a perfect crisp. In a word? Perfect.


    I agree. Melrose's CBH is right up there with Manny's. They are two different styles and both are great!
    Steve Z.

    “Only the pure in heart can make a good soup.”
    ― Ludwig van Beethoven
  • Post #14 - January 26th, 2008, 10:16 pm
    Post #14 - January 26th, 2008, 10:16 pm Post #14 - January 26th, 2008, 10:16 pm
    Sweet maple cafe on taylor is great, but always crowded (because its great). Also Eleven City Diner on State and Roosevelt, great pancakes and lots of omelets. Or Ina's on Randolph...free parking! (and great food)
  • Post #15 - January 27th, 2008, 11:01 am
    Post #15 - January 27th, 2008, 11:01 am Post #15 - January 27th, 2008, 11:01 am
    LTH,

    Thanks for the all the great suggestions. We ended up at Tre Kroner, which was very good. No wait (got there at 9:00), servers were quite nice (although the service was a little slow), and the food did not disappoint. I had a tasty omelet with Havarti and sausage, my dad had the Anders CBH, which he liked very much, and my mom had a special omelet with fresh mozzarella , tomato, olives, and basil that she seemed to enjoy. I also had a terrific maple-pecan pastry. Overall a very good experience, and I'll definitely return.

    I have to get over to Manny's for breakfast for their CBH, which sounds fantastic. Thanks again for the terrific recs. I plan to get to several of the places mentioned, which I haven't been.

    Rob C
  • Post #16 - January 27th, 2008, 3:54 pm
    Post #16 - January 27th, 2008, 3:54 pm Post #16 - January 27th, 2008, 3:54 pm
    GardenofEatin wrote:
    YourPalWill wrote:IMO, the Melrose Diner at Melrose and Broadway makes a truly outstanding corned beef hash. A nice quality corned beef is ground in house, then fried crispy with onions and cubed potatoes. It's served over really tasty crisply,thinly sliced hash browns with three poached eggs.


    Mmm, my favorite corned beef hash ever. I just had it last night, actually. Seriously, for hash fans, this stuff will not disappoint. Perfectly seasoned, perfect texture, and fried up to a perfect crisp. In a word? Perfect.

    I've eaten there a few times, with excellent results, but never thought to try their CBH. Thanks for the tip, I love the stuff.
    What if the Hokey Pokey really IS what it's all about?
  • Post #17 - January 28th, 2008, 4:27 pm
    Post #17 - January 28th, 2008, 4:27 pm Post #17 - January 28th, 2008, 4:27 pm
    I don't know if this qualifies as a GNR, but the best breakfast I've had in a long time came from Juicy-O on Finley Road in Downers Grove. They have an enormous breakfast menu and everything is good. When I was a kid my mom made cornmeal pancakes, and Juicy-O has them, just like mom made. My wife had the biscuits and gravy and declared them just like Aunt Vivian made back in Hot Springs. The place is owned by the people that own Heaven on 7. I plan to try their lunch next.

    http://www.juicyo.com/

    Juicy-O
    2942 S. Finley Rd
    Downers Grove

    NW corner of Finley and Butterfield
  • Post #18 - January 28th, 2008, 7:50 pm
    Post #18 - January 28th, 2008, 7:50 pm Post #18 - January 28th, 2008, 7:50 pm
    Maybe 10:30 is too late for you, and I suppose not everyone would call it breakfast, but opening time at GNR winner Hot Doug's is the best time to go, and having Salma Hayek in the morning sounds pretty good to me!

    (nb, this is just a link to the Hot Doug's website. I promise :? )
  • Post #19 - January 29th, 2008, 11:00 am
    Post #19 - January 29th, 2008, 11:00 am Post #19 - January 29th, 2008, 11:00 am
    Healthy Foods is a GNR that serves a very good breakfast, if the style is quite different from the other places mentioned.

    Most of the Mexican places serve Chilaquiles, and various egg dishes. Amanacer Tapatio is not near the city by any measure, but usually has excellent Chilaquiles on the weekends.
    d
    Feeling (south) loopy
  • Post #20 - January 29th, 2008, 12:13 pm
    Post #20 - January 29th, 2008, 12:13 pm Post #20 - January 29th, 2008, 12:13 pm
    dicksond wrote: . . . Most of the Mexican places serve Chilaquiles, and various egg dishes. Amanacer Tapatio is not near the city by any measure, but usually has excellent Chilaquiles on the weekends.

    This is true of GNR La Casa de Isaac in Highland Park. I really like their chilaquiles, huevos rancheros and burrito desayuno. They also offer several other breakfast items.

    =R=

    La Casa de Isaac
    431 Temple Ave
    Highland Park, IL 60035
    847 433-5550
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #21 - February 1st, 2008, 3:52 pm
    Post #21 - February 1st, 2008, 3:52 pm Post #21 - February 1st, 2008, 3:52 pm
    Another place that is top-notch absolutely excellent for breakfast, and often overlooked but not forgetten is Nookies on Halstead.

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