Tempo

Location – 6 E Chestnut St, on the corner of Chestnut and State

In one word – Bustle

Food – Having moved huge masses of people in and out of its doors over the years, Tempo is a Gold Coast/Chicago institution and a well-oiled brunch machine. It’s a good place to take big groups and out-of-town visitors, and while my high school girlfriends were visiting me this weekend Tempo did not disappoint.

Here’s how the production line works. First, you wait for a table. Reservations aren’t accepted for Saturday or Sunday, so unfortunately this prerequisite is part of the Tempo weekend brunch experience. Get there early (before 9:30) or late (after 12) and depending on the size of your party you’re more likely to be looking at a wait that’s 15-20 minutes or less.

Once you’re seated you’ll be faced with a more pleasant challenge: choosing what to order. Their menu is huge and has something for everyone. Try one of their legendary 3 egg omelets served with a thick slice of white or wheat toast, home-made marmalade and crispy, country-fried potatoes ($8-$14). A Tempo omelet is truly a thing of beauty. It is basically an open-faced frittata the size of a Frisbee (I dare you to finish an entire one on your own). Whether you order it with egg-whites-only or not, it is as light and fluffy as a Sarah Palin interview answer, and there’s a huge variety of ingredients to choose from. Between the eight of us, our group sampled the Artemis (artichoke, tomatoes and Swiss), the Veggie (spinach, zucchini, and broccoli), and the State Street (broccoli, ham, mushroom, tomato). If you ever try either the Jamaican omelet (banana, walnut, honey) or the Michigan omelet (apple, cheddar), let me know how it is–I’ve always wanted to try them but can never stray from my usual orders. Our group also tried the Banana-nut Buckwheat Waffle ($12), topped with a heap of banana slices, walnut confetti, and thick maple syrup, and the Eggs Benedict ($12), which had a smooth, tangy hollandaise that had it’s way with everyone (cholesterol schmolesterol). No matter what you order there’s a good chance that even after you stuff yourself, there will still be so much food left over that you’ll leave feeling slightly inadequate.

Drink – Order a smoothie ($4)—we tried the Casablanca, a combo of cantaloupe, strawberry, and fresh orange juice—or you can get just a freshly squeezed glass of juice ($4)—I recommend carrot-apple. Pop, coffee, and specialty coffee drinks are available, but coffee hounds be forewarned—there are no free refills.

Service – The staff here are seasoned pros and they do not mess around. The service is usually impersonal, but very efficient. You’re expected to order quickly, but you can expect your food to arrive just as quickly. Plan ahead, because if you’re going during Sat/Sun brunch rush-hour you will not be seated until your entire party has arrived. They only accept cash, so leave your credit or debit cards at home.

Scene – There’s not much to the decor; Tempo is basically a clean, bright, busy diner. If it’s nice out, try to stick out the wait so you can sit in their great outdoor patio area—you’ll be rewarded with some top-notch people watching. Their clientele runs the gamut—you’ll see tourists, locals, students, families, big groups, couples, Chicago’s finest and more.

Dress – There is no dress code. Tempo is open 24/7 so depending on what time you go, you could wear PJs to sweats to yoga-wear to jeans.

Cost – About $13-$15 per person before tip.

If you like, try… Ann Sathers, Yolk

Written by hungry yuppie

Starfruit

Location – 1745 W. Division (Division and Hermitage)

In one word – Kefir

Food – Lifeway Foods, producers of kefir drinks, have franchised their product as part of a “kefir boutique” cafe.  Kefir is a probiotic dairy drink.  Starfruit serves frozen kefir, which resembles frozen yogurt.  It’s nice to enjoy a dessert that’s good for you – kefir helps both your digestion and your immune systems.  Starfruit serves two flavors, original (vanilla-esque) and their flavor of the week (this week is pomegranate).  You can get standard frozen kefir, parfaits or smoothies.  Like its cousins, Red Mango and Pinkberry, Starfruit offers a variety of toppings for your kefir dish.  I went with a swirl of the vanilla and pomegranate flavors topped with mango.  The perks of Starfruit is that the small cup is still really large.  AND you don’t feel sick after eating the whole thing.

Drink – I guess I could have gotten a smoothie instead of the standard soft-serve.

Service – The staff will let you try each flavor before you purchase it.  I have to say that those samples were quite generous.

Scene – The place is next to yoga studio; you can tell that the customers of Starfruit are the type to really believe that their body is their temple.

Cost – I paid a $4.41 for my small sundae (soft serve with one topping).  I guess if you’re not indulging too often, it is worth it.

If you like, try…Berry Chill, Red Mango (in Naperville)

Fresh Choice

Location – 1534 N. Wells (North and Wells) or 233 N. Michigan (Illinois Center)

In one word – Smoothie

Food – I had a craving for a sandwich and smoothie, so my eating partner and I headed to Fresh Choice in Old Town. The meal totally satisfied my craving. I had the Avocado Sandwich – Avocado, Provolone, lettuce, roasted peppers, tomatoes and mayo. The only thing I didn’t like about it was the bread. They used submarine bread instead of regular loaf bread.

Drink – Fresh Choice is really known for their smoothies. They are made with skim milk, so they feel lighter than your average smoothie. I chose the raspberry smoothie and was not disappointed. My eating partner was raving about his strawberry and pineapple smoothie.

Service – There’s not too much to say about the service. You order at the counter and then they bring you your food. No negative things to say about the staff here.

Scene – It’s your average lunch spot. We came on the weekend and ran into Old Towners, people headed to a movie at Piper’s Alley and a few cops. They have an outdoor seating area in the front of the restaurant, which is nice for a quick lunch.

Dress – Um, just have a shirt on and you’ll get service. There’s no dress code here.

Cost – For my smoothie and sandwich, I paid $11. It was sort of expensive in my opinion, but the meal definitely was filling.

If you like, try…Potbelly’s

Piccolo Sogno

Location – 464 N. Halsted (Grand and Halsted)

In one word – Underdelivers

Food -This place was hyped up a lot. They were getting press all over the place, so I was expecting to be blown away by the food. I was not. Don’t get me wrong, the food was good, it just wasn’t outstanding. The upside to the place is that they get their produce locally at the Green City Market, so things are fresh. Our table shared the Bianca con Rucula pizza (a white pizza with parmesan, olive oil and argula). It’s a nice dish to share. I think I would have been overwhelmed by the olive oil had I chosen this as my main. Then we moved on to salads. I chose the Insalata di Pesche (pronounced “PESK-A,” as our server told us…twice), which was peaches with goat cheese. I would order this again. My eating partners dove into the Panzanella, veggies and bread in an olive oil marinade (worth getting!) and the caprese salad (pretty standard). Then we moved on to the main. The good thing about the pasta is that you can order an appetizer size, which proved to be the perfect portion for me. Our table ordered the meat lasagna, the spinach and ricotte gnocchi, the string cut spaghetti and paglia with a veal ragu. Nothing was notable, everything was just average. Our entire table had to uncharacteristically salt each dish because the sauces were bland. When the gnocchi came out, it was cold. That’s a mistake from Restaurant 101, we were not impressed.

Drink – I had the Soave white wine, which as the name says, was smooth.

Service – I am always a little bit accommodating towards a new restaurant, kinks have to be worked out. But our server stretched my accommodation threshold, he was straight up spastic. He said he didn’t know anything about the restaurant’s wine selection and requested that we order all our courses at once because “we are a new restaurant and are still figuring everything out.” When we were telling him the wine we were considering (and being very obvious about the price range we needed to stay in), he told us to get a bottle which was $20 more than what we wanted to spend. When we were ordering our food, he corrected our pronunciation of the Italian not once, but twice. And he did it in a really aggressive way. I’m all for correct pronunciation, but be tactful. And later in the meal, it comes out that he’s not actually Italian. His credibility was shot at that point. Overall, he was pushy and stood too close to us.

Scene – This is the old Thyme/Timo spot. Go when the weather is nice and request to sit on the patio, you really feel like you’re eating in a garden. Because the restaurant received so much press, it’s pretty busy. I was surprised to see it full on a Wednesday night.

Dress – While I did see an unfortunate soul wearing Crocks, most people seemed semi-stylish. Jeans are appropriate, but you need to look like you put a little effort into your look.

Cost – We each paid $45. For the amount of food, it’s seemed reasonable. For the caliber of food, it felt overpriced.

If you like, try…Anteprima

The GB Mac and Cheese Crawl

Today my eating partner and I set forth to determine the impossible; we ventured through the city to find Chicago’s best macaroni and cheese. As my arteries are only so wide, we tested just three locations. I acknowledge that there are more locations to add into the mix, but I really believe that the restaurants below should be included when grouping the best mac in the city.

Contenders: Cafe Selmarie, Stanley’s and Handlebar

Winner of GB Mac and Cheese Crawl: Handlebar

(Smoked Gouda Mac ‘n Cheese)

Location: 2311 W. North Avenue (North and Western)

Cost: $3.50 (side dish price)

Positives:

- Simplicity: In this case, less is most definitely more. Just macaroni covered with a gouda cream sauce. No breadcrumbs, no baked cheese, just the basics. This dish tasted truly homemade, helping to reiterate the fact that mac and cheese is the epitome of comfort food.

- Cheese: Smoked gouda’s taste is distinct without being overpowering. Handlebar’s gouda sauce resembles an alfredo sauce. Believe it or not, going this route makes the dish feel lighter and fresher than baking the macaroni with cheese.

Negatives:

- Size: It’s a side dish, not a main. I wanted more. It gave me so much love.

Second Place: Cafe Selmarie

4729 N. Lincoln (Lincoln and Lawrence)

(Macaroni and Cheese)

Cost: $9.25 (entree size)

Positives:

- Complexity of Taste: So this dish uses six cheeses (gruyere, swiss, white cheddar, queso rico, pecorino romano and bleu). You can detect each of those cheese while you’re working your way through the dish. Additionally, they put leeks in. It’s more subtle than an onion, but still provides added flavor.

- Texture: Selmarie bakes bread crumbs on top of each serving, which provides the right amount of crunch. The cheese does that thing where because the cheese is warm, it’s stringy between your mouth and the plate (this is a good thing, think “Cheese-y, Cheese-y from those old Little Caeser ads).

Negatives:

- Bottom of the Dish: The big issue was that there was a milky oil liquid at the bottom of the dish. I understand that’s a by-product of the cheese, but it was kind of gross.

Loser: Stanley’s Kitchen and Tap

(Toasted Macaroni & Cheese)

1970 N. Lincoln (Lincoln and Armitage)

Cost: $8.95 (entree size includes 1 side)

Positives:

- Portion: It’s big. Like really big.

- Side Dish: The entree comes with a side. As we were at Stanley’s, we chose their famous tater tots and were not disappointed.

Negatives:

- Oil: There’s a whole lot of oil in this dish. When you have macaroni and cheese, you expect your cholesterol to rise a bit, but Stanley’s take on mac and cheese could send you to the ER. The level of oil and grease made the dish almost unappetizing to me. I bet this dish could cure a hangover in seconds.

- Bland: They use just one cheese, cheddar (granted there’s a whole lot of cheddar in the dish). Compared to the cheese profile at Selmarie and Handlebar, the taste was a bit pedestrian.

Kuma’s Corner

Location – 2900 W. Belmont (Belmont and Francisco)

www.kumas-corner.com

In one word – Accoutrement

Food – I had only heard fanatical raves about KC, so I needed to check it out myself. It’s a burger joint, you receive a menu with a page full of different burger options. Unlike Epic Burger, vegetarians are welcome here. You can get any burger option with a beef patty, chicken breast, portabella mushroom patty or chicken tenders. Also, they use pretzel bread buns (which I LOVE!). I was a bit overwhelmed by the options, so I went with my server’s recommendation (all the menu options have a rock theme), the Lair of the Minotaur – Beef patty with caramelized onions, pancetta, brie and bourbon soaked pears. This is apparently a shout-out to the May Street Market burger. One of my eating partners went big and chose the Bongzilla burger – Beef patty with a sausage on top of it (I’m not kidding). My other eating partner took the Motorhead Burger – Portabella burger with goat cheese, Kalamata olives, oregano, tzatziki, onion and tomato. Overall, don’t get me wrong, the dishes were all good. However, it was all about the accoutrement and less about the actual burger. Please don’t read this as a criticism, it’s meant to be an observation. Here’s a little advice, you have the options of choosing chips or fries with your meal. Choose the fries, the chips are super dry.

Drink – They have a healthy selection of beers to choose from. I saw SKA beer, my new favorite Durango, CO brewery, on the list and stuck with that. One of my eating partners chose a beer only to find out that it was raspberry flavored (which was not noted on the menu).

Service – So I was expecting to wait at least 30 minutes for a table for three. However, perhaps by going to KC on a Tuesday night, we found the golden ticket to “no line, no wait.” Plus, we lucked out and got a table in the back outdoor patio (it’s much quieter back there compared to the actual restaurant). When we got to our table, our server sat down with us. She definitely had spunk, one of those girls who starts talking to you as if you’ve been sarcastic friends for years. She had that balance of jadedness without being unpleasant. It’s a winning combination. Every table in her section seemed like they had created a friendship with her when they finished the meal. KC won me over when the manager (at least I think he’s the manager) came around to make sure that the food was satisfactory.

Scene – KC has this heavy metal biker theme. Don’t let that intimidate you. While the ladies room is wallpapered with illustrations of scantily clad ladies, the clientele is diverse and respectable.

Dress – I would wear something that feels comfortable to you. Everyone at the restaurant is so distinct, there isn’t a real dress code.

Cost – For a burger and two beers, I paid $24. For the caliber of the food, I felt like this was affordable.

If you like, try…Epic Burger, Twisted Spoke

Angels and Mariachis

Location – 1721 W. Division (Division and Hermitage)

http://www.angelschicago.com/

In one word – Michelada

Food – The way the owners describe their place a “taco bar and rock cantina” is amazingly accurate. My eating partner and I stopped here for a late night bite. I sampled the tacos al pastor (pork). My dish was a platter full of pork with grilled vegetables. On the side I was given tortillas to make tacos (each order gives you 3-4 tacos). The food was fine, but nothing to get particularly excited about. I don’t think I would come here for a full dinner again. Instead, I might grab an fail-safe appetizer like nachos or guacamole.

Drink – So my eating partner told me about this drink called a Michelada. Maybe you’re more drink saavy than I, but this was my first foray into this beer cocktail. It feels like you’re drinking a Bloody Mary meets Margarita meets beer. It was a whole lot of flavor, more than I could handle.

Service – We were there late on a Saturday night. By that point in the night, most people were there just for drinks instead of an actual meal. Despite this, our server paid enough attention to us. I couldn’t hear most of what he said though because the restaurant was SO loud.

Scene – This place is like eating during Dia de los Muertos all year long. I stared at a bunch of skulls hanging on the wall through out the meal. Totally distracting. I stand by my opinion that Wicker Park is the new Lincoln Park. So, if you’re there late at night, expect to see at least one Trixie crying in the bathroom because she’s reading too much into the fact that her crush didn’t acknowledge her when he walked in that evening.

Dress – If you’re me, you’ll wear a comfortable cotton dress with appropriate give (because you know you’ll finish that plate of nachos). Otherwise, you can get by with some clever hipster t-shirt and jeans.

Cost – Tacos and a Michelada cost me $16. If I liked the meal more, I would have considered this a steal.

If you like, try…Uncle Julio’s Hacienda, Zapatista

Harry Caray’s

Location – 33 W. Kinzie (Dearborn and Kinzie)

www.harrycarays.com

In one word – Surprising

Food – I am ashamed to admit that as a life-long Chicagoan, this was my first visit to Harry Caray’s. I always assumed it was a tourist trap and therefore avoided it. However, I brought some clients here for lunch and had a good experience! We were confined to an hour lunch, so we didn’t multi-course our meal. Craving protein, I had the Holy Cow Burger. It’s totally messy, but so worth it. They do a nice job of sauteeing the mushrooms and onions, which helps the burger feel more gourmet than most. Here’s a tip, avoid the regular french fries and opt for the sweet potato fries. They are not as good as the ones at Rockit, but they’re definitely contenders. My eating partners all stuck to traditional lunch fare, pulled pork sandwiches, club sandwiches, etc.

Drink – Since it was lunch and we were short on time, we didn’t indulge in cocktails. They have an 18-page wine list, which is pretty impressive.

Service – The caliber of service was much higher than I expected. I told our server that my party of 7 all had to finish our meal in 45 minutes, and he told me no problem. There were a couple of glitches, like they brought me a second Diet Coke when I hadn’t put a dent into my first. But, I’d rather be overserved than under in a heartbeat.

Scene – In my world, this was a perfect location for a lunch with clients. I don’t think I would plan to come here for a dinner with friends. The clientele seems a little on the tourist/senior citizen side. Maybe come if your family from out of town wants to do something distinctly Chicago. The feel of the place is kind of cool, Chicago paraphanalia on the brick walls.

Dress – If you come at lunch, expect to see suits.

Cost – My burger and Diet Coke brought me to about $20 including tax and tip.

If you like, try…Rockit

Moonshine

Location – 1824 W. Division (Honore and Division)

www.moonshinechicago.com

In one word – Yuppified

Food – So I guess that Moonshine is trying to be the neighborhood saloon of Wicker Park. They have your traditional American menu, but they try to garnish as much as they can with their signature New Mexico green chiles. I ate the turkey burger and was less than pleased. The bottom half of my burger bun was totally soggy. Despite the fact that I am not one to give up carbs, I had to say no to that side of the bun. My eating partner at the grilled vegetable sandwich. She thought the vegetables could have been grilled a bit longer. We did agree though that the french fries were excellent. So at least they have that going for them.

Drink – From the looks of the place, we were the only ones NOT imbibing on Sunday at 6 pm. The place has a really decent selection of beers and a whole lot of whisky (70 varieties are available).

Service – We had crappy service. Part of that was circumstantial. We ate al fresco and you could tell that the staff didn’t have their outdoor act together yet. They didn’t know how to regulate the drunk overaged frat boys. As a result, one of the frat boys bumped into a server. She dropped her tray that was filled with beer and tequila. Glass and liquids were everywhere (including on me). Major party foul. Our food took about 25 minutes to get to us. If I had ordered something complicated, that would have been reasonable. But, I could have made my turkey burger faster on my Weber Q. The servers were nice, they just were completely overwhelmed.

Scene – When I walked over to Moonshine, I felt compelled to start singing Madonna’s “This Used to be My Playground.” When did Wicker Park become so yuppified? The young stylish couple next to us just bought their 5 year old daughter (who was dressed like a doll) a puggle. And they brought the daughter and puggle to Moonshine. Maybe it was even more than yuppified as my eating partner said she felt like she was eating at the corner of Hollywood and Vine. I think this is where all the beautiful people hide in Chicago on Sunday evenings.

Dress – You need to go for shabby chic at Moonshine. Jeans are fine, but make sure your overall outfit is adorable or out of a frat house (for men). Note that we went on Sunday when the weather was great. On weeknights in the winter, the scene isn’t as intimidating for us regular looking folk.

Cost – For my turkey burger, plus tax and tip, I paid $12. With that soggy bun, I didn’t feel like it was worth the cost.

If you like, try…Small Bar

Uberstein

Location – 3478 N. Clark (Clark and Roscoe)

http://www.ubersteinchicago.com

In one word – Beer

Food – Uberstein is the only location on the Wrigleyville Clark Street strip that I actually enjoy. I won a gift certificate to the bar/restaurant at a charity event, so I decided to make a night of it at this German establishment. When you come here, you must order a pretzel. They have the best pretzel I’ve had in the city. It’s the perfect blend of salt and softness served with warm cheese. I also tried the potato pancakes (decent) and the chicken wings (I’ve had better). My eating partner had the schnitzelwich, which seemed to work out for him just fine.

Drink – You buy beer here in either the half liter or liter size. Being the lady that I am, I only ordered the half liter. They serve a Munich-based beer, Hofbrau. When you carry a large half liter or liter of beer from Munich while singing a German drinking song, you really do feel like you’re in Deutschland.

Scene – On this Friday night, there was a live band playing German drinking songs. I’ve taken the liberty to write out the lyrics to the best song they sang (tune of “Do Re Mi”):

Do, the stuff that buys my beer
Re, the guys that sells my beer
Me, the guy who drinks my beer
Fa, a long long way to the john
So, I’ll have another beer
La – ger, lager, lager, beer
Te, no thanks, I’ll have a beer
And that brings me back to Do!

The song is surprisingly catchy, I’ve had it in my head for 5 days straight (poor me!). The band was the right mix of corny and fun. They passed out the lyrics to their songs so the audience could sing along. Audience participation, you have to love it.

Dress – Unlike the other trixie establishments up and down Clark, you don’t have to dress up for Uberstein. I wore jeans and a t-shirt and fit in just fine.

Cost – Well, with my gift certificate, I had a free night. You should expect to drop around $30 for a couple beers and a pretzel.

If you like, try…Fado, Gage