Potbelly’s: Breakfast Done Right

I’ve started avoiding Potbelly’s at lunch simply because I don’t have the patience to wait in line for 20 minutes for a so-so sandwich. And, being from the East Coast, I honestly don’t see what all the “baked” sandwich fuss is about.

That being said, when I learned that the Potbelly’s around the corner from my Loop office now serves breakfast, I was curious. I eat breakfast everyday, no exceptions, as I find it boosts my metabolism through the roof.

There was no morning line at Potbelly’s, much to my delight. And after receiving, and devouring, my sausage, egg, and American cheese on wheat sandwich, I have no idea why Potbelly’s lunch lines are as long as they are. These breakfast sandwiches are, without a doubt, what is really worth the wait.

 They start with their typical sandwich bread, wheat or white, and ask you which breakfast meat (I highly recommend their sausage patties) you want on it. Your choice of cheese and absolutely delicious eggs are layered with the meat onto the bread and passed through Potbelly’s famous oven. Same as with their lunch sandwiches, they ask you what you want on it, and will put anything–peppers, mayo, mustard if that’s your thing–on it. I always stick with just tomatoes on my sausage, egg and cheese on wheat. The combination of being oven-baked (and not left on a hot plate like at McDonalds) and fresh ingredients make for the most fabulous, satisfying breakfast I’ve had in awhile.

 Visit www.Potbellys.com to find the restaurant nearest you, but be cautioned, the breakfast craze hasn’t caught on at all Potbelly’s locations yet. Why, I don’t know, because once people catch wind of their breakfast sandwiches, they might as well put their lunch service to rest.

Le Calo Ristorante – Amazing Italian in Andersonville

http://www.calorestaurant.com/

Unlike some Chicago’s restaurants in which bars function as holding pens for hungry customers awaiting dining room seats, the booths in the bar at Calo are arguably the best seats in the house with the fastest service. The bar area has a brassy, classic feel with gorgeous old world Italian artwork throughout. Service is immediate and attentive without being invasive, from the arrival of the breadbasket to the moment your plate is cleared.

I come for the rigatoni in meat sauce, and believe me, it’s among the best I’ve ever had (that’s saying a lot coming from heavily Italian North Jersey), but the menu features everything from grilled steak and seafood to melt-off-the-bone ribs ($9.95 special on Sunday nights) and amazing pasta. Ample wine menu and creative martini selection (as well as traditional Italian dessert menu) make this place the perfect spot for date night, and my boyfriend and I have enjoyed it as such three times with no complaint.

When is a Sandwich not a Sandwich? When you don’t get it at Goodwin’s

If finding a good bagel in Chicago is hard, finding the perfect sandwich is impossible. Or so I thought.

Enter Goodwin’s Restaurant (175 W. Franklin, just north of Lake), where sandwiches are made-to-order with the freshest ingredients I’ve ever tasted in the cleanest sandwich shop I’ve ever seen. If you work in the Loop and want to hit Goodwin’s on your lunch break, give yourself an extra 15 minutes: the wait line at the order counter is always substantial and with reason.

Although carb-conscious diners rave about Goodwin’s wraps, I come for one thing and one thing only: the Corvallis sandwich. Thin sliced Boar’s Head turkey, sliced avocado, tomatoes, cheddar, and monterey jack cheeses finished with Thousand Island dressing and served on stick-to-the-roof-of-your-mouth soft country white bread. It is heaven, and for $6.50, a bargain.

The long line is deceptive; it’s not simply there because of the restaurant’s popularity but because of the care that each sandwich-maker puts into every order. You watch them assemble your sandwich before your eyes, and they accomodate any request without complaint.

Another big plus in my book: Goodwin’s does cole slaw right. Cole slaw is a mandatory side for any excellent deli sandwich and their’s is perfect.

Goodwin’s provides ample seating, so you can eat your lunch there and peruse one of dozens of current magazines while you eat or take it to go. They’ll even wrap your pickle for you to prevent your other food from getting soggy.

The restaurant’s motto is simple: “Eat fresh, feel good.” As sandwich shops in Chicagoland go, this is number one in my book.

The Bagel Restaurant and Deli

Having grown up in New Jersey, it’s been a real struggle living in Chicago for these past few years when I was so accustomed to having amazing bagels within my reach every morning.

Fortunately, for us uprooted Northeasterns, there’s the Bagel Restaurant and Deli (3107 N. Broadway, Chicago, and Old Orchard Center, Skokie). They boast of their authentic Jewish cooking and as far as bagels in the Midwest go, they’re among the best.

I’ve yet to try their many deli sandwiches and non-bagel breakfast specialities, but when I’m nostalgic, I head straight to the Bagel Restaurant and Deli for a poppy-seed and salt bagel, easy on the cream cheese.

A word of caution to the wannabe bagel fashionistas… Bagel Restaurant and Deli offers one flavor of cream cheese and that’s plain. That’s something only a place with truly amazing-tasting bagels can pull off.

Joie de Vine

Sunday night, the weather was still gorgeous, so my boyfriend and I walked to Joie de Vine (1744 W. Balmoral Ave., Ravenswood/Andersonville neighborhood) looking for some good wine and something to eat. Joie de Vine had set up their sidewalk seating area and it was, of course, full . Yet the kind waitress explained that a table had just paid and after waiting only five minutes, she sat us.

We discovered that Joie de Vine was not at all a restaurant, but a wine bar with a tremendous selection of wines from around the globe. Even though they do not have a “kitchen”, persay, they do pair their wines with an impressive assortment of imported cheeses, pates, and even a salami of the day.

Choose any three wines by the glass as a flight and get each glass half price (I had a Californian Cabernet, German Riesling, and a South African red for $11) along with some delicious Camembert (only $5).

The verdict? A must-go in the summer/warm spring and fall weather when the sidewalk seating is available, and a perfect place to grab a drink (or three) before dinner at Fireside Lounge (around the corner on Ravenswood) or any of the fine Middle Eastern establishments along Clark in Andersonville.

One complaint: the indoor bar is very dark, and while seating looked comfortable, the outdoor experience is what I will come back for.

To dine or not to dine

I like my restaurant experiences the way I like my vacations: luxurious without the luxury price tag. I know I’m not a Ritz-Carlton girl, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like to be treated like one.

Unlike hotels, restaurants can’t make assumptions about their guests. The best-dressed customer may be a terrible tipper. The worst-dressed customer may be a millionaire on a bad day. The noisy table of college kids who squat at your best table all night may recommend you to all of their friends. And the girl scribbling furiously in a notebook between bites may just be a closet food critic.

The best restaurants aren’t those that we see on “Check, Please!” or read reviewed in the Tribune. The best restaurants are those who don’t just pretend to appreciate your business, they actually do.

My goal is to find the restaurants that meet those standards and expose those that don’t. Whether you also live in Chicago or you just like to read about food, re.story.rant is truly an amuse-bouche for your mouth and mind.