Mrs. D's Diner - The Spirit of Edgebrook Lives

I have been lamenting the downward spiral that Edgebrook Diner has taken under its new ownership so I decided to head up to Wilmette for a visit to Dimitri and Christina's new venture, Mrs. D's Diner.

Mrs. D's Wilmette Diner


I hadn't visited since just after they opened and I was happy to see that the diner is thriving. As soon as I walked in, I could feel the same buzz and sense of community that is now missing from Edgebrook Diner.

Counter Area


This is really a very friendly, family orientated diner that is slightly larger than Edgebrook, with 5 - 6 booths and tables in addition to counter seating. It has a nice mix of local folks ranging from individual diners to families. There was even one table of 4 boys around the age of 10 - 11 who were dining alone. I could just picture these same guys 50 years from now sitting at the same table and shooting the shit on a Sunday morning over coffee and newspapers.

But what about the food, you ask? It's very good, I answer. Although Dimitri wasn't cooking on this particular day, his recipes and technique are both being followed by the dual cooks. We started off by splitting 1/2 order of Biscuits and Gravy.

Mrs. D's Biscuits and Gravy


This is the same B&G I have come to love at the original Edgebrook Diner. If anything, the biscuits are a bit better; though I doubt they would pass the Jim in Logan Square Hoosier Biscuit taste test. Still, this is my favorite version of B&G in the city and it was nice to see it presented here just as I remember it.

The Chow Poodle ordered scrambled eggs.

Scrambled Eggs & Hash Browns Chow Poodle Style


These eggs were done exactly to her liking and the hash browns were crisp and delicious.

I ordered one of the Sunday specials, Huevos Rancheros.

Mrs. D's Huevos Rancheros


These were pretty good. While not exactly the authentic huevos rancheros you might get at Nuevo Leon or the local taquria, the eggs were prefectly cooked over easy and they did have a house made salsa on top that was quite tasty. My only complaint was that the beans were a little on the cold side. This was likely due to the fact that we arrived very close to closing time (they close at 12:30 on Sundays!) and the beans had already been put away for the day.

In any event, since out of the way diners seem to be in vogue these days on LTH, here's another one for you to consider.

The Kapetan Family Welcomes You (Christine, Dimitri and Niko)


Mrs. D's Diner
415 4th Street
(Directly Across from the Linden Ave "L" Stop)
Wilmette, IL
847-256-2580

M - F 6:30 A.M. - 4:00 P.M.
Sat. 6:30 A.M. - 2:00 P.M.
Sun. 7:30 A.M. - 12:30 P.M.

stevez wrote:As soon as I walked in, I could feel the same buzz and sense of community that is now missing from Edgebrook Diner.

Steve,

Great post, good looking B & G. You've got me seriously thinking of a Mrs. D's Diner Wilmette road trip. I loved the old Edgebrook Diner, but after yourand Hammond's posts, plus Hammond's Reader review I am tempted to write them off entirely.

I say tempted as the wife was there with a friend Sunday for breakfast, before they went to the Chicagoland Flower & Garden Show, and had a quite good breakfast. Crisp hash browns, nicely done eggs and no braying buddies of the new owner. Actually she said there was only one other customer 9am on Sunday.

Frankly, it might be a while before I try Mrs. D's as I am firmly fixated on both Patty's Diner and Moon's Sandwich Shop

Enjoy,
Gary

I took a drive up to Wilmette today for an après-swim lunch at Mrs. D's Diner. By the time that I arrived at 1.15pm, the biscuits and gravy had been deleted from the daily specials board so I settled instead for the soup of the day (tortilla) and a grilled ham&cheese sandwich with a side of chips. The soup was great, as diner soup offerings go, but I was really excited about the grilled ham&cheese sandwich, which was, to my mind, perfect.*

The atmosphere and the service made my trip a real joy, and I know that I will be back soon.

Thanks for the heads up, Steve.

E.M.

* Great bread? Nope. Great cheese? Nope. Great ham? Nope. Great prepation? Yep. Stellar, in fact. So, like I said, the sandwich was perfect.

p.s. Wiv, Christine says, "Hi," and she also wanted me to tell you to be sure and visit soon.

p.p.s. Speaking of Christine, I was somewhat surpirsed to learn that she also owns and runs Off The Tracks Grill at Lake and Wells in the Loop.

p.p.p.s. For a good point of reference, Mrs D's Diner is located three or four blocks due west of the B'Hai Temple (Sheriden Rd. and Linden Ave).

Erik M. wrote:p.p.s. Speaking of Christine, I was somewhat surpirsed to learn that she also owns and runs Off The Tracks Grill at Lake and Wells in the Loop.

Yes. That was their 2nd venture. They bought that place about 2 years ago. It more or less runs itself and is a completely different thing than Mrs. D's Diner. Off the Tracks is pretty much just a fast food burger joint.

Did you know that Home Depot stops selling hickory wood chunks as soon as the weather (supposedly) gets colder? What do they think, that people stop barbecuing in the winter or something? Madness.

Anyway, because of that unpleasant discovery, plan B was to go somewhere that Barry at Smoque had suggested the other day as he and I were talking different meats and I told him about my pastrami plans-- a place called Backyard BBQ in Wilmette that sold all different kinds of woods for grilling and smoking. I think this had been mentioned before, surely it's in G Wiv's repertoire of resources, but it hadn't registered before with me and so a trip to the wilds of Wilmette was planned.

Which meant, breakfast at Mrs. D's. Which is, one has to say, every bit as good as in its Edgebrook days, even as its crowd has shifted from old guys shooting the breeze over coffee to families filling the kids with pancakes before a busy day of lacrosse lessons and supervising the lawn guys. What particularly impressed me was that, even though I didn't particularly feel we were made to wait for our food, Dmitri came over with a plate of fruit, gratis, to tide us over, and then apologized profusely when breakfast was delivered without one plate of hash browns. Really, it was nothing you'd even have noticed that much at another place, but he was all over it like Armani on a litigation partner.

The biscuits and gravy had a LOT of red pepper kick, but the fluffy biscuits and sausagey gravy were first-rate. Both #1 Son and I enjoyed them, while #2 Son made off with substantial portions of the flawlessly rendered hash browns that have always been a hallmark of Dmitri and Christina's places. I don't have a lot of reason to go to Wilmette, normally, but Mrs. D's is reason enough in itself. Almost.

The Customary Dining Companion and I had a nice light lunch here on Saturday, after an exceptionally successful trip to the Evanston Farmers Market, comprising plants, fruit, veg, home-made sauces - and a HUGE armload of peonies from my fave farmer (50 beautiful, fragrant stems for a measly 20 bucks, plus the lowdown on when CDC can get his beloved strawberries and blueberries). We got to Mrs. D's at about 12:30; it was brimming with boisterous kids, which was fun. Sitting at the counter was the way to go, in our opinion, to get the vibe of the place.

We both had the breakfast sandwiches, though in two discrete forms: egg, bacon and cheese on whole wheat, and egg, sausage and cheese, on rye. Delicious. CDC loved his chocolate shake, made with chocolate ice cream, and served with both a comical twisty straw, and a very practical bubble tea straw. Good for hygenic sharing. (I had good brewed ice tea, and plenty of it - so good on such a hot day.) Our tab for lunch: $12 and change for the both of us. Such a deal.

Anyway, if you plan to visit the EFM, this is a fine stop, either before or after. We've already penciled it in for pre-game NU football Saturday breakfast, too, in that the El station is 1) directly across the street, and 2), but one El stop away from Central Street/Evanston and Dyche Stadium.**

**Yes, I am a naming-rights purist.

/BUMP!
I can not believe I missed this thread and Mrs. D's Diner all these years.
Had Sunday brunch there on Sunday and it is my new favorite place.
Wonderful atmosphere, service and food was simply amazing. This type of establishment needs a spot in the
LTH Hall of Fame (or whatever it is named.)
Pancakes.To.Die.For.