Lou Mitchell's quick take

Somehow, in 30 years here (5 years in an office 2 blocks away) I've known all about LM without ever actually eating there. I tried once, but wasn't carrying cash, and that was it. Monday I finally made the pilgrimage. With all the recent controversy over whether Edgewater Grill has gone off a cliff, it was very nice to be sitting in the center of a well-oiled, quietly humming breakfast machine.

No revelations and no debunking to offer. It was just what I'd hoped. Without being absolutely transcendant, it was completely solid.

Corned beef hash was generously portioned, flavorful and (thank you, God) a nice small dice allowing flavors to actually mingle, rather than the all too common large chunks that just lie there next to each other never actually becoming a hash. (After being served I realized that my one mistake was not requesting the hash extra time on the grill to get some burnt edges. Next time.)

Hash browns were thin rounds as opposed to cubes, very nicely browned-to-burned on the edges and outer surfaces. Greek toast was perfectly golden, buttered with restraint (as opposed to soaked) and -- mirabile dictu -- actually warm.

I went crazy and ordered a piece of coffee cake (pecan) and it was satisfyingly rich and unhealthy tasting.

My waitress seemed genuinely, morning-brighteningly friendly. I read the entire paper, drank too much coffee, and felt very cozily at home with the low buzz of breakfast activity around me.

Small demerits: the yolks of my poached eggs got a bit cooked and the coffee refills were a tad slow in coming.

My only regret was that such a satisfying yet essentially simple breakfast should cost almost $15, and that it is so hard to find at all. (The religious tracts offered free at the register were a surprising note, but didn't intrude on my breakfast at all.)

Miscellaneous note: Just across the street from the Duncan Donuts and bus stop at Addison and Ravenswood a truly terrifying little lunch counter whose name (but not whose chili) I forget, has turned into something called (I think) Denir's Turkish fast food. The former place was truly like something you might have stumbled upon in the Bowery during the depression. I haven't been into the new business, but the sign promises felafel and other middle-eastern fare and suggests, perhaps, a nice little honest business.

Demir Fast Food was discussed by MikeG and me a little while back in GWiv's cevapcici thread. It's a step up from the prior spots, but nothing too exciting, at least not when I visited.

I think Lou Mitchells sucks. I think it is the most over rated breakfast joint or place there is. Ok so I am rather harsh on the place. I worked across the street from the place for 3 years and had to go there often for breakfast with clients and higher ups when they came into town. The food was spectacularily average and the prices high, especially for breakfast. A free donut hole when you walk in. woopee. You should check out Old Carriage Inn in Mount Prospect. That has some good eats at a fair price.

mrbarolo, the place across from dunkin donuts is orchid cafe and is actually quite good. there was a previous thread on it somewhere.

davecamaro1994 wrote:I think Lou Mitchells sucks. I think it is the most over rated breakfast joint or place there is. Ok so I am rather harsh on the place.

I've always found it quite good and charming. I used to eat there quite a bit when my office was in the West Loop. Surprisingly, their lunch items were even better than the breakfasts, which I always liked.

I've always enjoyed Lou Mitchell's immensely. I've been taking my daughter there for breakfast before Sox games for several years. Although they are completely different experiences, I think the 2 best breakfast places in the area are Lou's and Wishbone. I'd hate to have to choose as to which one I enjoy more. the only problem with either one is that the lines to get in on weekends can be somewhat long......
Punchinello's

We don't get there very often, but we always enjoy our visits to Lou Mitchell's. The eggs are very good, but the potatoes and toast (described previously by mrbarolo) and the fat, fatty sausages are what I get excited about. Also, good (pricey) OJ, and free milk duds for girls only!

It's true that the place is expensive, but as a once-in-a-while destination, it's a nice slice of Chicago. We like to bring out-of-town visitors there when we're spending the day downtown.

Admittedly, I haven't been in a while, and when I was going for breakfast fairly regularly a couple of years back, I began to notice an increased inconsistency in their delivery of the goods; but if I were back sitting at the counter tomorrow (and I do recommend taking a look at the counter if the lines are long), I wouldn't hesitate to order a feta cheese omelette, which I always thought was one of the best in Chicago.

Where else is there to go for a better straight-forward breakfast downtown that won't break the bank?

I go "home" to Chicago 2-3 times a year with my family, and inevitably, we take an early AM train from DG to spend a day downtown. By catching the early express train, we are ready for breakfast when we arrive, and I'm not sure that there is any option that's better than Lou Mitchell's. Yes, it's a little pricey, but the food is good and the portions are large (heck, I'am a big guy and I had to remember to order just one egg and not 2!). It's a filling way to start whatever day's adventures we have planned, and we usually don't even need lunch...we're good until we inevitably hit a pizza place for dinner before catching the train back to DG.

Heck, i'd love to see a Walker Bros or even Ann Sather in the Loop area, but I haven't come across anything yet that matches LM's.

FWIW, and very little I might add, Details Magazine listed Lou Mitchell's among the Top Twenty Breakfasts in America (http://men.style.com/details/features/l ... ntent_6415), thereby continuing this slightly absurd trend of men's magazines doing top 20 lists of foodstuffs. From the looks of this one, the writer traveled as far as Google to bring you his discoveries, and then picked LM because of geography.

RSMBob wrote:Where else is there to go for a better straight-forward breakfast downtown that won't break the bank?
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Heck, i'd love to see a Walker Bros or even Ann Sather in the Loop area, but I haven't come across anything yet that matches LM's.

There's nothing wrong with Lou Mitchell's. But there are many other options as well. In the Loop itself as well as the surrounding areas...

Heaven on Seven serves Cajun breakfast at their Wabash location.

Atwood Cafe serves a very creative breakfast menu, Washington and State.

Orange on Harrison is just south of the Loop and has egg and pancake specialties including their themed "pancake flight", and customize-your-own fresh juice blends.

Bongo Room is in the South Loop at Roosevelt and Wabash and is my favorite breakfast place in the entire downtown area.

Fox and Obel, the gourmet grocery store in River East, has a cafe in the rear where they make omelets, French toast, and other breakfast items to order.

Kitsch'n River North has breakfast specialty dishes.

The Original Pancake House (same franchise as Walker Brothers) has a location in the Gold Coast on Bellevue Place.

The high-end hotels on Michigan Avenue serve some elegant (and pricy) breakfasts in their restaurants, including NoMI in the Park Hyatt, the Lobby in the Pen, the Cafe in the Ritz, Seasons in the Four Seasons, and David Burke's Primehouse in the James.

The reason I dislike Lou's is because I think it is average at a very high price for breakfast. Like you pointed out, there a number of places in the loop itself that does not charge $15 for breakfast. I really don't feel the food justifies the price. That is why I started to rant

davecamaro1994 wrote:The reason I dislike Lou's is because I think it is average at a very high price for breakfast. Like you pointed out, there a number of places in the loop itself that does not charge $15 for breakfast. I really don't feel the food justifies the price. That is why I started to rant

I think it really depends on what you're comparing it to. The prices at Lou Mitchell's (you can view them at menupages) are $8-9 for omelets, $6-7 for various pancake specialties, and $3.25 for a glass of OJ (fresh-squeezed). Those prices are right in line with other places specializing in breakfast (e.g. Walker Brothers/OPH, Orange, Kitsch'n, Bongo Room, etc). In the Loop, they're the same as Heaven on Seven and less than Atwood Cafe. They're more expensive than at cheap places that run breakfast specials, but there are significant differences in quality (OJ from frozen concentrate, etc) which IMHO make it a dissimilar comparison.

I've never been too fond of Lou Mitchell's either. I can think of three or four places with better quality food within a five to ten minute drive. Sweet Maple on Taylor Street is far superior at nearly the same pricepoint. The Breakfast Club on Hubbard and Hash Browns on Maxwell Street are just as good as Sweet Maple and miles ahead of Mitchell's. Wishbone and even Le Peep on Washington are better than Mitchell's, though Le Peep has its share of issues, too.

What's the deal with the Mitchell places? The one on Clybourn calls itself the Original Mitchell's and the one on North and Clark is also a Mitchell's. i'm not crazy about any of them actually, with North & Clark being the best of the chain. Still, its nothing to blog home about....

Breakfast from Lou Mitchell's was brought in by a vendor today. I'm not sure how they do their scrambled eggs, but I really enjoyed them. They are much lighter than typical scrambled eggs. They hit the spot this morning.

nsxtasy wrote:There's nothing wrong with Lou Mitchell's. But there are many other options as well. In the Loop itself as well as the surrounding areas...

Since I wrote those words eleven years ago, the situation is still the same, but the names have changed. Some of the places I mentioned - Orange, Bongo Room, Fox & Obel, and Kitsch'n - have closed, at least in their downtown locations, while Yolk and Meli Cafe have opened numerous locations throughout the downtown area, as have two locations of Wildberry Cafe and one of Eggy's.

The GP wrote:Breakfast from Lou Mitchell's was brought in by a vendor today. I'm not sure how they do their scrambled eggs, but I really enjoyed them. They are much lighter than typical scrambled eggs. They hit the spot this morning.

They put the eggs in a shake cup and whip them up before cooking.

Mikey wrote:

The GP wrote:Breakfast from Lou Mitchell's was brought in by a vendor today. I'm not sure how they do their scrambled eggs, but I really enjoyed them. They are much lighter than typical scrambled eggs. They hit the spot this morning.

They put the eggs in a shake cup and whip them up before cooking.

When I used to dine there they always used double yolk eggs. Not sure if they still do.