Dixie kitchen vs.Calypso cafe

We need to make a choice...how is the atmosphere,food,parking etc.Thanks!

i havent been to calypso cafe before, but i heard good things about it. i remember the dixie kitchen being a little mediocre. the price wasn't really worth the taste. their biscuits and collard greens were mighty fine, but other than that. wasn't the most memorable experience. but also not a bad experience

They share the same metered parking lot and it's usually not a problem to find a spot.

I like both restaurants but think Calypso's a better value. That said, Dixie Kitchen has some great fried green tomatoes and crawfish fritters.

We ate at Calypso last Saturday night. They don't take reservations and they were packed! Granted, we did arrive in the middle of prime time - 8pm. They quoted us 45 min., but it was closer to an hour. A quick review:

Service was fine, though a bit rushed and distracted.
Dos Equis on tap was flat. We switched to bottled beer. Most people were doing the "tropical" icy drinks.
Shrimp and Conch Fritters were pretty good. Not a ton of either in each, but not all filler. You could definately taste the seafood.
Cubano Steak was flavorful, but rarer than requested.
Plantain Crusted Tilapia came out a little bland. The plantians weren't as "crusty-crispy" as I expected them to be.
All the sides were very good, especially their Blue Water Slaw (had a subtle hint of cinnamon that was unexpected, but nice.)
I was too full for dessert, but got a slice of their Key Lime Pie to-go after seeing the woman in the booth next to ours order one as her entree. Wow - it was REALLY good.
Atmosphere was lively and everyone seemed to be having a good time. It was definately busier than Dixie Kitchen, although they were far from empty.
We had no trouble finding free street parking.

Enjoy either, Lynn

To me, Dixie provides the better overall experience, starting with the complimentary hot johnny-cakes with sweet butter and hot sauce. Fried green tomatoes, Carolina pulled pork, chicken-fried steak, and whole baby catfish are standouts. The Georgia peach colada is one of my favorite drinks on the South Side. The service and atmosphere are more confident and calm.

That said, I've had some very good meals at Calypso (usually when the line at DK is too long). Plantains, black bean soup, and jerk preparations are usually solid, and they have some excellent homemade slaw.

Santander wrote:...the complimentary hot johnny-cakes with sweet butter and hot sauce...they have some excellent homemade slaw.

I would have to agree. The cakes are great and the slaw. I now do recall, enjoying quite a bit.

Mmmm, Dixie Kitchen. I have to third (fourth? fifth?) the fried green tomatoes. The collard greens were quite good, too.

If I had to pick, it's Dixie Kitchen by a hair. They both provide similar eating experiences in terms of atmosphere, service, and quality of food. I would definitely rank them near the top in terms of Hyde Park dining options. Just pick the place based on what you have a taste for when you go--that's how I usually pick between the two. You won't go wrong either way.

Although both places are, as has already been mentioned, mediocre, I think that Calypso has a number of staple dishes that are better than anything offered at Dixie Kitchen, including:

1) Jerk Chicken Wings
2) Blackened Tilapia Sandwich
3) Plantain Nachos
4) Key Lime Pie

This is unfortunately now an academic exercise, since the Hyde Park Dixie Kitchen is a gaping crater in the ground.

Fortunately, most of the menu items from the Dixie Kitchen have been moved over to Calypso, and some may even be improved (or unique, vs. the other Dixie locations). I had the Carolina Pulled Pork sandwich the other night, which still comes with a bottle of local vinegar red sauce and slaw, but is now served on a sweet medianoche bun instead of the cornmeal-dusted roll. Non-canonical but excellent. On the side, perfect sweet fried plantains. Fried green tomatoes were perfect, peak of season. Johnny cakes same as ever, though $1.50 for ten instead of gratis, still quite reasonable. Service was excellent, drinks strong, and the ability to combine from both southern soul food and competent Caribbean is very cool.

I understand they should be around in this manifestation for another few years before Calypso's lease is up and they potentially suffer the same fate as Dixie, but that they're scouting a permanent location for the integrated menu.

this may have been covered already, but is the Dixie Kitchen in Evanston under the same ownership as the Hyde Park location? We ate their yesterday, and everything was pretty good, but not as good as I remember the HP location being. Plus, no Johnny-cakes.

No idea about ownership, but the lack of johnny cakes must have been an oversight. At least as of a couple of months ago, everybody was still getting them.

Carol Andresen owns both Dixie Kitchen and Calypso (as well was the Evanston and Lansing Dixie Kitchens). Though I eat at the Hyde Park location many times a year, I didn't realize until I read this today that it was gone. I read online that University of Chicago did not renew Andresen's lease and she is looking for a new location. I would love some of those greens out in Naperville!!

elakin wrote:this may have been covered already, but is the Dixie Kitchen in Evanston under the same ownership as the Hyde Park location? We ate their yesterday, and everything was pretty good, but not as good as I remember the HP location being. Plus, no Johnny-cakes.

Yeah, Hyde Park was the original and preferable to me to the Evanston location, which was too bright and polished and the cuisine oversweet. Here are two articles of interest; the first on the history of the place and the second on the redevelopment plans for Harper Court. Park 52 and the relocated, eviscerated Checkerboard are supposedly safe due to geography and ownership.

http://www.chicagomaroon.com/2009/6/2/d ... a-favorite

http://www.chicagomaroon.com/2009/7/16/ ... wn-to-four

Y'all need to get down to Rajun Cajun and That's-A-Burger, both of which could use bigger spaces in the new development for their very fine owners and food.

We ate at Dixie Kitchen in Lansing a few months ago. I didn't notice anything different about the menu or our food, and the johnny cakes were served as soon as we sat down. We ordered the fried green tomatoes as an appetizer. They were as good as ever. I did notice that the restaurant wasn't that full, but i just attributed it to the economy.

Suzy