i was very sensitive to the fact that patti's closes at 1p.m. on sunday and since we were coming from lakeview i was telling my husband to step on it. we arrived at about noon and had to wait about 10 minutes for a table. i was expecting a good amount of circuses, but i was not expecting what amounted to verbal abuse from one employee to another. trust me, i am not exaggerating this point. the funny thing was the abuser was extremely cordial to us. go figure.

abolt wrote:i was very sensitive to the fact that patti's closes at 1p.m. on sunday and since we were coming from lakeview i was telling my husband to step on it. we arrived at about noon and had to wait about 10 minutes for a table. i was expecting a good amount of circuses, but i was not expecting what amounted to verbal abuse from one employee to another. trust me, i am not exaggerating this point. the funny thing was the abuser was extremely cordial to us. go figure.

Did you know that one of the waitresses is Patty's sister and the other one is (I think) a cousin? You're watching family dynamics in action more than real anger. It can be quite a show, but I can see where the "weekend edition" might be a bit much to take...especially if it's your first visit.

I'd like to refer to my earlier posts in this thread, in which I wrote the following:

Josephine wrote:The waitresses are truly outstanding, making me feel like a regular on my very first visit. I got the impression that this is the sort of place where good old-fashioned comfort and common sense are dished out with the food.

and this:

Josephine wrote:

G Wiv wrote:
The reason I'm am willing to go out on a limb and unequivocally say Patty is the archetype heart of gold hidden by a gruff exterior, is not only did two construction workers come in after me a sweet older woman came in after 1 and was not only served, but welcomed with open arms.

The more time I spend at Patty's, the more I see how right you are, Gary. She does lots of very generous things for individuals, and sometimes organizations, but you'd never know unless you were listening closely.

One of the things I noticed the first time I was there, was that Patty and Susie and Judy seem to know everyone's story. They know who has just come out of the hospital, who's having a hard time right now, and who needs a little extra kindness today. Patty asked me how my job search was going just last week. I hadn't mentioned this since the summer.

Perhaps I should re-title the thread, "Hash and Compassion at Patty's Diner."

I stand by these comments. Tempers do flare at Patty's when things are busy and the flow is disrupted, but I have observed, and, indeed, received, many kindnesses there, not including the comforting food.

GWiv and I had a great lunch today at Patty's. Everyone's disposition was calm, if not downright sunny. We had a chance to visit a bit with both Suzy and Patty, who seemed particularly relaxed today. The food was at it's usual high level. I opted for the daily special of Sloppy Joes which included a cup of Patty's chicken rice soup. The soup was chock full of rice and carrots.

Patty's Chicken Rice Soup


Sloppy Joe is not something I routinely order, but after inadvertently sampling Patty's a few months ago (I showed up on what I expected to be turkey special day and it turned out to be Sloppy Joe day), I wanted to try it again because if you ever had a taste for SJ, Patty's is the best around...especially served on her house baked rolls with some crispy fries.

Patty's Sloppy Joe


Gary ordered a patty melt, except that he was able to sweet talk his way into having it prepared on one of Patty's buns instead*. The burger was cooked dead rare, exactly as ordered and let me tell you, this patty melt was a thing of beauty.

Patty's Patty Melt (GWiv Style)


This was a simple, but great lunch on a cold winter day.

* Don't try to order a patty melt this way if you are not ready to receive massive grief from Patty. This is not a regular menu item, nor is it even a secret menu item. Yet...here you see it.

stevez wrote:The burger was cooked dead rare, exactly as ordered and let me tell you, this patty melt was a thing of beauty.

One of the best burgers I've had, loosely formed coarse ground beef dead rare with a bit of grill char, grilled onions, house made bun melded into a deliciously cohesive package.

Dead-on extra crisp fries walked the fine line between perfect and burnt only the most experienced grill person dare tread and, as Steve mentioned, Patty and Suzy were both in fine form, with Patty catching Steve and I off guard with a deadpan delivered joke.

Next time someone asks my favorite burger my answer may very well be Patty's Patty Melt.

Enjoy,
Gary

This morning, I met members of my Sunday morning breakfast club at Patty's for some old fashioned breakfast cooking. We unexpectedly ran into Cathy2 there though we didn't see her hidden away back by the grioll until she had finished eating and was on her way out the door.

With it being my first visit, I put my recent quest for Chicago's best corned beef hash on hold and opted for the ham hash. What a glorious dish of goodness that was! The pictures here, as wonderful as they are, just don't do the fragrance and incredible flavor of that dish justice. The concept reminds me a bit of Waffle House's chunked hash browns except that Patty's final dish is far superior using an incredibly high quality juicy ham, lots of onions and, I think, some seasoned salt that just brings loads of great flavor to this dish.

Three thumbs up for Pattys from me.

It's a hike for me. But, I'll be back.

I made it out to Patty's this morning with my grandma, it was delicious! I had the ham, egg and cheese sandwich and it was quite tasty. I took a couple of ham sandwiches to go for dinner.

I highly recommend it.

I'm way overdue for a visit there. Is the garbage omelette still on the menu?

Dave148 wrote:I'm way overdue for a visit there. Is the garbage omelette still on the menu?

Yup.

Good answer. I was never a huge fan of her coffee. Too weak/mellow for my taste. Has it gotten any better?

Dave148 wrote:Good answer. I was never a huge fan of her coffee. Too weak/mellow for my taste. Has it gotten any better?

No! Ironically enough I just made an omellette using leftover ham from Patty's. I was just discussing how the coffee I just made was notably better than theirs.

If I remember correctly, they use Farmer Brothers coffee.

Finally discovered where this place was, despite having lived in Skokie on and off since 1979!

You can't beat the scene. It's a combination of a truckstop diner and an episode of the Twilight Zone. Don't ask me to explain that. . it just makes sense.

The corned beef hash was chunky with a crisp exterior, and tender yet semi-firm chew. The coarse chips of potatoes made for a hearty version of cb hash that is the perfect antidote for the near-creamy concoctions some places shamelessly slop on a plate.

The best CB hash i've ever tasted was recently at a breakfast joint in Maui, but this is my chicago fave.

Another weekend. . another visit.

After reading GWiv's description of the burger, i headed over there today to give it a shot. Damn fine burger. THe coarsely ground patty is cooked to a perfect pink center, and manages a tender/juicy center with charred exterior that adds a bit of crunch. It tastes like a top notch picnic burger. I gotta give kudos to a perfect bun selection on Patty's part - it's a light bun that compliments the burger, rather than dominating it, as i often find is the case with steakhouse burgers and pretzel buns.

There's no doubt this burger hit the spot and will now be a part of my regular burger rotation.

Ghazi,

It is not merely a bun selection, they make it on the premises.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:Ghazi,

It is not merely a bun selection, they make it on the premises.

Regards,

For real?! Damn. . we need to get Patty a knighthood or something!

We tried out Patty's this morning based on the recs on this thread. I had half order of the biscuits and gravy and a ham/egg/cheese roll. The ham makes the whole meal. The b&g was pretty tasty too. I absolutely love Patty and her staff. There's a new waitress, it is her first day. I was really pleased to see her bringing a little boy a stuffed animal to "eat breakfast" with him. His face just lit up. What a great atmosphere, I hope to return soon.

went there for sunday breakfast with my twin 2 year old girls, who are generally very well behaved. I get to payy's a few times a month, they are very close to my office. this was the first time I came with my twins without my wife. the waitress was not pleased - sunday is busy, but she was very frazzled by the girls. I could hear her from the other side of the partition saying "lets get them their food quick and get those little girls out of here".

but I don't go there for the ambiance.

the food was great - my kids actually loved the ham hash that I ordered, as well as thier bacon and pancakes.

that's a bummer, globetrotter.

I've taken my 3yo iece by myself during the week and gone on a busy saturday morning with my husband, 4yo and a baby and gotten nothing but very nice service.

small cups for the girls and plenty of iced tea refills for me (I skip the coffee there, it's not the highlight)

From Link

stevez wrote:With all the talk around here lately about chain burger places, I thought it might be worthwhile to remind people about the great mom & pop dog/burger places that made the Chicago food scene what it is. One of the places in the forefront of keeping the dream alive is GNR Winner Wiener & Still Champion.

In addition to Wiener and Still Champion there's also Patty's Diner, her fresh grilled burger on house-made bun is the 'bout to do a nickle in Joliet street tough hood to 5 Guys school yard bully.

Patty's Diner Burger

G Wiv wrote: 'bout to do a nickle in Joliet street tough hood to 5 Guys school yard bully.

That is possibly the most abstract food metaphor I have ever heard... and we have food writers questioning the abilities of our regulars, huh?!

WOW! I've been reading about Patty's for a while now and finally made my first trip earlier today. I wasn't sure what to expect, given the diversity of the report here, but it was an excellent experience.

First let me talk about the food. Shortly after sitting down at the counter, we received two light, fluffy cinnamon-sugar doughnut holes, a great way to start the meal. I ordered the biscuits and gravy and my buddy ordered a sausage egg roll. The biscuits and gravy were hands down the best I've eaten in Chicago. The savory gravy with giant chunks of sausage was absolutely perfect. The biscuits were good, slightly warmed on the grill and the perfect sauce vehicle. The side of potatoes was crunchy and starchy, but otherwise undistinguished. The wrap was not as good. The roll consists of a couple of link with a fried egg and cheese. Despite the house made bun, there was nothing exceptional about this sandwich. Still, it was above average breakfast fare. After we ordered, I noticed the giant ham on the bone sitting at the end of the prep area and added a side of the ham to our order. After a brief trip to the griddle, the ham arrives. Despite its spectacular appearance, there was an off taste to the ham, and we did not finish it. Coffee was good and our cups kept filled with the hot, fresh stuff. Overall, a good breakfast elevated to amazing by the B&G.

Service was fun and entertaining. The FOH person seems a bit overwhelmed, and there was a fair amount of shouting back and forth. Because she was so worked up, the grill woman (maybe it was Patty herself) took care of us.

Veeral, rest assured that the grill woman was absolutely Patty herself. There is no understudy for that lead.

LTH,

Patty and Suzie were in fine form this morning, pancakes and eggs a study in diner perfection. Only negative was Patty mentioned biz is slow, maybe a little (more) LTH Love is in order lest we pull up one day and see Jared holding a $5 footlong cold cut combo.

Enjoy,
Gary

G Wiv wrote: Only negative was Patty mentioned biz is slow, maybe a little (more) LTH Love is in order lest we pull up one day and see Jared holding a $5 footlong cold cut combo.

Duty calls! I know that I will be there for breakfast on December 21st, my first day back in Chicago for the holidays. And possibly on December 23rd, 24th, 26th, and so on. And Jared better not be there!

G Wiv wrote:LTH,

Patty and Suzie were in fine form this morning, pancakes and eggs a study in diner perfection. Only negative was Patty mentioned biz is slow, maybe a little (more) LTH Love is in order lest we pull up one day and see Jared holding a $5 footlong cold cut combo.

Enjoy,
Gary

I'm down for that. I worry about some of these independent gems that could easily slide under from the economic downturn. I bartender friend of mine has mentioned a very noticable drop in revenues.

I understand how it's tough for some folks to eat out these days but some of us can do our best to help. I couldn'y think of any better way to be charitable.

Even within discussion from this at-times-jaded bunch, it’s not very often that a meal or a specific dish will bring one back from the doldrums to happiness in one fell swoop. But I just had that experience, with my first-time ham hash breakfast at Patty’s.

I had been p.o.’d for days, for varying reasons, real & imagined. So I thought I’d try to start today on the right foot, with the right food, to jumpstart me into at least a semblance of normalcy. I had been at Patty’s once, for lunch, had a quick homemade burger. Good not great, and I didn’t interact with Patty, just her sister.

So I walk in at 7:15, it’s just Patty & myself. ‘You want coffee?’, she barked. OK, here it comes, I’m thinking, the caustic repartee that I really didn’t need this morning. ‘Sure.’ I said, and in a sec there it was. ‘What’ll you have?’ ‘Uh…ham hash with eggs, put ’em---‘ She cut me short. ‘Don’t tell me about it now, just when I’m doing the eggs, I got a big to-go order.’ Geez Louise, I don’t NEED this either.

I went back to reading about Gov. Dead Meat in the Trib, and in short order there were three plates---buttered whole wheat toast, two over easy eggs, done perfectly, and then a steaming plate of Patty’s ham hash. It’s not a hash, really--more of a skillet-like concoction of chunks of that killer ham-off-the-bone, coarsely-chopped fried potatoes and sautéed onions, with virtually no sauce at all. Just phenomenal. And what was so wonderfully vexing about this, to me as a cook of some regard in my own mind, were the tasty little black bits from the grill mixed in that made it look like this was the seventieth order of the morning, when in fact it was the first.

And like my mood, Patty warmed up as well. ‘Sorry about me being rude, hon, I got my way of doing things in the same order all the time’. I said with output like that hash, she could scream like a banshee & I’d smile all day long.

I think that between Patty’s and Moon’s, you’ve got two of the best breakfast spots in Chicagoland, not to mention restorative to the human spirit.

After another stellar CB Hash with a side of biscuits and gravy on Sunday, I went back today at lunch to finally have the burger. Definately near the top of my list especially for that part of town.

I did overhear a comment something like "depending on what happens with Sparky's maybe you will get more business". Is Sparky's in danger of closing? The food is OK, but my boss and co-workers are fans.

After reading a post that said Patty's business has been slow, my husband and I went there for breakfast this morning. Slow is an understatement. At 11am, there were 4 customers in the restaurant, including us.

We both had the ham hash, which was excellent. My husband had the sausage gravy over the top of the hash...which will probably guarantee that I will inherit everything. But it was terrific.

Mostly I'm posting to bring this thread closer to the top...
Patty's is a place worth keeping top of mind

I made my first visit to Patty's Diner last Sunday, just before closing time. Whomever the gal was who waited on our table commented business had been very slow that morning. I, too, went for the ham hash. The hash was a bit too dry for my liking - but I think the gal working the griddle made it so because my dining companion asked for her "original" potatoes "crispy" and my potatoes and hash arrived similarly. Next time I'll order my hash with less char. My companion had some ham off the bone with her eggs and I tasted some of that ham . . . and it was moist and wonderful. Oh, the complimentary doughnuts were heavenly (available Sunday's only).

Here's a copy of the Menu: