Jam - breakfast spot now in Logan Square (was Ukie Village)

we stopped by Jam for breakfast this morning and i thought i would give a quick report. reports from last weekend were that it was pretty slammed, but still plenty of tables available when we left around nine o'clock. the interior is on the small side (maybe 12-14 tables), but charming. the kitchen is right in the middle of the dining area, as it was when it was dodo, and it's fun to hear the orders coming in and watching them get expedited out. the menu includes a number of breakfast choices and a kids menu. there's also a lunch side which includes a variety of sandwiches and other tasty sounding options.

getting an amuse at breakfast joint was a fun surprise. a mini peach/pecan muffin with maple cream cheese icing was a delicious bite to start the meal. it could have been lighter, but that's a very minor criticism. bits of peaches were visible, as were one or two pecans in each one.

our meal included fresh squeezed oj and metropolis coffee alongside the eggs benedict and the egg sandwich.

the eggs benedict was spot on - the eggs were perfectly poached and pretty to look at to boot; the spinach hollandaise was right on in terms of consistency and quantity (a lovely shade of pale green, although i didn't get much spinach flavor in taste); described as sitting atop english muffins but seemed a hybrid between a mini piece of toast and an english muffin (not a lot of nooks and crannies as with the usual store bought variety); the crisped pork belly is what really made this dish (salty, crispy, fatty - everything it should be) in providing a nice contrast to the creamy hollandaise and soft yolks.

the egg sandwich, while good, needs some work i think. two eggs, braised pork cheeks, ricotta salata, and pickled plums on a french bollo, accompanied by roasted fingerling potatoes. the pork cheeks were underseasoned and would have been better presented shredded in the sandwich instead of in the large chunks of meat (easier to eat too). i really liked the taste of the pickled plum when eaten by itself, but it got lost in the sandwich by the thick pieces of pork. same goes for the ricotta. we really enjoyed the fingerling potatoes - crisp on the outside and tender inside, with a generous sprinkle of coarse salt on top.

i think the waitress was a bit disengaged. didn't seem all that interested in being there or in waiting on us.

all in all, a nice addition to the neighborhood.

Jam
3057 West Logan Boulevard
Chicago, IL 60647
(773) 292-6011
Jam Restaurant website


(Edited by Moderator to update address and phone number)

We went on Sunday and enjoyed it a lot.
Good coffee, and our service was better than other reports I'd heard.

I had the French Toast, which they seal into a pouch and poach (boil-in-the-bag) then they brown it in a pan. It was very good - the custard really went into the bread. My main complaint with thick French Toast is that it's bread coated with egg. This was saturated with the custard, and cooked through due to their method. The lime foam or whatever it was tasted good, but got lost on the toast. When I ate just the lime and the cherry topping together, the combo was amazing. A small dish of that as a side would be very good.

DH had the blueberry pancakes which he also enjoyed. It came with butter, lemon cream and some sort of berry jam/compote (which he thought was too sweet). In a nice touch the butter was piped into a little bowl so that it was at spreading consistency and temp. I HATE when you get icy butter.

There wasn't much of a wait around 9, but there was quite a line when we left. It seemed like there was a longer wait for groups of 4 or more.

It is very pretty inside. I wasn't sure if I could feel air conditioning, but there was def. air moving. I hope they do have AC, and that whatever power issues the space had before were fixed (from what I understood if someone in the apt. above used a blowdryer the restaurant lost power).

My main complaint was the ventilation. Open kitchen + summer + no air conditioning + plexiglass seating = hot mess. Agree about the waitress — maybe we had the same one. The owner was really pleasant and attentive though, more so than my server. Luckily, there's a large pool of unemployed folk to choose from in case they decide to pull the ol' switcheroo.

I thought everything was pretty tasty, and I liked the breakfast sandwich. The pickled plums were an interesting selection. The potatoes were roasted well, but definitely needed more seasoning. Liked the French toast as well. This is probably a really unnecessary complaint, but the option of iced coffee would have been nice, especially since the restaurant is so fucking hot. I would certainly give them another shot either way though.

The air conditioning or lack thereof was what made dining @ Dodo such a problem. Very often it was just too uncomfortable to eat there. I remember a food runner leaning over to place my food on the table while sweat dripped from his forehead onto my plate. Dealbreaker. Lack of air was one of the reasons they vacated the spot.

When I recently spoke to the new owners (pre opening) about that issue, they assured me it had been taken care of and that air had been installed. Apparently not effectively from what's being written above.

I disagree that it was terrible inside. It may have been on the first weekend, but when we went last weekend (what was that, the 25th?) it was reasonable (see my post above). Perhaps I wasn't explicit enough, but I felt air moving, the temps were fine. I don't know if it was airconditioning or just good airflow or what, but it seemed fine to me.

Jazzfood wrote:The air conditioning or lack thereof was what made dining @ Dodo such a problem. Very often it was just too uncomfortable to eat there. I remember a food runner leaning over to place my food on the table while sweat dripped from his forehead onto my plate. Dealbreaker. Lack of air was one of the reasons they vacated the spot.

When I recently spoke to the new owners (pre opening) about that issue, they assured me it had been taken care of and that air had been installed. Apparently not effectively from what's being written above.

I agree about Dodo and how hot it got in there. At times it was downright miserable. I can attest to the addition of an air conditioner. I can see their roof top from my place and I saw them installing the ac unit earlier this year. Whether it can compete with the heat of an open kitchen is another matter.

I was at Jam on August 3, around noon, pretty empty, but it filled up by the time we left.
The temperature was perfectly fine by me.
My main complaint, however, was that our food took FOREVER to arrive-- which was inexplicable considering the very few customers on hand at the time. Though we were provided with a tasty amuse of blueberry-orange muffins, that wasn't enough to hold us over for what felt like 30 minutes wait.

Foodwise, I LOVED the malted custard French toast. OMG some of the best I have had in a long time. Though I couldn't really taste the lime foam, the pink peppercorn was such a nice addition, giving a perfect little zing, yet subtle.
I also tried the egg white omelet with beets, goat cheese, and macadamia streusel on top, to see if they could "wow" me with egg whites. Turns out, no. I couldn't taste goat cheese at all, and the only thing I could taste of the tiny, relatively rubbery "omelet" was beets. Good thing I love beets.

~M@

Mattkrc wrote:I also tried the egg white omelet with beets, goat cheese, and macadamia streusel on top, to see if they could "wow" me with egg whites.

I love the idea of cutting out fat by offering an egg white omelet, then topping it with macadamia nuts... which have the highest fat content of all nuts, at 70%+

-Dan

I shot over to Jam yesterday with my wife and 1 yr old. It was 8am so there was plenty of room for the baby and we didn't feel we were "in the way." Although I liked the food, my wife and I thought it was a bit "fancy" for our what we really needed - that being said, what we had was great.

My wife ordered the blueberry pancakes and a side of sausage. The pancakes come with a a side of maple syrup and a "boat" of three small dishes that included butter, lemon creme fraiche, and blueberry compote. The bite I had was very good.

I ordered the eggs benedict which were good as well. I did have some whites that were a little runny, which I tried to overlook but that was the only downside. The "English muffins" were good and the hollandaise worked well with the dish. I ordered a side of fingerling potatoes which seemed to be slow fried or par boiled and then finished in a fry pan. Well cooked either way. The crispy pork belly that came with the eggs was good but I would always rather have bacon with my eggs.

The best is when we ordered a a side of toast and were presented with 1 1/2 pieces of toast served with butter and two homemade jams - raspberry and orange marmalade (i think). Having my wife's blueberry compote there as well, rounded off the samples. They were all good and I mentioned to my wife that next time, I'll for sure order a side or two of toast, just for the jam.

The service was good but a little over the top for breakfast. Were were served an amuse bouche of warm chocolate bread/cake/toast with raspberry jam and almond tuile. It was nice but unnecessary. Also, when our food was dropped off, we got a "bon appetit" from our waiter, to which my wife and I just looked at each other and smiled. Again, nice but not needed in this setting.

One more thing - I would not want to speak for the chef but while there I overheard the chef giving the waitstaff instruction on the lunch dishes for the day, stressing that knowing the ingredients and how they are prepared is essential. Also, he mentioned that they do not want to compromise the menu with substitutions or additions. He mentioned that someone wanted a grilled cheese sandwich for their child and he said that if it's not on the menu, they don't want to make accommodations. He said something like, "I don't walk in someone's restaurant and order things that aren't on the menu - knowing that a lot of thought went into that menu." I got bits and pieces of the conversation so I may not of heard everything, especially in context but I think that was the gist of the comments.

For me, that was reasonable to hear and both my wife and I appreciated that. I know some of the members of the board won't agree with this approach but for a small place that is trying to put out a nice product and menu, I can appreciate his stance.

Oh yeah, for two of us with three sides, a fresh squeezed oj and a diet coke, it was about $38 or so. A little steep for breakfast but this wouldn't be my typical bacon/eggs/hash browns place either.

We went to Jam for Sunday breakfast yesterday. (I find it's usually better to have Sunday breakfast on Sunday.) The room is much nicer than in its Dodo days— for one thing the painting of the dog licking himself is gone. We ordered eggs benedict with crisped pork belly, custard French toast, and a sandwich with pork cheek, scrambled eggs, and housemade plum ketchup. There's clearly a fine dining mentality at work here— as the amuse-bouche that precedes breakfast suggests, likewise the arty schmears on the plates— and given the nature of the ingredients and approach, it's probably better to think of them in the realm of others doing arty reinventions of breakfast food, like The Bristol, more than other breakfast places doing upscale breakfast food like Over Easy or M. Henry. On that basis of comparison, then, they scored two out of three; the custard French toast, with some kind of apricot stew or something on the plate, was excellent, and I liked my bite of the sandwich, the meat was braised beautifully; but the eggs benedict with crispy pork belly, besides being basically tiny, just didn't come together, the Hollandaise (oddly green) didn't have lemony sparkle, the pork belly needed some seasoning, it needed something.

Prices are quite high— we were over $60 for four, which put us in the Meli Cafe/Lula range— so while I think it's fair value for the quality and ambition of what's being produced, it'll be more somewhere I take a visitor to impress them, than somewhere I go back to week after week.

I keep busy. After brunch #1 at Spacca Napoli it was pretty much straight to brunch #2 at Jam. Place is interesting. Some things good, some things curious. First, the place is too warm and needs better ventilation. I was uncomfortable in just a light hoodie. My dining companion didn't eat pork but the entire place seems to be awash in aerosolized pork grease. This isn't really a bad thing for some us--though I now smell like bacon--but I could tell my friend was a little uncomfortable by the pervasive aroma.

But yeah, this is a New American breakfast place so tough luck for her. Fair enough. Onto the food.

First of all no amuse for us. Not sure if this was an oversight, they were out, or they've stopped doing this. I like cute touches like this so was a bit bummed we didn't get it.

I didn't find prices to be that high. I think most things are $10. That's not bad in my book. Once you add juice and sides, you're pushing $20, but the food is interesting enough that you shouldn't need extras unless you're really into breakfast.

Malted custard French toast

Or whatever this is called. Pretty solid. Thomas Keller's Bouchon French toast is still my gold standard by a long shot, but I was pleased with this. I thought it could've been even more custardy.

Eggs benedict

So this is a pretty cool looking dish. I'm not sure how it's usually presented because we ordered the pork on the side, so I don't want to comment on how integrated the dish is. I thought the hollandaise was pretty good, but the bright green puree on the bottom of the plate didn't have much going for it besides salt. We couldn't figure out what it was. The belly was nice, three nice-sized chunks. They gave the dish a bit of body. Without the belly it was a bit meh.

Style over substance? I'm not sure. You compare this place to Bongo Room, and Bongo Room certainly makes more an impression with its ridiculousness. I might be in the minority here, but I've actually found a good percentage of the food put out there to be quite tasty, in a base kind of way. This place is trying harder. The food is pretty. It's not particularly expensive. I didn't love it, but I want to go back. Could be one of those place I either grow to really like or just find unnecessary.

We'd been waiting for the crowds and hype to abate a bit before trying Jam. When we called yesterday morning and learned that there was no wait, we drove over.

All in all, I think Jam has a lot of promise and I appreciate their efforts to incorporate interesting ingredients in many of the dishes. However, some of the ingredients didn't work or were out of balance. I had the egg sandwich, which I thought was a tad on the small side. The egg, though, was great and I enjoyed the braised pork cheeks. However, the sandwich included a fruit ketchup (persimmon, I think?), that just didn't work and overwhelmed the pork and the ricotta. The fingerling potatoes that accompanied the sandwich were good, though.

RAB had the panini cristo. I don't think I'd ever had a french toast sandwich and don't think either of us will be ordering another one. The problem with this sandwich was that there was too much sweet mustard jam. The prosciutto and even the tallegio were lost amidst the ample grainy mustard (and I adore grainy mustard).

My step mother had the turkey club. Nice bacon, bread, turkey, and avocado. But, again, the condiment didn't work - - this time, the citrus aioli.

Dad had the chicken breast, which he adored. I didn't get to taste it, but know that he'd happily order it again. The chicken came with a warm quinoa salad, which I did taste and thought was good.

Service was spotty. For example, we were offered coffee while we waited, but then couldn't get a refill once we were seated. We had to ask several times, which I don't think should happen in a small brunch spot.

Ronna

REB wrote:However, the sandwich included a fruit ketchup (persimmon, I think?), that just didn't work and overwhelmed the pork and the ricotta.

It was plum when I was there in November, and it was gross. Then again, I didn't think the melding of fats in the rest of the dish was all that distinguishable; I also felt the cheeks were too rubbery to be effective. The belly in the Benedict is a better bet.

I had Breakfast this morning at Jam and thought it was ok, but not much better than that. I noticed that many tables were served an amuse, but several other tables (including ours) were not served one . . . not sure how this worked.

My friend and I started off by splitting a bacon scone served with the housemade raspberry jam. My only complaint here is that it wasn't a traditional scone at all - there was definitely egg in the batter. That's where my complaint ends. It was delicious and tender yet crisp of the outside (just not traditional).

Entrees were much less impressive. I had the eggs benedict which today were served with a beet hollandaise sauce. The good: the eggs were perfectly poached and the presentation was beautiful to look at. The not good: the pork belly, although beautifully crisped, was pretty dried out. Also not good: I agree with Mike G.'s assessment that the hollandaise missed the zip of lemon and therefore, did not help bring the toast, egg and pork components together as hollandaise typically does.

My friend had the biscuits and gravy and this was also a bit of a letdown. Here, the biscuits were pretty good, but the gravy was missing both pepper and that sour twang I ordinarily like in the dish. Overall, just ok.

Service was very friendly but extremely slow. But my real concern is that while so many dishes sounded interesting, the execution did not meet the descriptions. I would almost always choose to go to a place like Jam which offers creative interpretations of ordinary breakfast dishes, but Jam just did not deliver on flavor. That being the case, I would have much preferred ordinary, but well executed versions of both entrees. At least the bacon scone was delicious.

Jam has been serving dinner for quite some time.

It's a very good deal - $25 for 4 courses or $37 for 5, and BYO. We've been twice now, both times sitting in the lovely garden next to the restaurant. The food was really tasty, interesting combos but not of the "too many ingredients" variety. They change the menu frequently, so you won't necessarily have the same thing every time you visit.

Service was fine, servings were small, but enough (4 or 5 courses, after all) and we didn't think any of them hit a wrong note. I'm leaving off some ingredients, but you'll get the idea

Tomato salad with cocoa nib puree and gorgonzola

Foie gras tortellini with english pea puree and sliced pea pods

Hawaiian ono with lemon gnocci, basil, blueberries, ricotta salata
or
Roast pork tenderloin, tapenade, grilled bread, scallion cream

Giandjua lava cake with Black Dog vanilla gelato
or
Earl Grey pannacotta with macerated white peaches and lemon tea cookies

leek wrote:They change the menu frequently, so you won't necessarily have the same thing every time you visit.

The menu does change, though it hasn't seemed to me frequently (I live about two blocks away and walk by regularly). And there are elements that have remained since dinner service began. The foie gras tortellini with peas have been on the menu since Jam started serving dinner in April, and some kind of Hawaiian white fish with a basil component seems to be a constant.

I often recommend dinner at Jam though I find it somewhat precious for myself.

My wife and I had an amazing brunch at Jam this morning; I had heard so many great things about Jam from others, but as we live a few miles away have generally stayed closer to home for brunch. Now I am kicking myself for not going sooner! Everything about our experience was positive; the space is pleasant, casual and comfortable with attractive contemporary decor. The menu is varied and interesting (several items that are not at all your typical brunch fare - there is a good mix of sweet items, savories and also a few vegetarian and healthy items available and a list of housemade pastries). Service was warm and attentive. And most importantly the food tasting phenomenal (everything was fresh, high quality ingredients, attractively plated and cooked to perfection)! Despite residing in Lakeview will will definitely be heading back to Jam in the near future.

My wife ordered the eggs Benedict with a spinach hollandaise sauce; my wife absolutely loved her dish:


I went for the special wish was boneless fried chicken and waffles with a gastrique; this was to die for:


Amuse Bouche and housemade cinnamon roll fresh out of the oven served with caramel sauce (gooey, hot and delicious).



IMHO this is one of Chicago's best brunch venues and as a bonus was despite arriving at near 10:00am on a Sunday we were seated immediately.

Note that the location has moved since this thread started:

JAM
3057 W Logan Blvd
Chicago, IL 60647 (Logan Square)
(773) 292-6011
http://www.jamrestaurant.com
They also maintain an active Facebook page

Geez man, do you eat out every meal? I think Ronnie has been slacking lately!

abolt wrote:Geez man, do you eat out every meal? I think Ronnie has been slacking lately!

I am a pretty bad cook (my cats won't even eat my cooking most of the time) and when I do cook my wife complains I make too much of a mess. My wife doesn't like to cook all that often either, so most of the time it is either eating out or cereal for dinner.

abolt wrote:Geez man, do you eat out every meal? I think Ronnie has been slacking lately!

LMAO! With the holidays now behind us, I hope to be back "on the circuit" soon.

Jam looks good. I've only been there once, a few years ago, and I enjoyed it. A friend who cooks professionally has mad respect for the place.

=R=

Gonzo70 wrote:IMHO this is one of Chicago's best brunch venues and as a bonus was despite arriving at near 10:00am on a Sunday we were seated immediately.

Did it get busy after that, with people waiting? Or were there no waits the whole time you were there?

I enjoy trying Chicago's many breakfast-focused restaurants, and I really like Jam; it's one of our very best such places. Of all of them, Jam is the only one I know of that seems to me like the kind of place that a truly talented chef would create, the closest thing to the breakfast equivalent of a fine dining restaurant. Hope that makes sense.

nsxtasy wrote:

Gonzo70 wrote:IMHO this is one of Chicago's best brunch venues and as a bonus was despite arriving at near 10:00am on a Sunday we were seated immediately.

Did it get busy after that, with people waiting? Or were there no waits the whole time you were there?

I enjoy trying Chicago's many breakfast-focused restaurants, and I really like Jam; it's one of our very best such places. Of all of them, Jam is the only one I know of that seems to me like the kind of place that a truly talented chef would create, the closest thing to the breakfast equivalent of a fine dining restaurant. Hope that makes sense.

I agree with your comments regarding fine dining - that kind of ran through my head during our brunch; the presentation, quality of the ingredients, creativity of the menu items and level of perfection with which the dishes were prepared were on par with most of the fine dining establishments I have frequented - but at brunch prices. Service also seemed to be a step up from typical brunch venues, even relatively nice brunch locales.

Jam was fairly busy throughout, but there seemed to be a table or two unoccupied during the course of our meal; as this was our first time at Jam I am not sure if this is typical or not.

I recently posted in the Best Things You've Eaten Lately that the Malted Custard French Toast was one of the Best Things I've Eaten Lately. Because it was.

riddlemay wrote:I recently posted in the Best Things You've Eaten Lately that the Malted Custard French Toast was one of the Best Things I've Eaten Lately. Because it was.

I plan on trying that next time; almost ordered it today - but the chicken and waffles sounded too good to pass up and didn't have room to eat both.

Gonzo70 wrote:

riddlemay wrote:I recently posted in the Best Things You've Eaten Lately that the Malted Custard French Toast was one of the Best Things I've Eaten Lately. Because it was.

I plan on trying that next time; almost ordered it today - but the chicken and waffles sounded too good to pass up and didn't have room to eat both.

The MCFT is available as a "small" or "half-size" (or whatever) portion. It just sounded so good that I ordered it in that size, in addition to (and essentially as a side dish to) the Omelette. I was a little worried that I was engaging in wretched excess by doing so, but the waitress said, "No, it won't be too much food at all," and she was right. I had help eating a bite or two of the French Toast, but other than that, it really was about the right amount of food, and well worth the indulgence considering how extraordinarily delicious it was. So I recommend doing that, if you're so inclined.

Although I can see that ordering french toast as a side dish to a waffle might be a little weird.

We had such a blast last weekend at Jam we went back this morning for brunch -the second time was just as good.

The amuse bouche was a mini pumpkin muffin with cream cheese frosting, delicious!


I did a half order of their famous Malt Crusted French Toast - sous vide toast with citrus flavored whipped cream and pink peppercorns. Outstanding. Smelled great and was so moist and flavorful no syrup needed:


Next up was some really fresh, house smoked salmon topped with a quail egg and some sunchoke and onion purees and some cabbage:


And finally a half order of today's special a beet waffle (probably the tastiest waffle I ever have had) topped with a quail breast with a gastrique and a little side salad:


My wife loved her pecan sticky bun and eggs Benedict so much last time, she opted for the same today. We once again had outstanding service and after just two visits to Jam we are completely hooked!

What is sous vide toast?

jesteinf wrote:What is sous vide toast?

Here is how Food & Wine described the process a couple of years ago:

"Here's how Charlie Trotter alum Jeffrey Mauro makes his supersonic version: He dips thick brioche slices in a vanilla-and-malt-spiked custard (inspired by Ben & Jerry's malt ice creams). Then he slowly cooks the slices sous vide in a hot-water bath so that every inch of the brioche absorbs the custard. Just before serving, he caramelizes the French toast in a hot pan, then serves it with marinated fruit (quince in the winter), sweet citrus-flavored whipped cream and a sprinkling of pink peppercorns."
Link

jesteinf wrote:What is sous vide toast?

Here is an article I found that speaks some about their sous vide French toast (among other things): http://foodbeest.com/2011/07/14/jam-play-food/

I returned today for an early brunch, my first visit in three years, and maybe sweet breakfasts are the way to go here because I've pretty much stuck to savory items and left less than thrilled both times.

There was an amuse of a lemon-raspberry shortbread square which was very good. But entrees were just okay. I had the omelet with Spanish chorizo, onions, piquillo Peppers, corn bread, and queso tres leches. The omelet was acceptable I suppose but the filling was so overly heavy in sauce that the chorizo, onions and peppers were really overwhelmed. The corn bread was dry to begin with, which is fine, but then they toast it, making it too dry and just a big handful of crumbs. The queso tres leches? Not sure where that was. One nice aspect was that it was topped with a couple of long white anchovy slices and a small arugula salad, which added a nice touch. But what the omelet really needed was some more chorizo, less sauce, and a more appropriate cornbread. One other note: the texture of the omelet was slightly odd, with not the slightest hint of browning . . . I wonder if they somehow found a way to prepare it, at least partially, sous vide? It just seemed very different, and was clearly not folded and even lacked that buttery flavor.

My dining companion had a beef-filled burrito, again cooked well, but it was not particularly memorable. There was some pinkish-hued cream on the plate, the flavor of which was not precisely detectable. The menu lists a tomato crema - I can't tell if that's what it was, particularly since the menu lists a couple of other elements to the dish I simply don't recall seeing.

On the plus side, they have a nice, little front patio and even if the food didn't really please me, the atmosphere did. But for my next brunch, I'll choose a place with both a nice patio and food that I enjoy more.