Tweet, Let's Eat ! - an incredible place for brunch

A basic search found many mentions of this place, but no dedicated thread...it deserves one. Tweet, Let's Eat is a great neighborhood breakfast/lunch spot serving the classics, some with updated flair, using mostly local, organic ingredients - and they make a KILLER bloody Mary.

This place used to be on my regular rotation, until we had baby #2 and rarely attempt to go out for breakfast. They are open on Mondays (closed Tuesday), which is great for the service industry people, and usually pretty packed on the weekends. We haven't been in about a year - but our visit on Saturday (sans kids) made me wanna attempt to bring the lil' crybabies (said affectionately) out for a breakfast more often. Tweet is a well-decorated, eclectic, artistic, friendly little neighborhood breakfast/brunch spot that is kid-friendly, vegan-friendly, gay-friendly (Big Chicks bar joins the space), young friendly, old friendly....hell, it's just a friendly little place that serves a kick ass breakfast.

This place really nails the service side of things. When you sit down, there is a pleasant little pastry plate (2) on your table - ready for your immediate enjoyment if you have been waiting long, or if you slept in a little and arrived famished. Made in-house, it is a basic light sweat bread - no frosting, and not too sweet (think pound cake). Also, it doesn't need butter (plenty in there already) - making it extremely convenient to consume while waiting for your bloody and browsing the menu (sorry for the bite...I was famished). Little touches like this, make me feel like they care.



Our waitress was this sweet, cool, bad-ass rockabilly chick ....she was so great at her job, I was already scheming in my head how I could steal her . Seriously, she was such a good server, I brought it up several times during conversation to others later in the day - and I find myself addressing it in the opening of my review. She was friendly, cool, calm though very busy, called everyone "sweetie" - but not in a flirting way, just in a cool rockabilly way. Being cool, but not seeming too cool - and being friendly while efficient, rushed, and trying to stay "sharp" is a talent that cannot be taught; you've got it or you don't - and she has got it. Don't remember her name, but Tweet - she's as ASSET.

First up, our drinks: for me - a classic bloody mary and my wife got a blue champagne drink of some sort...Server asked how I liked my bloody (spice level), and I told her I like spicy, but I also wanna taste my food. She understood exactly and served me the perfect level, (exactly) what I ordered. Bloody Mary arrived in a great big chunky glass, that was as fun to drink out of as any margarita glass or giant beer mug.

Along with being fun and oversized, the mug was bursting with fresh greenery, making me feel as though my bloody mary had health benefits in store for me. I had 2....

For our meal, my wife ordered Benedict with hash-browns, and a lovely cup of fresh fruit. I had a GIANT southwestern Cobb salad. Everything they serve here is so fresh, it makes you feel like the fruits and veggies come straight from a farmers market. The fresh fruit cup, which is usually just simple and "afterthought" - was well planned, good variety of fruit, all delicious and abundant in size. It doesn't take a genius to come up with a great fruit cup, but because it's simple it's not always done with any thought...or the fruit is lacking in flavor. I enjoyed half of this at breakfast, and the other half later in the car - still fresh & juicy hours later.

Didn't get a pic of my wife's benedict - but it was very good. Eggs were cooking properly, hollandaise sauce was the perfect texture - rich, together, and complementary of the eggs and well-toasted english muffin beneath. Hash browns came unsalted, which is fine - and easily remedied.
My salad was served in a ridiculous bowl that was intended to be either a) a mixing bowl or (b) a bowl to serve gigantic fresh salads in: tweet uses it for the latter.

Fresh greens, avocado, fresh bacon, corn, red onions, strawberries, blackberries, diced tomatoes, cheddar cheese...WOW
I find most bacon used in salads come from the ends: you can buy belly ends - chunks of pork belly that are left over after slicing bacon - mostly fat, not usually great in quality, but it's what most restaurant use in salads, on burgers, etc. anywhere you don't' want to spend money on full-strip bacon. I can tell you, this was the real-deal bacon. Great texture, thick-cut, not crumbled - but chunks. Made me wanna order a bacon and avocado sandwich....
The dressing was this cilantro-lime vinaigrette that I asked for on the side - but was good enough that tossed would have been fine. Another example of great service, they ask if you'd like your salad tossed or served dressing on the side. They give you ample dressing for your GIANT salad, again well-thought out given the size of the dish. I consumed 1/3 of my salad for brunch, 1/3 later in the day, and sadly 1/3 is still in my fridge days later (busy week).

Prior to leaving, our waitress had another small chat with us - she was great at small talk: knowing what subjects to dive into, and which to leave alone - making references to topics you bring up to make you feel like she's an old friend that knows you well. Prior to leaving she told us it was nice to see us, and she'd see us again soon - not nice to meet you, which seems impersonal/standard, but "nice to see you" making you feel welcome and part of their friends/family circle. We also noticed her pleasantries with other guests, some of which got hugs...all just a jolly ol' time ( I never use that phrase, but I feel it's appropriate for this level of friendliness).

Tweet, Let's Eat ! You get an A+ from me: Service, food, decor, prices, everything was just top notch. We'll be back again, and again, and again...thanks for doing such a great job at what you do.

Tweet, Let's Eat!
5020 N. Sheridan Rd.
Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 728-5576
http://www.tweet.biz

Rub-

We are big fans of Tweet. It's walkable for us and as long as we get ourselves moving early enough, we can beat the rush at breakfast. It's such an extensive menu that I rarely order the same thing twice. I am a fan of the Corn Arepas: three fresh corn arepas, 2 organic eggs your way, housemade guajillo sauce, creme fraiche, avocado, cilantro; organic black beans; fruit cup. It's a ton of food and quite tasty. Service has always been good and coffee refills plentiful.

We've also enjoyed the offerings in the evening. Although Tweet is closed, the kitchen is open for the bar, Big Chicks, in the evening. Burgers, sandwiches, appetizers, salads. Good, reliable bar food. Plus, I had a kick-ass Old Fashioned there a couple weeks ago that I'm still thinking about.

One note: they are now open 7 days a week. They used to be closed on Tuesdays, but no longer.

What's parking like in that area?

(Salad for breakfast sounds like an answer to that other topic.)

I have lived near Tweet for quite a few years now and I'm consistently amazed how crowded the place is. My experiences are along the lines of a 3rd tier brunch spot...large portions, cheese on everything, boneless skinless galore, etc.

Tweet is a winner in my constant quest to find places to take my parents when they visit. My mom likes healthy breakfasts, my dad likes eggs and pancakes (no fancy business) and I like interesting breakfasts. Tweet has something for all of us. And, it doesn't make my small town parents feel uncomfortable or out of place.

Parking is usually easy, in fact they have 5-10 free spots in back


Sent from my iPh

Five of us enjoyed a post-graduation brunch here* on Saturday. At 12:30 there was a bit of a wait in the bar, but not too bad, and coffee was provided gratis.

When we were seated, the table had five slices of a cinnamon-ribboned cake that we think was pumpkin-based, but not sure. Rich and tasty, nevertheless.

Most of us ordered egg dishes (maytag bleu and spinach omelet, over easies, a couple of Benedicts), with my m-i-l having pumpkin pancakes. A fruit cup preceded each dish, with everything fresh and tasty (except for some rather unripe canteloupe). Generous portions with hash browns on all the egg dishes, toast on the non-Benedicts. All very tasty, well seasoned and fresh.

With four of the five at the table celebrating (two moms, a birthday and a graduation), they brought out a huge slice of red velvet cake with a candle. Service was overall very nice and attentive when needed. It's certainly not a quiet, intimate place, but the bustle has a lot of energy. Definitely worth considering for brunch uptown, if you're not looking for Asian.



Thing2 joins Thing1 in being gainfully employed, and I'm through with tuition payments -- I win at parenting!