I don't do corned beef hash myself but I have it on the authority of two good friends that the c.b. hash slung at Johnny's Grill on Kedzie and Logan is top-notch. One friend proclaimed it the best she'd ever had. YMMV.

I'm fond of the omelets, hash browns and country ham but the french toast and pancakes are perfectly acceptable greasy spoon-style versions. The coffee's okay.

Johnny's is next to the Lula Cafe. If you get to Lula's and find a long wait for a table around brunch-time or simply want a decent, cheap breakfast in Logan Square you can do far worse than Johnny's. Please note, however, that smoking is okay in Johnny's and that this will occasionally interfere with one's dining experience.

Kurt

Johnny's Grill
2545 N. Kedzie

LionRock wrote:The Corned Beef Hash at Kuma's Corner, as documented by JiminLoganSquare here looks pretty good, but when I went there last weekend, it was not on the menu. Don't know if it was a special or what...

As I recall, the corned beef hash was a menu item at Kuma's Corner when I ordered it a few months ago. If they've dropped it, that would be a shame, because it was very, very good -- and the poached eggs tasted as good as they look in my photo. A close alternative not too far from Kuma's is [url]Hot Spot[/url], which is not very consistently good in most things, but did have a very good corned beef hash the one time I tried it several months ago.

Regarding the hash at Johnny's,

kvltrede wrote:One friend proclaimed it the best she'd ever had. YMMV.

I'll have to try the hash at Johnny's. I cant' say anything I've ever had there (and that's probably about five visits) was the best of anything I've ever had; but that said, its far from the worst, and it's definitely handy and cheap. What style of hash are we talking about here? The chunky style (see my post on Kuma's) or the "minced" style (like Manny's)? And do they serve poached eggs with it?

I love CBH and poached eggs. Here are four of my favorite places to get it in no particular order. All are home made and quite good:

The Bagel
50 Old Orchard Center
Skokie, IL
847-677-0100

Jack's Restaurant
5201 W Touhy Ave
Skokie, IL
847-674-5532

Edgebrook Diner
6322 N Central Ave
Chicago, IL 60646
773-792-1433

Lou Mitchell's Restaurant & Bakery
565 West Jackson Boulevard
Chicago, IL 60661
312-939-3111

Special note on Edgebrook Diner's CBH. It is the chunky kind, made with large cut chunks of corned beef, potatoes and bell peppers. While it is very good, it's not my favorite style of CBH, although it is quite popular and usually sells out early. It's available on Saturday (and sometimes Sunday) only.

JimInLoganSquare wrote:Regarding the hash at Johnny's,

kvltrede wrote:One friend proclaimed it the best she'd ever had. YMMV.

I'll have to try the hash at Johnny's. I cant' say anything I've ever had there (and that's probably about five visits) was the best of anything I've ever had; but that said, its far from the worst, and it's definitely handy and cheap. What style of hash are we talking about here? The chunky style (see my post on Kuma's) or the "minced" style (like Manny's)? And do they serve poached eggs with it?

Sorry, I don't recall. My aversion to corned beef seems to have prevented me from remembering anything about Johnny's c.b.hash other than the praise of two friends on separate occasions. Of course, now I'm wondering why I didn't try a bite regardless of my feelings about corned beef. Hmmm.

Johnny's is what it is and what it is I like. That doesn't make it worth a special trip but when I'm in the mood for a cheaper, simpler breakfast than those found at the fab Lula Cafe next door you'll find me at Johnny's with an omelet (or eggs o/m or french toast), a slice o'ham and well-done hash browns in front of me. Any Chi* neighborhood without a Johnny's-equivalent should be ashamed of itself. A special trip shouldn't be necessary. Unless, of course, the c.b. hash is, in fact, the best ever...

Kurt

*As for "the Chi", well, I'm a Milwaukee transplant of about six years. I've never heard anybody say "the Chi" but I must admit to using "Chi" in the occasional email or bb post and even in conversation once in a while. Maybe this marks me as a noob but so far nobody's busted my chops for it (including life-long Chicagoans). That don't make it "right" but I must say that I found the heat generated in the "Chitown/Chicagoland/the Chi" discussion to be somewhat perplexing. Then again, I'm just a Packer-lovin' cheesehead and this 0-4 start may have me a bit over-sensitive.

Chi-Town was a term used in several Holywood movies that sounded totally stupid in my book. Maybe they really meant Chinatown? It's Chicago, not Chi-Town, or the "windy city" lol... i've heard shitcago and a couple other choice phrases for this great place we call the city of Chicago.

grant wrote:Chi-Town was a term used in several Holywood movies that sounded totally stupid in my book. Maybe they really meant Chinatown? It's Chicago, not Chi-Town, or the "windy city" lol... i've heard shitcago and a couple other choice phrases for this great place we call the city of Chicago.

Actually, the "Windy City" nickname dates back well into the late 1800s and, contrary to popular belief, was not originally coined by a New York reporter to characterize our city's boastful ways in regardcs to the World's Fair. Rather, the more prosaic explanation seems to be winning out these days--that Chicago was nicknamed the "Windy City" because it was windy.

I'd always heard it was because our politicians were so full of hot air.

Here's the Encyclopedia of Chicago's take on it.

I also hear we have a wind that we call "the hawk."

gleam wrote:I'd always heard it was because our politicians were so full of hot air.

Here's the Encyclopedia of Chicago's take on it.

Here's an article from The Straight Dope with more up-to-date references.

The politician explanation is actually the one I grew up learning. However, it seems the more official take on the matter was the one quoted in your link--about Chicago boosterism. Charles Dana is the person usually cited with coining the phrase. However, as the article points out, references to Chicago as the "Windy City" date back to at least the late 1870s, in print, quashing the old theory.