city dough restaurant

i don't know how long the talented chef john bubala (thyme/timo) will be content to oversee a kitchen turning out burgers and pasta, but i hope this newish place succeeds. city dough is in the old pompeii space at wellington and sheffield. i had a really fine example of a basic american cheeseburger today for lunch. at least 1/3 lb. (menu didn't say) with american cheese, lettuce and tomato. good dill spear on the side. nobody flinched when i ordered it rare, and rare it arrived. i was prepared for disappointment when i saw the pale, thin fries that came with it, but they were amazingly good; well salted , crunchy and clearly fresh cut. why they serve little porcelain dishes of ketchup and mustard is beyond me. this is the kind of casual place, with a really wide, long diner counter that should be using actual bottles of condiments, but no matter. their liquor license arrived yesterday; they start serving dinner this week. nice, sunny room with old style formica tables and matching chairs, a great neighborhood spot- even if it's not in my neighborhood. oh, and they make their own doughnuts and have a takeout window a few steps from the brown line train. smart idea.

CITY DOUGH RESTAURANT
2955 N. SHEFFIELD
773-747-3100

If only they'd recreate the spaghetti & meatball recipe from Pompeii--my favorite version anywhere, ever. It is my dirty little secret favorite food. I confess, I complain about my stepsons' persnickety food issues but, as a kid, while I wasn't as picky as them, I did have a definite favorite and it was spaghetti and meatballs. And as an adult, there were few things that I looked forward to eating as much as an order of spaghetti & meatballs from Pompeii.

Fascinated to hear that Bubala is cooking at City Dough. May be worth checking out just for that. My hunch would be to go soon though

I'm glad to read something good about this place. We went when the place was probably a couple weeks old, and our lunch was plagued by a series of service issues. Not being informed until after we ordered that the restaurant was out of what we ordered, courses coming out at weird times so that (even though we both ordered a starter and then a main) one of us had food for some time while the other didn't, incorrect utensils being brought (soup with a teaspoon instead of a soup spoon or tablespoon), not the best attitude from our waitress, stuff like that. Coincidentally, both of us independently had the thought earlier today that we should give the place another try soon to see if they've gotten their act together. So I'm sure we will.

i was told they wont start serving liquor till next thursday- those of you planning a visit might want to keep that in mind and they had no drinks menu yet to look at. service wasn't fantastic- but i don't expect that from a diner style casual place. chef bubala was in the dining room talking to a customer while i had lunch; don't know if he'll be cooking, or if there will be a more expansive dinner menu…. breakfast is coming soon. biscuits and gravy caught my eye- that's always what i gravitate to. they were out of the shrimp po'boy which is what i first ordered, but the server told me that right away.

justjoan wrote:service wasn't fantastic- but i don't expect that from a diner style casual place...they were out of the shrimp po'boy which is what i first ordered, but the server told me that right away.

Trust me, I know how to adjust my service expectations for a diner (I eat in casual places all the time), and this didn't meet them.

Coincidentally, I think the shrimp po'boy was the very thing I ordered, only to be told they didn't have it. I then chose something else, only to be told they didn't have that, either. At that point, I asked our waitress to proactively tell me anything else they didn't have before I proceeded, so that I didn't get to strike three. I really don't think it's asking too much--even in a diner--for a server to let you know at the time the menus are handed out (not after you've ordered) the items that the kitchen is out of. Much less chance of disappointment that way.

I do want them to succeed, so I hope that when we make our return visit, the wheels are back on.

Hidden Camera recording of riddlemay's visit to City Dough Restaurant

My God--cameras are everywhere these days.

A report. I joined my wife there for lunch recently (I had eaten already, she hadn't).

They were quite busy, which was good to see. There were no foulups with her order, which was served in good time and correctly. The server was friendly, enthusiastic, and energetic. And the food was very good. She shared a bite of her sautéed chicken breast, which was juicy, tender and flavorful, and of her plain doughnut, which was everything a plain doughnut oughta be. (Nice "crust" on the outside; fresh, moist, ungreasy cake on the inside; just sweet enough.)

It seems they've found their sea legs.

Finally stopped in to this place for breakfast. It's a really nice space, and I've always wanted to walk in when I've walked by. I like the look, modern and bright. The blue wall in the back with wood trim and the long diner counter with the bold red stools make this place look fun and inviting.

Anyways, on the food... Technically arrived about ten minutes before their official opening time at 9, but the door was unlocked and they seated me at a table. I asked the waitress what she would recommend from the "Specials" section of the breakfast menu, and she suggested the Breakfast Tacos. It seemed like the least interesting of the options, but what the heck, I went with it.

Against my better judgement, I went with one of each, BBQ pork and Steak. Like I figured, the steak was better. BBQ Pork was just a little too sweet for my tastes and didn't work for me. Steak taco was good, not anything I'd write home about (though I will post about it apparently). What surprised me was that of everything I enjoyed the hash browns the most. They were cut into thin rounds. Some were deliciously crispy especially around the edges, and others were less so but robustly potato-y. Just a very well made example of hash browns. Perfect amount of salt. Not oily, and the taste of potato really came through.

Service was fine. Polite and efficient. Competent diner food in a very nice space. I'll be back to try something a little more adventurous next time.

I agree with you about the potatoes. A couple of weeks ago I had a mid-day breakfast there, which as I recall consisted of a fairly typical diner order of a spinach feta omelet and potatoes. What made it atypical was how good both of those things were. You can go a hundred places, place that order, and not be disappointed, because everything will be "fine." And that's great. Rarely do you have cause to say, "My God, this spinach feta omelet is really good! And so are the potatoes!" But I did. So far, rather than unusual menu creations, I think that's the thing that distinguishes City Dough the most--making the ordinary extraordinary, through careful selection of ingredients and careful preparation.

Drove past here tonight and the windows are papered over with a sign on the door saying "exciting changes coming soon".

RobK wrote:Drove past here tonight and the windows are papered over with a sign on the door saying "exciting changes coming soon".

how disappointing. and how annoying that there's nothing on their website or their phone message indicating they've closed…..

justjoan wrote:

RobK wrote:Drove past here tonight and the windows are papered over with a sign on the door saying "exciting changes coming soon".

how disappointing. and how annoying that there's nothing on their website or their phone message indicating they've closed…..

They have a lot of potential, something just seemed off when I went there. Hopefully they can right the ship and open again.

justjoan wrote:

RobK wrote:Drove past here tonight and the windows are papered over with a sign on the door saying "exciting changes coming soon".

how disappointing. and how annoying that there's nothing on their website or their phone message indicating they've closed…..

Do we have any indication that they've actually closed? From what I've read here, it doesn't seem like they have. But yes, it'd be great if they'd posted something about their plans somewhere. I don't really read facebook or twitter. Maybe they've posted something on one of those conduits.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:

justjoan wrote:

RobK wrote:Drove past here tonight and the windows are papered over with a sign on the door saying "exciting changes coming soon".

how disappointing. and how annoying that there's nothing on their website or their phone message indicating they've closed…..

Do we have any indication that they've actually closed? From what I've read here, it doesn't seem like they have. But yes, it'd be great if they'd posted something about their plans somewhere. I don't really read facebook or twitter. Maybe they've posted something on one of those conduits.

=R=

Eater has a few more details

Despite paper on the windows, City Dough ownership says they'll reopen the restaurant in 3-5 weeks. They say they're doing some remodeling, not reconcepting, and are waiting on some new fixtures. Expect more details in a couple weeks. [EaterWire]

http://chicago.eater.com/archives/2014/05/14/remodeling-report.php

JoeChicago wrote:Eater has a few more details

Despite paper on the windows, City Dough ownership says they'll reopen the restaurant in 3-5 weeks. They say they're doing some remodeling, not reconcepting, and are waiting on some new fixtures. Expect more details in a couple weeks. [EaterWire]

They didn't ask me, but I think some reconcepting might be a good idea. The name never was right from the get-go. It makes it sound like the emphasis is on sandwiches, or pizza, or something else dough-related. (Gee, why would anyone think that?) Aside from the fact that they serve donuts in the morning, nothing else about the place is especially dough-centric. The truth about the place--that it does a very competent, in some cases well beyond competent, job with a cuisine that maybe best could be described as "ambitious diner"--is completely hidden by that bad name.

But then, "ambitious diner" contains its own contradiction. The place just seems not entirely sure of what it wants to be--or perhaps what it wants to be is not right for the neighborhood. (Which includes not only those who live around it, but the enormous population of health care workers combined with patients' family members from Illinois Masonic a half-block up the street, who may constitute the restaurant's best hope. They, along with cops, seemed to be the lifeblood of the Pompei that immediately preceded City Dough in the location.)

CD can become a borderline-"foodie" place like DMK Burger Bar or Fish Bar immediately across Sheffield, or they can become a spot that holds real appeal for the enormous Illinois Masonic cohort, who need inexpensive, quick, simple food primarily--but I don't see a way for them to succeed at continuing to try to be both. People respond best to a place that knows what it is. Starting from the name up, this place never has felt like it does. And I say that with regret, as someone who has found some of the food to rise well above the average.