Hashbrown Restaurant

I visited Hashbrowns restaurant in the new University Village/Maxwell street area today. I had read a few reviews and wanted to check it out.

The restaurant is a breakfast and lunch place and with a name like Hashbrowns you can guess the specialty.

I tried the breakfast panini. It was okay, but it appeared that they did not butter the bread before putting it in the panini press. The sandwich was a bit dry. The panini came with bacon, eggs, tomato and cheese filling. It came with a side of the house hashbrowns, which are made of sweet potatoes. The potatoes were cut almost like spaghetti, but were grilled and very good.

My companions tried the omelets, which came with the house hashbrowns and toast. All of the omelets are named after different Chicago neighborhoods and the ingredients reflect this.

There are also different flavors of hashbrowns that can be ordered as sides. On the sweet side there are different pancake and French toast, but nothing interesting.

Service was a bit of a problem. The restaurant was only half full, but it took a while for the waitress to come by with coffee and to take our orders. When our food came she didn’t bring enough toast. Refills of coffee were also slow. The waitress was also one of those types that was a little too friendly. When she was slow in bringing the coffee she implied that it was her “time of the month” and said that we girls should understand that.

If I lived in the neighborhood we would probably go back, but otherwise I am not sure if it is worth the extra trip.

Hashbrowns
731 W. Maxwell;
Chicago
(312) 226-8000

It came with a side of the house hashbrowns, which are made of sweet potatoes.

SPRRRRRAGFTBGKKKKKKKK! (Pauses to wipe coffee off monitor.)

And I just ate at a restaurant called Yams! Everything came with a side of the house yams, which are made from lobster!

I have alerted my friends at the Hash Brown Institute and they will be planning pickets later this week at this blasphemy against the honorable name of a great American foodstuff.

I'd ask about texture, fry-through-ness, etc. and how they compared to other places that serves hash browns, except since they're not serving hash browns but some Godless communist imitation, what's the point.

I actually like this place, nice change of the typical "hashbrown", to each his/her own I guess. I've been there twice since they opened and the service is no better/worse than any other typical popular brunch place (what good brunch place in the city aren't busy and lacks wait staff at peak times...). When the wait staff do get to your table, I find them more than suffiicent and friendly.

I'm big on omelette, and I'm personally more than satisfied w/ their omelettes. Generous 3-egg portion, not overcooked or running, good portion of meats (I've had the sausage and chorizos concoctions), yet not so big that you walk away feeling heavy. Sweet potato "hashbrown" balance the dish rather well, abit, on the greasy side, but I'm not one of those carb counting fanatics, no pun intended.

On the heel of the other burger in Chicago thread, thought my findings today at Hashbrown was interesting. They are now serving a whole additional "burger" menu on top of their existing brunch menu. All burgers are 1/2 pound Angus, but each with the same ingredients mixture approach as their omelets, where different ingredient combos are mixed into the beef patty itself. I had the "18th" street version today, which had chorizo, green pepper mixed into the patty, cooked to medium. I enjoyed my burger quite a bit actually consider the strange combo of beef and chorizo in every other bite or so.