Brunch around Forest Park

I'm looking for good brunch around here. I've heard of Slaton's, Bistro Marbuzet, and Cafes le Coq and Winberie, but have not been to any.

Also looking for breakfast/diners in the area. Louie's is good. Maple Tree, Pancake House, and George's in Oak Park were good too, but always crowded on weekends.

Cafe Le Coq has a teriffic Sunday brunch. Plenty of variety, the food's well prepared , the romm os warm and the staff know their chops. Highlt recommended.

Marc

cnote wrote:I'm looking for good brunch around here. I've heard of Slaton's, Bistro Marbuzet, and Cafes le Coq and Winberie, but have not been to any.

Also looking for breakfast/diners in the area. Louie's is good. Maple Tree, Pancake House, and George's in Oak Park were good too, but always crowded on weekends.

I'd like to call an official downhill alert on Marbuzet -- if it's around in 3 months, I'll be surprised.

Winberie -- souless corporate crap.

Louie's and George's -- authentic diner joints where I have always enjoyed good (if unadventuresome) food

Maple Tree -- my daughter worked there, and much of the food is not so good

Cafe Le Coq -- well respected on this board, and my experiences have been good; didn't know they served brunch

Hammond

David Hammond wrote:Maple Tree -- my daughter worked there, and much of the food is not so good

Are you implying a causal relationship?

cnote wrote:I'm looking for good brunch around here. I've heard of Slaton's, Bistro Marbuzet, and Cafes le Coq and Winberie, but have not been to any.

Also looking for breakfast/diners in the area. Louie's is good. Maple Tree, Pancake House, and George's in Oak Park were good too, but always crowded on weekends.

I like Maple Tree the best of the diner type places you listed. Also, Al's on Madison just east of Harlem, and Andrea's on Roosevelt just west of Circle Ave. Jedi Gardens was ok, at Cermak and Harlem by the Kohl's. My friend, who I trust, likes Harrison St Cafe, at Circle and Harrison, but I haven't been there myself. There's also Mom's on Harlem, supposed to have good biscuits and gravy, but again, haven't been there myself.

Bistro Marbuzet has closed and will be reopening with another concept. I think it was supposed to reopen this week, but I'm not sure of the date. Cafe DeLuca used to have full breakfasts, but I'm not sure if it was discontinued, or is now only on weekends.

gleam wrote:

David Hammond wrote:Maple Tree -- my daughter worked there, and much of the food is not so good

Are you implying a causal relationship?

Oh no, I meant that because she worked there, I should have been naturally inclined to have been partial to it, but I was not...but you probably knew that, you devil, you.

Hammond

David Hammond wrote:Oh no, I meant that because she worked there, I should have been naturally inclined to have been partial to it, but I was not...but you probably knew that, you devil, you.

Hammond

It's a secret goal of mine to get men in trouble with the women who have to live with them I even do it to myself!

Marmish wrote: My friend, who I trust, likes Harrison St Cafe, at Circle and Harrison, but I haven't been there myself. There's also Mom's on Harlem, supposed to have good biscuits and gravy, but again, haven't been there myself.

I notice that Mom's is for sale, so I'm not rushing there, but we did try the Harrison St. Cafe this morning with the MIL. Extremely friendly. We were immediately identified as newcomers (and the assumption was that we'd come to Forest Park for the St. Patrick's Day parade but in fact we live less than a mile away) and given Mardi Gras beads by way of welcome. There are only a few tables--all of which were occupied-- but a group of sweet teen-age girls gave us their table and took the counter seats that would have been a challenge for us.

I had a ham and egg sandwich on Greek bread. The bread was the mediocre thick soft white bread that so often passes for Greek bread in coffee shops these days, but the egg was perfectly done and the ham, obviously cut off the bone, was thick and tasty. Bill approved of his ham and cheese omelet, which I didn't try. Bill's hash browns looked pre-fab, but the MIL had American fries with her eggs, and they looked like they'd been done the old-fashioned way. They were also fried perfectly, so the outside was crunchy and the inside soft, with lots of well-caramelized onions. Breakfast for three came to $19.48. (The sweet girls' pancakes came to six cents less). Other menu items include biscuits with sausage gravy, which we saw at least one man enjoying. We'll definitely be back.

Harrison Street Cafe
7330 Harrison St (at Circle, just south of the Eisenhower)
Forest Park, IL
(708) 366-6633

I highly recommend Blue Max Coffee, which hasn't been in business for too long. They open pretty early and serve breakfast until 2pm, with some nice sandwiches for lunch and other stuff for dinner. I think they roast their own coffee, and make an effort to cook with natural/organic ingredients. Very friendly folks, good food, good for kids, bright, big space. Kind of like a bed and breakfast without the bed part. In fact, from the outside it looks just like a house, which may explain how I drove by several times before I finally noticed and popped in for a cup and a fresh raspberry scone.

Blue Max Coffee
26 Lathrop Avenue
Forest Park, Il 60130
(708) 366-9224
bluemaxcoffee.com

We returned to the Harrison Street Cafe for lunch today. Not nearly as crowded as at breakfast, but there were a couple of cops at the counter--generally a good sign. Two of us had the BLT's--perhaps not a great way to judge a restaurant, especially out of tomato season, but they knew to toast the bread and the bacon was thick, crispy, and delicious. Today's soup was cabbage, which was too much like tomato soup plus cabbage for my taste, but it was clearly homemade and I'd be happy to try their other choices.

Bill's hamburger, however, was absolutely top notch. Freshly ground beef, hand-formed, cooked to juicy perfection. The waitress urged us to try the onion rings, saying that even though they're not made in-house, they're beer-battered, made with real onions, and addictive. She was correct.

Tuesday morning there's a trivia contest; Thursday is half-price desserts; Friday is breakfast bingo.

Ann Fisher wrote:Tuesday morning there's a trivia contest; Thursday is half-price desserts; Friday is breakfast bingo.

If the trivia contest is "Name That Diner", I think I win. The person in the picture is my good friend, cameraman extraordinaire Chris Zouvas (of NBC Olympic downhill skiing coverage fame). That picture is hilarious. He should be working.

stevez wrote:If the trivia contest is "Name That Diner", I think I win. The person in the picture is my good friend, cameraman extraordinaire Chris Zouvas (of NBC Olympic downhill skiing coverage fame). That picture is hilarious. He should be working.

What? He doesn't get a lunch hour? Even on Saturday? And can he tell us what breakfast bingo is?

I'm trying to decide if it makes me feel more or less guilty about posting his photo now that I know he's a cameraman.

Just about exactly a year later, and I was back at the Harrison St. Cafe this morning. Newcomers still welcomed with Mardi Gras beads. Cops still chatting in the parking lot. BUT there's a whole big new dining room, opened just about a month ago. They're taking reservations for Easter, starting with a 7:30 a.m. Easter Egg hunt for kids under 10. None of this yuppie brunch stuff for us honest working folks in Forest Park. Get up and get going--even on Easter.

I had the spinach-feta omelet. Absolutely perfect. Fresh spinach, just the right amount of feta, perfectly cooked so the feta was melted but the eggs still tender.