Tis true what Gary says. The Feed style mac and cheese is the style that one would find if eating mac and cheese in the deep south (or any of Chicago's many fine authentic soul food establishments).

I must do a post on Priscilla's soon. It has become my day off of the diet place.

LTH,

Forgot to mention, Liz and Donna were telling Steve and I how much they liked the rib tips at Fredine's, which ReneG recently mentioned, I had not been for quite a while so I stopped for a mini-tip on the way home. Tips were quite good, chewy, but not tough, little fatty, as tips should be, but no globs of unrendered fat, and the fries were pretty good as well. Fredine's has an Aquarium smoker, but there was not much smoke flavor. I told them about Honey 1 BBQ, which is my favorite, they had not been, though I think they will be going this Sunday, when Feed is closed, for take out tips.

Enjoy,
Gary

Fredine's
3334 W Chicago Ave
Chicago, IL
773-826-5419

Honey 1 BBQ
2241 N Western
Chicago, IL
773-227-5130

If I’m not mistaken, not a single word has been written above about any other entrée but the chicken. I’ve only been to Feed twice; the first time, I tried the chicken which I thought was pretty damn good. But that really doesn’t mean anything since my favorite casual meal in the world is Arroz con Pollo or some other equivalent chicken-rice combo. You could serve me almost any poultry in any style and I’ll devour it like a dog. I’m not proud of that, but that’s the truth.

I was also more than buoyant on the mac & cheese, collards, and corn pudding.
I definitely enjoyed Feed enough after the first try to go back for more. But this time I opted for their ½ lb. hamburger instead, which they proudly call the “Really Big Burger”. The more manageable 1/3 lb hamburger is imaginatively called the “Big Burger.” Now, before I get too carried away here, I want to stipulate that I’ve tried their burger only once but……..

I thought it was fantastic!

The meat was coarsely ground, nicely seasoned, and cooked to absolute perfection. This was one of tastiest burgers I’ve had in a long, long while. For a mid-week, casual dinner, I thought the Really Big Burger with collards and corn pudding for about $6 not only hit on all cylinders but was a helluva deal. Like I said, I’ve only been here twice but I think Feed will satisfy some sort of mid-week casual dining niche.

PIGMON wrote:If I’m not mistaken, not a single word has been written above about any other entrée but the chicken.

Well in all fairness, this is a chicken place.

However, when I visited Feed I was disappointed to find that they were out of everything except some of the sides and the chili mac. To which I replied, "Well, uh, ok, I guess I'll have the chili mac."

It was surprisingly pretty good. This was no skyline, this was their normally-good-by-itself mac-n-cheese coupled with some pretty good chili. It had a fair amount of heat while being slightly sweet and had nice big chunks of meat throughout. The whole thing was topped with cheese that was perfectly melted on top.

The owners, at least I think the 2 women I spoke to were the owners, were interested to know how I liked it. After telling them that I did, they went on to explain how they won a chili contest in the past-- not bragging, simply proud of their achievement.

The leftovers made for some really good lunch the next day.

Feed reviewed by Michael Stern @ Roadfood

E.M.

Just wanted to bring this topic back up as over the last year Feed has earned it's way into my dining rotation.

I have to say that if they served the Friday catfish special every day of the week, there would be pictures of catfish all over the restaurant instead of roosters. It really is that good (look at the pictures on page 1 of this topic and tell me you don't want to eat your screen).

Luckily my cravings for their great comfort food don't always fall on a Friday as I would not have had the most spot on half chicken like I did this past Saturday for lunch. The drumstick was so moist it seemed like the chicken was raised on a diet of butter. The entire chicken has a perfect balance of crisp skin with a nice thin layer of gooey fat under it. Makes for fantastic eating.

As for sides I have a hard time not always getting corn pudding as one of them. It is good enough to cause an epidemic. Most of the time the other is mashed w/ gravy, but I have had the mac n' cheese (don't like it), beet salad, fries, slaw, asparagus and all were good. And save room for Banana Pudding!
Jamie

Ooh, so now the catfish has a specific day. That's good to know as I, too, think it's the best thing there.

Yeah, pretty sure it has been assigned a day for some time now, as it is printed on their menu. From memory, it is:

Monday: ??
Tuesday: Smothered Pork Chops
Wednesday: Prince Spaghetti Night
Thursday: Steak Night (previously Jambalaya I think)
Friday: Fried Catfish

I still need to go on a Tuesday for pork chops.

A few weeks ago I finally got around to Feed for a late lunch on a Saturday. I had a quarter dark chicken and too many sides (but I'm a sides person anyway- that's all I eat at Thanksgiving). I was disappointed when I found the chicken dry rather then golden crackling skin and juicy- essentially the chicken I got was something I would have expected at a grocery store. The reports here of the chicken make me wonder if I either got a bad chicken or came at the wrong time of the day, as the chicken had obviously been spinning on the rotisserie too long... and the girl who served me forgot to tell me where to get my lemonade, give me a knife, and was talking to her co-worker about her impending last day at the job, probably all not good signs retrospectively.

At least the sides were generally delicious- the corn pudding was addictive, and the fried okra and fries not over the top greasy and great. I found the mac and cheese was nothing special, a bit dry also actually and not much taste. I liked the casual atmosphere and really wished I had played with that chicken machine. I had gone out of my way to have a meal here and was disappointed, and woudn't go again unless I was in the neighborhood or had a craving for catfish on the right day (I wish I could have had that instead).

FYI: Feed has added the fried catfish as a sandwich to their regular menu. The Friday special is now "Seafood Night", and can basically be anything. Last time I was there it was Shrimp Creole, and once before that it had been Trout with Bacon and Green Beans.
Jamie

PIGMON wrote: I thought the Really Big Burger with collards and corn pudding for about $6 not only hit on all cylinders but was a helluva deal.

Pigmon,

Agreed, the burger at Feed is quite good. Coarsely ground good quality meat with a nice bit of char from the grill, sturdy properly sized bun, generous helping of blue cheese, good fries, and ok slaw. The only minor wrinkle was my burger was cooked slightly past med-rare.

Feed 'Really Big' Burger w/blue cheese


Steve Z had a 'Really Big' Burger with cheddar and grilled onion.


Side of beet salad was tasty, but I'm a sucker for beets.


They had fried catfish sandwich as a regular menu item, which is high on my must-try list.

As an added bonus I like the general feel of Feed.

Enjoy,
Gary

Went to Feed the other day after reading that they had opened an outdoor area in back of the restaurant. I hadn't been there for a while, as the last time I got takeout from there was pretty mediocre (they didn't have buns so we couldn't get the sandwiches we wanted, they had also run out of some sides and substituted fries without telling us, portions were smaller than other visits). I had eaten there a few times and was a big fan, however, so the beautiful weather this past Saturday and the prospect of BYOB outdoor dining warranted a return trip.

Everything about dinner was great. The outdoor area is brand spanking new (I overheard the waitress say it had been open 2 weeks), with a nice fenced-in brick deck. If it weren't for all the chicken-related kitsch it would actually be kind of swanky. Most importantly, food was great. 2 of us shared a half chicken and the 5 sides meal, which consisted of fries, corn pudding, collard greens, cole slaw, and mashed sweet potatoes. Corn pudding might have been the best side, with extra crispy fresh cut fries and collards taking a close second. Chicken was a little more moist than I've had on previous occasions, and blueberry pie dessert was good. Total before tip was $19.25, which has got to be one of the cheapest bills in the city for a good outdoor meal for 2.

They only have waitress service in back, as opposed to the counter service in the main front area. Entrance to the back is a little hidden, as you need to enter on California, behind the bar (the Continental) that's next to Feed (main entrance to Feed is on Chicago Ave.).

So, just got a call from the wife saying she saw a sign in the window of Feed stating they now serve breakfast. Is this a new thing? We moved from that area in April so have not been by it recently to have noticed.

Has anyone been? I believe the wife is excited to find any similarity to our dearly missed Leo's Lunchroom. We plan to check it out this weekend so will report.

Jamie

Jamieson22 wrote:I believe the wife is excited to find any similarity to our dearly missed Leo's Lunchroom. We plan to check it out this weekend so will report.
Jamie

I know this has nothing to do with this thread and for that I apologize but dear lord do I miss Leo's. (sorry, haven't thought about LL for a while...)

i loved this place[feed]!
i wanted to try it after reading about it in timeout chicago so i took the red-line train from the northside to the chicago stop then transfered to a westbound cta bus .......and i lived to tell about it!
i had the pulled pork sandwich,mac n cheese,corn pudding,lemonade and the banana pudding,all of them delicious and comforting.i took home some bbq pulled chicken for a little nosh later that night.the staff at feed were unpretentious and freindly.i only wish they had a sister restaurant in my neighborhood.

mudphud wrote:I know this has nothing to do with this thread and for that I apologize but dear lord do I miss Leo's. (sorry, haven't thought about LL for a while...)

You and me both, mudphud! I guess I was what you could consider a regular, going about 10 times a month for breakfast with my then gf, now wife. Leo's closing was like losing a family member for us!

But I do have some great news. Having breakfast today at Feed was a very similar experience to Leo's. Sure there aren't the same favorite menu items, but the spirit is in the food. I think I just found my breakfast home again.

The menu is not very big but everything looked fantastic. They also had 2 specials on the chalkboard, one a Smoked Salmon Latke, the other a Perch with bacon, lemon and I can't remember what else.

I opted for the chicken fried steak with sawmill gravy, 2 eggs over easy, potatoes and toast. The wife got fried green tomato benedict, which was served on corn bread muffins with poached eggs, hollandaise and potatoes.

My breakfast came with two nice sized pieces of perfectly breaded and seasoned steak. The gravy was made with bacon, which gave it a very rich, smokey flavor. The meal really stood out and was a unique take on CFS. The wife's breakfast was also amazing. Very well flavored breading on the tomatoes served on a sweet corn bread. I also have to say that they have some of the best breakfast potatoes I have had. Heavily seasoned with pepper, the chunks had very browned and crunchy sides to match up with the soft interior. They also included large strands of slivered and browned onions. Nothing bland about anything we were served. Add a coffee and a coke and we walked out with a tab of $20.

Honestly, anyone that misses Leo's Lunchroom really needs to try this place for breakfast. I don't want to draw too many comaprisons since I think Feed stands on it's own, but the pedigree is there. You'll understand it once you try it.

Jamie

geez jamie, why you wanna ruin a good thing? we're not ready for crowds yet folks, so don't even try coming for another 2 mos while all the kinks are worked out, then it might be review worthy.
however....in conjunction w/ Bite we're doling a benefit dinner for one of our mutual co-workers who was recently diagnosed w/ cancer, Sunday night Oct 7 (Bite Oct 6) when all revenues (not just the profits) will be donated to the family for expenses. so if you want to do a good deed and eat some good grub go to Bite Saturday night Oct 6 or FEED Sunday Oct 7 .
sorry- I know it's against protocol but it's for a good cause!

editted to add for justjoan, (and no one else!):
M-F 8am-10pm breakfast ends at 11am
Sat 9am-10pm brunch menu ends at 3 pm, lunch menu runs concurrently starting at 12 ish
Sun 9am - 3 pm, same set up as Saturday, tho starting Oct 7, it will be 9 pm , provided I can get another dishwasher to fill in by then.

patio service is dependent on the weather
and we're closed today for repairs, possibly part of tomorrow, we'll see...
we do what we can, but we're not millionaires or superheroes, despite it being the "service" industry to some

one of the moderators will, hopefully, move this to the events site, so people can find it easily. good luck with the benefit. i'll try to make it to one or the other. donna, maybe you could add feed's hours to this post as i googled it over the weekend and many sites dont even mention brunch at all, and i couldnt find your sunday hours. thanks, justjoan

justjoan wrote:one of the moderators will, hopefully, move this to the events site, so people can find it easily. good luck with the benefit. i'll try to make it to one or the other. donna, maybe you could add feed's hours to this post as i googled it over the weekend and many sites dont even mention brunch at all, and i couldnt find your sunday hours. thanks, justjoan

I put the hours posted by Donna into the first post of this thread.
Jamie

Jamieson22 wrote:Honestly, anyone that misses Leo's Lunchroom really needs to try this place for breakfast. I don't want to draw too many comaprisons since I think Feed stands on it's own, but the pedigree is there. You'll understand it once you try it.
Jamie

Thanks for the tip - I'll certainly check it out soon!

dk wrote:geez jamie, why you wanna ruin a good thing? we're not ready for crowds yet folks, so don't even try coming for another 2 mos while all the kinks are worked out, then it might be review worthy.

I didn't see a " " on this so I'm assuming that, when I go by for breakfast on Wed or Thurs, I shouldn't tell anyone how good it is?

Feed for Breakfast (or do you say Brunch?)

Feed does full table service only for their weekend brunches. I was there twice in early December, which allowed me to sample a fair cross section of their breakfast menu.

On the first visit, my Mom ordered biscuits and gravy with her choice of eggs scrambled. While the biscuits are made on the premises, they were made much earlier in the day. Maybe if they adopted CJ's method of grilling them, it might improved them.



I had the chicken fried steak choosing cheese grits. This was a pretty good chicken fried steak with gravy seemingly the same as for the biscuits and gravy. These grits were a bit dry and not quite cheesy enough for me, though I do tend toward creamy grits.



Mom2 had the Denver omelet with fried potatoes.



Fried green tomato eggs Benedict with a side order of corn pudding was a pretty good combination.



While this side order of ham may not be life size, it was a fairly large chunk of meat:



This side dish may have been called vegetable hash on the menu, though frankly I prefer my vegetables much smaller:



Obviously they do have a clientelle of very good taste from the networking billboard:



Brunch extends to 3 PM, while the lunch menu is available later in the morning in addition to breakfast food.

Feed
2803 W. Chicago Ave.
773-489-4600
Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-10 p.m
Saturday: 9 a.m. -10 p.m.
Sunday: 9 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Weekend brunch until 3 PM

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:Obviously they do have a clientelle of very good taste from the networking billboard:

That was my doing I figured feed's customers probably are interested in the same things we are, so...

Ed,

Thanks for giving fate a little push! Nice to see the LThforum cards being used as intended.

Again, thanks!

Regards,

I stopped in this morning for breakfast around 9.

You order at the counter and the only accept cash.
Once I realized the cash requirement I checked my wallet and had 6 dollars. I ogled the menu the fresh bakery and panicked because 6 dollars wasn't going to do it, but in the end the thought of finding a proximal ATM caused me to eat a sensible breakfast.

I ordered the spinach and feta omlette.

What I got was a large 3 egg omelette with heaps of fresh spinach and enough feta to make another greek omelette, nice fried red potatoes and rye bread toasted on the griddle for 6 dollars.

The place was empty for the first 30 minutes as I tended to my eggs and some work. 2 more singles came in for breakfast and one them, a svelte young man actually asked the cook if his was a 6 egg omelette since it was so big.
- Has anyone ever done the 18 egg omelette with neverending hashbrownsat Beth's in Seattle?-

At any rate, I believe the other two patrons I saw were pretty happy to be there and while I enjoyed getting some work done in relative quiet the place deserves a little more love.

I will be back soon with with cash amounts in the low double digits so I can work my way through a more respectable piece of the menu.

PS the juke box is free and it is well stocked

dk wrote:patio service is dependent on the weather

Weather was perfect last evening, patio comfortable with sturdy chairs, chicken juicy, greens and beets spot-on and company could not have better.

Half chicken dark w/fries and beets



Add to that a friendly efficient waitress who kept smiling through multiple ice for bourbon refills and hitting the BBQ lottery as Donna and Liz, accomplished Pitmasters, had a load of pork shoulder ready just as we were about to leave.

Feed Smoked Pork Shoulder



Zoe looks happy with the pork shoulder



As do Liz and Donna, owners of Feed



And I was happy myself, smokey moist pig flesh, bark (Mr. Brown) crunchy, light spice with a hint of sweet, I had to restrain myself from diving right into the pan.

Enjoy,
Gary

Preferred the pulled pork to the chicken. Sides: mac and cheese and corn pudding were appreciated but bland; pleased to see the black beans option although oversalted to my taste. Devil's Food (Feed?) cake a solid B. The patio an enjoyable setting in the late afternoon sun. Will look forward to sampling more of the menu.

attempted to go there yesterday but walked out when i saw the big "cash only" sign... maybe another time

i figured it's worth documenting that they are losing business due to not accepting credit cards though??

after a couple year layoff, I returned to feed... my first visits were decidedly mediocre, with bland, average rotisserie chicken and decent sides (for the most part).

I went back a couple weeks ago - I really liked the chicken. Flavorful, if not perfect rotisserie (oh Cocorico, how I miss you )... sides were good - beet salad was great. It's a short walk from the house, so I think it's back on regular rotation.

I've been twice now and have very mixed feelings. The chicken was good the first time I went, but not worth schleping across town for. This last visit (a couple of weeks ago) they were out of chicken, so I got the pulled pork, and it was mediocre at best. The meat was dry, the sauce too sweet (at least for my taste, and in the interest of full bbq disclosure I'm from central Virginia where we eat NC-style bbq - eastern or western). Corn pudding was good, but it's more like a rich corn stuffing than corn pudding where I'm from (where it would be more like a savory custard filled with corn and bits of country ham). Sweet potato fries rocked, and the grilled corn was awesome. So, a mixed bag. If I ended up in that neighborhood I'd eat there again, but I don't think I'll be making any trips over there just for it.

My only regret was being so full that I didn't get to try the bread pudding they had sitting on the counter (made from biscuits, I think?) which did look tasty.

-Dan