Chop or A Cut Above

The Slow and Savory Review

Though Brandy has been doing well with her promise to eat a little healthier in 2016, the influx of vegetables in her diet has left her a little wanting.  "I look down at my lovely plate of salad sometimes and all I can think of is sinking my teeth into a big juicy steak," she has been known to pout as of late.  She consulted several vegetarian friends, asking for advice in the matter, but most of their answers involved the consumption of beans, mushrooms, or tofu, all of which Brandy enjoys, but doesn't consider an alternative to beef.

In an anemic daze of meat craving madness, Brandy found herself in the South Loop, wandering around somewhat aimlessly until she found herself in front of Chop, the casual steak house concept from Parisian-born Jovanis Bouargoub.  The meat focused restaurant featured a menu of grass fed, locally sourced beef and seafood dishes in familiar guises, but with some modern twists.  Intrigued, and carnivorous, Brandy threw caution to the wind and settled in for a meaty brunch.  "I'll order a salad too," she conceded, "Then no one can say I didn't try to keep things healthy."

Chop had a hip, modern feel to it with a black, industrial interior and stylishly rustic bar, fronted by a large light up sign.  The restaurant seemed a little dark for brunch, but the large booths were comfortable and the atmosphere buzzing, but relaxed.

To start off the meal, Brandy ordered one somewhat healthy plate and one not so healthy.  The Charred Calamari Steak, which came served over a bed of white beans, pickled onions, and mint, was quite the surprise.  The calamari was wonderfully tender and light, while the beans provided a nice bit of texture.  Brandy especially liked the kick of flavor from the drizzle of balsamic vinegar mixed with the freshness of the mint.  For her other starter, Brandy nibbled on the Steak Poutine.  The fries in the poutine were just crunchy enough to satisfy, and the cheese curds were perfectly melted by the heat of the gravy alone.  The gravy itself seemed to have been a little excessively applied, but the flavor was still nice and meaty.  The steak was tender and juicy, and a dollop of sour cream on the top of the plate was a nice touch with a bit of tangy creaminess.

Transitioning to a sweet dish, Brandy ordered a plate of Johnny Cakes, a cornmeal based pancake served with pickled cantaloupe and brandy infused whipped cream ("I think I should get a cut of the sales for anything with brandy whipped cream on it!" Brandy giggled to herself).  The cakes had a nice fluffy texture, matched by a crisp underside that maybe bordered on being burnt, but Brandy liked them all the same.  The real pleasure in the dish was the pickled cantaloupe, which lent an unusual sweet and sour flavor that more resembled a peach or an apricot.  "It is hard for me to say I would eat an entire plate of pancakes myself," said Brandy, "But this may be one of the exceptions to the rule."

Moving on to the main attraction, Brandy ordered the Country Breakfast Sandwich, which was a classic combination of eggs, cheese, and steak.  The steak used in the sandwich was on the tough side, as was the bread, making the thing a little difficult to eat, but the flavor was nice.  Ironically, Brandy's eternal complaint about meaty breakfast sandwiches applied here, as a little bit of vegetation or sauce could have helped to soften and freshen things up.  "But I guess I can't complain, considering I came in here looking to satisfy my carnivorous urges!" Brandy reasoned.  After only eating a fourth of the sandwich, Brandy's need for red meat actually seemed satisfied, so she ordered up a Caesar salad so that she didn't completely break her rule about consuming some greenery.

While the quality of the food seemed good considering the price points, the service, while friendly, was a little lacking, with not enough information offered about the menu (Brandy wasn't told about the brunch cocktails available until later in the meal) and an oddly long wait for entrees due to an apparent computer error.  Never the less, the entire meal did help to put Brandy's lust for flesh to bed for the moment.  "I think it's a good thing I gave into my baser urges after all," Brandy posited, "A bit of indulgence has it's place, and now that I've succumb, I can move forward.  Now, what should I have for dinner?  I could really go for a burger."

The writers of this blog were invited to dine by the restaurant free of charge in exchange for an honest review.

The Short and Sweet Review

Meli Cafe or From the Ground Up

The Slow and Savory Review

"Come on, girl, keep up!" Brandy called over her shoulder to Bailey as they bustled down State Street.  Though Bailey is quite a bit younger than Brandy, she was rather surprised by how spry her friend was, especially with several pounds of Christmas shopping bags in each of her hands.  "I'm going as fast as I can," Bailey panted, tottering on for a few more paces before collapsing onto a nearby bench.  "Where is your stamina?" Brandy asked, standing over Bailey and shaking her head, "I suppose this is what comes of surviving on Thanksgiving leftovers all week."  "Why aren't you tired?" Bailey wondered, "We've been out here shopping for hours and you're not even winded!"  "Why don't we go get some brunch and I'll show you my secret," Brandy replied, sympathetically, and helping Bailey up off the bench she escorted her down the road to Meli Cafe on Dearborn.

The tables inside Meli Cafe were nicely spaced out, ensuring a large amount of people could be served without being jam packed together, and the decor was surprisingly clean and modern.  Brandy was happy indeed to see that the restaurant was open and sunny all around the dining area.  "I simply cannot abide a breakfast restaurant doesn't have adequate sunlight!" Brandy explained to Bailey, "And not only does this place have the perfect amount of windows, it's also got very lovely light fixtures!"

Brandy and Bailey started with a pair of mimosas: for Bailey, the Fuzzy Mimosa, which came augmented with peach schnapps, and for Brandy the Moon Mimosa, which was finished with a little raspberry liquor.  Bailey really enjoyed her drink, which she felt was the perfect combination of a mimosa and a fuzzy navel, but she especially loved the use of freshly squeezed orange juice.  Brandy was less enthusiastic about her drink, thinking the flavor was a little too sweet for her.  "It's not bad," she admitted, "But it does make the teeth hurt a bit.  I think I need to chase it with something a bit healthier."  Much to Bailey's surprise, Brandy ordered a glass of Green Envy juice from the extensive list of fresh juices and smoothies, and this, Brandy claimed, was the secret to her energy.  "Ah, now that's much better," Brandy said after sipping the mix of apple, pineapple, pear, wheat grass and lemon, "Nice and bright, a little sweetness with a nice tang.  Jam packed with vitamins and all sorts of goodies.  Ever since I heard Martha Stewart extol the virtues of green juice, I've been hooked."  "I've never had wheat grass," Bailey said, wonderingly, "What's it like?"  "Like drinking a freshly mowed lawn in a very pleasant sort of way," Brandy mused, and deciding her description wasn't sufficient, she ordered two freshly juiced shots of the green stuff and walked Bailey through the procedure of downing the liquid and then biting down on an orange slice to cut the bitterness.

After their healthy starter, the two ladies ordered some protein packed entrees.  Bailey selected the Breakfast Hash from off the specials menu, which came with crispy pork belly, potatoes, two eggs, and toast.  Brandy couldn't help but smile at Bailey's plate as it was set down as she could see a little extra effort had been made in the presentation of a dish other restaurants might have ignored.  The hash had been piled neatly in the middle of the plate with the two fried eggs topping it and four pieces of toast laid out like the points on a compass.  "A lot of other places would have just thrown the toast on the side and have done with it," Brandy smartly observed, "Things like that go far in my book."  Brandy and Bailey were again impressed when their sweet and enthusiastic waitress brought a selection of condiments to the table, explaining that the everything from the jams to the ketchup had been made in house.  Of course, the taste of the food was also quite important, and Bailey reported that the hash was flavorful, hearty, and indulgently rich.  "The eggs are really what brings everything together," Bailey commented, dipping one of her toast points into some of the yolk.

Brandy selected the Emerald Isle Breakfast Bowl, which came with corned beef, Swiss cheese, house potatoes, and two over easy eggs.  The corned beef was fatty without being greasy and not overly spiced, which Brandy greatly appreciated, as some corned beefs can salty palate killers.  The bed of red potatoes underneath the meat were tender and silky, though Brandy wished they had a little bit of crunch to contrast with the rest of the dish.  Like Bailey's hash, Brandy felt the broken yolk of the eggs really helped to bring all the flavors in the breakfast bowl together.

To finish off, Brandy and Bailey split an order of Double Fudge Brownie Pancakes, though when the confection was brought to the table, both ladies secretly wished they didn't have to share.  The pancakes were very dense (Brandy very much liked that the menu specifically described the pancakes as being "dense" so that diners knew exactly what they were getting) and had a nice bittersweet chocolate flavor.  The bits of brownie scattered across the top just added to the decadence of the dish, turning it from a breakfast treat to more of a dessert.  "I think I may need to take a nap," Bailey said, swooning after a few bites of the heavy, yet delicious pancakes.  "Come now, girl.  Steel yourself.  We've still got lots of shopping to do today.  You can sugar crash later."

Before leaving, Brandy and Bailey actually caught up with the Meli's executive chef, Frank Georgacopoulos, who helped to develop the concept of the restaurant way back in 2006.  His philosophy that breakfast should be given the respect it deserves as the most important meal of the day immediately endeared him to Brandy, who couldn't help gushing over everything, from the house made ketchup to the informative and extensive menu.  "I think I could have ordered anything off that menu and been happy, which is saying a lot, as I'm pretty picky," Brandy told him.

After a very pleasant, filling breakfast at Meli Cafe that had obviously been crafted with love and care, Bailey did start to feel a surge of energy that could get her through the rest of her shopping excursion with Brandy, but just in case, she ordered a cup of the magical green juice to go.  "Alright, I can do this," Bailey told herself as she gathered up her piles of Christmas bags, and looking up to find Brandy already halfway down the road in front of her, she took a large swig of her juice and hurried along after her friend.

The writers of this blog were invited to dine at no charge by the restaurant in exchange for an honest review.

The Short and Sweet Review

Waffles or Nooks and Grannies

The Slow and Savory Review

Some may not realize the amount of passionate debate something like breakfast can initiate.  Sweet or savory?  Mimosa or Bloody Mary?  Fruit cup or potatoes?  Even if the debate is with one's self, it can still get pretty heated.  But there is one debate, perhaps more than any other, that can drive people to acts of war: Waffles.  This debate used to be restricted to the streets of Europe, but with recent demands by the American public for more authentic experiences in their food, it has crossed the seas and oceans to reach our shores.  No, we don't mean waffles vs. pancakes, or even what to top a waffle with.    What's the big deal about waffles you ask?  It is this: Brussels vs. Liege.  Crispy or chewy?  Meal or snack?  Sickly sweet or slightly bready?

This problem has been confounded by a newish breakfast spot in Chicago's South Loop simply called Waffles, where not only do they offer both Brussels and Liege waffles, but also sweet and savory options, making the choice all that more difficult. Brandy invited along her old pal Bailey Blue, who, along with her brother Hawke, has started a blog of her own, concentrating on reviewing the deliciousness of hard cider. The space that holds Waffles is quite extraordinary, with extremely high ceilings and dining areas squished into every corner. The walls are painted a very industrial grey, but patches of bright orange and yellow seem to liven the place up. As a cheerful girl lead them to their table, Brandy took note of the orange juice machine (loaded with fresh oranges, ready to be squeezed) and the stools at the bar, that enabled diners to watch as their food was prepared.

The party began by sharing one of the specialty waffles, the Red Velvet. Coming to the table, the dish certainly did look impressive, with its bright red hue and mound of whipped cream cheese. "Dessert as breakfast, what could be better?" Bailey beamed. But sadly, the waffle did not deliver that hard-to-get-right taste central to a red velvet cake. "You always have to look for a slight tanginess that comes from the vinegar," Brandy instructed them. Though the waffle had a lovely texture, being crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside, Brandy suggested they might take the red food dye out of the equation and bill this dish as a Strawberry Cheesecake Waffle instead, as the strawberry compote on top was the most forward flavor in the dish.

Hawke chose a custom omelet for his entree, stuffed with sausage, mushroom, and cheddar.  Though a generous size, the omelet was pretty standard with the eggs being nicely thin and the stuffing full to the brim.  The potatoes on the other hand turned out to be a pleasant surprise.  "These must be reds," Hawke (a known authority on produce) mused, pushing one with his fork, "They have a brilliant creamy interior, but they've also got a nice crunch on the outside.  And the seasoning is spot on."

Bailey went for one of the other waffle confections, a Green Tea Waffle.  While having the same texture as the Red Velvet, the Green Tea flavor was more present, though subtle.  Although the menu had mentioned a second flavor of lemon, Bailey couldn't really detect it.

Brandy went a more savory route, selecting the Cheddar and Short Rib Waffle.  This waffle's texture was the same as the others, but this time it had shredded cheddar mixed into the batter, which made it almost taste like a biscuit.  The meat under neither the waffle was very tender and flavored with a sort of salty sauce that was very pleasant.

Finishing up, the trio sampled a Hot Chocolate Flight, which the waitress had suggested was better as a dessert than a beverage to enjoy with a meal.  The flight consisted of three flavors: Dark Chocolate, Caramel, and Peppermint.  The peppermint was probably their least favorite of the bunch, having an odd artificial taste and being weirdly topped with peanut butter cookie crumbs.  In the middle was the Dark Chocolate, which while lovely, was pretty much standard hot chocolate (hot being the operative word, as the whipped cream on top had rendered the drink tepid).  The best was the caramel, which had a slightly salty taste, though most of the flavor seemed to be in the topping.

The great waffle debate may not have been solved that day, but at least Brandy had found a place where a productive discourse could be conducted in future.  The service was friendly enough, though the table did seem to be forgotten when it came time for the hot chocolate, and the prices seemed a tad steep ($20 for an entree and hot chocolate flight alone), but the unusual choices will keep Brandy returning to sample every waffle on the menu until the Brussels vs. Liege debate is finally resolved.

The Short and Sweet Review