Lou Mitchell's
565 W. Jackson Blvd
Chicago, IL

Part 1, working backwards from a trip to Chicago I had in November. I am catching up! So, before getting laid off, musings about going to Chicago were being thrown back and forth between me and my friend Brian. We decided to go for it - why not, right?

I admit, I got some great deals for the trip - a great discounted rate at the Palmer House Hilton (courtesy of hotwire.com), which was exactly what we wanted - a hotel in the Loop, close to everything we wanted to see, and almost as cheap as our other option of staying at a hostel! And what history - I found out that this hotel was the birthplace of the brownie. THE BROWNIE. That's no small feat!

I know I'm being a bit scatterbrained but I'm going to blog about our last meal of the trip - at the famous Lou Mitchell's. This is a great place to eat. Great "diner" feel. You walk in, they tell you to grab a donut hole and follow the hostess. The donut hole was AWESOME, by the way - freshly fried, perfect nugget of fried dough. On the way to your seat, there's a visual representation of how they brew their coffee - which has won a lot of acclaim over the years (so I hear.) As we were seated, the hostess plunks a box of milk duds on my part of the table.

Why? I have no idea. I mean, it wasn't Halloween. And she specifically denied Brian a box. What gives? Tradition, supposedly. Check it out.
So after all the hype about the coffee, I had to have some. And I admit, it was some smoooooth coffee. No bitterness at all. And they were super diligent about refills - someone would always come by with a new pot of coffee every so often. Props to them.
After we made our order, our saucy waitress (extra on the sauce!) slid a little bowl, with an orange slice and a stewed prune. I ate the orange slice immediately (can't resist - I love me some oranges, especially after a big chinese banquet...so I'll take my orange slices whenever I can get them)...and took a small bite of the stewed prune. It was very cinnamon-y - good, but not really to my liking. Brian finished off what I left behind (don't waste food...right?!)
The famous maple syrup. We didn't get anything that needed syrup, but Brian, ever the curious, poured a teaspoon full and had it on its' own...it was good, of course.

This was Brian's omelet, which was an interesting combo - apples and cheese. I apologize for the blurriness of the picture. He really liked it - I mean, it's a classic combo but I would never think to eat something like this for breakfast. I loved how this was served in an aluminum skillet...it just added to the hominess of the whole thing.
Another blurry picture, but of my rye toast. This was delicious toast - they bake the bread there, in house!! Soooo awesome. They butter your toast here, so it's extra buttery bad for you goodness. Brian was massively jealous of my choice of bread.

And now here's my dish - a salami and cheese omelet. The potato factor in this dish was something to be desired - I prefer the shredded amazingness of hash browns, with extra crisp. These potatoes were on the not really done side of potato, but I ate them anyways.

This place had a great kitchy feel. If I'm back in Chicago sometime, I will return!