Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Chicago Diner
Last night my mother and I went to one of her favorite restaurants ever, the Chicago Diner.
If you've heard of Chicago Diner, you know it's a vegetarian's paradise, with menu items like tofu, tempeh, and seitan. Before you get a certain image in your head I will proudly state that my mother and I are both serious meat-eaters. I've worked in steakhouses for a total of 9 years and I can tell you the difference between a porterhouse and a t-bone and why lamb chops can taste gamey.
That being said, mom LOVES Chicago Diner. (Sometimes I think she comes to see me just because of my proximity to the restaurant.) Why does this suit-wearing-CPA salivate at the thought of a place that has long skirts and birkenstocks written all over it?
Because she's lactose-intolerant. Severely. The woman can't even have wine that's had malolactic processing. The first time we visited Chicago Diner, she looked at the menu, gave a little giggle, and shouted "I can eat EVERYTHING!" I haven't seen her that ecstatic since I divorced my good-for-nothing-*(&@...
Anyway. She can eat everything because there's also a heavy focus on Vegan dining, so even though they offer real cheese on request, most of it is a soy substitute.
If you're a meat-loving milk-drinking egg-poaching person like I am, here are a few words of advice. Don't go into it expecting the substitutes to taste like the real thing. We shared the lasagna. To her, it tasted like lasagna. To me, it tasted like pasta and vegetables with a fresh tomato sauce. I didn't expect the tofu basil ricotta to taste like the real thing so I wasn't disappointed. However, I have had a chocolate chip cheesecake that didn't come close to the real thing. I was expecting cheesecake. My mom thought it was fantastic, but that's because she hasn't been able to eat cheesecake in years.
Because it's vegetarian cuisine, the ingredients are fresh and the flavors are allowed to shine. Some of them are subtle. I had the Thai Tofu before and expected heavy curry-ginger flavors. Once I realized the focus was on the variety of flavors I enjoyed the dish much more.
One last thing: they have the best stuffed grape leaves EVER. I order the Middle Eastern Platter just for that, but they only offer two. I have yet to find out if they offer just a plate full of those. Oh, I would be a happy woman. Maybe not as happy as Mom, but I would still be pretty darn pleased.
Chicago Diner, 3411 N Halsted, (773)935-6696
From downtown take the Red or Brown lines to Belmont, head east to Halsted, and turn left.
If you've heard of Chicago Diner, you know it's a vegetarian's paradise, with menu items like tofu, tempeh, and seitan. Before you get a certain image in your head I will proudly state that my mother and I are both serious meat-eaters. I've worked in steakhouses for a total of 9 years and I can tell you the difference between a porterhouse and a t-bone and why lamb chops can taste gamey.
That being said, mom LOVES Chicago Diner. (Sometimes I think she comes to see me just because of my proximity to the restaurant.) Why does this suit-wearing-CPA salivate at the thought of a place that has long skirts and birkenstocks written all over it?
Because she's lactose-intolerant. Severely. The woman can't even have wine that's had malolactic processing. The first time we visited Chicago Diner, she looked at the menu, gave a little giggle, and shouted "I can eat EVERYTHING!" I haven't seen her that ecstatic since I divorced my good-for-nothing-*(&@...
Anyway. She can eat everything because there's also a heavy focus on Vegan dining, so even though they offer real cheese on request, most of it is a soy substitute.
If you're a meat-loving milk-drinking egg-poaching person like I am, here are a few words of advice. Don't go into it expecting the substitutes to taste like the real thing. We shared the lasagna. To her, it tasted like lasagna. To me, it tasted like pasta and vegetables with a fresh tomato sauce. I didn't expect the tofu basil ricotta to taste like the real thing so I wasn't disappointed. However, I have had a chocolate chip cheesecake that didn't come close to the real thing. I was expecting cheesecake. My mom thought it was fantastic, but that's because she hasn't been able to eat cheesecake in years.
Because it's vegetarian cuisine, the ingredients are fresh and the flavors are allowed to shine. Some of them are subtle. I had the Thai Tofu before and expected heavy curry-ginger flavors. Once I realized the focus was on the variety of flavors I enjoyed the dish much more.
One last thing: they have the best stuffed grape leaves EVER. I order the Middle Eastern Platter just for that, but they only offer two. I have yet to find out if they offer just a plate full of those. Oh, I would be a happy woman. Maybe not as happy as Mom, but I would still be pretty darn pleased.
Chicago Diner, 3411 N Halsted, (773)935-6696
From downtown take the Red or Brown lines to Belmont, head east to Halsted, and turn left.
