All-day comfort
June 22, 2007
BY PAT BRUNO
Hotel dining rooms and selected coffee shops notwithstanding, there aren't a whole lot of places that serve all three important meals of the day -- breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Ina's on West Randolph serves up that trifecta of meals in a way that few other restaurants can match. Each menu is chockablock with fare so creative that decision-making can cause some angst.
From the time of her first restaurant, circa 1991, on Webster Street, I was mostly locked into breakfast at Ina's (after all her Web site is www.breakfastqueen.com) for more reasons than I can count on one hand. Reasons like a free parking lot, and a breakfast menu that is one of the most creative in the city. Like freshly squeezed juices. Like excellent coffee. Like friendly service. And like this note on the menu: "Please refrain from using your cell phone, as it interferes with the brewing of the coffee." Yes, indeed. Along with excellent food, eponymous owner Ina Pinkney has a wicked sense of humor.
Breakfast. What'll it be? The choices are vast. Omelets to oatmeal, and eggs any which way. French toast, pancakes, frittata. And then there is scrapple -- you get to choose the meat that goes along with the eggs, cornmeal, corn kernels, black beans and cheddar in this wild and woolly dish.
Probably the signature breakfast dish at Ina's is "Heavenly Hots," described as "light, thin pancakes," and therein lies the goodness. Light, thin, small, these hotcakes are simply terrific. Served quite nicely with a compote of fruit (peaches, blackberries, raspberries), the whole effect is, indeed, heavenly.
For something a lot more substantial, indulge in a three-egg omelet that includes a choice of two fillings from about a dozen possibilities. I am partial to a combination of feta and spinach, turning the whole affair into a Greek chorus of aaahs. Omelets come with "Ina's potatoes," which can be ordered a la carte and are so good I sometimes have them on the side with those Heavenly Hots. Ina's breakfast selection also features several daily specials.
Moving on to lunch, the choices are no less interesting. From a dandy chopped salad (romaine, bacon, tomato, avocado, HB egg, turkey with blue cheese dressing) to a classic tuna melt, there are any number of ways to go. The dilemma lies in the details, as in what to choose. But I do have my favorites. One is the beef brisket sandwich, which, speaking of signature dishes, is right up there with the Heavenly Hots.
Ina's takes great pride in her incomparable brisket, served on a brioche bun, along with grilled onions and horseradish sauce. The brisket comes from a company called Chicago Smoke on South Throop. This is brisket that goes beyond delicious.
Sandwiches come with coleslaw (add fries or Ina's potatoes for $1.25) and fall under the headings of the bread on which they are served, namely, multigrain, brioche, et al.
A grilled cheese sandwich takes on meaning beyond those flabby numbers that we knew from high school. Ina's grilled cheese sandwich goes with a combination of Swiss and aged Wisconsin Gruyere on rye bread. I like to add the optional ham (a buck-fifty well spent) to jazz it up a bit.
Several specialties on the lunch menu fall under the heading of "Entrees." Chicken pot pie, chicken breast plate, vegetable hash with poached eggs and the ever enjoyable scrapple (here offered with two eggs and chorizo).
And now for dinner (Ina's works with three distinct menus). Two starters that got dinner off to a roaring start included a crab cake and a very unusual salad (if it can be called that) that featured a smart arrangement of fresh spinach gently warmed (not sauteed), then glazed with Brie, scattered with walnuts and small chunks of roasted pears, with a mildly sweet roasted pear vinaigrette to round it out.
As to the crab cake. Not the best I've ever had, but then I set the bar rather high for this classic. Nonetheless, this crab cake was elegantly sweet and had a nice crisp on the outside. A relish of fresh corn tucked under the cake, along with a Dijon mustard sauce and some shaved leek atop, gave the crab cake some extra oomph.
The southern fried chicken -- four pieces of chicken (a half) with dark crusty skin got piled askew alongside mashed potatoes and a cup of coleslaw -- was terrific. Once through the crusty skin, the plump meat revealed its moist goodness -- clear to the bone. The cutting of apples in the crunchy coleslaw was a nice touch. The mashed potatoes however, were rather mundane.
Meanwhile, across the table, rapt attention was being paid to one of the nightly specials, a combination of shrimp and couscous with vegetables. Five large grilled shrimp circled a mound of couscous that was studded with asparagus, zucchini and red onion. That's it. Not a dish that has a lot going for it, but in its simplicity it was very enjoyable.
Desserts. Don't miss the dark, dense, rich, delicious brownie. Have it a la mode with a scoop of frozen custard (Swiss almond, for example). Another a la mode possibility is the apple cobbler crisp, a round puck of pleasure with a light crust. The a la mode was all about a scoop of vanilla custard (deliciously rich custard supplied to Ina's by Scooter's Frozen Custard on West Belmont).
1235 W. Randolph Chicago, IL 60607
Phone: (312) 226-8227
Cuisine: American
Parking: Yes
Serving: Breakfast Brunch Lunch Dinner