Cafe con Leche

Cafe con Leche is on Milwaukee between Sawyer and Spaulding near the Logan Square Blue Line stop. I'd been in for a drink before for a business meeting and had been meaning to try the food. The vibe inside is casual and comfortable, and the restaurant is clean with friendly staff. Before seeing American Hustle at The Logan Theatre nearby, I finally got some lunch there.

The menu features Latin American and American cuisine. We started with Nachos, which are tortilla chips topped with heaping piles of melted cheddar cheese, guacamole, sour cream, and diced tomatoes. There weren't enough chips for all of the toppings, but we devoured the plate and loved it. The guacamole was particularly good.



I ordered the Cubano which is lechon, ham, cheese, and pickles on French bread, pressed and warm, with a side of mustard, which I chose to spread generously. Seasoned fries came on the side. It was a good meal, and there's more on the menu that I'd love to try. We'll be back!

Pastoral

Before catching a show at Oriental Theatre, we grabbed a bite at Pastoral on Lake between Wabash and Dearborn. It's a specialty cheese, bread, and wine shop with a deli and a couple of tables. The sandwiches are pricy, all around $10. I ordered the Club Nuovo, which is roasted local turkey, house-made prosciutto bacon, mayonnaise, tomato, and field greens with Gruyere cheese. The bread was a little too tough, the cheese was amazing, and the sandwich as a whole was ok. I made it a meal and added a bag of chips, a chocolate chip cookie, and a can of Blood Orange Pellegrino. It was filling and fast.

Lockdown Bar and Grill

Lockdown Bar and Grill at Western and Cortez makes my favorite burger in the city (way better than Kuma's Corner). Their burgers are huge, weighing in at 10 oz, and they're served on delicious pretzel buns. I often order Punk Bitch, which is Swiss, prosciutto, and garlic mustard aioli, or sometimes I order Flight Risk, which is 3 different mini-burgers that alternate every day. The burgers are juicy, even when you order them well-done. The toppings are creative and perfectly paired, or you can build your own burger. If you don't want Angus beef, you can opt for turkey, veggie, or chicken breast patties. Their TV's play recorded hard rock concerts, and it's an all around cool place with a friendly staff. Here's the Punk Bitch with fries.

Papa Ray's Pizza and Wings

Papa Ray's Pizza and Wings is an open-late pizza place near us. While I've given up on finding NY-style pizza in the Midwest, I like this place because they're fast, use mozzarella cheese, and cut their pizzas into triangles. (Believe it or not, that's a lot to ask for out here.) It's not great, but based on the terrible pizzas I've had to suffer through while living in the Midwest, I'll happily take Papa Ray's. Here's a carry-out medium half-sausage and half-green peppers.

Yolk

We went to Yolk at Michigan and 11th for brunch before I took my parents to The Field Museum. Yolk is a reliable brunch restaurant with a few other locations in the city, but this one is very near Museum Campus where the restaurant pickings are weirdly scarce. I ordered the Eggs Benedict. It wasn't great, but not bad. The restaurant was crowded in a good way, and it was a solid beginning to our day bouncing around the museums.

SmallBar

We recently ate out at SmallBar on Division between Damen and Hoyne. It's laid back as far as gastropubs go. I ordered an Original Sin Pear Cider, which was light and fresh, and I liked it a lot. I'd been wanting to try SmallBar's burger, so I ordered the Classic Burger, which comes with Spanish onion, shaved lettuce, roasted tomato, and garlic aioli. I opted to add cheddar cheese and bacon. It was good. It's not my favorite burger in the city, but it was solid.

Hot Doug's

My parents were in town, so I took them to Hot Doug's, a Chicago institution. I've been there before and almost always order one of the specials because they're worth it. This time I went for a Pork Sausage with Brie Cheese, Mustard, and Truffle Oil, and small cheese fries.



My mom chatted it up with Doug at the counter, and he was happy to engage with her even as the line stretched outside. I thought that was really nice.