Patty's Diner

-The Sammy's of Chi

Its been a while since we had breakfast here at S'C'&C but with the colder months ahead I thought I'd share one of my favorite spots for it. Its the perfect example of the "don't judge a book by its cover" saying because from the outside it looks like nothing much, nor does it look like much inside, but its whats going on in the kitchen space over at Patty's Diner that makes it so special. Run by Patty and her sisters they are the tag team of breakfast champions. They might not always have a smile on their face (although service is always great) but they always cook with love and passion. Its not just no frills in looks and service but its also got the goin' on's of a classic American diner with its menu options and hours of operation which are for breakfast and lunch only. It's located in the Chicago suburb of Skokie. So many people just cruise on by and have no idea what they're missing out on but those in the know are all regulars.


a locals favorite in Skokie, IL

Patty is the woman behind the madness and does practically all of the cooking by herself. Its all in the family as her sisters wait tables and take care of the other needs around the restaurant. I call it madness because on a busy day you will walk in and choose to sit at the tables on one side or up at the bar on the other. I love sitting at the bar and watching Patty take to task order after order and not miss a beat. It looks like shes just running back and forth like a kid with ADD on Kool Aid but that's not the case, shes cooking her tail off to make sure you've had at least one amazing meal to chow down on the day you visit her.


There's always something good cooking over at Patty's

The menu at Patty's place is classic American diner fare. The stuff that used to be served everywhere way back in the day. I'm talking about all the breakfast regulars like pancakes along with eggs & bacon, corned beef hash that is made to order, creamed turkey with real mashed potatoes, hand-patted burgers. I'm talking the whole nine yards. In fact I can promise you will be seeing Patty's again here on chibbqking and that's because I love going there but I cant refrain from ordering the same item each and every time. There's only been a couple times when I didn't make the same order as I always do. If you see something on the menu that you are a big fan of, get it! It will be good. I've never heard feedback of the bad kind about Patty's Diner.


Biscuits & Gravy

Well when I was saying they take no shortcuts there I meant it in every sense. Too many places nowadays surpass doing it like they used to for quicker and cheaper ways of doing so. In the case of ham this practice is way too common. Barely any spots use real ham off the bone anymore when making dishes involving the southern favorite. If you sit at the stools while dining in you'll notice a big old hunk of ham to your left near the back which is the basis for any dish I order at Patty's. Ham is just one of those things that you gotta have the real way aka no cut up deli meats or anything pre-diced and lacking the deep in depth flavor real ham off the bone can have. If your a fan of ham then you really wanna check out Patty's and order one of her dishes that includes it.


Ham on the bone ready for cutting when needed

I'm not a big time breakfast eater but I do enjoy it when I get a chance to eat at a place like Patty's. I like a breakfast sandwich no matter what time of the day it is and just in case you didn't know, it is Patty's where you can find the best sandwich of this kind. I've had many breakfast sammy's during my days and none can come close to what Patty brings when the craving for a meat of choice, egg and cheese sandwich comes a calling. I have to have me a ham, egg and cheese pretty much every visit I make. They are that good. Its starts with the ham sliced fresh off the bone and crisped to perfect perfection and then they put an egg cooked to your desired doneness and melt some cheese and stuff it inside a glorious homemade bun that makes this sandwich one of the absolute best of any kind in Chicago and one of my all time favorites. Go check Patty and her sisters out and you'll become a regular in no time.


Ham, egg and cheese sandwich served on a heavenly bun...I'm drooling as I type this

Patty's Diner
3358 Main St. (just West of McCormick)
Skokie, IL 60076
(847) 675-4274

West Bay Diner (Grand Marais, MI)

Eating like a local:
Regional food specialties
-The Diners of America ft Grand Marais, MI

This is an excerpt from a trip report I wrote. Me and a couple buddies took this trip a couple summers ago. We did the Lake Michigan Circle Tour and decided to head up to Lake Superior and while up there we went to visit the Great Lakes Shipwreck museum. We found a great little diner way up there in Michigan.


We stopped for food/gas in Grand Marais, MI (click pic to enhance)

This ended up being a blessing. One of the things I try to do on a roadtrip is not plan to eat at too many places. This way you always stumble across a gem tucked away somewhere or something unexpected. The Stern's (roadfood) would really love this place.


West Bay Diner

"This rare 26-seat 1949 Paramount "Road King" diner car is the former Matamoras diner from the Pocono Mountains of eastern Pennsylvania. The diner came across the Mackinac Bridge to the shore of Lake Superior in 1997"--from a postcard the waitress gave me.

This is a real small spot and if busy your order may take a while but its all worth it. On top of the diner fare they also have a ice cream station, deli, pop shop and a bunch of other things to keep you busy during your wait. Also featured on the menu is the days selection of burgers. On any day you may have a choice between beef, elk, buffalo and venison.


Not your typical diner food


One of the two pop coolers where they feature a nice selection of bottled pop

I still remember this place maybe the most out of all the stops we made for food on our epic journey around Lake Michigan and up to Lake Superior. Since we were within a few 100 yards of the great lake and they had fresh whitefish on the menu, that's what we all went with. Smart choice, always eat whats local to the area your in and you should be all good. Were will summer take me this year? Stay tuned.


Fresh fried whitefish sandwich


Whitefish and chips


Some pop for the cooler in the car as we continued our journey

West Bay Diner
P.O Box 218
Veterans Street 49839
Grand Marais, MI

Late-Nite Burgers From The Historic White Palace

-Got beef?
The Burgers of Chi

In 1939, back when the old Maxwell Market still reigned supreme, and way before you even knew what Panera Bread and DSW shoe house were, the White Palace Grill was born. One of the most recognizable restaurants in the city, it sits with the Chicago skyline to its back and has been a favorite shot for photographers in the city since its birth. It has been as much a part of Chicago as any dining establishment out there and has seen the city transform over time so its not just about the food here-its also a city landmark. During the 'hoods rebranding the developers tried to have the White Palace torn down to make way for more corporate chains and apartment unit rentals for yuppies. Luckily that didn't happen and it's been open 24 hours a day since 1939 and is to this day one of the city's unique dining experiences. Its popular at all hours of the day with police officers, doctors, college students and everyone else the city has. Its the type of diner that's been recreated in countless parts of the country but not too many out there have the history and stories of White Palace.


a familiar landmark in Chicago

The menu at the Palace is breakfast food and your usual diner fare with comfort food and a little bit of everything else. Its a pretty extensive menu and they also have daily blue plate specials. Everyone has something they like at White Palace and since there are so many options and so many daily visitors theres not much that isnt popular. Its not all about the food at White Palace but more the dining experience and history behind it. However when the clock hits 3a and then 4a and then 5a it is one of the better places in the city. It's a popular spot with all the late night party people, overnight workers and its always been a favorite of NBA players after the clubs. White Palace is where I first met Guy Fieri host of Food Network's "Diner's, Drive In's & Dives"-who I've run into randomly filming at spots in Chicago three times now. What's up maan.


While it is surrounded by corporate America-it's nothing like IHOP

One of the reasons White Palace is so popular is the extensive menu which has a bunch of nice choices where even the pickiest eater will find something they like. A few of my favorites are the usual breakfast items like bacon and eggs and omelets, the turkey club, you would never expect it but the blue plate special chicken parm is worthy of ordering (Saw that on Diners Drive In's and Dives) and of course the burger. I also will usually get a side of corned beef hash with my burger and while not homemade they do a nice job of crisping it. I would say that 7 out of 10 times I will usually go with a double cheeseburger or regular cheeseburger. While the fries are just ok, they do a good job on making a diner burger with all the fresh toppings and a deluxe meal comes with soup. Its the best your going to get when the clubs close.


CBH is not the best-but good at 3a


Deluxe Cheeseburger

Overall Grade: B-

Strengths: Its about what you should expect from a diner burger and it never fails you as a satisfying late-nite meal. The deli style pickles are loaded up on the burgers and that's a plus in my book. Its also a huge reason to explain there no reason to go to McDonalds or Taco bell when you know the Palace will always be open and always have the best burger available when the last drinks been served. Sometimes consistency is a great thing. Go with a double.

Weakness': The grade might be lower if they weren't open all night but that's not the case. Its not going to wow you and have you proclaiming it to be the best in Chicago no matter when and where but its never going to disappoint you either.

White Palace Grill
1159 S Canal St
Chicago, IL 60607-4906
(312) 939-7167
Menupages Menu

Eating BIG in Kenosha, WI

Eating like a local:
Regional food specialties
-The Diners of America ft Kenosha WI

The Cubs are in Milwaukee for the second series of the season this Easter weekend with the ESPN game of the week on Sunday night. This means that the Cubs fans are going to be taking a road trip and coming to Milwaukee from all over the Midwest as is normal for the summer months when the Cubs go up to Wrigley Field North. As summer gets closer you can expect a whole bunch of spots to eat at in the great eating state of Wisconsin along with other US states right here. Kenosha Wisconsin is one of the first stops after you cross the IL/WI border and has always been one of Chicago's best suburbs to eat in. Yea I said it, Kenosha is as much of a suburb as are some of the other places in Chicagoland that they call suburbs. Its much closer to me than alot of others and therefore its one of my favorite places to eat and spend a day or two over the summer and its a quick one hour drive max. Despite being so close and just a quick drive up the lake its a different world out there and like most little towns in Wisconsin, Kenosha has more than its fair share of places to get the good stuff.

Frank's Diner


The little diner that could

Franks diner is one of the gems of the area and is also a favorite of anyone who's from Kenosha, been thru Kenosha or spends time in the area. This is the spot to go if you want to eat a hearty breakfast en route to Milwaukee. Its locally recognized as a historic landmark and the spot in town for breakfast and it has now grown into a celebrity on the US diner scene. It all started in 1926 when six horses pulled into Kenosha and dropped Franks diner where it is today. The website tells the story that "Anthony Franks, who first learned of the unique restaurant opportunity through a magazine article, paid $7,500 plus $325 in shipping charges to launch his business. He added a dining room in 1935 and a larger kitchen in the mid 1940s. The Franks family operated Franks Diner until 2001." Lucky for the people of Kenosha the people that have taken over haven't switched anything. With a recent appearance on Diner's, Drive In's and Dives along with all the other press it has become very busy on almost all days at all times they are open.


The view upon entering


The specials board is pure Wisconsin

Franks does up a great breakfast and lunch menu and most everything is going to be better than good. They do however have a signature menu item which is called a "garbage plate" It consists of hash browns, green peppers, onions, jalapenos, eggs, choice of meat (ham, bacon, sausage or why not all three?) or you vegans can go all vegged out and get Zucchini, mushrooms and tomato included with the rest minus the meat. Its all served with toast and a full garbage plate consists of five eggs while a half contains three. Want cheese? this is Wisconsin of course you have the option. The massive plates of food are a sure fire way to make sure your belly is ready to soak up all the beer at the baseball games. One of the finest and funnest breakfasts in the country is a great way to start your day in Wisconsin no matter what your plan is. Just be sure that if your plan includes active activity that you get either a half plate or even split a half plate. Yes they are that big that a half of a garbage plate split between two big eaters was enough to start a day of binge eating.


The grill on a rare slow day (garbage plates being made)


This is only half of a half of a Garbage plate with everything
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Oliver's Bakery

After you get yourself some breakfast at Frank's be sure to stop at Olivers bakery for some post game snacks or just a few treats to have in your car for your roadtrip or bring back home with you. Whatever the reason is you'll be so glad you did. I'm not a big sweets guy but one of my favorite sweet pastry type snacks is another Wisconsin specialty brought by the Danish to Racine Wisconsin. Kringle is dough that has been rested overnight before shaping, filling, and baking. Many layers of the flaky dough are layered, then shaped in an oval. After filling with fruit, nut, or other flavor combination, the pastry is baked and iced. I always drive by Oliver's when I'm taking one of my favorite drives in the country, get on Sheridan Road at Fullerton and take it all the way to Milwaukee along the lake. It wasn't until my last trip there this past winter that I finally stopped in.


Olivers bakery in Kenosha is a real gemmer

Call ahead and Olivers will have any one of their 20+ flavors of Kringle ready for you to be picked up. Just don't make the mistake of taking a pass on the donuts and cookies which also happen to be incredible on every level. The donuts were the best I have ever had and I don't think I need to even bother eating donuts from anywhere else. I'm not big on sweets so I am by no means an expert but I know that the Boston Cremes and Bismarck's were out of this world. There is also a cookie case and a refrigerated case with all sorts of cakes and pies. This is what a bakery should be and if there was anything this good in Chicago my body would be paying for it dearly. Its now in my regular rotation for good eats in a little town that has a many great eats.


Donut case


Kringle flavors available (click to enlarge)


Kringle case


excellent blueberry creme cheese kringle


Boston creme (L) Cinnamon (top) Bismarck (R)


Pure Wisconsin (Bismarck)
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Do not forget to have a few brats from the Brat Stop right off I-94 before or after the game this summer. Its always filled with people at night and you can meet some real characters and have one of the best pieces of encased meat in the world along with a cold spotted cow.


world class brat from the world famous brat stop

Other options for food in Milwaukee are classic corned beef and Friday fish fry from McBob's and or cracker crisp classic tavern style super thin crust pizza from Zaffiro's.


Frank's Diner
508 58th St
Kenosha, WI 53140
(262) 657-1017
Website

Oliver's Bakery
3526 Roosevelt Rd
Kenosha, WI 53142
(262) 652-3984

Brat Stop
12304 75th St
Kenosha, WI 53142
(262) 857-2011
Website