Sandwiches in/near the Loop
Dec 22, 2005 | 3:36 pm
#1
Original Poster
Moderator: CommunityBuzz!, OMNI, OMNI/PR, and OMNI/Games & FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: ORD (MDW stinks)
Programs: UAMM, AAMM & ExPlat, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott lifetime Plat, IHG Plat, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 24,168
Sandwiches in/near the Loop
Three places reviewed by Crain's
Hannah's Bretzel
180 W. Washington St.
(312) 621-1111
Price range, $1.45-$8.95
This spiffy storefront opened in May, and there are already plans for more in the Loop and other parts of the city. Thank goodness: Sandwiches are delicious, mostly organic, freshly made and delivered in a flash. The day we visited, at noon, there were a dozen people in line, but it moved so fast, we didn't have time to decide what we wanted. There's not a whole lot to choose from seven sandwiches, one soup, one salad but what we sampled was wonderful, and unique to Chicago. Vegetarians, take note: Most items are meatless.
Bread with a twist
Bretzel bread is pretzel-shaped, crisp on the outside and soft and moist on the inside. Salt studs the top. It's a staple in German bakeries and grocery stores. Germans typically eat it plain, as a snack or smeared with butter or cheese for a light meal.
Sandwiches are served on bretzels, farmer's bread or whole-grain loaves. Missing Europe? Go for the Italian Parma ham and mozzarella sandwich ($6.95); the last time I had such tender ham I was in Parma. Smoked turkey and Gruyre ($6.95) also was top-notch. Spreads, such as sun-dried tomato mustard and tomato chutney, are savory and soak the bread. Ask for toppings on the side.
There's limited seating inside: four stools at the window. Outside, a shaded picnic table provides eight seats.
________________________________________
F212
401 N. Wells St.
(312) 670-4212
Price range: $1-$15
This mod spot bills itself as a coffee and dessert lounge, but serves comfort food midday. Everything we tried was uncomplicated, fresh and tasty.
It was too hot outside to try the mac and cheese ($5) or pot pies (vegetable, chicken or lobster, $5-$12), so we focused on panini (varieties of ham, cheese and vegetables; also Nutella $3-$6). If you pine for lunch like Mom used to make, order the tomato-basil-mozzarella panini. It's a good and good for you grilled cheese. Same with smoothies ($3.60), served in a curvy glass.
This place has another life at night, so there's plenty of seating: booths, low tables and stools at a neon-green counter.
Coffee is excellent. There are 20 varieties of coffee drinks, from caf au lait to mint-chocolate
latte ($1.50-$3.75). Pastries, oversized cookies, tarts and chocolate concoctions glisten in a glass case ($1.70-$12).
The only thing missing is a crowd; this place deserves one. We were the sole customers at high noon.
________________________________________
Dagwood's Sandwich Factory
162 N. Franklin St.
(312) 845-5001
Price range: $2.79-$8.79
Everything about this place suggests good grub: hardly an empty seat, a steady line of customers, a zippy menu, polite and well-meaning sandwich makers. After Potbelly, would Chicago give birth to another maker of marvelous sandwiches?
No. Or at least not yet. For starters, an eternity passed before they got my order right. First the bread was wrong, then the bread had melted cheese on it, then they made me a tuna sandwich, when I'd ordered the spicy peanut chicken salad.
Sandwiches are served on white or whole wheat loaves ($4.49 and up). Mine was dry, and the sandwich fell apart, making it hard to eat. Then I realized I didn't want to eat it: The spicy peanut chicken salad had that unmistakable too-long-in-the-refrigerator taste. Coleslaw (89 cents) was nothing special. Only the Diet Coke (89 cents) tasted right.
I saw a lot of good-looking sandwiches go by while I was stranded at the counter. I figured I'd come back another day, and try something else. It's a nice space, flooded with sunshine. But on the street, I ran into my next-door neighbor, who has worked on Franklin Street for 10 years.
He'd been excited about Dagwood's, too; then he tried the grilled cheese with bacon. Pointing to legendary Perry's (180 N. Franklin St.), he said, "Now that's a good sandwich."
Hannah's Bretzel
180 W. Washington St.
(312) 621-1111
Price range, $1.45-$8.95
This spiffy storefront opened in May, and there are already plans for more in the Loop and other parts of the city. Thank goodness: Sandwiches are delicious, mostly organic, freshly made and delivered in a flash. The day we visited, at noon, there were a dozen people in line, but it moved so fast, we didn't have time to decide what we wanted. There's not a whole lot to choose from seven sandwiches, one soup, one salad but what we sampled was wonderful, and unique to Chicago. Vegetarians, take note: Most items are meatless.
Bread with a twist
Bretzel bread is pretzel-shaped, crisp on the outside and soft and moist on the inside. Salt studs the top. It's a staple in German bakeries and grocery stores. Germans typically eat it plain, as a snack or smeared with butter or cheese for a light meal.
Sandwiches are served on bretzels, farmer's bread or whole-grain loaves. Missing Europe? Go for the Italian Parma ham and mozzarella sandwich ($6.95); the last time I had such tender ham I was in Parma. Smoked turkey and Gruyre ($6.95) also was top-notch. Spreads, such as sun-dried tomato mustard and tomato chutney, are savory and soak the bread. Ask for toppings on the side.
There's limited seating inside: four stools at the window. Outside, a shaded picnic table provides eight seats.
________________________________________
F212
401 N. Wells St.
(312) 670-4212
Price range: $1-$15
This mod spot bills itself as a coffee and dessert lounge, but serves comfort food midday. Everything we tried was uncomplicated, fresh and tasty.
It was too hot outside to try the mac and cheese ($5) or pot pies (vegetable, chicken or lobster, $5-$12), so we focused on panini (varieties of ham, cheese and vegetables; also Nutella $3-$6). If you pine for lunch like Mom used to make, order the tomato-basil-mozzarella panini. It's a good and good for you grilled cheese. Same with smoothies ($3.60), served in a curvy glass.
This place has another life at night, so there's plenty of seating: booths, low tables and stools at a neon-green counter.
Coffee is excellent. There are 20 varieties of coffee drinks, from caf au lait to mint-chocolate
latte ($1.50-$3.75). Pastries, oversized cookies, tarts and chocolate concoctions glisten in a glass case ($1.70-$12).
The only thing missing is a crowd; this place deserves one. We were the sole customers at high noon.
________________________________________
Dagwood's Sandwich Factory
162 N. Franklin St.
(312) 845-5001
Price range: $2.79-$8.79
Everything about this place suggests good grub: hardly an empty seat, a steady line of customers, a zippy menu, polite and well-meaning sandwich makers. After Potbelly, would Chicago give birth to another maker of marvelous sandwiches?
No. Or at least not yet. For starters, an eternity passed before they got my order right. First the bread was wrong, then the bread had melted cheese on it, then they made me a tuna sandwich, when I'd ordered the spicy peanut chicken salad.
Sandwiches are served on white or whole wheat loaves ($4.49 and up). Mine was dry, and the sandwich fell apart, making it hard to eat. Then I realized I didn't want to eat it: The spicy peanut chicken salad had that unmistakable too-long-in-the-refrigerator taste. Coleslaw (89 cents) was nothing special. Only the Diet Coke (89 cents) tasted right.
I saw a lot of good-looking sandwiches go by while I was stranded at the counter. I figured I'd come back another day, and try something else. It's a nice space, flooded with sunshine. But on the street, I ran into my next-door neighbor, who has worked on Franklin Street for 10 years.
He'd been excited about Dagwood's, too; then he tried the grilled cheese with bacon. Pointing to legendary Perry's (180 N. Franklin St.), he said, "Now that's a good sandwich."
