Swiss and Bacon Omelette from The Steak & Egger
Item Purchased: Swiss and Bacon Omelette from The Steak & Egger
Location Purchased: Steak 'n Egger / 1174 W. Cermak Rd. / Chicago, IL
Price: $5.89 + tax
Review: I'd heard on good authority (my friend Conrad, who will be having a gallery opening at Linda Warren Gallery on Sept. 8th... come marvel at the Slipping Glimpser!!!) that the Steak 'n Egger was a good source for your daily allowance of "Vitamin G." Vitamin G is, of course, grease.
Conrad was right. He's a very observant character.
The Steak 'n Egger is so much more than this, though. Of the types of diners I have categories for, the Steak 'n Egger is what sets the standard for Type 3. The food is cheap, the waitresses are friendly but curt and anything that can be put into a to go cup, is. Think truck stop without the trucks. You get what you pay for here and then you get to gettin'.
Tucked away on the desolate industrial stretch of Cermak and serving as a last stop on the border between the Pilsen and Bridgeport neighborhoods of Chicago, the Steak n' Egger is a melting pot of character types. If a movie hasn't featured this diner, someone call the Columbia film department! Though not the kind of place you will find many students of universities studying, this tiny diner offers more sociological sightings and lessons than any tuition charge can buy you. Open twenty-four hours (a sign in the window reads "We Doze, but we never close"), this oasis of omelettes attracts a wide array of characters, each stuck in a different stage on the sobriety scale. The only class that exists at the Steak 'n Egger is short order 101. The only race is the race for the nearest bar or bathroom when you are done eating. Substitutes are frowned upon and if you don't like what you get, get out. Though they offer an extensive menu of fried diner fare, this is one restaurant that does not cater to the particular or picky.
My omelette, for example, was a simple three egg fold stuffed with rough, chunky bacon pieces. The $0.90 extra I paid for three slices of Swiss cheese was one slice cut into three strips and laid on top of the omelette and allowed to melt for exactly zero seconds. The side of toast is pre-buttered with no sign of any extra. The hash browns leave a brown, grill-matching puddle of grease on your plate and slide down just as easy as the water in your glass. I overheard sports chatter, trash talking and gruff silence as I pulled the slippery food off of my plastic plate. Here you don't pay much, but you pay for an experience as much as you do the food.
The Steak 'n Egger is my kind of place, that could only exist and thrive on the south side of Chicago. If you look carefully, you'll see me there sometime, in the corner, listening, grinning and sipping a cup of weak coffee with sleep in my eyes.
Rating: 4.25 / 5
Location Purchased: Steak 'n Egger / 1174 W. Cermak Rd. / Chicago, IL
Price: $5.89 + tax
Review: I'd heard on good authority (my friend Conrad, who will be having a gallery opening at Linda Warren Gallery on Sept. 8th... come marvel at the Slipping Glimpser!!!) that the Steak 'n Egger was a good source for your daily allowance of "Vitamin G." Vitamin G is, of course, grease.
Conrad was right. He's a very observant character.
The Steak 'n Egger is so much more than this, though. Of the types of diners I have categories for, the Steak 'n Egger is what sets the standard for Type 3. The food is cheap, the waitresses are friendly but curt and anything that can be put into a to go cup, is. Think truck stop without the trucks. You get what you pay for here and then you get to gettin'.
Tucked away on the desolate industrial stretch of Cermak and serving as a last stop on the border between the Pilsen and Bridgeport neighborhoods of Chicago, the Steak n' Egger is a melting pot of character types. If a movie hasn't featured this diner, someone call the Columbia film department! Though not the kind of place you will find many students of universities studying, this tiny diner offers more sociological sightings and lessons than any tuition charge can buy you. Open twenty-four hours (a sign in the window reads "We Doze, but we never close"), this oasis of omelettes attracts a wide array of characters, each stuck in a different stage on the sobriety scale. The only class that exists at the Steak 'n Egger is short order 101. The only race is the race for the nearest bar or bathroom when you are done eating. Substitutes are frowned upon and if you don't like what you get, get out. Though they offer an extensive menu of fried diner fare, this is one restaurant that does not cater to the particular or picky.
My omelette, for example, was a simple three egg fold stuffed with rough, chunky bacon pieces. The $0.90 extra I paid for three slices of Swiss cheese was one slice cut into three strips and laid on top of the omelette and allowed to melt for exactly zero seconds. The side of toast is pre-buttered with no sign of any extra. The hash browns leave a brown, grill-matching puddle of grease on your plate and slide down just as easy as the water in your glass. I overheard sports chatter, trash talking and gruff silence as I pulled the slippery food off of my plastic plate. Here you don't pay much, but you pay for an experience as much as you do the food.
The Steak 'n Egger is my kind of place, that could only exist and thrive on the south side of Chicago. If you look carefully, you'll see me there sometime, in the corner, listening, grinning and sipping a cup of weak coffee with sleep in my eyes.
Rating: 4.25 / 5
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