Chicago Vegan Diner Brunch and Takeout

For years, I've longed to try The Chicago Diner, a place that has been meat free since '83 (a solid good year). This restaurant is on many vegan bucket lists. To go to Chicago and not eat there once would have been a great travesty. Straight from my plane ride and learning that my check in would be after 2pm, I took the train and headed off to sate my hunger. It was a short flight, but I hadn't eaten in hours.

A menu packed with choices. I struggled between the desire for a tall stack of pancakes with whipped cream, The Breakfast Combo (scrambled tofu, hash, bacon, sausage, and choice of French toast, pancake, English muffin or toast), Cinnamon Roll French Toast (which comes with strawberry coulis, hash, and seitan sausage), or the Monte Cristo (a French toast sandwich with vegan cheese, fried tofu, Creole mustard, and hash). 

I chose the Country Benedict-- fried tofu between herb biscuits with sautéed spinach, mushrooms, tomato, and onion, smothered in seitan sausage gravy. It also comes with slices of fresh melon. This dish was amazing! The biscuits were crisp and tender, with scrumptious tofu layered in tantalizing veggies, and that mouthwatering sumptuous gravy that featured meaty pieces of flavorful seitan.

This smooth and creamy carrot cake milkshake is definitely worth all of the praise. There were no chunks of carrot or walnuts squeezing through the straw. It was all pure carrot cake bliss emerging in sweet, yummylicious glory mixed in with the amazing, thick, whipped cream. What a splendid special treat!

I took their house made cinnamon frosted cinnamon rolls to go.

Tuesday morning: discovered that I had my cinnamon rolls upside down the whole entire time-- overnight in the refrigerator and everything. I ate my breakfast with a banana and cold water. But alas, headed off, happy and sugared up, I go lost for ten minutes looking for the train station. Woe is my middle name.

Wednesday morning: the last delicious cinnamon roll, all sticky sweet and dripping in early rapture on a rainy rise. This plump, pliant delight made me want to cuddle with my teddy bear and sleep until dawn.

That first bite is the one that tides one over, make them feel like this could possibly be the most wonderful last Chicago day. The rain had stopped after all. Of course, I found the train station and got off at the correct stop, but managed to get myself lost, finding certain landmarks. Sigh. I'm still utterly happy to be charmed and wooed by The Chicago Diner, all of their delicious foods linger on my mind.