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Restaurant Fri Feb 13 2009
New Finds that Aren't New
Have you ever surprised yourself by discovering a good lunch spot that's been hiding for years just a few blocks from you? Or perhaps you've become excited upon finding a good coffee shop that serves a tasty lunch, only to find they were planning to close up shop in a few days. There's a certain uneasy pleasure and sadness that accompanies such finds, feelings that are quite fresh in my head right now.
To enter my first find, Goodwin's, a lunch spot on Franklin in the Loop, you descend a flight of stairs from a relatively opaque street-level storefront. They made me a good Sloppy Veggie Wrap that held quite a bit of black beans, pico de gallo, guacamole, salsa, and - when I ordered it without sour cream and cheese to make it vegan - a nice rich mole that I asked for instead. It comes with chips, salsa and guac that I hear varies in spiciness from trip to trip. I'll be returning again.
Then there's the place that I would love to go back to but has closed. Bean Addiction Cafe was, until a few weeks ago, a coffee shop that made toasty spinach tortilla wraps that you could eat from a comfy lounge chair while watching a small in-wall waterfall. They filled it marinated mushrooms, zucchini yellow squash, red peppers, tomato and lettuce. The wrap was moistened with the soft flavors of red pepper puree and the hummus I'd asked them to substitute for cheese. Whenever I see cheese on what I'd like to order, and I notice hummus anywhere else on the menu, such a request is often a no brainer - for a little insight into my vegan brain.
Goodwin's is at 175 N. Franklin, (312) 634-1134.
Bean Addiction Cafe is no longer, but used to be in the lobby of The Presidential Towers at 555 W. Madison.
Katie / February 17, 2009 7:45 PM
Hi,
I would like to invite you to a Food Bloggers Dinner on behalf of a client. Can you email me your contact information so I can send you their invitation?
Thanks,
Katie