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Review Wed Jul 21 2010
More Than Bagels at E.leaven
Okay, it's a silly name. Small e, dot in the middle--not everything has to feel Web 2.0 to be appealing, especially when it's going in your mouth instead of before your eyes, okay?? But silly name aside, e.leaven delivers great food in an easy-on-the-eyes atmosphere for breakfast and lunch in River North. Best-known perhaps, for its bagels, a light also deserves to shine on the chic little deli's sandwiches. Because they're awesome--from a recent monster short rib sandwich (with grilled shishito peppers giving it heat and an almost chocolate-y carmelized touch of sweetness) to what may be the city's best BLT thanks to some goat cheese and perfectly grilled bread, lunch at e.leaven is both hearty (even hefty...) and a step up from your average downtown meat-and-cheese stacker.
Yes, I've been to Perry's, and Manny's, and while e.leaven isn't quite doing the sandwich-as-big-as-your-head or so-authentic-your-Jewish-grandma-would-be-proud route, I would argue that they still deserve a spot in the pantheon. What they do better than anyone is marry Old World deli faves with incredibly fresh and interesting ingredients. No soggy, dressing soaked salads here, cole slaw or otherwise, on your sandwich or your plate! Every bite I've taken there has been perfectly fresh and wonderfully textured--sometimes a deli pitfall. During their recent one-year anniversary celebration, they featured an entire menu of Siracha specials, opening their culinary arms wide to embrace sweet and spicy along with rich and salty. (They also make some of the best cookies I've had in a long while.) What's more, you can keep track of them and their daily specials through their Twitter feed. And if you're working in River North and longing for a better lunchtime option in the $6-$9 range, I think you should.
