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Openings Fri Aug 19 2011
The Bleeding Heart Bakery : West Town Edition, Part 2
For you avid BHB fans out there, you may remember that the very first brick and mortar location opened by punk rock baking super-heros Michelle and Vinny Garcia was right on Chicago Avenue (where Chickpea is located now). Since then they moved into the Roscoe Village neighborhood as well as opened up a storefront in Oak Park. (You can expect to see another storefront popping up in Elmhurst in mid-September!) Can you believe it all began 8 years ago? Anyways, their story has come full circle and they are once again opening a bakery on Chicago Avenue, this time as a bakery slash diner & cafe. For any latecomers, don't worry, you'll be a part of the fan club soon enough, trust me. But with the grand opening on Monday (8/22 - bakery opens at 6am, the cafe at 7am) and the buzz and anticipation reaching the unbearable meter, expect to start queueing up.
With the support of The Fifty/50 Group, The Fifty/50 restaurant/bar owners Greg Mohr and Scott Weiner have taken the reigns of all business operations, so that the Garcia's can focus on doing what they do best - getting creative in the kitchen. And boy have they done just that. All while staying true to their mantra of using only the best local, organic, and sustainable ingredients available, the new West Town location promises to deliver the "best damn brunch you've ever had". Specializing in brunchy southern style dishes, the menu features five varieties of eggs benedict and six varieties of skillets. 
Not to mention the omelets, housemade biscuits and gravy (also available in the vegan variety - both made with vegan biscuits), crunchy cinnamon swirl french toast, southern fried chicken and waffle (pictured above), and donut sandwiches. Yes, you heard me. You can build your own donut sandwich. Ok fine, doughnut sandwich. You're right, it is quite deserving of the extra consonants. It's a freshly made vanilla bean yeast doughnut, tempura battered and deep fried, complete with a fried egg and your choice of cheese and meat. Worth it! On top of all that, the BHB & Cafe will also feature an in-house bread program supplying all bread items on the menu, selling to local restaurants as well as catering to guests who wish to take some home. You can also look for a top notch drink menu with coffee brewed by local Milwaukee roasters, Alterra Coffee and loose leaf teas from Rare Tea Cellar. Whew. And that's just scratching the surface. Are you sold yet? See you on Monday, bright and early folks! Oh, and don't worry - if you can't make it to the opening on Monday, the new West Town hub will be open 24 hours Friday through Sunday.
PS - Welcome (back) to the neighborhood guys!
The Bleeding Heart Bakery & Cafe is located at 1916 W Chicago Ave (adjacent to Roots Handmade Pizza) in West Town. Cafe Hours : M-Th 7am - 4pm; F 7am through Su 4pm. Bakery Hours: M-Th 6am - 9pm; F 6am through Su 9pm. 773-904-1414. You can also follow them on Twitter and Facebook. Keep an eye out for their online ordering site which will be live soon.
Blerg / December 6, 2011 10:22 AM
Ahh, do a little digging, and I find that Katie has shilled again for her current employer...maybe Gaper's Block should have someone else write these announcements, to protect their credibility?