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« New International Pavillion @ Taste Besides the Castle, the Most Distinguished Address in Ireland: Part 2 »

Restaurant Wed Jun 27 2007

Reminder: Sweet Maple Cafe Still Rocks


I took two buses and a train this past Saturday morning to get down to Sweet Maple Cafe (located at 1339 W. Taylor), and the travel was well worth the meal.

Sweet Maple has been around for several years, but I had never eaten there, as the only times I have tried to go have been unsuccessful. The swarm of waiting people outside was reassuring, but ultimately too intimidating, especially when you're too hungry to go through the painful, Studio 54-like wait for a table at a popular restaurant.

The interior, with its wooden plank floors and homey accents, had a nice rural charm that made me feel I wasn't in the middle of a huge city. I ordered the egg and cheeser, which is a pile of egg and cheese sandwiched between slices of a sweet milk biscuit, a signature menu item. A side of applesauce, which I could tell did not come from an aluminum can, accompanied it.

I also ordered a single pancake, as I'm at the stage where I've come to accept that I can't eat a heap of sugar and call it breakfast, but I can negotiate between the savory and the sweet. The pancake was out of this world, reminiscent of sugar cookie dough. The real butter and maple syrup (also not from an aluminum can) finished the pancake off nicely.

If you want a refuge from the highbrow brunch dishes that are free of foams, emulsions and infusions, Sweet Maple is the place to eat.

 
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Tiffany / June 27, 2007 10:37 AM

I live right down the street from this place...and I just have to add that it is absolutely amazing. I usually order the banana pancakes (which have real bananas baked into them) and the hashbrowns...with glazed onions in them. The food is truly excellent and well worth the wait. BUT, I would reccomend, that if you live close...you can order it to go and pick it up in about 15 min. versus the hour long wait for a table. While the resaurant has a nice feel to it, and the wait staff is excellent, it tastes just as good when you bring it home. Also, one final thing...the pancakes taste great after they've been sitting in the fridge for a day as well!

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Feature Thu Dec 31 2015

The State of Food Writing

By Brandy Gonsoulin

In 2009, food blogging, social media and Yelp were gaining popularity, and America's revered gastronomic magazine Gourmet shuttered after 68 years in business. Former Cook's Illustrated editor-in-chief Chris Kimball followed with an editorial, stating that "The shuttering of Gourmet reminds...
Read this feature »

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Drive-Thru is the food and drink section of Gapers Block, covering the city's vibrant dining, drinking and cooking scene. More...
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