Eleven City Diner
Matzo Brie
Moshe Cristo – Ham, Roast Turkey, Melted Swiss, Challah French Toast
Red Velvet Cake
With traffic in the South Loop sparse as we made our way from Dillman’s it was with a bit of surprise that our arrival at Eleven City Diner was met not only by ample free parking but also by a largely empty restaurant despite the post-holiday bustle just a few blocks north. Large in size but somewhat limited in menu to “breakfast only” according to our curt but efficient server it was admittedly with a bit of convincing that I eventually persuaded her that a Monte Cristo is, in fact, a breakfast item regardless of its place on the menu and with all the ingredients accounted for it would not be long before our order arrived in all its grandeur – all three items large enough to share but delicious enough that you may not want to. Beginning first with the aforementioned “Moshe Cristo,” a decadent sandwich stacked high with deli meat cut to order and sandwiched between crispy challah it was with a light smear of strawberry preserves that this was taken to new heights while the Matzo, not a favorite of my aunt, barely required syrup given its toothsome, eggy sweetness though I gladly added plenty with marvelous results before tucking into the highlight of the meal, a dense $8 slice of Red Velvet Layer Cake rife with dark cocoa notes but rendered mildly sweet and notably tangy by what might be the best cream cheese frosting in the Windy City.