115009 Sun Feb 08 12:55:31 -0800 2004 7 7 Chicago Area 0 626688 Has anyone eaten at "Tweet" on the north side? Sun Feb 08 12:55:31 -0800 2004 0 FredFlintstone 1 626691 I ate there 2 Sundays ago not too long after Phil Vettel gave them 3 stars (what was that all about?) How can you give a place like Les Nomades and Black Bird 3 stars or 2 1/2 stars and give a breakfast/neighborhood joint without a liquor license 3 stars? The fritatta my friend ordered was like egg jello and I ordered a grilled cheese where the cheese was not melted. I think Phil Vittel thought he was doing this place a favor by giving them 3 stars but they can't keep up with the high expectations. It's a nice neighborhood place but don't go there for culinary nirvana. Another note, the Tribune printed that the Chefs who run the kitchen worked at Trotters. They did but only for less then 2 weeks. Sun Feb 08 13:50:21 -0800 2004 626688 0 colleen ferguson 2 626715 2 weeks at Trotters. ah, that explains it. After eating an unimpressive dinner there last month, I thought they *must* have been dishwashers or preppers at CTs! I wanted to like the place. Nice retro atmosphere. Daring location for a ex-Trotters chef. But all 3 courses were mediocre. I had a watery butternut squash soup. I usually write the soup right off when I see it swishes loosey as the bowl is set down. Yep, no concentrated flavor. My entree was something like a vension osso busco. Cooked very nicely, but the sauce had no real flavor. Dessert was a total disgrace! Did Phil mention the Hazelnut brown butter tart with Port ice cream? Maybe that's what made me want to try this place. What a mistake. This gooey sugary mess in a Pepperidge Farm's puff paste tart crust was served with a few hazelnuts pressed on top. I could barely make out the port flavor in the ice cream. A female chef came out during the dessert and brought me a few take home desserts. Oh my gosh. What WERE they? Was she on drugs?! One was round flat spice cake cookie (shaped like the base of a Half-moon cookies) glazed with a cream cream frosting. Inspired by some leftover batter?! The other was this dry blonde bar cookie. After a teeny bite I tossed them both. Stay away. Reminds a bit of my experience at La Tache. Janet Sun Feb 08 20:40:58 -0800 2004 626691 0 Janet 3 627549 Thank you for your candor! I definitely will stay away from the place. Speaking of La Tache...We ate there a few months ago and we were quite impressed. Maybe it has gotten too "trendy"! Mon Feb 16 11:06:32 -0800 2004 626715 0 FredFlintstone 4 627574 I also went to La Tache not too long ago in search of a good cheesy bowl of french onion soup. Their's was different than any soup I have ever had. The stock was bland and the covering of melted cheese was replaced with a dollop of blu cheese instead of the usual melted gueyre or swiss. The taste of the blu cheese was interesting, but didn't make up for the missing cheese blob I was craving. Mon Feb 16 12:15:17 -0800 2004 627549 0 Steve Z 2 628958 Sorry...Fred Flintstone...Did you work at Trotter's? I did. Both were there for quite some time, not "two weeks". However the 3 star review was for the (now departed" chef's dinner menu which was much apart from the breakfast which was not reviewed. Do you have personal issues or sour grapes with these cooks that you would pretend to know their resumes better than they do? Sun Dec 19 22:35:23 -0800 2004 626691 0 lebelage 1 626767 less-than-glowing chowhound reviews aside, based on my two excellent brunch outings at tweet, i'm looking forward to trying dinner here. because i have a grandma from arkansas armed with a 50-year-old seasoned cast iron skillet, i very rarely order biscuits and gravy at a restaurant. tweet's version stood up very nicely. two dining companions from texas confirmed the gravy was "just right" and tweet's rendition had a welcome abundance of sausage. other highlights included a complimentary blueberry coffeecake to start things off, and an apple/cranberry compote that seemed to accompany most breakfast entrees. my simple scrambled eggs were done just right, as well as the crispy, buttery hashbrowns. a small, but nonetheless important, breakfast detail: our coffee cups were never empty. seemed there was always someone there ready to fill our mugs. Mon Feb 09 12:24:29 -0800 2004 626688 0 oh_soledad 2 626870 That Tweet breakfast *does* sound good! I hope you won't be disappointed as I was when after a fabulous breakfast at Lula Cafe, I returned to Lula's with high expecations for their lunch. None of the healthy brunch touches like fresh fruit compote with the pancakes, or pomegranite seeds in the fruit cup accompanying the frittata's were apparrant. Instead just a tasty (but rather boring) sandwich, french fries (or cole slaw?) side dishes. That leaves just Ina's and Orange remaining of my favorite brunch places to try for a non-breakfast meal. Maybe I shouldn't risk it! Janet Mon Feb 09 23:04:38 -0800 2004 626767 0 Janet