What was the name of this restaurant???

[mefirst]

There was a restaurant in the Monadnack building in Chicago during the 80s. It was diner-ish coffee shop-ish and served typical burger & fries, sandwiches, salads etc. There were three or four locations around the downtown Chicago area. Does anyone remember the name of these???

[mefirst]

No it was none of those - I believe the name did start with M and may have been a Mc or Mac name. And forgive me - perhaps it was not in but near the Monadnack bldg. I just recall there were three or four locations in the loop and this was just a regular place, sort of like Mitchells but withouth the "cache". We used to get a grilled cheese and fries for five bucks - the only place I knew of in the loop where I could eat that cheap. Thanks.

[ferret]

Grilled cheese and fries for $5 in the '80's? Not especially cheap. It's not much more than that at the Board of Trade today (it was about $3 in the '90s). And you could have probably had a steak and sides at Ronny's for $5.

[mefirst]

Well I no longer work in the loop and since I could eat in my building for less than that and did not have a lot of time to scope out other places I thought I was doing okay. You have dashed my dreams and memories - alas I shall never recover unless someone brings me a plate of Madeleines and a glass of wine. Nice wine. And not too expensive.

[camusman]

Mac Kelly's Greens n Things began operations in the 1980s, had several loop locations, and closed its last store a couple of years ago.
(Just taking a stab at it.)

[ferret]

There's still at least one location open.

[masha]

Was it the Marquette in the Marquette Building? It's still there, but there used to be other locations in the Loop -- including what was then called "The Standard Oil Building" (i.e,. the Aon Tower) and one across the street from the Sears Tower.

[mefirst]

THAT'S IT!!!!!!! (Charlie Brown Somersault) And that's the one we ate at. Who knows, maybe the grilled cheese was less than $5 back then. I obviously have a faulty memory (by the way, where are the Madeleines???).

Now for bonus points who remembers Robin Hood restaurant, and where was it, and what about those onion rings that looked like a stack of donuts?????

THANK YOU for helping restore my sanity.

[ferret]

Of all places to be nostalgic for The Marquette should not be one of them.

[mefirst]

Now don't get me wrong - not exactly nostalgic, just trying to remember the name.

But seriously, does it seem all the places like this are closing one by one?? I know all of them in our area have closed over the years.

[ferret]

As far as the Loop goes, the closings are not undeserved. Loop diners are fiercely loyal to places that earn it. I can't recall any closing in the past 5-6 years that shocked me.

[mefirst]

Not in the Loop but the neighborhood places near me - don't understand why they are closing because all of them were always busy. ALWAYS!

[jbontario]

Come on ferret, you're being a pretentious DB. Marquette is great for what it is, I go there once a quarter to get a greasy gyro and fries or a pretty good omelette for lunch. Would you recomend it to someone who is looking for great food, no, but for a greasy spoon greek diner, it's OK. While it would be great to only eat top rated restaurants all the time, in a pinch in the loop where great food is hard to find, it works.

[delk]

Marquette has a pretty decent egg sandwich and turkey club. Everything else is a chain.

[ferret]

Pretentious? Hardly. I'll eat anywhere I can get a good meal but I don't patronize places that no longer give a $hit. The Marquette easily falls into that category. There's still a sandwich shop (and I have no idea what the place is called or if it even has a name) in the Monadnock that makes a great egg sandwich that I wouldn't hesitate to visit regularly. As for gyros, Jimmyz was a favored spot for years until the Exchequer took it out (not sure why that happened).

I don't go by ratings or popularity but I do care if a place cares about food.

[mefirst]

Our rule is we no longer allow ourselves to "like" a restaurant as we have found as soon as it becomes a favorite, it closes. We must be gastronomically cursed.

[delk]

it's Harry's in the Monandnock, and yes, they make a great egg sandwich, but if you work at State and Jackson, you have a few options.

Something says if you don't know the name...

[ferret]

It's the Monadnock sandwich shop. I now have to validate my customer loyalty? It's the place I visit when I'm walking by and want a breakfast sandwich. Years ago, the best value in the area was the second floor cafeteria in the Courthouse. In recent years they've gone upscale and upped the price to a point that's competitive with the location. Unfortunately what passes for a pretty good $3 breakfast is less impressive at $7.

[delk]

Jackson and State... please tell me where to eat.

[jbw]

Cafecito's, 3 blocks away. (Flavorful sandwiches, and the bean soup's pretty good, too).

[ferret]

Absolutely Cafecito, I had it in my list of cheap eats above but deleted it because it wasn't a greasy spoon. Epic Burger is good. Hannah's Bretzel is also good, if a bit overpriced these days (ditto Native Foods).. Fontano's is decent. Cellars in the Board of Trade does cafeteria food well (good grilled cheese, tuna melt and mac & cheese on Fridays).

[masha]

Where is Native Foods and what do they serve?

[ferret]

Quincy and Clark (old Taco Fresco space). They're a vegan chain from California. As much as I detest all things "vegan" they have pretty darn good food (just stay the hell away from their desserts, vegan baked goods are an abomination).

http://nativefoods.com/

[lamb_da_calculus]

Googling only turns up one restaurant (I'm sure there are more, but I can't find them) that existed in the Monadnock at that time. It was called Gleeson's and was apparently a sandwich place. Doesn't sound quite right but I can't find anything else.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/19...

[grimaldi]

Monday's? Maybe not.

[ferret]

Monday's was down the street at Jackson just East of State (closed not that long ago).