Benedict's La Strata, 40 North Williams Street, Crystal Lake, Illinois 60014

Benedict's La Strata
40 North Williams
Crystal Lake, Illinois 60014
(815) 459-6500

7:00 AM to 2:30 PM Daily
5:00 to 10:00 PM Fri & Sat only

I've heard plenty of good things about Benedict's La Strata since reviewing breakfast at their sister restaurant several months ago, but I haven't been there until today. What a treat! After a week of end-of-semester projects and assignments, Debbie and Shelby slept late. I did, too, but my idea of late was 7:00; theirs was more like 10:00. So, waiting until after 11:00 to get out of the house and eat made me ravenous. I'd planned a smaller, earlier breakfast at another restaurant, but how could I pass up the opportunity for their company and a breakfast abbondanza at Benedict's? The restaurant is in downtown Crystal Lake just a few steps from the Raue Center for the Arts.

Who cares what time you get there as long as you get there before they shut down for the day? The menu is extensive, so even though I knew pretty quickly that I was going to have the Goat Cheese, Artichoke, and Ham Strata, I had to wait for Debbie to narrate the menu and for Shelby to decide. He chose the Jambalaya Eggs with shrimp, andouille sausage, onion, and green pepper scrambled with cheddar cheese and topped with hollandaise sauce for $8.95. Debbie ordered the Biscuits and Gravy on two homemade savory scones covered with homemade turkey sausage gravy, served with two over-medium eggs and fresh fruit for $7.95. By all accounts, the food was hot, fresh, well-prepared, and good.



Goat Cheese, Artichoke,
and Ham Strata

Now, back to my Strata. Actually, I had no idea what strata is. Frankly, now that I know, I realize as I write this that I have no idea how to use the term.  Do I say, I ordered the Strata, La Strata, Strata, or what? Do I capitalize the S? Article, no article? Just as I decided to order the restaurant's namesake dish without knowing anything about it other than the menu used the words baked bread and casserole to describe it, I've decided to use the term with reckless abandon. Take a close look at that picture. I ate that. All of it. Goat cheeese ... artichokessss ... chunnnks of hhham ... chivvves ... onnnions, sprinkled with ppparmesan cheeese for only $8.95. If it hadn't been about 18 hours since dinner, that would easily have filled me up. But, I also had Cheesy Grits and Andouille Sausage. Shared that with Debbie and Shelby. The English Muffin you see with my Strata came from the Grits order. These are not mealy Mid-western grits. These are grits that were milled by the grindstone of my imagination on the banks of a mountain stream in East Tennessee, meaty and nutty. They might have tasted better if the sausage had turned my thoughts to the Pride of Tennessee. Then again, they might not have because the Andouille was savory, spicy, and ahhh. Debbie didn't like the coffee, so, of course, it was just perfect for me--sweet, creamy, and ahhh.

We waited about 10 minutes for our table, a very brief wait for one of the favorite breakfast restaurants of many people in McHenry County. The place was filled with happy people who were served by cheerful, helpful, thoughtful pros. I have to say that a place like Benedict's La Strata might have trouble competing on a blog that features cheap eats if it weren't for two things: 1) the service and 2) modest prices. They do a lot of things well. They haven't tried to cram a few more seats into the place to increase their profits. Their place is well-lit and comfortable. The menu is easy to read, and items are described without embellishment. Parking is more than adequate thanks to the public lots of Crystal Lake. By my mathematical calculations, that's $2.30 in Perk Pennies.

The Bottom Line: $8.95 - 2.30 = $6.65

That's a great score for a place that has so many hearty items on the menu that I'm positive there's more than one perfect $4.00 combination there!

Panera Bread, 730 Northwest Highway, Fox River Grove, Illinois

I've been a fan since I first ate at the Saint Louis Bread Company on Delmar Boulevard in St. Louis in 1986. Some of the best Sunday mornings I can remember were spent sitting outside down the street from my apartment in the Central West End on Maryland Avenue, eating a bagel and following the Cardinals in the Post-Dispatch in the early 1990s. I know the company has undergone many changes since then, but the neighborhood spirit and the quality of the food has not changed. Panera Bread Company has made artisanal breads available almost everywhere. My current favorite spot is just a few blocks from my house in The Grove.

This morning, I ordered my usual Panera Bread breakfast--Light Roast Coffee (sugar and skim), Asagio Cheese Bagel (Chive and Onion Cream Cheese Spread), and Fresh Fruit (watermelon). Panera's Asiago Cheese Bagel is a good reason to get up on Saturday morning. But here's the thing: Panera has stopped serving Sundried Tomato Cream Cheese Spread. So, I'm stuck with the Chive and Onion, which isn't bad, but it's not Sundried Tomato, the real reason to get up early. Frankly, I put cream cheese in the same category as coffee--one of those things that on it's own isn't very good but, with just enough other stuff like sugar and milk or sundried tomatoes, is motivating. I put Coke in that category, too, so cream cheese is in very good company.

What's hands-down the best thing about my local Panera is the community spirit. I spent three hours in my corner, listening to music and working at my computer without a single interruption or suggestion that I had overstayed my welcome. Often, they call me by my name. They always say hello. There have been many weekends when I've worked through breakfast and lunch there. Sometimes, one or two other people from my office come in. Often my wife and son.

The scoring for this breakfast begins with the entree, which is the bagel and cream cheese ($2.59) and doesn't include add-ons. But, I can't get my mind off what I'm missing at Panera--Sundried Tomato Cream Cheese Spread (50 Penalty Pennies). I really enjoyed my watermelon chunks this morning. They were very sweet and juicy, but they cost $1.99 for about a cup of them. The mark-up's just too high for me on this even though I know they have to pay the good people who cubed and packaged my fruit (100 Penalty Pennies). It's still August, and they didn't have to ship my fruit from far to get the very best.

The Bottom Line:  $2.59 + .50 + 1.00 = $4.09

This is about as close to a scoring a Perfect $4.00 as any restaurant has ever come, and I couldn't be happier that it goes to a place like Panera, a great neighborhood spot and business with a conscience.

Wildberry Pancakes and Cafe, 1383 North Meacham, Schaumburg, Illinois

Is 11:00 Sunday morning the best or the worst time to go out for breakfast? I had eaten breakfast early and technically this would be lunch for me, but Debbie and Shelby were heading toward blood-sugar level personal record lows with moods to match. I was, of course, my normal, cheery self. While I parked the car, they checked in and were told the wait was 45 minutes to an hour. After a terse mobile-to-mobile discussion of options, we decided to stay. I parked the car two spaces away from any other car.

While we waited to be called to our table, we sat outside in the sun, and I bet Shelby a dollar that Debbie would move the car after she got the keys from me and went to get her sunglasses. We moved inside when it got too hot, and the wait seemed much shorter than 45 minutes. They sell Intelligentsia coffee at a counter in the waiting area for those who are in need of mood elevation. I offered to buy a cup, but got no takers.

The three of us were seated at a table for four near the front of the restaurant, which is huge, so I didn't really get to see what the rest of the place looked like. But, if it's anything like the dining room to the left of the hospitality area where we sat, the restaurant is bright and well appointed.



WB Signature Berry Bliss Pancakes

I ordered the WB Signature Berry Bliss Pancakes ($8.99) to match my cheery mood, a side order of extra-thick applewood smoked bacon, and a small orange juice. A serving is five buttermilk pancakes cooked with whole blue berries, stacked with berry mascarpone cheese, and topped with vanilla creme anglaise, fresh berries, and powdered sugar. The dish is engineered to deliver big flavors, but the berries were a little too jejune for me, and I'm just not a fan of powdered sugar on my pancakes. I don't want to say bland because they were tart, just not quite full-flavored, and I haven't ever before had the chance to bust out the word jejune.

The bacon was very good, but again not quite what I expected. I've learned since I visited Wildberry that they like to pair sweet and savory flavors, and that's a food philosophy to which I whole-heartedly subscribe. But, when the bacon is described as extra-thick, I'm expecting something thick--fatback, pork belly, lardons. I'm from the South. As always, no one should trust my opinion of coffee. I judge it on whether or not they have enough raw sugar and milk. At Wildberry, no for the sugar and yes for the milk.

Our server was a gentleman and a pro. Serving our breakfast was not his first trip to the table, and his expertise was evident. My wife did remark, and I agree, that he was waiting on too many tables to be very attentive to special interests or questions. However, when my wife asked about the roast of the coffee, he returned quickly, albeit harried, to our table with an answer. It was Sunday morning after all.

We left the restaurant satisfied and walked to our car. With some cursing at a driver and cramped maneuvering of the car, my wife drove out of the parking lot. I told Shelby that he owed me a dollar.

If you'd like to see a really good review of the restaurant, watch this clip from "Chicago's Best" by Brittney Payton, my former student. Yes, that Payton.

Certainly no reason to add any Penalty Pennies in place that works hard to get every detail of breakfast exactly right, and any place that's as welcoming to Brittney as Wildberry deserves a few Perk Pennies. We'll call them Payton Pennies today in her honor. It's important to note that Wildberry Pancakes and Cafe serves an upscale breakfast with all the perquisites of a big, well-run restaurant, and that may keep them from reaching a Perfect $4.00 on our scale, but that should never keep customers away.

The Bottom Line: $8.99 - .50 = $8.49

Traveling is a fool's paradise.

P4B has had visitors from Russia, Italy, Latvia, the Netherlands, Egypt, Brazil, Guam, India, Germany. Even India, Singapore, and Indonesia. Mexico and Canada, too, but they're just visits from the neighbors, globally speaking.

When I surf other blogs, they have to grab my attention in about seven seconds before I click onto the next one, so I figure that's the equivalent of P4B spending seven seconds in Latvia.

Emerson may have feared being stalked in Naples and Rome by the giant of his unrelentingly stern, sad self, but P4B spent seven seconds in Latvia, and I'm good with that.

Where next? 100 in 365 spent seven seconds in Egypt!

So, P4B, forget Emerson, pack your e-trunk, embrace your friends, embark on the Cyber Sea, and wake up intoxicated with sights and suggestions. Maybe I'll go out for breakfast.

It's me, Technorati!

8BF456BRFPZB

Benedict's Eggs and More, 8 South River Street, East Dundee, Illinois

Just off the north section of the Fox River Bike Trail and a block south of Route 72 in East Dundee sits Benedict's Eggs and More in a former residence, I believe, that has been on that spot since 1892. There is a sister restaurant in Crystal Lake, Benedict's La Strata. Benedict's in East Dundee is cozy and inviting.

The walk from the hostess station just inside the front door to our table in what looks like the former home's parlor gave us a tour of the dining rooms. Even though the parking lot was three-quarters full, there was plenty of room at every table. Most surprising was the story that our server told us about the tree that grows through the dining room where we ate. With a little coaxing from me, she told us that the owners left the tree standing when they built an addition onto the restaurant around the tree, and sure enough, you can see it in the pictures below.

A Tree Grows Through It

Shelby and I sat at a small corner table next to a window that looked out on the front lawn of the former home. Very picturesque. The Benedict's menu is a book, and it took us awhile to browse through the choices. Since we got out of the house very late for breakfast, we had our choice of the most important meal of the day or the best meal of the day. Shelby chose lunch, and I chose breakfast.

When I said to our server, "I suppose in a place named Benedict's, I have to order Eggs Benedict," she confirmed my intuition. The best part was that she had difficulty choosing the one she liked best. I settled on the Breakfast Benedict from a section of the menu suggestively called Benedict's and Those that Think They're Benedicts. Country sausage served on English muffin halves, topped with two poached eggs and cheddar cheese sauce ($7.95).

 I should probably explain that I'm not from the Chicago area. I was raised much farther south, so I'm not really accustomed to cheddar cheese sauce. I understand that good people from all over the place love it on beef steaks, French fries, and all kinds of other stuff, including those dishes that think they're Eggs Benedict. Even though all the signs were there--the clever heading on the menu, the major ingredients--I was expecting Hollandaise sauce. It's not that I don't like cheddar cheese sauce, which I affectionately call cheese wax. I love the guilty pleasure of Cheese Fries or a Chili-Cheese Dog, but I have to prepare myself for it. And, as I said, I was prepared for Hollandaise sauce. Even though I feel guilty saying it, it was great, and the breakfast potatoes were a good complement.

Benedict's serves Intelligensia brand coffee, and mine was hot and fresh. I easily turned it into the sugary, coffee-flavored, warm milk I drink. Perhaps the company was right or the Cheddar Cheese Sauce went to my head, but I enjoyed my early afternoon breakfast at Benedict's Eggs and More. I suspect I'm not the only one to like Benedict's.

I'm awarding $2.00 in Perk Pennies for good service, the Benedict's community atmosphere, and the tree, of course.

The Bottom Line: $7.95 - 2.00 = $5.95



Brunch Cafe, 935 Rt. 22, Fox River Grove, Illinois

Friday night tailgate on the South Side and White Sox baseball has to be followed by late Saturday morning breakfast. Close by. Hearty. Not too heavy. This is when I like coffee--well, slightly less sweet, slightly more coffee-flavored, slightly warmer milk.

The Brunch Cafe is within walking distance of my house. The skillet I ordered was generous, and the coffee was mood-altering. I'm sure anyone who is a coffee aficion would say this was pretty good stuff. Most of all, Shelby was with me. Any breakfast with great company is better than every one without. Lots of chuckles about funny things said and done the night before. Inside jokes.

Along with foggy-headed snickering, I needed needed the taste of comfort, so I order the Meat and Potatoes Skillet from the Eggsquisite Skillets section of the menu--simple, hearty, and hot. Not much need for elaboration here--ham, bacon, sausage, and cheddar cheese with two eggs, served over what the Brunch Cafe calls brunch potatoes with either toast or pancakes. I ordered the eggs over easy and wheat toast. Coffee, of course. The skillet was $8.99.

The restaurant has only been open a couple of years, and it has become a popular place. Lines out the door on many Sunday mornings. The dining room is spacious, comfortable, clean, and very simply and tastefully decorated. I enjoy eating here two or three times a year.

For me, the Brunch Cafe misses, however, on a very important detail--community. That's what great breakfast places have, regardless of the decor or the cleverness of the menu. That sense of community is created by the people, and even though I'm not awarding any Penalty Points, I'm also not awarding any Perk Points for some very simple reasons. I had to wait for coffee. I had to ask for butter. Our server said when she handed us the bill, "Well, that's it for you boys," never pausing to ask if we needed anything else.

The Bottom Line: $8.99

Not a particularly good score for a good restaurant. The Brunch Cafe does many things well and has expanded to two new locations. I wish them well. I also wish they had the human touch.