Recession? What recession?

I think Chicagoans didn't get the memo about a little something called…the recession. Every restaurant we went to from Friday - Sunday had an average of a TWO HOUR wait. People here aren't staying at home eating boiled potatoes and cabbage. They're all out stuffing their faces with delicious food and drink and making this tourist go hungry! We'd trek to one place after another and the same thing… 2 - 2.5 hr wait time. In fact, the only time we didn't have to wait was lunch with Cupcake at Farmerie 58. But I was told that's because it's lunch. Dinner is a different story. Apparently brunch falls into this category as well.

We only had to stand huddling around the doorway for just over 1 hour at Southport Grocery and Café on our last day in the windy city and it was well worth the (relatively short) wait. It's a charming little gourmet grocery store with a glass case at the front cash that displays beautiful, big cupcakes- vanilla and chocolate only. And don't worry, this little story ends with the vanilla, topped off with gorgeous white frosting. But it began with a nice strong coffee, followed by the sweet and savoury French toast and an intermission of a couple of bites of bread pudding pancakes, which I am totally having the next time I go back! But it'll have to be during much warmer weather because standing by the door when you're hungry is one thing, but *freezing cold* and hungry? That's my definition of hell on earth.