Loaf Lounge

Have read/heard lots but no designated thread so after yesterday's excellent lunch, figured I'd change that. Great pedigree. Husband-and-wife Chefs Sarah Mispagel and Ben Lustbader worked @ Nightwood, Lula and Giant so there's that. Fast casual diner/bakeries have touched a sweet spot during the plague, so smart move if you're gonna gamble on a new brick and mortar. None would matter w/o the follow thru, and they do. The kitchen is up to the task.

Mrs. Jazzfood had the best example of a sausage/egg sandwich on English muffin we've ever had. Noticeably better in every way. I went w/cured smoked salmon w/herbed cream cheese, capers, onion, radish, cuke, micro greens and salmon roe served open faced on toasted marble rye. Silky and gossamer were mentioned and this Jew very much approved. The chocolate cake was excellent as well, its claim to fame being it's featured on the tv show "the Bear". For me, just behind Lutz or Gibson's. The oatmeal cream pie cookie skewed too sweet for my tastes but not for Mrs. Jazzfood who polished it off easily. Add airy windows and long bar, all in all we were very happy.

2934 N Milwaukee Ave
Chicago, IL 60618
(773) 904-7852

Thanks, Alan. Loaf Lounge has been on my short list for a while. I recently ran into Ben and Sarah, both of whom have earned my undying admiration over the years and they we're feeling pretty good about Loaf Lounge's first couple of months. We would have hit it during our Black Friday food crawl but they were closed that day (good for them). Looking forward to checking it out sooner than later, especially after reading your enthusiastic report.

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Besides sensible biz hrs they also have a 4% additional fee for equitable pay scales throughout- something I've advocated for decades and pretty much always ignored by my corporate clients. They're walking the walk while feeding the peeps in a way that makes sense to them and is equitable all around.

Last month I posted extensively on a visit to Loaf Lounge in the topic about kouign amanns (click here). As you can read there, I thought their kouign amanns were pretty darn awesome, and so were their capicola sandwiches and their caramelized onion bread. I also included helpful hints regarding parking and public transit.

I'll say that after an initially lukewarm response to the flaky pastries (in the kouign-amman thread), I have warmed to Loaf Lounge. Specifically, I've had some savory pastries that I thought were very good.

Still haven't eaten in for a proper meal yet. Probably closer to me than any other restaurant so I'll try to do that soon.

I took a trip to Loaf Lounge the other day. Midweek vacation days are nice for things like that! I got the sausage, egg and cheese sandwich, the smoked salmon sandwich, a piece of the chocolate cake, three cookies (chocolate chip, chocolate crinkle, ruby chocolate something), a loaf of sourdough and a latte. The breakfast sandwiches didn't suffer on the 25 minute drive home. Both were good with the sausage, egg and cheese sandwich edging out the smoked salmon in my book. The cookies were all quite tasty. Mr. X and I loved the chocolate cake. Not too sweet and excellent chocolate. He approves of the sourdough (I haven't tried it yet.) I wasn't impressed by the latte.

I'm glad I had the time to make it there. Is it a destination? I'm not sure about that. There are places closer to my home in Edgewater that are doing great pastries, sandwiches, etc. I'd go again if I were in the area for sure.

To me, this is absolutely a destination and I hope to make it one.

I was blown away by the quality of everything here, especially the breads. Shared a few sandwiches (eaten in) that were terrific (sausage/egg/cheese breakfast sandwich, Roscoe), as well as part of a morning bun that was one of the best I've ever had. Just some beautifully made, slightly tangy laminated pastry, with perfect amounts of sweetness and dried blueberry. It was crispy on the outside and tender with countless layers inside.

I also grabbed a couple of breads to go and . . . wow! The sea salt/rosemary focaccia was excellent. Crispy, tender, rich and aromatic. I loved how moist and light the interior was. And that perfectly dimpled exterior? Yes, sir, Senator!

And the caramelized onion boule was even better. A lovely exterior shell and a moist, chewy open crumb that kept getting more flavorful through the chew. With apologies to Middle Brow and Hewn, this is some of the best commercially baked bread I've had in a long time. It's been a few years since I've been to Lost Larson (and admittedly, I don't get out much these days) but in my mind, it's the only locally baked bread that even comes close to Loaf Lounge.

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A few images from my visit and to-go purchases . . .


Loaf Lounge - 2934 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60618


The Roscoe & Fries
Crispy-light grilled marbled rye and ultra-crispy fries.


A Closer Look
Turkey, Sauerkraut, Chipotle Mayo, & Swiss Cheese on Marbled Rye. Ooey, gooey and totally delightful.

These are some breadstuffs I took home. By the time I thought to shoot them, they had aged a bit but I'm posting the pics because I think they still really showcase the quality of the workmanship . . .


Caramelized Onion Loaf
A lovely rise and a beautiful, open crumb.


Croissant
Hard to quibble with the lamination here.

These are some exceptional products and given the pedigrees of Sarah and Ben, there's absolutely nothing surprising about it. When they were at Nightwood with Jason Vincent, that was the golden age of one of the finest restaurants to which Chicago has ever been home. Loaf Lounge is a gem.

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nsxtasy wrote:Last month I posted extensively on a visit to Loaf Lounge in the topic about kouign amanns (click here). As you can read there, I thought their kouign amanns were pretty darn awesome, and so were their capicola sandwiches and their caramelized onion bread. I also included helpful hints regarding parking and public transit.

Here are the photos I included in that other post:

Great Loki, do they do mail order? That all looks wonderful, and yummy.

I've become just a bit obsessed with this place. Drove ~40 miles round-trip today to pick up some breads. Had a chance to grab a few shots . . .


Current Menu Board - left side


Current Menu Board - right side

For reference, we were there at around 11:30 a.m. . .


Assorted Pastries


Loaves, Lounging

And . . . as long as I was there, why not grab a bite?


Sausage, Egg & Cheese Sandwich, Hash Brown
Even better than it looks . . . and it looks pretty righteous.

Bought a marble rye and a country sourdough, the latter of which seemed to have been 86'd during our visit. I'll try to post shots of the breads later on.

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Mrs Jazzfood (an aficionado of all things bfast sandwiches) pronounced it "fuckinkiller" and the best she'd ever had.

Jazzfood wrote:Mrs Jazzfood (an aficionado of all things bfast sandwiches) pronounced it "fuckinkiller" and the best she'd ever had.

Not counting something homemade, it'd be very hard to disagree with that. Not only are the components top tier -- house-made English muffin and sausage, c'mon! -- but the perfectly runny yolk is a thing of beauty. Concept, quality and execution all in sync.

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ronnie_suburban wrote:. . . I'll try to post shots of the breads later on.

Country Sourdough & Marble Rye


Marble Rye & Country Sourdough

Textbook. Delicious.

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ronnie_suburban wrote:I've become just a bit obsessed with this place. Drove ~40 miles round-trip today to pick up some breads. Had a chance to grab a few shots . . .


Current Menu Board - left side


Current Menu Board - right side



For reference, we were there at around 11:30 a.m. . .


Assorted Pastries


Loaves, Lounging

And . . . as long as I was there, why not grab a bite? :D


Sausage, Egg & Cheese Sandwich, Hash Brown
Even better than it looks . . . and it looks pretty righteous. :)

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i've only had the veggie breakfast sandwich on an english muffin at LL, and it was awful- the cooked kale hadn't been drained, it seemed, and the sandwich was a soggy mess. i didnt say anything, though i should have: i hope they've figured it out since then....

justjoan wrote:i've only had the veggie breakfast sandwich on an english muffin at LL, and it was awful- the cooked kale hadn't been drained, it seemed, and the sandwich was a soggy mess. i didnt say anything, though i should have: i hope they've figured it out since then....

Saying it there is more likely to produce a result or correction than saying it here. My guess, from the relatively heavy traffic there today, is that it was either an aberration or they figured it out. Their food's terrific and business seems to be brisk.

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So good we both got them which for us is very rare. The Crystal hot sauce was a nice addition.

An many of you know, I've been mainlining LL breads pretty hard over the past few months. I try to always have some in the house. This time of year, with proper care, the loaves usually last about a week. Now, there's a new addition to their bread rotation, potato romano . . .


Potato Romano Bread
Day 1, in the basket.


Potato Romano Bread
Day 2, toasted/buttered.

Really nice stuff. I could smell the romano more than I could directly taste it, so it's subtle, if romano cheese can ever be such a thing. It made a perfect base for an open-face mortadella and olive salad sandwich. On Day 2, it toasted up beautifully. Surprisingly -- and it's hard to see in my pics -- the potato takes the form of small, tender pieces mixed into the loaves. It may also be in the dough. I'll have to ask next time I talk to them. Definitely not available everyday -- though, I'm not sure which days it is -- so best to find out before heading over for it.

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The sausage English muffin sandwich and hash brown are literally 2 of my favorite things to eat. Theyre both out of this world

WhyBeeSea wrote:The sausage English muffin sandwich and hash brown are literally 2 of my favorite things to eat. Theyre both out of this world

I agree . . . and I almost forgot to post about another of my current LL faves . . .


Cinnamon Roll
These are exemplary. Really nice ferment and complexity all the way through the tender chew. The gluten is nicely developed and thanks to the dough's enrichment, still pull-apart tender. They're nicely balanced on the flavor side, too. The cinnamon and sweetness work well together and are both in check. And just a great yeasty-cinnamon-y aroma.

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